Since the early 1990s, Russia and China have come a long way in developing military cooperation. It began with an exchange of delegations, the reduction of troops along the border, the adoption of confidence-building measures, and, by now, has transformed into a strong partnership. Two countries annually conduct several joint military exercises and develop military training cooperation. In this regard, the Chinese assessments of the Russian military policy after the collapse of the USSR are of particular interest. The survey of specialized publications shows that Chinese scholars commenced studies on the Russian military reforms in the mid-1990s. The author notes that there was a spike of research activity on that matter in 2009 soon after the start of radical reforms of the Russian Armed Forces. Chinese scholars usually identify four waves in the Russian military reforms, each determined by a combination of domestic and external political and economic factors. Chinese military and academic experts assessed these reforms both in terms of their impact on the global balance of power in the military-political sphere and their potential relevance to similar reforms in China. The first two phases of the Russian military reforms (from 1992 to 1997 and from 1997 to 1999) are usually assessed negatively. The general failure of military reforms is attributed to the economic challenges, the lack of political will, and the absence of an adequate theoretical and methodological basis for such transformations. Subsequent reforms (from 2001 to 2004, and, particularly, after 2008) are generally assessed positively. In that regard, Chinese experts emphasize the importance of the processes of political power consolidation and economic recovery that took place in Russia in that period, as well as the role of lessons learned by the Russian military from local wars and armed conflicts. Nevertheless, according to Chinese assessments these reforms still have certain drawbacks, particularly, associated with hasty and misguided attempts to copy the Western military models at the turn of the 2000s — 2010s. In general, Chinese civilian and military experts conclude that throughout a long and difficult process of military reforms Russia has made a significant progress in rearmament and increasing the combat potential of its armed forces. Moreover, such reforms could serve as a valuable source of experience and an example for further development and modernization of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA).


This book is the result of recent discussions about intangible natural heritage, which started in 2003 with the publication of UNESCO's seminal Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and continued in 2006 with the annual conference of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural Heritage (NATHIST) in New Zealand, which chose intangible natural heritage as its theme. The most important objective of the UNESCO convention, as noted in the foreword, is to provide a cohesive 'framework for acknowledging and fostering human relationships with the environment not only for the benefit of society, but for the ongoing conservation of nature' (p. xi). This means that a key objective of the book is to highlight the importance of everybody's relationship to the natural environment. In general terms, the book tries to synthesise different approaches to intangible natural heritage, as well as to represent a crosssection of the broad range of current thinking. In specific terms, the book seeks firstly to discuss the main issues concerning the nature of intangible natural heritage and secondly to emphasise that the concept of intangible natural heritage as a transversal discipline spanning history, geography, ecology and sociology of natural history. Consequently, it is fundamental to achieve a theoretical framework compatible to the various fields of research. In my opinion, the book achieves its objectives. Nevertheless, as mentioned in the book, there is still a long way to go to arrive at the broad framework suggested by UNESCO. Also as stated in the book, the discussion on intangible natural heritage has only been taking place for a few years. Consequently, there is still considerable room for future discussion. This is an innovative publication, and nowadays there are not so many focusing on the theme covered in this book. As stated before, the subject can be addressed in an interdisciplinary way. This is a recent trend, which explains why we presently cannot find many publications like this one. Therefore, this book should be seen as a 'first attempt to synthesize different approaches to intangible natural heritage' (p. 3). The book opens up three possible ways to deepen the investigation of intangible natural heritage: further philosophical discussion around the concept; the analysis of the ethical linkages between intangible natural heritage and territory; and the possibility of seeking new examples and case studies of intangible interrelations with the human material world at various points in time and locations. There are a few things that could have been done to improve this book. First, as this is a recent research topic and museums are 'repositories' of both tangible and intangible heritage, it would be interesting to have a wider range of different case studies from around the world. Secondly, another topic that could have been developed is the ever-growing importance of tourism and its relation with intangible natural heritage as a means of


ABSTRACT I examine distinct cyclical properties of labor markets in emerging economies compared to developed ones from a general equilibrium perspective. The evidence in emerging economies shows that (1) wages are more volatile than income, while (2) employment is less volatile and (3) less pro-cyclical than in developed economies. I use a standard open-economy model to study the implications of wealth effects on labor market dynamics in both emerging and developed economies simultaneously. In contrast to the (partial equilibrium) results of the small open economy (SOE) model, I show that in general equilibrium, strong wealth effects on labor supply in emerging economies are necessary to rationalize the evidence. The model is also consistent with empirical regularities of exchange rate fluctuations, namely (1) excess volatility of real exchange rates, and (2) the negative co-movement between the real exchange rate and relative consumption.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use Bates' paper as a springboard to consider the potential impact of the internet on the personal and intimate lives of people with learning disabilities including opportunities to gain support.

Design/methodology/approach
Key literature is reviewed alongside the author's experiences in working with people with learning disabilities on sexual issues.

Findings
The literature prioritises internet safety for people with learning disabilities. There is limited attention to how people can be supported to use social media to enhance their social and/or sexual lives.

Originality/value
The commentary challenges the reader to consider how the internet and social media can be used to help people with learning disabilities develop and maintain relationships including sexual relationships.


The TIROS-N Microwave Sounder Unit (MSU) is described. The MSU uses passive radiometry in the 50 to 60 GHz region to remotely measure the three-dimensional temperature distrbution of the Earth's atmosphere.


Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a programmable network technology which aims to move an existing controller role in hardware equipment into an area of software. The control layer employs an application programming interface (API) to communicate with the application and infrastructure layers as it is centered between two layers. As the Southbound API used in communication with the infrastructure layer, the OpenFlow is defined as the current de factor standard in most SDN controllers. In contrast, the Northbound API used in communication with the application layer had no standard. Only REST API is used in Floodlight or OpenDaylight. Thus, the development in application area where SDN's true value lies to achieve network intelligence is not promoted well enough. In this paper, a gRPC protocol is proposed as useable Northbound API rather than REST API used in some controllers, and applicability of new standard as Northbound API is investigated.


Many adaptive gradient methods have been successfully applied to train deep neural networks, such as Adagrad, Adadelta, RMSprop and Adam. These methods perform local optimization with an element-wise scaling learning rate based on past gradients. Although these methods can achieve an advantageous training loss, some researchers have pointed out that their generalization capability tends to be poor as compared to stochastic gradient descent (SGD) in many applications. These methods obtain a rapid initial training process but fail to converge to an optimal solution due to the unstable and extreme learning rates. In this paper, we investigate the adaptive gradient methods and get the insights on various factors that may lead to poor performance of Adam. To overcome that, we propose a bounded scheduling algorithm for Adam, which can not only improve the generalization capability but also ensure the convergence. To validate our claims, we carry out a series of experiments on the image classification and the language modeling tasks on several standard benchmarks such as ResNet, DenseNet, SENet and LSTM on typical data sets such as CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and Penn Treebank. Experimental results show that our method can eliminate the generalization gap between Adam and SGD, meanwhile maintaining a relative high convergence rate during training.


The method of formal information has the characteristic of the self-stipulation of thinking as being,which through every stage of Heidegger's thought that as a key to understanding his thought.Under the guidance of the method,Heidegger's thought not only distinguished from his teacher Husserl but also distinguished from Traditional thought of rationalism.In addition,only on the basis of understanding of this method that can really comprehended Heidegger's experience of nonentity and paradox.


A 33-year-old female patient presented to our hospital for suspected multiple intracardiac masses with chest distress and asthma symptoms in the past month. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed multiple irregular masses: one at the right ventricular lateral wall, one at the left ventricular posterior wall, and several at the left atrium. The largest one was found to attach at the interatrial septum (72 43 mm) (Figure 1A,B, Videos S1 and S2). By compressing the ventricles and left atrium, there is vivid image displayed on three-dimensional echocardiography about how the masses affected biventricular function and caused valvular abnormalities (Figure 1C). Color Doppler flow imaging showed moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and pulse wave Doppler echocardiography demonstrated severe pulmonary hypertension (Figure 1D,E, Video S3). The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography and contrast-enhanced imaging (Figure 1F), excluding other causes for cardiopulmonary insufficiency. Magnetic resonance imaging detected multiple masses in right ventricle, left atrium and left ventricle (Figure 1G,H), corresponding with the results of echocardiography and computed tomography. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan suggested benign nature of the tumors (Figure 1I–K). In addition, the patient had multiple skin hyperpigmentation lesions on her hands and feet (Figure 1L,M), some of which could gradually disappear and grow again in other parts over the past 10 years. Semi emergency cardiac surgery was performed to remove all masses in the cardiac cavity. Macroscopically, the masses were gel shaped. The histopathological examination was compatible with multiple cardiac myxomas, characterized by stellate mesenchymal cells in a myxoid stroma (Figure 1N,O). Genetic analysis revealed mutations of the PRKARIA gene. Eventually, she was diagnosed with recurrent cardiac myxoma as a part of carney complex (CNC). Carney complex is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome, characterized by pigmented lesions of the skin and mucosa, myxomas in the heart, skin and other areas, and multiple endocrine tumors. Occuring most frequently in the left ventricle, approximately 20%–40% of CNC patients have a cardiac myxoma, but cases that myxomas appeared in two or more cardiac cavities are extremely rare. It is important to manage cardiac tumors in CNC patients, because heart related symptoms are the primary causes for their death, including myxoma embolism, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, arrhythmia, and systemic symptoms. Cardiac myxoma may have clinical manifestations such as palpitation, chest tightness, syncope, or even shedding, leading to embolism and sudden death, which makes surgery the first choice. The complete surgical excision of the myxomas was accomplished with no complication. This case underpins the importance of regular echocardiography for known CNC patients. Also, cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are found helpful for early detection and intervention of tumors, which might improve the prognosis. Some patients with CNC are diagnosed after the detection of a cardiac myxoma as the initial presentation. If the patient has a cardiac myxoma in a cardiac chamber other than left atrium, we should consider the possibility of CNC.


One of the main application areas of modern engineering in computer based systems is development, production, deployment and maintenance of reactive systems. Today, the majority of functions in such systems are implemented in software, and modeled as a group of finite state machines (automata). The past decade has seen many R&D efforts in development of tool sets that support software production processes, in area of reactive systems, in both industry and academia. This paper is our contribution to this movement. We present a concept of an integrated development environment for a class of problems known as finite state machines. The concept is suitable for small and medium size high-tech software R&D teams, where most of the team members participate in majority of phases of a software development cycle.


The origin of this thesis lay in the production of defects associated with manufa cturing LPM impregnated panels. The causes of these defects were unknown as was their exact nature. In identifying the actual nature and cause of these defects, it is necessary to research the fundamental mechanisms of fluid flow into paper as well as identifying how certain s tructural characteristics of paper, as well as characteristics of the penetrating liqu ids, affected fluid flow within paper. To understand the affect of different liquids on impregnation into porous media, simple isotropic micromodels are used to quantify the effects of surface tension an d contact angle on the rate of fluid flow. The use of the Lucas-Washburn equation is question d. Using cryo-SEM and a newly developed technique of cryo 2-photon con fo al laser scanning microscopy, the actual mechanisms of fluid flow in unsized paper are ide ntified. These are due primarily to the advance of the wetting fluid in the form of bulk liquid films along c hannels formed by fibre overlaps. This is in contrast to the common description of fluid penetration, where the primary flow mechanism is based on the bulk filling of pores. These channels, formed by fibre overlaps are shown to form a highly interconnected dens e network of flow paths which efficiently transport the wetting fluid. The flow rates associated with penetration along a number of potential flow paths within the fibre web are calculated. The experimentally observed penetration rate is consistent with a film flow process through inte r-fibr channels which is significantly slower than a penetration process dominated by meniscus flow through pores. In addition the mechanism of fluid flow in internally sized papers is pre sent d. The effects of different fillers on paper structure, flow path morpholog ies and imbibition rate are also quantified. Laboratory papers with different types and amo unts f filler are studied using SEM and cryo-SEM and a newly developed technique of high speed vid o microscopy to quantify such effects.


Verbal overshadowing occurs when participants describe a previously viewed non-verbal stimulus such as a face prior to a recognition memory test. The results of numerous studies indicate that recognition accuracy is lower when participants describe the face or other non-verbal stimulus as compared to a no-description control condition. In the present two-experiment study, verbal overshadowing was alleviated when participants engaged in a non-verbal task that emphasized perceptual processing subsequent to describing the face but prior to the recognition memory test. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants viewed a face and then either described the face or completed a distractor task. Next, participants in Experiment 1 engaged in a perceptual task in the form of a series of mazes or a verbal task. Participants who described the face and completed the mazes experienced a release from verbal overshadowing as compared to participants who described the face and completed the verbal task. In Experiment 2, verbal overshadowing was alleviated when participants listened to instrumental music after describing the face, thus demonstrating that an auditory perceptual task can also release verbal overshadowing. The results of these two experiments provide support for a processing shift interpretation of verbal overshadowing. Furthermore, the results indicate this shift can be alleviated, and perceptual processing reinstated, by engaging in an unrelated perceptually oriented task such as completing a maze or listening to music. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


High quality job design has been identified as one of the most important determinants of employee well-being and performance, and –hence- firm performance. Although research has settled on the identification of the key job characteristics and their moderating and mediating variables, surprisingly many employees are still working in low quality jobs. Against this background, this symposium draws attention to the determinants or causes of job design. Specifically, throughout the contributions we build a multilevel perspective and tap into (1) job crafting of individual employees, (2) job crafting of coworkers, (3) implicit theories of job designers, (4) organizational values and (5) national institutions as antecedents of job characteristics. This symposium provides theoretical and empirical papers from around the globe, which rely on high quality data and state of the art methodology. Our work therefore invites scholars to take the research on job design to the next level and provides insight in how good j...


Introduction Trawl net was first introduced from Thailand to Pulau Pinang. Malaysia in the early 1960·s. It has been used by fishermen in Terengganu since early 1970's and has since been the most important gear in Malaysia. In 1995. trawl landed 55% of the total marine fish landings in Peninsular Malaysia. Trawl fishing industry has been experiencing high cost operation due to hydrodynamic inefficiency of trawl gears and depletion of resources that leads to lesser catch and longer trawling time to make up for the low catch rate. Improving the hydrodynamic efficiency of trawl gears will in general make the fishing operation more economical. Thus information on the efficiency of trawl gears will in general make the fishing operation more economical. Thus information on the efficiency of trawl nets with respect to hydrodynamic resistance is inevitable for the construction of resistance-efficient trawl nets. The objective of this paper is thus to determine the main structural characteristics that affect the hydrodynamic efficiency of trawl nets.


The utility model provides an aeration anchor rod use for a foundation pit shoring of a soft soil and sand soil stratum area and relates to an aeration anchor. The aeration anchor rod use for the foundation pit shoring of the soft soil and sand soil stratum area solves the problems that pulling resistance which is produced by an oval rubber membrane of an existing aerating anchor rod does not reach safe construction, and brings inconvenience to building operation. An thread anchor body and an anchor shaft are a hollow thread anchor body and a hollow anchor rod shaft, the thread anchor body and the anchor shaft are integrated from top to bottom, a lining pipe can be arranged in the thread anchor body and the anchor rod shaft in a rotating mode, two aeration front mark labels and two aeration rear mark labels are arranged at the upper ends of the lining pipe in a ring-shaped array mode, two rows of anchor rod holes are formed in the anchor rod shaft in the soil layer in a ring-shaped array mode, two anchor rod holes are formed in each row of the anchor rod holes, four lining holes which correspond to the positions of the anchor rod holes are formed in the lining pipe of the interior of the anchor shaft, and the elastic rubber membrane is arranged in the lining pipe. The aeration anchor rod use for the foundation pit shoring of the soft soil and sand soil stratum area is suitable for engineering of the foundation pit shoring of the soft soil and sand soil stratum area.


Eliminate the need for serving tables by transporting and serving from these attractive carts. Spacious top for coffee urns, cups, snack trays and more. Large waterproof and stain resistant laminate top has built-in rails. Three interior stainless steel shelves. Standard construction is stainless steel w/ Walnut laminate top and exterior. Optional finishes: Black, Light Maple, and Red Maple.


Children's games that are born and rooted in the community as a product of local culture are rarely played. Efforts to counter it are often presented but only stop at concepts, for example publishing books about children's games, establishing children's playhouses, and providing training on the importance of preserving games, so that real action is needed, such as the use of local culture, including children's games. Learning from the experience of the Javanese people who developed the concept of children's games as a potential to lead to a learning process towards reducing and preventing the risk of decreasing children's moral, then we can adopt this concept to be implemented in the use of children's games in Indonesia. The result is to design children's activities so that they are easy to use as an effective medium for learning the Javanese language as what this research aims to achieve.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is a fast growing and user-friendly technology that connects everything together. And it can communicate effectively between the people who connect "Things." Internet of Things, also known as Internet of Objects, usually refers to remote systems between projects. Systems will be remote and self-designable. However, the world's largest information technology companies tend to release products in the form of services to avoid disclosing detailed design and implementation knowledge. Hence, the overall trend of academic institutions is to use these mainstream IoT platforms as "black boxes". IoT is something that is useful as a sensor, computer architecture, software, security, packaging, technology selection based on the amount of data, as far as data is needed, whatever power you have. Fundamental way to collect and store data Thing: SQL, noSQL, and time series databases Machine learning algorithms with outputs: regression, classification, anomaly detection. Improve service quality, reduce service costs New models (precision services), Reduce consumption costs of higher quality products or services, Improve health and safety.


Velocities of sound, thermal expansion coefficients and heat capacities have been measured at 25 °C for cyclohexane mixed with n-hexadecane and with a series of highly branched alkanes (br-Cn, where n= 6, 8, 12, 16 and 19), leading to isentropic and isothermal compressibilities and thermal pressure coefficients, γ. With these data and corresponding literature values for the normal series, the mixing function Δ(γVT) has been obtained for c-C6+ n-Cn and c-C6+ br-Cn. For the branched series, Δ(γVT)≈–HE, as predicted by the Flory and other theories, which assume van der Waals behaviour for the component liquids. For the n-Cn series, as n increases, Δ(γVT) deviates from –HE towards much more negative values, indicating that the longer n-Cn are not accurately van der Waals liquids. Their behaviour is consistent with the presence of orientational order, which affects the equation of state of a liquid. The Flory theory successfully predicts dVE/dP for both the linear and branched series, the effect of order on the compressibility apparently being small. The quantities ΔCv and Δ(αγVT) are both strongly negative for c-C6+ n-Cn, corresponding to a decrease of n-alkane order with increasing T, because of thermal motion and expansion of the liquid, respectively, the latter effect predominating. For the br-Cn, Δ(αγVT) is small and negative but ΔCv is unexpectedly positive, perhaps indicating a disturbance of cyclohexane motion on the addition of the branched alkanes.


Simple Summary Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a noninvasive imaging technique that has become a reliable tool for identifying and monitoring lesions in both human and animals. In the last decade, its use in veterinary diagnostic imaging has gained increasing importance, and it can be reliable in everyday clinical practice. However, there is a lack of reviews describing existing CEUS results in the study of splenic lesions, which is of particular importance in dogs and cats. This information is important for validating its efficacy, to facilitate decision making related to sampling procedures and diagnosis, or even as a means to select CEUS as an alternative diagnostic tool in specific cases. Our goal was to review the existing studies of CEUS applications for splenic ultrasound studies in cats and dogs, present these results in a systematic manner, and combine this information into practical guidelines that can be used to help diagnosis and interpretation in both clinical cases and research. Abstract Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an emerging technology in veterinary medicine involving the administration of intravenous contrast agents, and it is increasingly recognized for its high potential as a diagnostic imaging tool for small animals. This exam is easy and quick to perform, safe and reliable, and allows for the differentiation of lesions. It permits the identification of lesions that may require more invasive procedures, from those that can be safely dismissed to those that can be followed-up with ultrasound imaging. Although it has been extensively reviewed for use in human medicine, there is an overall lack of information about the application of this technique for cats and dogs, particularly in splenic studies, which can be particularly important for small animals. The present review describes and summarizes the CEUS applications used for splenic analysis in cats and dogs, providing a basic overview of CEUS technology with examples of common and uncommon features of focal splenic lesions. It also systematically gathers the results obtained for benign and malignant splenic lesions described in the literature, whilst providing guidelines for their interpretation. Furthermore, it presents the advantages of using CEUS for splenic analysis in cats and dogs and the main factors that may influence the quality of the imaging and the accuracy of the diagnosis. This type of knowledge can be used to provide a framework to help veterinarians make informed decisions regarding the use of this emerging technique for splenic lesions, guiding their interpretation of CEUS findings in the splenic ultrasounds of cats and dogs.


This paper, developed from a plenary address presented at the October 2004 ACTA and WATESOL Conference in Perth, Western Australia, focuses on relationships between dialects, power relations and linguistic adjustments. Two key concepts from the literature serve as focal points for the discussion: Delpit's (1988) concept of the culture of power in schools and Gay's (2000) notion of culturally responsive pedagogy.


This research systematically compares the nature and degree of illness-related stress posed by four chronic .4iseases. Reports of illness stress were obtained from 170 middle-aged amd elderly outpatients faced with a diagnosis of cancer, rheumatoid arthrit.ts, diabetes mellitus or hypertension. Results indicate that, although a set of stresses common to chronic disease could be empirically identified, important illness-to-illness differences exist in the type and intensity of stress reported. While these findings conform to objective clinical features of each diagnosis. they also emphasize the importance of attending to patients' sublective illness experience in providing comprehensive medical care. Clinical implications are discussed.


1. Rat cultured ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) neurones obtained from embryonic hypothalamus were used to study the muscarinic (carbachol) modulation of voltage‐gated K+ currents with the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique. 2. Carbachol produced a potent and concentration‐dependent (100 fM to 100 microM) decrease of the outward delayed rectifier K+ current (IK) with an IC50 of 44 pM and a Hill coefficient of 0.4. The carbachol‐induced depression of IK was reduced by pirenzepine (1‐10 microM) and atropine (1 microM). Carbachol had no effect on the transient outward K+ current (IA). 3. Intracellular dialysis with guanosine 5'‐O‐(2‐thiodiophosphate) (GDP‐beta‐S, 500 microM) significantly diminished the carbachol‐induced depression of IK, suggesting GTP‐binding protein (G‐protein) involvement. Pre‐incubation of VMH neurones with pertussis toxin (200‐400 ng ml‐1) or cholera toxin (1 microgram ml‐1) for 24‐48 h had no effect on the carbachol‐induced depression of IK. This suggested that the G alpha o, G alpha i, and G alpha s G‐protein alpha‐subunits were not involved in mediating the carbachol‐induced depression of IK in VMH neurones. 4. Treatment (24‐48 h) of VMH neurones with antisense phosphothio‐oligodeoxynucleotides to the G alpha 11 G‐protein subunit (10 microM) significantly diminished the carbachol‐induced depression of IK. Treatment with 10 microM of either G alpha 11 sense or antisense to G alpha q had no effect. 5. These results demonstrate a novel and potent muscarinic depression of IK in VMN neurones, and that this depression is specifically mediated by the G alpha 11 G‐protein subunit.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Objective To assess the affect of text variable on readability of the informed consent for tooth extraction.Methods During dental clinical service,patients or clients have be obligatory to mark a VAS(visual analogue scale)score in which 0 indicated'total incomprehensiveness'and 100'total comprehensiveness'immediately following reading the text items from the informed consent for tooth extraction.Correlations between distinct text items were calculated by Spearman's rank correlation test.A significance level of 0.05 was chosen.Results The value of VAS score varied from the text items.One item had 90(1/17),one 20(1/17),two lower than 60(2/17),two higher than 80(2/17),others from 60 to 80(11/17).There is no significant correlation between the only one text item and others(P0.05).There is significant correlation between other text items and correlation coefficient was from 0.334 to 0.719(P0.01).Conclusion The affect of text variable on readability of the informed consent for tooth extraction has been observed.


Purpose
The construction industry (CI) is known for heavy workloads and long working hours. Consequently, quantity surveyors (QSs) find it difficult to integrate work with life. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the causes and consequences of poor life management (LM) in both female and male QSs working for contractors at construction sites and strategies that would improve the LM of the QSs.

Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a mixed research approach by conducting semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey to identify the significant causes and consequences of poor LM in QSs and strategies that would improve the LM of the QSs. Manual content analysis and mean weighted rating (MWR) were used to analyze the collected data.

Findings
Heavy workloads are the most significant cause of poor LM in QSs. The study found that male QSs are highly addicted to substance use and that female QSs lose sleep because of poor LM. Teamwork is the most significant strategy that would enhance the LM of both female and male QSs working at sites.

Originality/value
The traditional work–life balance refers to the harmony between work and non-work lives of an individual. LM is associated with five spheres of life: work, family life, health, social life and spiritual life. Given that, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have focused on LM, this study becomes significant because it identifies the causes and consequences of poor LM of QSs working in the CI and the strategies that would enhance the LM of the QSs.


Introduction The popularity of near-infrared (near-IR) spectroscopy is rapidly increasing for many reasons. Availability of inexpensive yet powerful computers and chemometric software for spectral data analysis is fostering the growth of new applications of the technique. The development of rapid-scanning spectrometers offering very high signal-to-noise ratios, an increased understanding and acceptance of the method in a variety of industries, and the need to maintain real-time process control in an era of total quality management are other reasons this method has begun to receive such attention. Near-IR spectroscopy has been used for a wide range of analyses in industries as diverse as biomedicine and petrochemicals. Although the pharmaceutical industry has been relatively slow to embrace this technique, a variety of pharmaceutical applications of near-IR have been identified and investigated. This review will discuss the development of near-IR spectroscopy for the analysis of pharmaceutical dosage forms...


Voyager 1 and 2 image pairs taken one rotation period (10 hr) apart are analyzed in order to compute average cloud velocities in the Jovian atmosphere, as well as to study the global energetics of the processes, in particular the sign and the magnitude of the energy transfer from the fluctuating to the mean flow. Particular attention is paid to the Great Red Spot phenomenon; it is suggested to have originated as a small vortex extracting energy from the surrounding flow. Since the eddy, presently in its near-equilibrium state, has reached a considerable size, while the mean shear lies close to that of a neutrally stable profile, it can be concluded that the presence of one large eddy precludes the growth of any others in the depleted mean shear.


This article focuses on the formation of flexible ideas of kinship to accommodate reform ideologies (antimafia) and collective platforms of work (cooperatives) in Sicily. While the anthropology of cooperatives often shows how coops reproduce family work, assessing how flexible kinship idioms accommodate cooperativisation can reveal how cooperatives are constituted around family life. In the Sicilian antimafia, kinship and work are strictly separated, on paper, for fear of mafia corruption. In actual fact, members of Sicilian antimafia cooperatives experience their merging of family life and antimafia cooperativism as a belonging to 'antimafia families'. This article explicates the tension between this ethnographic finding and antimafia ideology and policy. Antimafia families provide a backdrop for a cooperativism inclusive of kinship. The analysis shows both how antimafia families are mutually constituted with cooperatives and how cooperatives are embedded in the domestic lives of their members. This cooperative-family interplay can help us bridge conceptual separations between workplace and family life.


Gravity effects were studied in the gravisensitive free-living ameboid cell, the Myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Plasmodia of this acellular slime mold were studied in simulated and actual 0 g (IML-1, NIZEMI experiment on IML-2, BRIC experiment on STS-69); single 180°-horizontal turns were also used as a stimulus. 0-g simulation and actual 0 g (IML-1, non-immersed samples) induced a temporal decrease in contraction period. Due to the long-time immersion in the NIZEMI experiment the response was a transient period increase. An inverted response is known from geotaxis experiments performed in 1 g, in which plasmodia performed an inverted (negative) geotaxis to escape the water and the danger of oxygen depletion. The fact that immersed plasmodia are still able to respond to acceleration changes proves that the g-response in Physarum is based on a direct effect of gravity. A direct gravity effect has to be relayed via parts of the cell, which have a higher density than the rest of the system. Prime gravireceptor candidates are cell nuclei and mitochondria. Turn experiments and the BRIC flight study provide indications that the subsequent acceleration-stimulus signal transduction might use an ubiquitous second messenger pathway involving cAMP.


Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) detected frequently in the indoor air of child-care centers causes neurological disorders, lung, eyes, and bronchial irritation, and acute and chronic toxicity. In this study, the distributions of carcinogenic VOCs detected in child-care centers were characterized and a health risk assessment of the VOCs was performed, which can provide the necessary information for drawing up safety plans with respect to the concerned materials. The sampling of sites in day-care centers was undertaken two times: in the morning (10:00~12:00), and afternoon(16:00~20:00)-at 23 daycare centers located in Seoul, Korea from April, 2012 to July, 2012. The overall average concentrations of individual VOCs were benzene(1.61 μg/m3) > carbon tetrachloride (0.78 μg/m3) > chloroform(0.67 μg/m3) in order. Indoor/outdoor(I/O) ratios of benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform were 1.33, 1.09, 1.72, respectively. Benzene and carbon tetrachloride are thought to be more strongly associated with outdoor sources as compared to chloroform. Spearman correlation of benzene, carbon tetrachloride between indoor and outdoor concentration showed statistically significant levels(p < 0.05). The linear correlations for benzene, styrene, and carbon tetrachloride were tested. A significant correlation was observed only for carbon tetrachloride, accounting for 83 % of the variance. The risk assessment of the carcinogenic VOCs for teachers, infants, and children showed that none of the targeted VOCs posed a serious risk.


Least squares support vector regression trained by genetic algorithm is proposed to predict the reliability of LAN/WLAN integration network,and genetic algorithm is adopted to optimize the parameters of least squares support vector regression in the paper. The influencing factors of network reliability usually include the number of node,the number of link,time delay and reliability of link. The comparison results of the prediction values between LSSVR and RBFNN and the comparison results of the prediction error between LSSVR and RBFNN are given in the paper.It is indicated that LSSVR has more excellent prediction ability than RBFNN.


An individual tree basal area increment model was developed for blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook. & Arn.) in California, an important woodland tree for wildlife habitat. Box-Cox regression based on 895 increment cores that showed current basal area and the relative size of the tree crown were significant variables. Models to link basal area changes over time with tree height and crown cover were developed to provide initial estimates of stand structure dynamics. Relative tree crown characteristics, site index, and diameter at breast height (DBH) were significant variables in predicting tree height. Individual tree basal area, basal area competition in trees larger than the subject tree, and tree height were significant in predicting crown cover. Use of these models for assessing projected changes in stand structure under different levels of management is demonstrated. Blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook. & Arn.) is a widely distributed tree species on California rangelands, occurring in more or less pure woodland or savanna stands on 1.2 million ha of California's 3.0 million ha of hardwood rangelands, and in mixed stands on another 360,000 hectares (Bolsinger 1988). Blue oak woodlands have an understory of annual grasses and occasional native perennial grasses, and are found in association with foothill pine (Pinus sabiniana Dougl.), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Nee), and interior live oak (Quercus wislizenii A. DC.). Good ecological descriptions of these areas are found in Bartolome (1987), Griffin (1977), and Holmes (1990). Livestock grazing is the predominant land use on these areas, 75 percent of which are privately owned (Bolsinger 1988). Historically, little attention was given to tree growth on blue oak woodlands because they are classed as "noncommercial" by USDA Forest Service standards (average annual growth less than 1.4 cubic m per ha per year), they have little commercial use other than for firewood, and they inhibit forage production for livestock on some areas. In recent years, however, it has been recognized that blue oak rangelands are a rich source of biological diversity. The valley-foothill hardwood and valley-foothill hardwood conifer habitat types, of which blue oak woodlands are a principal component (Mayer and Laudenslayer 1988), have 278 vertebrate species of wildlife, which rely on these lands for at least part of their habitat needs (Airola 1988). Watershed protection and esthetics are other important public values supplied by blue oak woodlands. Concern about longterm sustainability of blue oak woodlands has been expressed by policy makers, resource mangers, and the general public because regeneration failure has been documented in some areas (Bolsinger 1988, Muick and Bartolome 1987, Standiford and others 1991). To evaluate blue oak woodland environmental values, managers need to be able to assess changes in tree cover and stand structure over time. Blue oak stand structure is closely correlated with the quality of wildlife habitat (Block and Morrison 1991, Wilson and others 1991). To date, the only information on growth and yield available for assessing blue oak stand dynamics is a whole stand model of volume, basal area, and crown cover developed for use in economic optimization of multiple resource management on blue oak woodlands (Standiford and Howitt 1993). However, this is not adequate for assessing stand structure changes over time and their effects on habitat values. The objective of this study is to develop preliminary individual blue oak tree models to allow managers to assess stand structure changes over time. 1An abbreviated form of this paper was presented at the Symposium on Oak Woodlands: Ecology, Management, and Urban Interface Issues, March 19-22, 1996, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Research was funded in part by Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program Grant 86-4. 2Forest Management Specialist, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.


These days, agricultural work still involves demanding and exhausting duties. The application of autonomous robots is a possible way to support human labor in the field. By adapting the robots to several tasks, like harvesting or cultivation of different types of crop, costs can be reduced while the flexibility of the system is increased. Thus, in this paper several concepts of modular agricultural manipulators for sweet-pepper, apples, and grapes are presented and discussed. In order to achieve dexterous manipulation and to be able to avoid obstacles, redundant robots are investigated. Kinematic as well as dynamic simulation models are applied for system design and evaluation. Finally, the developed manipulator and first control results are introduced. Both, simulations and measurements, demonstrate the principal suitability of the system.


The set of variables of a k-valued logic function f(x 1, ... , xn ) is partitioned into t parts, t > 1, and a polynomial representation of the function f is considered where the terms are products of all possible subfunctions corresponding to the partitioning. We analyse conditions under which an arbitrary function admits a representation in such a polynomial form.


The increased penetration of renewable resources has made frequency regulation and generation control a growing concern. This has created an opportunity for Energy Storage Resource to participate in the frequency regulation market. This paper investigates the potential of Battery Energy Storage systems to participate in the German secondary frequency regulation market. A simulation model is developed to investigate the revenue opportunity of a 48 MWh Battery System participating in the secondary frequency regulation market.


We consider the problem of multi-message private information retrieval (MPIR) from N non-communicating replicated databases. In MPIR, the user is interested in retrieving P messages out of M stored messages without leaking the identity of the retrieved messages. The information-theoretic sum capacity of MPIR CP is the maximum number of desired message symbols that can be retrieved privately per downloaded symbol. For the case P ≥ M/2, we determine the exact sum capacity of MPIR as CP<inf>s</inf>=1/1+M-P/PN For P≤M/2, we develop lower and upper bounds for all M, P, N. These bounds match if the number of messages M is an integer multiple of the number of desired messages P, in which case, CP<inf>s</inf> = 1−1N/1−(1/N)M/P. Our results indicate that joint retrieval of desired messages is more efficient than successive use of single-message retrieval schemes.


We report 15 cases of paranasal sinus mycosis treated by surgical therapy at the Department of Otolaryngology, Kagawa Medical University, between October 1986 and September 2001. The patients (3 males and 12 females) ranged in age from 33 to 77 years, with a mean age of 59.1 years Twelve patients had mycosis in the maxillary sinus, 2 in the sphenoid sinus, and 1 in the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. All cases were unilateral. The mycosis diagnosis was confirmed mainly by pathological examination. Aspergillus was detected in 13 cases, mucor in 1 case, candida in 1 case. CT and MRI examinations showed an irregular shadow in the sphenoid sinus and partial bone destruction of the sinus wall. Five cases were treated using Caldwell-Luc's procedure, 7 using endoscopic sinus surgery and 2 by endonasal antrostomy. The prognosis was good in all cases.


Concrete is the most commonly used building material in our time. For every person on earth, more than one cubic meter of concrete is produced every year. Cement is the main feedstock for the production of concrete. Cement makes up about 15% of the mass of concrete. The consumption of concrete will grow in the coming decennia [2]. Beside these developments, there is another issue going on, the issue of recycling concrete - from demolition of buildings or from construction materials(C&DW). Therefore it is worthwhile to examine these material streams. The major part of the demolition waste is now used for the construction of new roads. The objective of this thesis is to recycle the cement, by the means of liberation and separation. The focus of the investigation will be on (pebble) milling. By performing milling experiments, XRF analysis and the determination of the particle sizes more insight is gained in the milling and liberation of cement (calcium). During the milling experiments, variables like speed of the mill, size of the pebbles, fill rate of the feed and temperatures were varied to investigate the influence of these variables. To back up the results some ESEM images were taken and a TGA in combination with mass spectrometry was performed. The main actions performed during the experiments are summarised in a flow sheet. Most of the results were as one would expect. But still some of the XRF analysis and TGA analyses have unexpected results. The milling experiments showed that pebble milling does cause size reduction of the concrete fines. It also showed that heating of the material is not worthwhile. The performed experiments provide a good basis for further research. From this thesis it can be concluded that milling with bigger pebbles (16-64mm) and great mill speed, improve the milling efficiency. And that the residence of the feed in the mill should be around five minutes


This paper attempts to shed some light on the problem of correlation of such ontological categories as quality, quantity and relation in similes. The matter in question is significant since it relates to the problem of anthropocentrism in language. It shows the speaker's attitude to the information encoded in a simile by consciously choosing a vehicle via measuring a tenor's salient feature against an implied abstract scale of objects, notions, phenomena, etc. that possess a particular quality to a certain extent. The nature of the ground of simile is described to be gradable, capable of being subjectively measured from the perspective of the speaker's environmental perception. The gradability of a shared feature shown as a scale of potential vehicles lends itself to the interpretation as a fragment of the linguistic worldview displaying a range of scale markers typical of a certain linguistic community in a certain historical period of time. The polar opposite notions on an implied scale are depicted to represent a (proto/stereo) type and an anti-(proto/stereo)type typical of certain linguo-cultural domains in a particular fragment of a linguistic worldview. By moving from the explanatory examples to the analysis of empirical material the author concludes that the categories of quantity, quality and relation are intrinsic in every simile and manifest themselves in the choice of a tenor-vehicle pair that do not exist within simile other than in relation to each-other. The material described in the article serves as an evidence of language dependence on historical and social parameters. The paper explains the mechanism of creation of the congruous and ironic similes according to the universal process of simile formation where the unity of quantity, quality and relation are the key factors of its existence.


In 2009, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the unique outstand ing ecosystem biodiversity and distinct ecocultural values of the Shinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve in the island region. The Dadohae area, which has been sustainably conserved for scores of years, boasts not only a unique ecosystem, but also has residents with a wide range of traditional ecological knowledge. In terms of understanding the soundness of the ecosystem network known as the landscape system, the recent expansion of environmental development has served to heighten the degree of consideration given not only to biodiversity, which has long been used as an indicator to assess ecosystem soundness, but also to assess cultural diversity. Man has used the surrounding landscape and living organisms as his life resources since the beginning. Moreover, whenever necessary, man has developed new species through cultivation. Biodiversity became a foundation that facilitated establishing cultural diversity such as food and housing. Such ecological knowledge has been conveyed not only to adjacent regions, but also at the international level. The recent rapid changes in the Dadohae area island ecosystem caused by the transformation of fishing grounds by such factors as climate change, excess human activities, and marine pollution, is an epoch event in environmental history that shows that the balance between man and nature has become skewed. Furthermore, this issue has moved beyond the biodiversity and landscape diversity level to become an issue that should be addressed at the cultural diversity level. To this end, the time has come to pay close attention to this issue.


A washing machine and the washing control method, wherein water is extruded from the laundry detergent, the extruded heated detergent water, heated water and detergent is supplied again, so that with a minimum amount of water heating is performed washing operation. The washing machine includes a water tub, a drum mounted in the water tub to receive laundry, and a water tub into the drum from the circulation unit. The washing control method comprising steps of: detecting a load amount of laundry weight; water supply according to the detected load is set; the tub by the circulation unit to supply water to wet the laundry drum; separated from the laundry by rotating the drum water; and heating the separated water and supplying the water heated by the circulation means again into the drum.


ABC95 array computer is a multi-function network's computer based on FPGA technology, The multi-function network supports processors conflict-free access data from memory and supports processors access data from processors based on enhanced MESH network. ABC95 instruction' system includes control instructions, scalar instructions, vectors instructions. Mostly network instructions are introduced. A programming environment of ABC95 array computer assemble language is designed. A programming environment of ABC95 array computer for VC + + is advanced. It includes load function of ABC95 array computer program and data, store function, run function and so on. Specially, The data type of ABC95 array computer conflict-free access is defined. The results show that these technologies can develop programmer of ABC95 array computer effectively.


Learn more about propensity score matching and how it is used to evaluate data in observational studies that do not have an internal comparator in this animated video. To find out more about how the methodology was used to evaluate effectiveness data from a patient drug registry and an open-label study, please refer to the two research articles cited below, which were originally published in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research.
Propensity score matching is a method used to estimate treatment effect when random assignment of patients to treatments is not possible through matching patients receiving treatment in the study of interest with patients from an external comparator group according to patient characteristics, or covariates.


The dynamics of an intense electron ring confined in a modified betatron magnetic field is considered. The analysis assumes that the electron ring is located near the center of a conducting torus and includes self fields, induced fields from the walls surrounding the ring and toroidal effects. It has been found that the geometric center of the ring can perform circular motion around the minor axis of the torus. Based on this analysis, a scheme is proposed for the injection of an intense electron beam into a modified betatron accelerator.


Psychology of Emotion reflects recent research focused on our understanding of the nature of human emotion. It synthesizes theories, methods and findings from modern psychology and various other social and natural sciences.


The impact of climate change on the behaviour of intensity–duration–frequency curves is critical to the estimation of design storms, and thus to the safe design of drainage infrastructure. The present study develops a regional time trend methodology that detects the impact of climate change on extreme precipitation from 1960 to 2010. The regional time trend linear regression method is fitted to different durations of annual maximum precipitation intensities derived from multiple sites in Ontario, Canada. The results show the relationship between climate change and increased extreme precipitation in this province. The regional trend analysis demonstrates, under nonstationary conditions arising from climate change, that the intensity of extreme precipitation increased decennially between 1.25% for the 30‐min storm and 1.82% for the 24‐h storm. A comparison of the results with a regional Mann–Kendall test validates the found regional time‐trend results. The results are employed to extrapolate the intensity–duration–frequency curves temporally and spatially for future decades across the province. The results of the regional time trend assessment help with the establishment of new safety margins for infrastructure design in Ontario. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Recent technological advancements in various domains, such as the biomedical and health, offer a plethora of big data for analysis. Part of this data pool is the experimental studies that record various and several features for each instance. It creates datasets having very high dimensionality with mixed data types, with both numerical and categorical variables. On the other hand, unsupervised learning has shown to be able to assist in high-dimensional data, allowing the discovery of unknown patterns through clustering, visualization, dimensionality reduction, and in some cases, their combination. This work highlights unsupervised learning methodologies for large-scale, high-dimensional data, providing the potential of a unified framework that combines the knowledge retrieved from clustering and visualization. The main purpose is to uncover hidden patterns in a high-dimensional mixed dataset, which we achieve through our application in a complex, real-world dataset. The experimental analysis indicates the existence of notable information exposing the usefulness of the utilized methodological framework for similar high-dimensional and mixed, real-world applications.


Forecasting the height of new snow (HS) is essential for avalanche hazard survey, road and ski resorts management, tourism attractiveness, etc. Meteo-France operates the PEARP-S2M probabilistic forecasting system including 35 members of the PEARP Numerical Weather Prediction system, the SAFRAN downscaling tool refining the elevation resolution in mountains, and the Crocus snowpack model representing the main physical processes in the snowpack (compaction, melting, etc.). It provides better HS forecasts than direct NWP diagnostics but exhibits significant biases and underdispersion. Therefore, a post-processing is required to be able to provide automatic forecasting products of HS from this system.

For that purpose, we compare the skill of two statistical methods (Nonhomogeneous Regression with a Censored Shifted Gamma distribution and Quantile Regression Forest), two predictor datasets for training (22-year reforecast with some discrepancies with the operational system or 3-year real time forecasts similar to the operational system) and two spatial scales of post-processing (local scale or 1000 km² regional scale).

The improvement relative to the raw forecasts is similar at both spatial scales. Thus, the regional validity of post-processing does not restrict the application at points with observations. The impact of the training dataset depends on lead time and on the evaluation criteria. The long-term reforecast improves the reliability of severe snowfall but leads to overdispersion due to a discrepancy with the initial perturbations used in the operational system. Finally, thanks to a larger number of predictors, the Quantile Regression Forest allows an improvement of forecasts for specific cases when the the rain-snow transition elevation is overestimated by the raw forecasts.

These conclusions help to choose an optimal post-processing configuration for automatic forecasts of the height of new snow and encourage the atmospheric modelling teams to develop long reforecasts as homogenous as possible with the operational systems.


Abstract : The report contains a translation of four papers by various authors dealing with astronomical topics. The subjects are: (1) The positions of centers of the base point catalogs on the moon; (2) Estimation of the accuracy heights of selenodetic catalogs; (3) On the photometric function of the moon and microstructure of the lunar surface; and (4) An unusual flare of an object in Cepheus. (Author)


The economic sanctions can be approached from two
different perspectives. In the narrative of the
international law and international economic law the
economic sanctions are legal instruments applied
exceptionally with the aim of implementing objectives
of foreign and security policy. The legality of the
measures requires here the justification of legal
concepts (e.g. the essential security of the sanctioning
country). From the perspective of the international
relations and foreign policy, however, the legality of
the measure plays no significant role. The justification
of the sanction is based on the pure interest of the
country, therefore the legality is only a formal
question of how to adopt and implement the measures
and not a prerequisite for the justification itself. The
paper intends to examine the legal narrative of
economic sanctions in order to establish the criteria of
their legality and to apply this concept to the sanctions
imposed by the European Union on the Russian
Federation. The paper will argue, however, that the
economic sanctions are Janus-faced instruments of
international relations: even though it can be
interpreted by way of external trade policy and law
considerations, in practical terms, their fundamental
objectives unavoidably stretch beyond the legal
narrative and may appear to merely serve the foreign
policy of the country.


Space-based navigation was not only the first method of long-distance navigation but is the most advanced today. It proved superior to any other guidance system as it is all weather, immune to precipitation static and propagates predictably through the atmosphere. GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), Galileo are the systems that are now harbinger of navigation. In the field of navigation achieving reliability is one of the most concerns of any system. Reliability is the consistency of the solutions. A study of the satellite navigation system reliability is carried out in this paper in the context of Bangladesh. A frequency analysis has been done and shown that how multiple number of frequency reduce biases hence improve reliability.


Chest compression is one of the vital responses for development of occupant restraint systems. This study conducted an analysis of two published crash reconstruction studies that involved belted occupants. The aim of the analysis was to provide a basis for comparing occupant injury risks with Hybrid III chest compression in similar exposures. Results from both studies were similar and indicate that belt loading resulting in 40 mm Hybrid III chest compression represents a 20-25% risk of an AIS 3 thoracic injury for car occupants. Additionally, the field experience of APR (Association Peugeot/Renault) and Volvo indicate that crashes severe enough to result in greater than 40 mm of Hybrid III chest compression are infrequent and that injuries in these classic field studies are mostly associated with crash severities which would result in less than 40 mm of hybrid III chest compression.


In this work, we propose two search-based approaches based on the tabu search to explore the solution space for low leakage power data-paths. The first approach explores different schedules. The second approach simultaneously searches for schedules and mappings that dissipate low leakage power. Our approaches identify data-paths which dissipate up to 40% lesser leakage power than those synthesized using traditional heuristics. Tabu search finds significantly better solutions at the cost of a moderate increase in computation time.


ABSTRACT Rivers,as the kind of freshwater resources throughout the world, play a key role in the lives of living things. Heavy metal contamination of river water is primarily attributed to human activities, and there is anincreasing need to conduct risk assessments to characterise the nature and magnitude ofrisks to humans and ecological receptors from these contaminants.The PG990 nuclear absorption spectrophotometer measured concentrations of heavy metals. Trace metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn) in Babolrood river from the Babol region of North Iran were analysed to assess pollution using the Hazard Quotients (HQ), Hazard Index (HI) and the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR).The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) model was applied to calculate human health risk (HHR). Heavy metal concentration varied considerably Cd (0.004 to 89.287 µg/L), Ni (0.89–49.78 µg/L), Pb (3.4–181.75 µg/L) and Ni (0.0–243.3 µg/L). The oral Hazard quotients (HQ) values for Pb were ranged from 1.04–7.83 µg/L, therefore indicated in all sampled stations HQ values above 1 for children group. In contrast, the oral and dermal HQ values for both groups were less than 1 for Zn and Ni in all sampling stations. The Hazard Index (HI) values demonstrate that total HI values were above 1 for children group in water samples of all stations. Generally, total HI values for children were much higher than that of adults among Babolrood River. The Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) values for Cd and Pb in all sample stations for children were higher than the EPA risk assessment guideline limit (10−6-10−4).


UI design (hereinafter referred to as UID) is an interface design concept that attaches importance to User Interaction Experience (hereinafter referred to as UIE), which is a way to improve user experience through visual communication technology. Therefore, UID has unique personality and taste, which will bring the audience corresponding visual senses, such as shock, impact, comfort, freedom, etc. Through UID, we can build habits that are more in line with user cognition, which can help the audience recognize user design more. With the popularity of computer technology, human-computer interaction technology has gradually diversified, which requires us to study the UI technology. We must cultivate Visual Thinking (hereinafter referred to as VT), which will better complete the interactive experience. Firstly, this paper analyzes the related concepts. Then, this paper analyzes the guidance of VT cognitive process to art design. Finally, some suggestions are put forward.


We investigated the magnetic interlayer coupling between two ferromagnetic (FM) Ni layers through an antiferromagnetic (AFM) Ni25Mn75 layer and the influence of this coupling on the exchange bias phenomenon. The interlayer coupling energy of an epitaxial trilayer of 14 atomic monolayers (ML) Ni/45 ML Ni25Mn75/16 ML Ni on Cu3Au(001) was extracted from minor-loop magnetization measurements using in-situ magneto-optical Kerr effect. The interlayer coupling changes from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic when the temperature is increased above 300 K. This sign change is interpreted as the result of the competition between an antiparallel Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY)-type interlayer coupling, which dominates at high temperature, and a stronger direct exchange coupling across the AFM layer, which is present only below the Neel temperature of the AFM layer.


This paper reviews the practice in sustainable management in housing development, which incorporates in Malaysia the urban planning organisation and sustainable housing development variables. The transition of a sustainable housing development is to ward off the constraints faced in the housing sector and to drive through the sustainable loop to undergo the evolution in the new housing era. The primary objective is to achieve the balance of a sustainability triple bottom line at the end of the result. The suggestion made is to use a system tool to manage housing development in Malaysia in a sustainable approach.


In this paper, compressive sensing strategies for interception of Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) signals are introduced. Rapid switching of the carrier among many frequency channels using a pseudorandom sequence (unknown to the eavesdropper) makes FHSS signals dicult to intercept. The conventional approach to intercept FHSS signals necessitates capturing of all frequency channels and, thus, requires the Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) to sample at very high rates. Using the fact that the FHSS signals have sparse instanta- neous spectra, we propose compressive sensing strategies for their interception. The proposed techniques are validated using Gaussian Frequency-Shift Keying (GFSK) modulated FHSS signals as dened by the Bluetooth specication.


Growth of biofouling microorganisms in surfaces of poultry, marine and other ecosystems is one of the major issues. Thus it is essential to control the growth of biofouling bacterial growth in surface of biological ecosystem. The present study has aimed to isolate novel antifouling compound from marine actinobacterial isolates. A total of 55 actinobacteria were isolated from Palk Strait coastal region (Bay of Bengal), Tamilnadu, India. All of them were preliminarily screened for their antifouling activity against six different biofouling bacterial (BFB) species isolated from poultry farms by cross streak plate method. Among them, 20 isolates possessed antibacterial activity against biofouling bacteria. From the 20 antifouling compound producers, 10 actinobacterial isolates were selected for further confirmation of antifouling compound production and their antifouling efficacies by shake flask culture method. Of them, one potential strain VS6 was found to be more active against all the six BFB. Thus, the result of the present study represents that the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu are rich in antifouling compound producing actinobacteria.


False confessions unarguably challenge the fairness and transparency of the legal system and lead to tragic wrongful convictions. A thorough understanding of the interrogation transcript is absolutely pivotal for overturning cases as such. This project aims to use natural language processing models to tackle the linguistic tasks in analyzing false confessions. The main goal of this project is to identify emotion evidence and the emotion cause in false confession transcripts This can be translated into the following NLP tasks: sentiment analysis and causal emotion entailment. In this project, we fine-tune roBERTa on negative emotion datasets and expand emotion categories from 8 to 27. The fine-tuned models: neg-roBERTa and exp-roBERTa outperform the original model on the sentiment analysis tasks. The causal emotion entailment model is constructed using two exp-roBERTa, it is able to identify emotion and extract its causal span in the conversation context. Overall, the model shows promising use in the field of confession analysis, however, it will require more research before we may be able to use the model output as evidence in court to free the wrongfully convicted.


In the low-mass regime, it is found that the gas-phase abundances of C-bearing molecules in cold starless cores rapidly decrease with increasing density, as the molecules form mantles on dust grains. We study CO depletion in 102 massive clumps selected from the ATLASGAL 870 micron survey, and investigate its correlation with evolutionary stage and with the physical parameters of the sources. Moreover, we study the gradients in [12C]/[13C] and [18O]/[17O] isotopic ratios across the inner Galaxy, and the virial stability of the clumps. We use low-J emission lines of CO isotopologues and the dust continuum emission to infer the depletion factor fD. RATRAN one-dimensional models were also used to determine fD and to investigate the presence of depletion above a density threshold. The isotopic ratios and optical depth were derived with a Bayesian approach. We find a significant number of clumps with a large fD, up to ~20. Larger values are found for colder clumps, thus for earlier evolutionary phases. For massive clumps in the earliest stages of evolution we estimate the radius of the region where CO depletion is important to be a few tenths of a pc. Clumps are found with total masses derived from dust continuum emission up to ~20 times higher than the virial mass, especially among the less evolved sources. These large values may in part be explained by the presence of depletion: if the CO emission comes mainly from the low-density outer layers, the molecules may be subthermally excited, leading to an overestimate of the dust masses. CO depletion in high-mass clumps seems to behave as in the low-mass regime, with less evolved clumps showing larger values for the depletion than their more evolved counterparts, and increasing for denser sources. The C and O isotopic ratios are consistent with previous determinations, and show a large intrinsic scatter.


This paper studies the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) age effect on board council function and configuration. Through utilizing a sample of the 20 largest private university in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The base of the study is to examine whether age of CEOs show differences in board council configuration, official committees, or procedures that may show the board council more tolerant. The findings were age of CEOs and experience will reduce the board monitoring and control. This finding is mainly because of the variance in procedural mechanisms, instead of board configuration. Nevertheless, it is still vague about monitoring and tolerance control, which indicate that CEO's capability of negotiating, monitoring, and control is less on the board function. It is an opportunity that younger CEOs also effect the board but they may heavily effected by non-compulsory conformance with stricter board council rules.


Under the conditions of socialism, when the state administers the economy and sociocultural development directly, administration heads the list of all forms of state activity. The functions of the socialist state are therefore realized primarily through state administration. Or from another perspective, none of these functions can be implemented without the involvement of some link in the administrative apparatus. Under these conditions, identification of the functions of government means, to a great degree indeed, identification of the major directions, the most important aspects of the content of the activity of the apparatus of state administration. It is precisely with respect to the latter that the theory of functions acquires the greatest practical significance.


Antioxidant properties of leaf and root extracts and mustard oil originated from four different types of horseradish ('Lipnik', 'Mazaniec', 'Osjakow', 'Tądle') were investigated. The tested types were cultivated in two different regions of Poland: near the town Wielun (sand-originated yellow soil) and in the area near Warsaw (Wilanow – dust-originated middle mud). Antioxidant properties in roots and leaves were determined by two methods: reduction of Fe ions and inhibition of deoxiribose oxidation process. Additionally, the root-derived oil was subjected to


The Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI) test case deals with direct contact condensation (DCC) in the two-phase stratified steam-water flow. The main goal of CFD simulations of these experiments is to compute new models of heat and mass transport from saturated vapour to liquid over a free surface and the temperature profiles across the liquid flow in a channel. Condensation occurs mainly on free surfaces for instance at PTS scenarios. The knowledge of the accurate coolant temperature is important for nuclear safety assessment. Three different direct contact condensation models for the heat transfer within the AIAD framework at the free surface were formulated and tested. The AIAD model describes a consistent set of model correlations for the interfacial area density, the drag, the non-resolved disturbances of a free surface and the turbulence damping the interface. The calculated surface temperature profiles agree well with the experiment. Further model development should focus on "CFD grade" experimental data and direct numerical simulations.


The subject of this article concerns the calculation of the direct and inverse sensitivities of linear elastodynamic systems. This study is limited to the case of conservative mechanical structures which can be represented by discrete models having symmetric positive definite matrices. The first part reviews the equations for the first derivatives of the eigensolutions with respect to the design variables in the presence of multiple eigenvalues (direct sensitivity). These expressions are derived using the modal method. The second part concerns the parametric correction of a model from the observed data. The correction method envisaged is based on the minimization of a residual which is a function of the distance between the eigensolutions of the model and the system (inverse sensitivity). The fundamental difficulties in the evaluation of the first derivatives of the eigensolutions, when the model possesses multiple eigenvalues, are avoided by the introduction of a generalized parametrization constructed o...


Introduction: The relationship between germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in cancer predisposition genes and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is not well established. The objective of this study is to determine the risks of DCIS and contralateral breast cancer among women with DCIS associated with germline PVs in cancer predisposition genes. Methods: Associations between pathogenic variants in 11 cancer predisposition genes (ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, MSH6, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D) and DCIS were determined in case control analyses of a population-based cohort of 3876 women with DCIS and age-matched unaffected women, and in a clinical cohort of 9887 DCIS cases undergoing clinical genetic testing at Ambry Genetics and unaffected reference controls. The incidence of contralateral breast cancer risk in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 PV carriers with DCIS was also evaluated in a time-to-event analysis. Results: The mean age at diagnosis of DCIS was 50 years in the clinical testing cohort and 59 years in the population-based cohort. The frequency of PVs in 11 predisposition genes among DCIS cases was 6.9% in the clinical testing cohort and 4.9% in the population-based cohort. PVs in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, MSH6, PALB2, and RAD51D were associated with significantly increased risks (Odds Ratio (OR) >2) of DCIS in the clinical testing cohort whereas only PVs in BRCA1, CHEK2, PALB2, and ATM were associated with significantly increased risks of DCIS in the population-based cohort. The cumulative incidence of contralateral breast cancer among BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 PV carriers with DCIS was 11% in 5-years and 20% in 15-years. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into PVs that predispose to DCIS. In addition, it establishes an increased risk of contralateral breast cancer risk among women with DCIS who are carriers of PVs in BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2. These findings will guide surveillance and risk reducing strategies in germline PV carriers with DCIS.
 Citation Format: Huaizhi Huang, Ronan E. Couch, Holly LaDuca, Siddhartha Yadav, Eric C. Polley, Nicholas J. Boddicker, Jie Na, Rohan D. Gnanaolivu, David E. Goldgar, Tina Pesaran, Steven N. Hart, Jill S. Dolinsky, Julie R. Palmer, Lauren Teras, Alpa V. Patel, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Janet E. Olson, Celine M. Vachon, Peter Kraft, Song Yao, Amy Trentham-Dietz, Katherine L. Nathanson, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Susan M. Domchek, Fergus J. Couch, Chunling Hu. Risks of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast associated with pathogenic variants in cancer predisposition genes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Rethinking DCIS: An Opportunity for Prevention?; 2022 Sep 8-11; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2022;15(12 Suppl_1): Abstract nr A003.


The direct measurement of the spectrum of an X-ray beam by some spectroscopic method is relatively difficult and expensive. Spectra can be alternatively derived by an indirect method from measurements of transmission curve of the X-ray beam and the use of Laplace transforms. The objective of this work was the application of an indirect method that use a spectral model based on a pair of Laplace transforms to reconstruct experimental published spectra of standard low energy X-ray beams at radiation protection level and determine the mean photon energy from the reconstructed spectra for radiation quality specification. The spectral model was applied using calculated transmission curves and the reconstructed spectra provided a coarse approximation to experimental data. Even though, the mean photon energy of the X-ray beams determined from these reconstructed spectra present a satisfactory result showing the value of the analysis of transmission curves for the X-ray beam quality specification.


Summary. the following scientifi c work presents results of research into concentration of toxic compounds in exhaust gas from S-4003 tractor engines as well as theoretical correlations (regression equations) for research sets of injector spray nozzle tips of average wear rate. The research was carried out in an engine's brake hall at two rotational speeds of the engine within full engine load range. A mass spectrometer was used to determine the level of toxic compounds in exhaust gas. Wear of the spray nozzles was found with hydraulic method.


We provided means for people to apply tags to one another within an online corporate directory. Seventy-nine percent of the participants used the system to apply tags to themselves, and 51% applied tags to no one other than themselves. We relate these findings to Goffman's concept of impression management.


The purpose of this paper is to increase current empirical evidence on the relevance of real options for explaining firm investment decisions in oligopolistic markets. We study an actual investment case in the Spanish mobile telephony industry, the entrant in the market of a new operator, Yoigo. We analyze the option to abandon in order to show the relevance of the possibility of selling the company in an oligopolistic market where competitors are not allowed free entrance. The NPV (net present value) of the new entrant is calculated as a starting point. Then, based on the general approach proposed by Copeland and Antikarov (2001), a binomial tree is used to model managerial flexibility in discrete time periods, and value the option to abandon. The strike price of the option is calculated based on incremental EBITDA margins due to selling customers or merging with a competitor.


Interest is a tendency to give encouragement in paying attention to something that has an influence on experience or a tendency that makes the subject feel interested in something. Interest which is accompanied by a sense of pleasure in education and the work that is aspired to be one of the factors that encourage individuals to decide to choose a study program. So if the individual chooses a study program according to their interests, it can bring better results in their career or future because with the interest to continue their higher education , it is hoped that later they can be a stepping stone to get a better future than before. This phenomenon is the determining process in choosing a study program. This study aims to determine the influence of family factors on student interest in choosing Islamic Education Management study program and to determine the influence of peer factors on student interest in choosing Islamic Education Management study program. This type of research is quantitative research with a causal associative approach. The research population was all students of the Islamic Education Management study program. Sampling using proportional random sampling technique. This research instrument used is a questionnaire (questionnaire). This research uses multiple linear regression data analysis technique using the SPSS for windows version 18 calculation tool. The results showed that the family factor (X1) did not have a significant effect on the students' interest in choosing the Islamic Education Management study program and the peer factor (X2) had a significant positive influence on the students' interest in choosing the Islamic Education Management study program at STIT Palapa Nusantara Lombok – NTB. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the family factor variable is not able to explain well the high and low interest of students choosing the Islamic Education Management study program and the peer factor variable is able to explain well the high and low interest of students choosing the Islamic Education Management study program at STIT Palapa Nusantara Lombok - NTB . This study provides information that family factors have no significant effect on students' interest in choosing an economic education study program.


Polymorphism of CAST gene of swine New Rongchang strain Ⅰ(70 individuals) was studied by RCR-RFLP.The relationship between polymorphism of CAST gene and meat quality traits(tenderness,meat color,drip loss,dehydrating rate,Marbling and intramuscular fat(IMF) content) was analyzed.It was firstly found out that the genotype DD was positively correlated with IMP content among CAST/Msp Ⅰsites,while the genotype EF was negatively correlated with dehydrating rate(among) CAST-Rsa I.


Background and aims: The World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommended executive breastfeeding for 6 months after birth. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of executive breastfeeding in Iran by a meta-analysis study to be used by policy-makers in order to health programmer plan in this field. Methods: In this meta-analysis study, the databases of ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar and domestic databases were searched between January 2007 and March 2015. Between the studies with regard to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 studies were selected. Data were analyzed using Stata 11 software. Results: Sever heterogeneity was observed among reported prevalence based on the results of Chi-square based on Q test and I2 statistics (Q=6132.55, P2=99.8 %) and consequently, random effect model was used for themeta-analysis. The overall estimated prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Iran was 49.1% (95% CI: 33.4-64.9). Conclusions: In the present study, it was summarized the results of previous studies and showed that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Iran has been increased and currently is in a satisfactory level. The ongoing national programs for preservation and promoting of exclusive breastfeeding should continue.


With escalating competition in the hotel industry, a growing number of hotels have considered service quality their top priority in maintaining competitiveness. To maintain competitiveness, the hotel management often needs to develop reliable service quality standards. Perhaps one of the best ways of developing such standards is to compare the hotel's service performance with that of the service leader and reassess its service performance continuously through competitive benchmarking. In an effort to establish practical guidelines for competitive benchmarking, proposes the use of an analytic hierarchy process and a competitive gap analysis. These methods can help the hotel manager formulate viable service improvement strategies in the increasingly competitive hotel industry. Illustrates the usefulness of the proposed benchmarking methodology using the case of Korean luxury hotels.


Metal atoms in silicon wafers have a great effect on the electrical properties of semiconductor devices. To improve the performance of semiconductor devices,gettering has always been an important processing step in semiconductor industry. In this paper,the commonly used gettering techniques and their principles are summarized. Especially, the effect of oxygen and nitrogen on intrinsic gettering is extensively examined and the gettering mechanism is discussed. The effects of metal impurities on the electrical properties are also described.


Taking nano-ZnO as raw material,which is prepared with uniform precipitation method,anhydrous ethanol as solvent,analyse the influence of ultrasonic time,ultrasonic temperature and the amount of PEG(2000) on dispersibility of nano-ZnO.The optimum reaction conditions for PEG(2000) is that the ultrasonic time is 70 minutes,the ultrasonic temperature is 20 ℃,the amount of dispersant is 0.6 mL.Using PEG(6000),PEG(4000) and PEG(2000) as dispersing agent,study the influence of dispersing agent type on dispersibility of nano-ZnO.The results show that,PEG(6000) could disperse nano-ZnO well due to its better steric effects,followed by PEG(4000),the dispersion effect of PEG(2000) is the worst.


The paper makes comprehensive analysis of tennis player technical levels, and focuses on hang techniques, tennis landing then backhand, landing then forehand, as well as service techniques and establishes comprehensive evaluation system. In research process, it mainly studies tennis player stroke techniques so as to comprehensive reflect amateur tennis players' levels.


The cases of animals with unilateral or bilateral luxation of the coxo-femoral joint as a result of trauma between 2009 and 2018 were reviewed. Signalment, clinical signs, treatment type (closed reduction, closed reduction followed by surgical reduction and stabilization, or immediate surgical reduction and stabilization), outcome and complications were recorded for each patient. Statistical evaluation was performed to identify relationships between treatment type and outcome or rate of complications.


The origin of SPECT can be found in pioneering experiments on emission tomography performed approximately 50 years ago. This historical review consists of a compilation of first person recollections from nine trailblazing scientists who shaped the early years of SPECT instrumentation during the 1960s and 1970s.


Early diagnosis of melanoma is critical for improved survival. However, diagnosis by standard histopathologic criteria can be difficult in a subset of cases, as exemplified by the lack of interobserver agreement in up to 10% to 25% of cases. Therefore, improved and objective diagnostic biomarkers are needed. As expected, molecular tests may impact diagnosis and treatment recommendations of melanocytic neoplasms and are regarded as appropriate to use and confirmed to be adopted in the routine clinical setting. Ancillary immunohistochemical (IHC) testing is commonly used because of accessibility, short turnaround time, cost effectiveness, and familiarity of interpretation. One IHC biomarker proposed for use in the diagnosis of challenging melanocytic tumors is p16, one of the protein products of CDKN2A, the gene most commonly mutated in familial melanoma and frequently somatically mutated in melanomagenesis. Normal p16 inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and therefore, phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein, inhibiting the cell from entering into the cell cycle. The loss of p16 results in cell cycle progression and cellular proliferation contributing to melanomagenesis. Generally, the majority of nevi express p16, while a smaller percentage of invasive melanoma, approximately 40% to 60%, stain positive for p16. However, the results are variable, possibly due to subjective interpretation or non-standard laboratory techniques, creating a dilemma for the pathologist in how to best utilize and interpret the results. Herein, we examined the impact of p16 IHC on the diagnosis, diagnostic confidence, and treatment recommendations by dermatopathologists of melanocytic neoplasms in a survey-based prospective single-institution study. IRB approval was obtained. All three board-certified dermatopathologists at a tertiary dermatopathology referral center participated in the study. All cases of melanocytic neoplasms between October 2017 and June 2019 where a dermatopathologist ordered a p16 IHC stain were prospectively included. For each case, the dermatopathologist completed a preand post-test survey to assess their favored diagnosis, diagnostic confidence, and treatment recommendation before obtaining and reviewing the p16 IHC stain, respectively (survey format is shown in Tables S1 and S2). Surveys were excluded from analysis if p16 was obtained for nonmelanocytic neoplasms, or if the preor post-test survey was not returned. The p16 staining was interpreted by each pathologist participating in this survey-based study as part of routine dermatopathology practice. The p16 expression result was recorded as stated on the final pathology report as positive, weakly/focal positive, negative, or equivocal. Changes in diagnosis, confidence in diagnosis, and treatment recommendations were calculated. Twoand three-category change indicator variables were generated based on the values of the difference between preand post-test surveys. Based on the values of the pre-post differences, the two-category change indicator had two values based on the pre-post differences, change (not = 0) and no change (=0). The three-category change indicator would be upgrade (>0), downgrade (<0), or no changes (=0). An upgrade change was defined as an increase in confidence, a more malignant diagnosis, or a more conservative treatment recommendation, and vice versa for downgrade changes. Frequency tables were generated to show the proportions of cases with or without changes. Chi-squared test or Fischer's exact test (if any cell <5) were used to explore the association of changes in confidence with sharing the case with another pathologist, and the association of changes in diagnosis, confidence, and treatment recommendation with p16 expression result. There were 84 cases with a response rate of 88% (74/84), of which 81% (68/84) met criteria. Preand post-test diagnoses are outlined in Table 1. Overall, nearly half of the cases (33/68, 48.5%) showed an increase in confidence after the p16 IHC stain (Tables 1 and 2). The diagnosis changed in 12.5% (8/64) of cases and treatment recommendations changed in 17.7% (11/62) of cases (Tables 1 and 2). Next, we explored the association of changes in confidence, diagnosis, and treatment recommendation with the reported p16 expression result. Examples of p16 staining results are shown in Figure 1. An increase in confidence was observed with cases staining positive (24 of 32 cases with increased confidence), weakly positive (7/32) or negative (1/32), but not with any of the cases with reported equivocal p16 expression (Table 2). The diagnosis changed in eight cases. The cases that changed toward a less malignant diagnosis (indeterminate to benign or malignant to indeterminate) were all reported to have positive p16 expression (three of three cases with diagnosis change toward less malignant, Table 2). By contrast, the one case with reported negative staining was associated with a diagnosis change from benign to indeterminate (Table 2). The changes in treatment recommendations were not associated with expression of p16 (Table 2). Notably, the majority of cases were shared with another pathologist Received: 3 May 2020 Revised: 1 October 2020 Accepted: 4 October 2020


Acknowledgements Introduction 'Undergoing History': J. G. Farrell's Troubles Cyclical History: Julia O'Faolain's No Country for Young Men William Trevor and the Voices of History Jennifer Johnston and Traumatic Memory Representation and Trauma in John McGahern's Amongst Women Return of the Dead: Seamus Deane's Reading in the Dark The Contemporary Irish Novel Index


The Doctoral Thesis is written in English and consists of an introduction, four parts, conclusions and proposals, a bibliography and appendices. The Thesis is dedicated to the field of capital and risk management in non-life insurance that ensure financial stability and efficient capital management. The aim of the Thesis is to develop alternative capital management methods and to propose an algorithm of internal model by taking into account the data specifics and loss distribution functions of a company operating in the Baltic non-life insurance market.


where the upper sign is for the boson algebra BA(d) and the lower sign is for the fermion algebra FA(d). It has been realized that quantum algebras play an important role in the description of physical phenomena. Some classical physical systems which are invariant under a classical Lie group, when quantized, are invariant under a quantum group [1, 2, 3, 4]. Thus quantum groups are important in carrying over certain classical properties to the quantum world. Traditionally the boson algebra has the symmetry group ISp(2d, R), the inhomogeneous symplectic group, which transforms creation and annihilation operators as: ci → αijcj + βijcj + γi . (3)


The MegaSun high intensity illumination system has been developed for ultrahigh-speed imaging applications that previously required argon candles (argon bombs) for adequate illumination. This plasma discharge system has produced excellent color images of explosive tests taken by various Cordin cameras operating up to two million frames per second with small stops (125 ns exposure). Exposure times of 10 ns to 50 ns were easily achieved with a variety of intensified electronic cameras. For tests involving explosives, the non-destructive nature of the lamps facilitates new test arrangements -- for example, the large standoff distances associated with destructive argon candles are no longer necessary. For the wider test community that does not use explosives, this benign, yet intense, light source generates the illumination necessary to use these ultrahigh-speed cameras to acquire superb color images. This paper will briefly review the mechanical, electrical, and optical characteristics of the MegaSun system, and then illustrate its capabilities with a variety of images from live tests.