We report on an alternative application of X-parameters to improve the efficiency of a general TCAD physical device simulator when simulating the response of a RF power transistor to different load impedance harmonic terminations. In particular, we combine large-signal circuit-device simulations with the predictive capability of X-parameters in order to avoid very time-consuming multi-harmonic simulations. The success of this approach, that is applicable to any physical device simulator, is validated by comparing the current-voltage waveforms of a standard GaN HEMT simulated through multi-harmonic termination device simulations with the ones predicted through X-parameters extracted from single-harmonic termination device simulations. The proposed method greatly improves the speed of the physical simulation of nonlinear device operations with different harmonic loading, the speed of the TCAD X-Parameter extraction, and also reduces convergence issues.


Objective:The purpose of this study was to compare the peak aerobic capacities and ventilatory anaerobic thresholds (VAT) of individuals with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to age- and gender-matched controls. Methods:Nineteen participants that previously suffered a mild to moderate TBI and 19 apparently healthy controls volunteered as subjects. Traumatic brain injury and healthy controls were matched for age and gender and were similar in weight and body mass index. Volunteers performed a maximal graded treadmill test to volitional failure where oxygen consumption (O2), carbon dioxide production (CO2, ventilation (E, and heart rate were measured continuously. From metabolic and ventilatory data, VAT was measured using a previously described method. VAT and peak exercise responses of participants with a TBI were compared with healthy controls. Results:The O2, and CO2 at VAT and peak exercise were lower for TBI compared with healthy controls. E was also lower for TBI at VAT and peak exercise. Heart rate was lower for TBI at VAT; however, TBI had similar heart rate to healthy controls at peak exercise. Conclusions:The VAT and peak exercise capacities of participants with a TBI were below the metabolic demands of many routine daily activities. The data suggest that therapeutic interventions for individuals with a TBI should include targeted exercise prescriptions to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.


BACKGROUND
Left ventricular hypertrophy assessed by electrocardiography (ECG-LVH) is a marker of subclinical cardiac damage and a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. The prevalence of ECG-LVH is increased in obesity and type 2 diabetes; however, there are no data on the long-term effects of weight loss on ECG-LVH. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) reduces ECG-LVH in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS
Data from 4,790 Look AHEAD participants (mean age: 58.8 ± 6.8 years, 63.2% White) who were randomized to a 10-year ILI (n = 2,406) or diabetes support and education (DSE, n = 2,384) were included. ECG-LVH defined by Cornell voltage criteria was assessed every 2 years. Longitudinal logistic regression analysis with generalized estimation equations and linear mixed models were used to compare the prevalence of ECG-LVH and changes in absolute Cornell voltage over time between intervention groups, with tests of interactions by sex, race/ethnicity, and baseline CVD status.

RESULTS
The prevalence of ECG-LVH at baseline was 5.2% in the DSE group and 5.0% in the ILI group (P = 0.74). Over a median 9.5 years of follow-up, prevalent ECG-LVH increased similarly in both groups (odds ratio: 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.83-1.25; group × time interaction, P = 0.49). Increases in Cornell voltage during follow-up were also similar between intervention groups (group × time interaction, P = 0.57). Intervention effects were generally similar between subgroups of interest.

CONCLUSIONS
The Look AHEAD long-term lifestyle intervention does not significantly lower ECG-LVH in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION
Trial Number NCT00017953 (ClinicalTrials.gov).


ERS (endoplasmic reticulum stress) is a universal stress-defense mechanism in eukaryotic cells. When ERS appears, UPR (unfolded protein response) is initiated, enhancing the unfolded proteins folding and misfolded proteins degradation, to restore normal physiological functions of ER. Some stimuli that trigger ERS can also induce autophagy. As a conservative degradation mechanism of eukaryotic cells, autophagy can increase the degradation of misfolded proteins and reduce the ERS, playing an important role on the maintenance of ER homeostasis besides UPR. Studies have demonstrated that ERS and ERS-induced autophagy are closely related to the occurrence and development of many diseases. However, how ERS triggers autophagy, how autophagy feedback regulates ERS, how UPR correlates autophagy and the roles of regulatory mechanisms between each other in the development of related diseases have not been discussed and defined in detail. The comprehensive view of the correlated mechanism between ERS and autophagy is significant for elucidating the pathogenesis of related diseases. Therefore, this article reviews the relationship and regulatory mechanism between ERS and autophagy in order to


Abstract We describe a case of lung lobectomy and resection of the rib neck and head in a lung cancer patient with an invasion of the chest wall. The tumor was located in the upper lobe, adjacent to the neck of the third rib. We performed a right upper lobectomy and en bloc resection of the third rib, including the rib neck and head, by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with an additional 6 cm posterior incision along the right paravertebral line. The costovertebral joint incision procedure is a useful technique to ensure tumor-free margins in cases where the tumor is located close to the rib's neck and head.


Most graphical process models (business processes, workflows) in practice can be split into single-entry-single-exit regions either with only or-logic or with only and-logic. There is however a pattern, called the overlapped pattern, that contains or-logic mixed with and-logic in such a way, that separation is not possible. We present a method to handle arbitrary overlapped patterns and thus solve a remaining open issue with respect to the analysis of unstructured behavioral models in graphical form and their transformation to structured programs in textual form.


Noting the great role of hypoxia in the etiology and pathogenesis of aging, N. N. Sirotinin (Kiev) in 1960 proposed ingestion of oxygen foam for the prevention and treatment of pathological processes in premature aging. As a foaming liquid, N. N. Sirotinin recommends using beer, juices of various kinds, to which foaming agents (egg white, soap root, etc.) are added for better foaming.


The structure of water molecules through a pro- cess of electrolisis can be broken down into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas using an electric current of DC, by adding these to the results of gas hole electrolytic carburetor in- takes were then mixed with fuel can create a more perfect combustion in space, so that they can save on fuel consump- tion. Elekctroliser created using electrodes of stainless steel plate with a diameter of 100 mm and 2 mm thick which is composed of 4 layers for the cathode and anode for tier 2. This is done by testing the eciency of the motor driving the generator with a capacity of 720 watt power tools care- free method. Testing is conducted to compare the time, temperature, and electric drive motor power output gen- erators with fuel consumption by as much as 10 ml to 50 ml. Testing done in condition of motor driving a generator of life standards and conditions to use the tool electroliser. The goal of this research is to know the ability elektroliser to save fuel and the impact of the use of elektroliser to the motor driving the generator.In this test uses premium fuel. Of research results based on existing data can be inferred that the resulting gas is oxyhydrogen elektroliser can be used on electric generators drive motorcycle to save fuel consumption up to 24


Proactive programs as condition monitoring justify the most extreme demands of plastic industry as safety, reliability and cost-competitiveness with other ones. It is a less expensive and precautionary way, rather than the reactive one. Condition monitoring program is utilizing different emerging technologies for better results. The aim of this practical research work, carried out on a plastic extrusion machine, is to develop cheaper and better condition monitoring expert system to detect incipient faults in it. This expert system consists of vibration data acquisition hardware, developed using MMA7260QT Micro machined accelerometer and interfaced with computer through line in port of sound card. Vibrations are acquired from the three different places of the test machine, saved and analyzed for features extraction in both time and frequency domain. These features are fed to Probabilistic neural network (PNN) i.e. ANN constructed choosing probabilistic network model. PNN is used for classification and interpretation of faults. This developed fault diagnostic expert system is non-invasive, cheaper, reliable, and NN based. The experimental results using actual data show high accuracy. The developed system can be used to detect faults of other small or medium machines.


A borehole for potential public water supply was drilled at Laggan Bridge in August 2004.
The borehole was commissioned by Scottish Water. The project was managed by Mott
MacDonald. Advice on borehole siting, construction and testing was provided by the British
Geological Survey (BGS). The borehole was drilled by Raeburn Drilling and Geotechnical.
Hydrofracturing and test pumping were carried out by Drilcorp in October 2004.
This report presents geological and hydrogeological data collected during borehole drilling
and testing and assesses the hydrogeological characteristics of the borehole and the
surrounding aquifer with reference to the suitability of the borehole to provide a public water
supply.


Researchers have developed various methods and tools for nondestructively testing urban trees for decay and stability. A general review of these methods includes simple visual inspection, acoustic measuring devices, microdrills, pull testing, ground penetrating radar, x-ray scanning, remote sensing, electrical resistivity tomography and infra-red thermography. Along with these testing methods have come support literature to interpret the data.


Objective: In this study,22 Chinese herbal medicines for anti-cancer were developed for the study of its antioxidant activity. Methods: The antioxidant activities of samples were evaluated by DPPH method; phenols,flavonoids contents and total reducing power were estimated by using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent,aluminum salt colorimetric method and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay( FRAP). Results: The results confirmed that 90. 09% of the medicine had characterized the antioxidant activity with more than 50%,which included eight kinds of plant materials such as Rhizoma Curcumae,Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati,Wild Skullcaps,Radix Paeoniae Alba,Fern,Salviamiltiorrhiza,Radix Dipsaci Asperoidis,Curcuma longa demonstrated better antioxidant activity( activity 90%). Wild Skullcaps demonstrated the best antioxidant activity with the lowest IC50 value of 0. 05 g / L,the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents of 5240μg / L and 83210μg / L. Conclusion: Each sample for anti-cancer has a strong antioxidant activity except for the Coix seed and Poria,which confirms natural antioxidant and antitumor effect has a certain correlation,but its mechanism needs further research. In this study,it is possible to find antioxidants and antioxidant-based anticancer drugs develop from broad anti-tumor natural resources providing an experimental basis.


This paper proposes a new strategy to partition bid-sections of foreign periodicals based on K-prototypes clustering algorithm but with improvements on the initial prototypes selection and the categorical dissimilarity measure,then programs the improved algorithm with Java.


ENDOMETRIOSTS as a complication of pregnancy is relatively infrequent, but there are now many reports in the literature of their somewhat paradoxical association. Rupture of an endometriotic cyst, as a complication of pregnancy, is, however, extremely rare, and it seems that only 2 such cases have been reported to date. The first case was reported by Scott (1944). The patient was a 25-year-old primigravida at 36-weeks gestation. She was operated on because acute appendicitis could not be ruled out. She was found to have a ruptured right endometrial cyst, and was treated by Caesarean section, followed by subtotal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and appendicectomy. The second case was reported by Brill, Rapoport and Kaplan (1957). Here, the patient was 38, a para-2, gravida-3, at term. She was admitted with sudden diffuse abdominal pain, and operation was decided upon, because she was thought to have a concealed accidental haemorrhage, the foetal heart being still audible. She was found to have ruptured bilateral endometrial cysts, and was treated by a lower segment section, total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy . A third case is now reported: 1959, which made her expected date of delivery 25th June, 1960. Her previous medical and family history were not relevant. General examination revealed nothing abnormal. Her blood pressure was 140/70 and urine analysis was negative. On abdominal examination, the uterus was palpable above the pubis, and a little larger than the dates suggested. A pelvic exaniination was not done. She was referred to her general practitioner for antenatal care until 32 weeks, to save her long journeys. She was referred back to the hospital at 24 weeks because of slight painless vaginal bleeding. Speculum examination revealed a cervical polyp which was removed. Subsequently, the pregnancy progressed satisfactorily. except for slight oedema of the ankles, until 15th May, 1960, when the patient, then at 34 weeks, was admitted to the hospital at 8.30 p.m. complaining of intermittent abdominal pain every 5 to 10 minutes since 7 p.m. the same evening.


Studies of roof monitor emissions are conducted for two reasons: (1) to obtain design data necessary to engineer control systems to meet existing regulations, and (2) to determine projected control costs which can influence present day proposals for process change. Heated wire anemometers and rotating vane anemometers have been selected for velocity measurements, and high-volume air samplers have been selected to collect the particulate sample. Evaluation of other types of velocity sensing devices are described in the paper. Roof monitor studies must be preceded by a preliminary survey to allow the project engineer to determine the test sampling locations and specific methodology necessary for the given study, and to allow the engineer to determine the type of safety equipment, scaffolds, and power requirements necessary to complete the study. Field tests are conducted by operating a number of high-volume air samplers simultaneously while at the same time measuring the velocity of the gas through the moni...


Aims:  This study assessed the effects of the therapeutic use of Tylan® in a large‐scale turkey production facility on the selection of macrolide‐resistant Campylobacter.


Isolation and characterization of a chitosanase enzyme with high activity from different parts of some higher plants were studied. Different vegetative plant parts (leaves, fruit peels and dried seeds) representing nine families were screened in order to select the best source for extraction of the chitosanase enzyme. Results of screening experiments indicated that the enzymatic activity levels varied not only according to differences in plant species, but also to their morphological parts. In general, pepper, cabbage and purslane were the best leaves of chitosanases extractions and green bean was the best peels of chitosanase extraction while green bean, cabbage and purslane seeds were the best seeds of chitosanases extractions in this study. Results showed that leaves have high chitosanase activity more than seeds by three times. Seeds have high chitosanase activity more than peels of fruits by two times. Green bean peels, pepper leaves and opuntia peels were chosen for further study because of their high chitosanase activity. The activities of these three sources were measured by two methods. The two sources of chitosanase namely pepper leaves (C 1 ) and opuntia peels (C 2 ) were chosen for further studies. The optimal chitosanase activities of C 1 and C 2 enzymes on chitosan were obtained in 0.05 M acetate buffer, pH 5.8 and 5.4 at 40 ° C and 60 ° C, respectively. The isolated C 1 and C 2 chitosanase enzymes were stable on storage for more than three months at -20 ° C. Chitosanase C 1 and C 2 were stable for 60 minutes at 50 ° C and 60 ° C, respectively. The yields of the


This short review is concerned with energy level statistics in weakly disordered metallic grains. In particular, we concentrate on how these statistics deviate from the universal ones. Using a nonperturbative approach we evaluate the large frequency asymptotics of the two‐point correlator of the density of states. This allows us to describe the behavior of the system at arbitrary times.


Background and Aims: Patients with obesity are known for higher chances of having upper gastrointestinal (UGI) pathology and diseases. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) is considered the investigation of choice to detect and confirm UGI pathology in patient with obesity. The routine OGD as a preoperative workup remained controversial before gastric bypass surgery. The need for preoperative OGD on patients undergoing bariatric surgery has been a subject of debate among bariatric surgeons. The study's aim is to evaluate the impact of routine preoperative endoscopy on patients underwent gastric bypass surgery laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Patients and Materials: Retrospective review of prospectively kept patients' records who underwent LRYGB in our unit from February 2009 to March 2020. Patients were divided into two groups according to the absence or presence of symptoms before their preoperative OGD: Group A (asymptomatic patients) and Group B (symptomatic patients). Further data on OGD reports, campylobacter-like organism test and histology results and changes in the management plan were collected and analyzed. Calculation of post hoc power and Fisher's exact test was to investigate the correlation between OGD indication and its findings. All analyses were conducted at a 5% critical level. Results: A total of 114 patients included in the analysis, 85 (74.56%) were in Group A and 29 in Group B. OGD detected pathology in 34 patients in Group A and 21 in Group B (P = 0.004). Those included hiatus hernia (HH) (17.65% Group A, 44.83% Group B, P = 0.006); stomach ulcer (7.06% Group A, 3.45% Group B, P = 0.676), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection (12.86% Group A, 29.41% Group B). This led to change of management in 22 patients in Group A and 12 in Group B (P = 0.157). Those changes included H. pylori eradication (10.59% Group A, 17.24% Group B, P = 0.153), HH repair (3.53% Group A, 24.14% Group B, P = 0.002). Conclusions: Preoperative OGD has some significant impact on symptomatic patients. However, this is debatable among asymptomatic patients; hence, cheaper noninvasive alternatives could replace preoperative OGD.


The research area is situated in the Eastern Arm of Sulawesi, Banggai Basin. The complexity of geological components in Sulawesi greatly affects the pattern of sedimentary rocks. Certainly, these conditions have implications of the petroleum system in this basin. The characterization of carbonate rock in the Banggai Basin requires the integration of multi-disciplines in order to conduct reservoir characterization on a detailed scale. This study focuses on integrating surface to subsurface sedimentology aspects to evaluate the reservoir characterization. The two methods are used to analyzed, the surface field observation and subsurface study. These methods will then be assisted by several methods, such as petrographic analysis, XRD and SEM, biostratigraphic analysis, and routine core analysis. The outcrop sampling is carried out in the northward and subsequently integrated with subsurface in the southward (Tiaka-Tiara Field). In the surface area, Tomori Formation has two part, Lower Tomori Formation is composed of Large Foram-Red Algae facies with deposited inner-middle sublittoral. Wherein, Upper Tomori Formation is composed of planktic-large foram packstone-wackestone with deposited Middle-Outer Sublittoral and skeletal packstone-wackestone with deposited Inner-Middle Sublittoral. Minahaki Formation is overlying of Tomori Formation, there are two facies namely large foram packstone-mudstone with deposited at Middle Sublittoral-Upper bathyal and skeletal packstone-wackestone with deposited at Inner-Middle Sublittoral. The youngest formation of the Salodik Group on the surface is Mentawa Formation where this member is reefal facies. On the subsurface, the Salodik Group consists of Tomori Formation, Matindok Formation, and Minahaki Formation. The Tomori Formation was deposited at Bathyal-Inner shelf with mudstone-grainstone facies and slightly dolomite. Younger than Tomori Formation on the subsurface is calcareous sedimentary rocks, known as Matindok Formation. The Minahaki Formation was directly overlying the Matindok Formation in the transgressive phase.


This paper describes the HTAC system submitted to the Financial Narrative Summarization Shared Task (FNS-2022). A methodology implementing Financial narrative Processing (FNP) to summarise financial annual reports, named Hybrid TF-IDF and Clustering (HTAC). This involves a hybrid approach combining TF-IDF sentence ranking as an NLP tool with a state-of-the-art Clustering Machine learning model to produce short 1000-word summaries of long financial annual reports. These Annual Reports are a legal responsibility of public companies and are in excess of 50,000 words. The model extracts the crucial information from these documents, discarding the extraneous content, leaving only the crucial information in a shorter, non-redundant summary. Producing summaries that are more effective than summaries produced by two pre-existing generic summarisers.


Since 1979, China has recorded a remarkable trade performance, which has been driven by international processing and the offshoring strategies of foreign firms. The diversification of Chinese exports and their technological upgrading have been phenomenal. However, there is also inertia, illustrated by the persistent dualism of the trade sector, the unrelenting specialization in downmarket products and the deteriorating terms of trade. These weaknesses have helped its partners to adjust to the rise of this new trade power. In the past decade, China's economy has faced the adverse effects of an export-led growth and the global crisis has revealed its vulnerability. China is now forced to rebalance its economy. This will imply major changes in foreign trade, in favor of ordinary trade and away from processing. In the foreseeable future, China is unlikely to become the driver of international demand but will remain the engine of Asian economic integration.


Increasing environmental awareness led to the development of environmentally harmless lubricants made by biodegradable materials. Biodegradable lubricants are suitable for various kinds of application, one of the promising usages is for railways. Oils or greases are applied for railways or points to keep sufficient friction coefficient or to avoid wear damage. These lubricants are "once-through" lubricants, and never recovered but defused into the earth's surface. The oxidation of lubricants on the railways will take place because of the sunlight effect. The solar radiation at the top of earth's atmosphere contains a significant amount of UV radiation of shorter wavelength, and therefore higher energy. This study shows that the UV-B radiation can deteriorate rapeseed oil immediately. It is showed by the results of peroxide value, total acid number and molecular weight distribution are increased with oxidation time.


Monocyte-derived microparticles (MPs) have been suggested to link cardiovascular risk factors to vascular injury. We hypothesized that adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory and vasculoprotective adipokine, limits the production and/or action of monocytic MPs on endothelial cells. Adiponectin attenuated MP release from untreated THP-1 monocytes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated conditions. Furthermore, peritoneal monocytes from Adipoq−/− mice generated significantly greater MPs than those from Adipoq+/+ littermates in the absence and presence of LPS. LPS-induced MP expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and its principal components, namely cleaved ASC, caspase-1, and IL-1β (proand cleaved), were all markedly attenuated by adiponectin treatment. HUVECs incubated with MPs from LPS-treated THP-1 cells exhibited an increase in the expression of VCAM-1; adiponectin inhibited this effect. The effects of adiponectin on MP release and molecular signaling occurred at least in part through modulation of the AMPK-Akt and NFκB pathways. The findings highlight another pleiotropic effect of adiponectin in limiting endothelial activation.


The aim of this paper is to present a decision procedure which seems to be as easy to use as other available procedures in quantification theory, but which is considerably stronger than the others, providing a mechanical test for a sub-species of polyadic validity which is very much broader than monadic validity. Of course, a test for polyadic validity in general is out of the question, but the present test's limits, short of polyadic validity, are not known. That is, of all the polyadically valid schemata which have been tested, ncne has failed to yield decisions under this method. The material thus examined includes schemata corresponding to the cases of all absolute metatheorems in ML's Chapters II and III, and five polyadic samples from MeL. The handiness of this test is illustrated by sample applications in § 3 below.


: Blibli is one of the e-commerce companies in Indonesia which was founded in 2011 and is growing rapidly. Even though Blibli is quite popular, there is still competition from competitors such as Shopee, Tokopedia and others. This study aims to find factors that influence Repurchase Intention through Customer Satisfaction of Blibli customers, especially in Medan. This research is useful for the E-commerce industry, especially for making a consumer satisfied with a service provided so that the e-commerce business can survive in the market in the long term. This research is causal with a quantitative method using Amos 22.0 software to help process primary data from 100 Blibli customers in Medan which were collected using the Snowball Sampling technique. In this study it was found that the intention to repurchase a product can occur when the customer is satisfied which is most influenced in the greatest order by Quality, Popularity, Innovation and Perceived Value. Customers have a good perception of Quality and Popularity where these variables have a significant influence such as the quality of the Blibli website which is attractive and easy to understand and the famous Brand Ambassador who becomes the Blibli Icon makes Blibli's name increasingly known by the public. The Innovation and Perceived Value variables are insignificant but still positive, so Blibli needs to maintain what they have done in this variable.


This paper describes the system developed by the Language Technologies Lab at INAOE for the Spanish Question Answering task at CLEF 2006. The presented system is centered in a full datadriven architecture that uses machine learning and text mining techniques to identify the most probable answers to factoid and definition questions respectively. Its major quality is that it mainly relies on the use of lexical information and avoids applying any complex language processing resource such as named entity classifiers, parsers or ontologies. Experimental results show that the proposed architecture can be a practical solution for monolingual question answering reaching an answer precision as high as 51%.


Low calcium fly ash has demonstrated to be an effective pozzolan to improve sulfate resistance of ordinary portland cement (type I). In this paper physico-chemical effects that produce this pozzolan in the mortar exposed to sulfate attack are studied. Dilution and dispersion affects are analyzed using mixes of cement with an inert mineral admixture. Mineralogical changes of mortar are studied using X-ray diffraction and the help of scanning electron microscope.
The results show that fly ash delays mortar cracking phenomenon due to less content of unstable compounds in sulfate environment, greater available space to be occupied by expansive compounds and less CH present in the mortars.


A supplier review system can play a significant role in ensuring the enforcement of procurement rules through its deterrent and redress effects. This thesis aims at providing a critical analysis of the current Chinese supplier review system and identifying and evaluating options for improvement of the Chinese system, based on the analysis of provisions on supplier review contained in the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement, the GPA, the EU Remedies Directives and APEC Non-Binding Principles on Government Procurement.

This thesis first discusses key characteristics of national supplier review system, concerning forum for review, standing and procedures, and the remedies, provided in the Model Law and the other three international instruments; and then examines these main aspects of the current Chinese supplier review system. After critically analysing the current Chinese system, it has been found there are a number of important deficiencies in this system, in particular, there is uncertainty over the forum for review, the whole dispute resolution process can be quite lengthy and the available remedies are ineffective. These problems have hampered the effectiveness of the system and made it inconsistent with the international standards which may soon apply or currently actually apply to China, namely the GPA and APEC NBPs.

To make the Chinese supplier review system truly effective and also comply with the existing/forthcoming international obligations, the author recommends reforms that aim to be effective yet capable of realistic achievement and also workable in the particular context of Chinese circumstances and the existing position in China. These include providing a unified supplier review system to all complaints regarding government procurement process, improving the current sequential tiered review system, revising the current provisions on standing and the time limit for initiation, offering clear rules on remedies and deleting unreasonable sanctions on the complaining supplier.


Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) emerges as a promising technology for the next generation networks. In this paper, we utilize the tools from stochastic geometry to study the performance of a RIS-assisted millimeter wave (mmWave) cellular network. Specifically, the locations of the base stations (BSs) and the midpoints of the blockages are modeled as two independent Poisson point processes (PPP) where the blockages are modeled by line boolean model and a fraction of the blockages are coated with RISs. The distinguish characteristics of mmWave communications, i.e., the directional beamforming and different path loss laws for line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS), are incorporated into the analysis. We derive the expressions of the coverage probability and the area spectral efficiency. The coverage probability under the special case where the blockage parameter is sufficiently small is also derived. Numerical results demonstrate that better coverage performance and higher energy efficiency can be achieved by the large-scale deployment of RISs. In addition, the tradeoff between the BS and RIS densities is investigated and the results show that the RISs are excellent supplementary for the traditional networks to improve the coverage probability with limited power consumption.


Haemonchus contortus is one of the most threatening parasites to small ruminant production because of the potential economic losses that can occur. Over the last few decades, control of worms has relied on the use of chemical anthelmintics. In recent years, such control has waned because the worm population has developed resistance to most of the currently available anthelmintics. Alternatives control measures are needed and are being developed. In addition, there is some consumer pressure to reduce the use of chemicals in agricultural products, thus pushing control methods to more natural and acceptable approaches for controlling this blood-sucking worm. One such alternative control measure is the feeding of condensed tannin containing forages either as fresh forage or dried products such as hay, meal, pellets, etc. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a ground meal form of sericea lespedeza (SL), a forage plant high in condensed tannins, on H. contortus infection in sheep. Twenty-eight mixed sex lambs with essentially zero fecal egg counts were randomly allocated to four treatment groups of seven animals each. Lambs were kept in cement floored pens. Two groups received a bolus of 5000 H. contortus infective larvae (L3) once and the infection was allowed to mature over five weeks (existing infection). The remaining two groups received trickle infections of 500 H. contortus L3 three times a week for three weeks (establishing infection). SL meal was fed over a five week period to one of the existing and establishing infection groups while the other groups were fed bermudagrass hay. All groups were fed bermudagrass hay for an additional two weeks at which time all animals were necropsied. Fecal egg count (FEC) was significantly reduced in the existing infection SL fed group than the control group over the 5 week feeding period. FEC was


Infertility is one of the most urgent medical and social problems in the whole world. Male factors of infertility reach 50% of all cases. Approximately 7% of men worldwide suffer from infertility. Spermatozoa are extremely vulnerable to oxidative damage since their membranes are enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids and do not have repair systems. Oxidative stress leads to damage to axonemes and an increase in morphological defects in the middle part of spermatozoa, which leads to a decrease in their mobility. The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between sperm motility, the activity of the glutathione antioxidant system and the concentration of cytokines. The study group included 68 healthy men who were divided into two subgroups according to the percentage of motile spermatozoa after one hour: low motility (LM, n=32) and high motility (HM, n=36). The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was 1.3 times (p<0.05) higher in the LM group compared to the HM group. Similarly, the mean values of IL-1β, IL-18, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were higher in the LM group than in the HM group. At the same time, the concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β1 in both studied groups were not significantly different. The results of this study showed that the percentage of motile sperm after 1 hour was negatively correlated with the levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and TNFα. No significant correlation was found between age and sperm motility. Lower sperm motility in healthy men is associated with reduced glutathione content and lower glutathione peroxidase and increased cytokine levels, which may be associated with increased oxidative stress in seminal plasma as evidenced by increased MDA levels. Thus, our study demonstrates the relationship between sperm motility, the state of pro-/antioxidant and antioxidant systems, and concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines.

Keywords: sperm plasma, oxidative stress, fertility, glutathione.


The RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice was launched in 2007. It differs markedly from the old certificates, as Jill Maddison explains


Pyridines HAVING IN POSITION 3 or 5 A OXI (TIO) ESTER OR CARBONYL heterocyclecarbonyl and the other a substituted alkyl group; Herbicidal compositions and methods of use thereof.


The development of new and advanced materials for various environmental and energy applications is a prerequisite for the future. In this research, the removal of hazardous moxifloxacin (MOX) is accomplished by synthesizing new hybrids of MOF-5 i.e., Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO, Ni.S2/MOF-5/GO, Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO, and Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5 nanocomposites by using a metal-organic framework (MOF-5) and graphene oxide (GO) as a precursor. The introduction of NixMoxS2 facilitates the unique interfacial charge transfer at the heterojunction, demonstrating a significant improvement in the separation effectiveness of the photochemical electron-hole pairs. To evaluate equilibrium adsorption capacity, time, pH, and concentration of organic pollutants were used as experimental parameters. The adsorption kinetics data reveals pseudo-first-order (R2 = 0.965) kinetics when Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO photocatalyst was irradiated under light for 90 min against MOX degradation. This led to a narrow energy band gap (2.06 eV in Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO, compared to 2.30 eV in Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5), as well as excellent photocatalytic activity in the photodegradation of moxifloxacin (MOX), listed in order: Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO (95%) > Ni.S2/MOF-5/GO (93%) > Mo.S2/MOF5/GO (90%) > Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5 (86%) in concentrations up to 2.0 mgL−1, caused by the production of superoxide (O2•−) and hydroxide (OH•) radicals, which encouraged the effective photocatalytic activities of the heterostructure. After five successive tests demonstrating its excellent mechanical stability, the impressive recyclability results for the Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO revealed only a tiny variation in efficiency from 95% (for the first three runs) to 93% (in the fourth run) and 90% (in the fifth run). These findings show that the heterostructure of Ni/Mo.S2/MOF-5/GO is an effective heterojunction photocatalyst for the quick elimination of moxifloxacin (MOX) from aqueous media.


We have modeled the line emission from the v=0{0 S(0), S(1), S(2) and S(3), and the v=1{0 and v=2{1 S(1) transitions of molecular hydrogen in clouds exposed to high far{ultraviolet uxes (i.e., photodissociation regions or PDRs) and in shocks. In particular, we have studied the lowest pure rotational H2 transitions (the 0{0 S(0) and 0{0 S(1) lines), at 28 m and 17 m respectively. We nd that, in PDRs, the emission comes from the warm (T> 100K) molecular gas, situated at optical depths Av> 1, beyond the hot atomic surface layer of the clouds. For FUV elds, G0 = 103 to 105 times the average interstellar eld, and densities, n = 103 to 107 cm 3, the typical line intensities are in the range 10 6 to 10 4 ergs s 1 cm 2 sr 1. We compare the predictions for the line intensities from both C{type and J{type shock models. For both non-dissociative and dissociative molecular shocks, in the same density range, the line intensities range from 10 6 to 10 3 ergs s 1 cm 2 sr 1. In the faster, dissociative shocks (vs> 25{30 km s 1), the H2 line emission arises from reformed molecules, downstream of the shock front. Shocked line emission may be detectable from lower velocity shocks (i.e., vs 5 km s 1) than previously observed. Measurements of the relative line ratios may be used to help discriminate between competing models for the shock excitation of molecular gas. Observations of these lines will also provide a powerful probe of the extensive regions of warm molecular gas in the Galaxy. The results are applied to recent observations of the 0{0 S(1) transition in both the PDR and the shocked gas in Orion. The Infrared Satellite Observatory (ISO) should detect the v=0{0 low{J transitions in numerous active regions. Subject headings:


While using the growing usage of very network-attached storage systems, several works has focussed on scalable security. Our purpose must be to design ingenious furthermore to secure techniques of authenticated key exchange which will get together particular requirements of parallel Network File System.  Our work concentrates on present Internet standards particularly parallel Network File System using Kerberos to start parallel session keys among clients and storage products. We create a study of impracticality of key establishment for efficient many-to-many communications. The suggested techniques can decrease workload of metadata server by way of about 50 percent in comparison to provide Kerberos-based protocol, whereas achieving needed security characteristics furthermore to keeping computational overhead at clients and storage products at practically low-level.


Objective To evaluate the efficacy of Qingyitang to acute pancreatitis with trans-jejunum feeding and clystering.Methods Total 66 patients with acute pancreatitis were divided into two groups,36 patients with trans-jejunum feeding and clystering Qingyitang selected for experiment group,others with common therapy,after 7 days to test the urine diastase and serum diastase respectively.Results There were no significant difference between two groups(P0.05).Conclusion Trans-jejunum feeding and clystering Qingyitang could also get satisfied efficacy for acute pancreatitis.


Central equatorial Pacific SSTA pattern,which has been observed in recent years,displays new characteristics in tropical Pacific Ocean,which mainly takes on a tripolar distribution pattern and is distinctly different from ENSO.Based on the monthly mean SST data from HadISST and precipitation and temperature data from 160 stations in China,we confirmed the existence of tropical central Pacific SSTA pattern and studied the influence of this pattern on climate in China in summer.The result shows that when SSTA of central Pacific Ocean is positive,the moisture content is lower than normal in Huaihe River and Yangtze River areas in summer,which usually leads to less precipitation.Accordingly,the positive vertical temperature advection of this area causes high temperature.Meanwhile,the situation in the southern and southwest parts of China is just the opposite.


In 1998, Paturi, Pudlak, Saks, and Zane presented PPSZ, an elegant randomized algorithm for k-SAT. Fourteen years on, this algorithm is still the fastest known worst-case algorithm. They proved that its expected running time on k-CNF formulas with n variables is at most 2(1−ek)n, where ek e Ω(1/k). So far, no exponential lower bounds at all have been known.

In this paper, we construct hard instances for PPSZ. That is, we construct satisfiable k-CNF formulas over n variables on which the expected running time is at least 2(1--ek)n, for ek e O(log2 k/k).


ADT is the main therapy in prostate cancer, especially in advanced stages, although ADT does not limit the progression of this disease to become CRPC, where the mortality rate will be much higher when CRPC has occurred. This study aims to examine corellating factors influenced the short duration to CRPC after primary ADT administration. 205 prostate cancer patients with CRPC or mCRPC in Saiful Anwar Malang Hospital from 2013 to 2018 were included in this study. Data recorded were age, initial PSA level, Gleason score, prostate cancer stage, type of ADT, nadir PSA, time between ADT and nadir PSA, and testosterone levels after ADT. To see the independent factors that influence the occurrence of CRPC, the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used. The average age of patients was 67, 53  6.86 years with an average level of initial PSA of 674.87  1405.80 80 / dL. The average time for CRPC to occur was 24.7  9.74 months. In multivariate analysis it was found that the stage of cancer with metastasis (HR 1,616, p 0,048), testosterone level after ADT was > 20ng / dL (HR 4,638, p 0,000), nadir PSA > 4ng / dL (HR 1,716, p 0,023) and time to reach Nadir PSA <6 months (HR 1.596, p 0.004) is a significant independent factor for CRPC occurrence. The conclusion is cancer stage, testosterone levels after ADT, nadir PSA and time needed to reach nadir PSA were independent factors for CRPC in patients with prostate cancer who had primary ADT.


Recently, it was observed an increased usage of microtubules-depolymerizing agents, such as pesticides and anti-fungal or antiparasitic compounds to help the production of the agriculture products. All these chemical compounds are used in agriculture and have a destroying effect on human health, leading on the appearance of neurodegenerative diseases. For this reason, many researches are focused on the understanding in detail the correlation between the general mechanism of action for pesticides and microtubules deploymerization process which is present in the human cell. In this paper, we present the analysis of the mechanism involved in depolymerizing of the microtubules structure through molecular dynamic simulations. This mechanism is time dependent and contributes to the deterioration of the neuronal transport carried-out by the kinesin and microtubules, leading to a miss carriage of the Ca + ions to the nerve synapse. Aided by molecular dynamics simulations, the health monitoring of the microtubules is carried out by measuring the evolution of some mechanical parameters which characterize the integrity of the microtubules and their capacity to be transporters for the neuronal signs.


A number of thin dielectric films deposited onto aluminated glass substrates and onto the materials transparent in the IR range (silicon, KRS-5 and CsI) were investigated using infrared transmission and reflection-absorption techniques. The application of these techniques to thin dielectric films at normal and oblique incidence of light allows the observation of both the longitudinal and transverse optical phonons. The longitudinal (LO)-transverse (TO) optical phonons splitting is analysed in terms of a dispersive local field effect. It has been shown that the results of LO-TO splitting obtained from dispersive local field effect are in a good agreement with the results obtained from the dynamical theory of crystalline lattices.


The setting of time standards by work measurement is costly and consumes much time and effort. Therefore, the aims are to minimise time measurements while guaranteeing that the measurements are sufficient to provide a required statistical precision. This paper presents two methods for determining the required number of cycles to be investigated in order to set time standards. The first method utilises the Pareto principle to compute the required number of cycles, taking into account the cumulative weight of the elements. The second method computes the number of measurements needed to ensure the required inaccuracy of the standard time of the entire cycle. The proposed methods compute the optimal number of measurements to be performed by also taking into account economic considerations. This is done by balancing the cost of performing extra measurements with the benefits achieved by reducing the inaccuracies in the final time standards. [Received 4 November 2011; Revised 2 February 2012; Revised 5 July 2012; Revised 10 October 2012; Accepted 10 October 2012]


Ate complexes are known to be anionic organometallic complexes, whose central metals have increased valence by accepting Lewis basic ligands to their vacant orbitals. They are attractive chemical species offering tunable reactivity due to their flexible choices of central metals, counter cations, and coordination environments. We have been working on development of novel methodologies in organic synthesis by designing of various ate complexes including zincates, aluminates, cuprates, and borates. This review article gives an overview of the ate complex chemistry developed in our laboratory. 2. Ate Complexes


WE would like to remind fellow practitioners of the potential applications for controlled release progestagen sponges in sheep flocks and to describe some complications associated with their use. We offer some suggestions as to how the risk of these might be reduced and, if treated animals are presented to vets in practice with complications, how these might be resolved.

ChronogestCR (20 mg of flugestone acetate) (Intervet International) is currently the only synthetic progesterone impregnated sponge licensed for the control of oestrus and ovulation in ewes and ewe lambs in the UK (Veterinary Medicines Directorate [VMD] 2016a). Common applications in pedigree, commercial and small flocks include synchronisation of breeding in cycling animals, advancement and synchronisation of breeding in anoestrus animals when combined in a protocol with a pregnant mare serum gonadoptrophin, and for the control of oestrus and ovulation in artificial insemination and embryo transfer programmes (Sargison 2008).

The use of progestagen-releasing intravaginal devices is a convenient and predictable way of controlling the breeding of ewes. It offers sheep keepers the potential to improve the health, welfare and productivity of their flocks. Used appropriately, synchronised breeding enables limited resources such as lambing accommodation and labour to be managed more efficiently, and improved nutrition and disease control measures to be better targeted at groups of sheep at the same stage of the …


A new method for detecting rooftops in satellite images is presented. The proposed method is based on a combination of machine learning techniques, namely, k-means clustering and support vector machines (SVM). Firstly k-means clustering is used to segment the image into a set of rooftop candidates—these are homogeneous regions in the image which are potentially associated with rooftop areas. Next, the candidates are submitted to a classification stage which determines which amongst them correspond to "true" rooftops. To achieve improved accuracy, a novel two-pass classification process is used. In the first pass, a trained SVM is used in the normal way to distinguish between rooftop and nonrooftop regions. However, this can be a challenging task, resulting in a relatively high rate of misclassification. Hence, the second pass, which we call the "histogram method," was devised with the aim of detecting rooftops which were missed in the first pass. The performance of the model is assessed both in terms of the percentage of correctly classified candidates as well as the accuracy of the estimated rooftop area.


Objective-Controversies do exist about the site of origin and surgical approaches for management of Naospharyngeal angifibroma (NA). The study has been undertaken to identify any racial predisposition of NA, to localize the commonest site of origin of tumour and to assess advantage of any particular surgical approach over others. Methods-10 cases of NA treated at a tertiary care center were retrospectively reviewed for any racial predisposition. Beside routine clinical examinations, endoscopic and CT evaluation done to identify their site of origin. Advantage of any particular surgical approach over another was analyzed. Results-Most of the study subjects 7(70%) belonged to mongoloid race and are within the age group of 9-38 (median 15) years. Commonest site of tumour origin was around Sphenopalatine foramen 7(70%). Lateral Rhinotomy approach alone was sufficient for excision of tumour in 6(67%) cases with average blood loss during the primary surgery was 600ml (Range 450-900ml ). Conclusion-Commonest site of origin of NA is around sphenopalatine foramen. Lateral rhinotomy provides wide exposure and it is sufficient for tumour excision in most of the cases except in large posteriorly placed tumour where additional Transpalatal approach may be combined. Observation of high incidence of NA in the present study amongst the mongoloid people should be validated with further study on genetic behaviour of the tumor.


As a predominant active fire suppression method, closed-type sprinkler systems are used for the purpose of fire control and suppression at the nuclear power plants as well as the industrial facilities. It goes without saying that the proper selection of the system guarantees the adequate actuation of the thermal device. Consequently, the appropriate evaluation should be executed for the thermal behavior with the theoretical and empirical approach. For this purpose, the comparison of activation time for the fusible-link type sprinkler head with the simplified fire case and t-square fire growth case was evaluated. At this paper, the comparison output was presented with the tendency of thermal behavior. In addition, we issued some technical comments for the most appropriate equation in case of the estimation of the sprinkler head activation time. We also raised some idea that should be incorporated for the usage of the t-square equation for the realistic application in the field of the performance-base fire protection approach. Nomenclature tactivation : sprinkler head activation time [sec] RTI : response time index [(m-sec) ] Um : gas velocity [m/sec] Tm : gas temperature [°C] To : ambient temperature [°C] Tact : activation temperature of head [°C] ts : activation time at modified condition[sec] Q's : heat release rate at time, ts z /H : height above fire [m] r : radial distance from fire [m] α : fire intensity coefficient [kW/sec] tc : critical time factor for t-square [sec] t /ta : activation time for t-square [sec] tt2 /tDT2 : activation time for t/DETECT-T2 [s] Copyright © International Association for Fire Safety Science 2


North Sumatera is one of the provinces in Indonesia with the highest buffalo population, which is responsible for the high accumulation of buffalo manure that can cause environmental and aesthetic problems if left untreated. One of the possible alternatives for solving this issue is by implementing buffalo manure as growth media for microorganisms, e.g. microalgae. In this research, buffalo manure was used as alternative media for Arthospira platensis cultivation. Buffalo manure was taken from Sitoluama village, Laguboti, Toba Regency of North Sumatra Province. Research steps included media and culture preparation, cultivation, sampling, sample analysis and verification of constructed models and validation. Buffalo manure concentration in media is varied from 1 g.L-1 to 8 g.L-1 which is analogous to nitrogen content of 0.002 mg.L-1 to 0.018 mg.L-1. Growth data was used for growth kinetic modelling, which was most satisfactory for Monod model (µmax = 0.5915 day-1, Ks = 0.421 g.L-1).


Purpose: To identify strategies that can be applied to achieve a sustainable position
when the equilibrium state has changed.
Problem:
Research question 1: What factors should be analyzed to predict how disruptive
innovations change market structures?
Research question 2: What strategies can an innovator apply to achieve a
sustainable position at a new equilibrium?
Research question 3: How are the market structures for the film and television
industry predicted to change?
Research question 4: What strategies could Intuitive Aerial apply to achieve an
interesting position at a new equilibrium?
Method: Theoretically generate factors and create a preliminary model, then validate
the model through different cases and find strategies. Finally, use the model on the case
drones meets the film and television industry in a qualitative analysis.
Delimitation: The case study of drones meet the film and television industry is mainly
focused on feature films from Hollywood.
Conclusion:
Research question 1. These factors have been generated based on theory and validated
by empirical evidence: adoption, whole product, legal, network, collaboration and
distribution, competition, functionality and customer benefits, customer's organization
and innovativeness. All factors are not active in all cases, and some of the factors may
control the possible outcomes of the other factors. The number of outcomes for each
factor can vary as well as the probability of different outcomes.
Research question 2. Strategies have been identified via theory and case studies. The
following strategies have been identified:
• Ally with network hubs and reach important parts of the network. For example,
in the music industry the record companies are hubs.
3
• Grow quickly, if network effects are present, an innovation gets much greater
value by more users and more users stimulate that a whole product gets created.
• Create a whole product. The whole product can be built up by setting up
strategic alliances and create the needed components.
• Implement segmentation to get a "bowling effect", by identifying the segments
that get great value of the product and help in taking over new adjacent
segments.
• Reduce behavioral change needed to increase the adoption.
Research question 3. Within feature film production, drones will primarily serve as a
complement to helicopters and cranes, wires and rails (CWR) and the companies
operating them will remain, whether they adopt drones or not. Helicopter companies
who adopt drones will be a central player within feature film production and in other
segments in other markets CWR companies may be central players. Within other
segments than feature film new companies, which focus on operating drones, could be
established beside existing companies. Some production companies will owe and
operate their own drones. Companies will act differently depending on their expertise
and network. Rental companies, which are used to work with staff, can act as operators
of drones. In television, companies can own drones and contract pilots as needed or
have their own pilots.
Research question 4. These strategies have been developed as a consequence of possible
equilibriums:
• Complement the strong players, by ensuring that helicopter companies' needs are
met in the value offer and CWR companies in certain markets.
• Whole product. Create an infrastructure around insurance and permits, through
partnerships with insurance companies and governments. Collaborate with drone
schools to increase the capacity of education of pilots. Open a local service
center or enter into partnerships with rental companies in key markets to meet
service needs.
• Grow rapidly due to network effects. The more drones are used, the more firms
may be interested to act as service centers, retailers or create compatible
accessories.
• Reduce behavioral changes needed to increase the adoption. It may be valuable
to make drones programmable in a similar manner as CWR. The value of such
functions depends on the regulations that exist. Furthermore, it may be
interesting to create a standard, so different gimbals (equipment for camera
stabilization) can be used between different helicopters.


The book "Changes from Li Bai to Du Fu and the Cultural Transformation in Tang Dynasty" by Mr.Ge Jingchun is not an oversimplified comment as to the values of works by Li Bai and Du Fu,but a profound exploration into the deep social and cultural structure in Tang Dynasty to discuss the phenomenon and reasons behind the transformation of poems by Li Bai and Du Fu.His explorative study is from three aspects:the change in times when Li Bai and Du Fu lived;the transformation of cultural trend in poems;and the reasons out of Li Bai and Du Fu themselves.The author analyzes,with his unique view,the trend of romantic poem making in the prime of Tang Dynasty represented by Li Bai,and the transformed trend of realistic poem making represented by Du Fu in the times of decline.


Genomic data hold great promises for the advancement of science and medicine. Their value is limited, however, unless human researchers can efficiently integrate data of such complexity and scale into their daily research. The capability of effectively interacting with such complex data is crucial to solving current biological problems. Yet current visualization approaches typically produce static representations that are either too restrictive to interact with or time-consuming to generate. In this work we present an innovative visualization system for studying correlations in gene co-expression data. By using graph as the universal data representation, we employ several novel techniques that allow biologists to intuitively grasp the structure and location of features of interest within the structure of the full-scale data. Users can dynamically browse in a novel, matrix-based, 2D user interface and select subgraphs as candidates of strong correlation through brushing. In addition to this qualitative approach, a user can also make quantitative queries for subgraphs based on metrics computed from non-trivial graph algorithms. The subgraphs of interest are visualized in a focus+context framework and fed into a fuzzy classifier based on neural networks. Subsecond efficiency has been achieved with neural network training and classification. In result, a genomic researcher can interatively formulate and fine-tune hypotheses with realtime, visual feedback. This provides an effective way to study correlation and interactions among gene networks as well as to facilitate the otherwise cumbersome task of studying the sensitivity of key parameters in user hypotheses. We demonstrate our system using datasets from a real-world, large-scale, genetic study of mammalian gene co-expression. Index Terms —Visualization in physical sciences, life sciences and engineering, graph and network visualization, bioinformatics visualization, focus + context techniques


Malignant diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Drug resistance is one of the significant reasons for mortality in malignant diseases. Chemical treatment involves the administration of many drugs, either all at once or in a specific order, intending to minimize the size of a tumor or eliminate it. With the combination of drugs or drug synergy, the therapeutic response of drugs is greater than the expected additive monotherapy. The identification of synergistic drugs with clinical trials is a time-consuming and expensive task. Due to a lack of available resources, it is impracticable to screen all of the essential synergistic drugs. The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) has not only altered our perspective but also presented new approaches to old challenges. One area where significant progress has been made because to AI advancements is the prediction of drug synergy based on deep learning in the treatment of malignant diseases. In this paper, we provide a unique deep learning-based drug synergy model for malignant diseases. The proposed model is used to determine the most successful synergistic drug combinations, and it may also increase the practicality of exploring new drug combinations.


Abstract: Overall life satisfaction of college students depends on numerous domains. This study analyzes two of these domains specifically, family life satisfaction and food-related satisfaction in relation to overall life satisfaction of Indian college students. Moreover, the differences in these domains among migrated and non-migrated students were analyzed. Three separate scales, namely, Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction With Food-related Life Scale and the Family Satisfaction Scale were used to assess the relationship between the variables. Sample included 148 college going students in India, belonging to the age group of 18-25. Results suggested a positive relationship between family and overall life satisfaction of students. No significant relationship was found between food-related and overall life satisfaction. Food-related satisfaction of non-migrated students was found to be higher than migrated students. No difference was found between overall and family satisfaction among migrated and non-migrated students.


PART 1: BACKGROUND Chapter 1 Introduction to Discourse Analysis Chapter 2 Pragmatics in Discourse Analysis PART II: LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Chapter 3 Phonology Chapter 4 Grammar Chapter 5 Vocabulary Epilogue to Part II: Interrelationships among the language resources PART III: LANGUAGE PROCESSING Chapter 6 Listening Chapter 7 Reading Chapter 8 Writing Chapter 9 Speaking Epilogue to Part III: Integration of Language Skills and Discourse Processing PART IV: IMPLEMENTATION Chapter 10 Curriculum Design and Materials Development Chapter 11 Assessment Chapter 12 Discourse Training for Teachers and Learners


Choice experiments mirror real world situations closely and helps manufacturers, policy-makers and other researchers in taking business decisions on their product characteristics based on its perceived utility. In a paired choice experiment, several pairs of options are shown to respondents. The respondents are asked to give their preference among the two options for each of the choice pairs shown to them. In order to conduct an experiment, a choice design is customarily used to efficiently estimate the parameters of interest which essentially consists of either the main effects only or the main plus two-factor interaction effects of the attributes. Traditionally, every respondent is shown the same collection of choice pairs under an untenable assumption that the respondents are alike in every respect. Also, as the attributes or the number of levels under each attribute increases, the number of choice pairs in an optimal paired choice design increases rapidly. To address these concerns, under the multinomial logit model or the linear paired comparison model, we first incorporate the respondent effects and then present optimal designs for the parameters of interest. We provide optimal paired choice designs for estimating the main effects for symmetric and asymmetric multi-level attributes with smaller number of choice pairs shown to each respondent. We also provide optimal paired choice designs for estimating the main effects only and the main plus two-factor interaction effects under the main plus two-factor interaction effects model.


Given the importance of knowledge-based firms in the agricultural sector, this paper aimed to identify barriers hindering companies from becoming knowledge-based in the dominant competitive and dynamic environment. To this end, using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from 38 experts and managers in agricultural companies working in Alborz Science and Technology Park  Isfahan, Hamedan, and Tehran University. The main criterion for determining the sample size was to reach the theoretical saturation. All respondents were selected using a theoretical and purposeful sampling method. Data coding and analysis procedures were completed in three stages. According to the results of the study, five main internal and external elements were identified: market inefficiency, governance-administrative barriers, inefficient union or organization, lack of skills and professionalism, and the internal inefficiency of the company.


The aim of this study is how to analyze management overconfidence in earnings management in IDX-registered non-financial companies from 2016 to 2020. Revenue management Non-financial companies BUMN on 'IDX for the period 2016-2020 can be concluded that 2016 is volatile to 2020. This means that non-financial public enterprises will have improvements in their performance. annual profit management to minimize the risk of occurrence. Managers' overconfidence in non-financial EIB companies BUMN During the period 2016-2020, there were 11 companies with excessive confidence in the performance of managers, namely INAF, KAEF, KRAS, ADHI, WIKA, WSKT, ANTM, TINS, SMBR, GIAA, TLKM, while the other 5 companies showing low confidence are PGAS, PTPP, PTBA, SMGR, JSMR.


The drift velocity and the effective ionization coefficient of electrons in the organic gases, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, CH3OH, C2H5OH, C6H6, and C6H5CH3, have been measured over relatively wide ranges of density-reduced electric fields (E/N) at room temperature (around 300 K). The drift velocity was measured, based on the arrival-time spectra of electrons by using a double-shutter drift tube over the E/N range from 300 to 2800 Td, and the effective ionization coefficient (α − η) was determined by the steady-state Townsend method from 150 to 3000 Td. Whenever possible, these parameters were compared with those available in the literature. It has been shown that the swarm parameters for these gases have specific tendencies, depending on their molecular configurations.


Traffic engineering (TE) refers to techniques and processes to route traffic through a network on a path other than that would have been chosen if standard routing methods had been used. The goal of traffic engineering to a service provider is to maximize the utilization of network resources, and/or enhance QoS a service provider can offer. To justify the increase in network operational complexity associated with traffic engineering, TE must enable new service offerings, reduce the overall cost of operations, maximize potential revenues and increase customer satisfaction. In a large network, it is possible that available network bandwidth is not efficiently utilized because the intradomain routing protocol, such as OSPF, finds path based on a single "least-cost" scalar metric for each destination. This least cost route may not have enough resources to carry all the traffic, or satisfy all the SLA (service level agreement) requirements of passing traffic. Congestion, either for aggregate traffic or for per class traffic, at certain hot spots, can result in sub-optimal use of network resource. Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is an advanced forwarding scheme which extend routing with respect to packet forwarding and path controlling. MPLS TE can relieve congestion for aggregate traffic. In addition, when QoS is deployed in a service provider's network, TE can also help to relieve per class congestion and provide better QoS guarantees. MPLS TE provides a technique, more elegant and efficient than IP source routing, to allow traffic travel down a path different from conventional IGP destination based hop-by-hop routing. The path is pre-determined at tunnel setup time. Routers along the path do not have to examine the IP header of every passing packet. The basic idea of MPLS involves assigning short fixed length labels to packets inside an MPLS cloud. Throughout the MPLS domains, the labels attached to packets are used to make forwarding decisions. It allows decoupling of the information used for forwarding (a label) from the information carried in the IP header. MPLS TE, using RSVP signaling mechanism [1], injects the notion of a connection to connectionless IP through nailed-up label switched paths (LSP). MPLS TE provides capabilities to specify explicit path for the LSP (ER-LSP) before the LSP is established. We'll refer the nailed-up LSP as MPLS TE tunnel, or simply tunnel, in this paper. The tunnel explicit routing capability allows routing flexibility. It allows paths, with unequal OSPF cost, to share traffic load. In addition, the Fast Reroute (FRR) feature in MPLS TE allows path restoration within 100 ms in case of link or node failure. In this paper we propose a MPLS TE tunnel mechanism for packet forwarding, which can guarantee the service of real time applications such as VoIP and videoconferencing.


Third‐harmonic generation (THG) was used to monitor ground‐state atomic hydrogen H(1s 2S1/2) in a dc plasma system. A 364.6 nm laser beam focused through H2 or CH4/H2 plasmas induced THG at 121.5 nm, near the atomic hydrogen 2p 2PoJ→1s 2S1/2 Lyman‐α transition. Both the intensity and frequency shift of the excitation spectra exhibited dependence on the plasma power. Absolute H atom concentration was estimated by comparing the frequency shift to that obtained in a calibrated microwave discharge flow system. The sensitivity was ∼4×1013 cm−3 (100 ppm). The measured atomic hydrogen densities were substantially less than in other diamond chemical vapor deposition methods and may explain the lower diamond deposition rates obtained with dc plasma systems of this type.


Footwork is the soul of Ping Pong playing. It directly influences the sound completion of every Ping Pong technical structure. For the effect racket-holding, there is specially higher requirement of footwork for Pen-hold griper. This paper makes a comparison based on video and statistic analysis of the use of the pen-hold griper's footwork in different period ( big-ball period and small-ball period) by the means of observation and data analysis. It provides some reasonable advice for the training way of pen-hold griper's footwork in the big-ball period from the angle of training technology and physiology. It also offers some reference to P. E. teachers and coaches in young ping-ping player's training.


SuMMARY Along the time, the corruption has been a phenomenon linked to the diversion of power carried out by the civil servants of a Public Administration. nevertheless, due to the globalization and the internationalization of the economy it is necessary to foresee, in the Penal law, figures that imply a diversion of power among particular persons, for the pro- tection of the socioeconomic order, the correct running of the economic transactions or the loyal competition.


1College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 610075, People's Republic of China; 2Institute of Meterial Medica Integration and Transformation for Brain Disorders, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 610075, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmacology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China


BACKGROUND
Exanthematic typhus was highly frequent in the early 19th century among military troops and prisoners and at hospitals.

METHODS
Based on old reports, we describe an outbreak in a village, in Southern France, in 1810.

RESULTS
Twenty-eight cases were identified, over a period of 10 days following the death of the index case, in a soldier. Symptoms included notably persistent constant fever, myalgia and headaches, gastro-intestinal symptoms, prostration and stupor. Three patients suffered delirium and nine died (31.0%). Overall, symptoms persisted for 13-14 days. A total of 16 cases were secondary to contacts with the index case, and 10 cases were in house-hold contacts of secondary cases. Five familial clusters were described.

DISCUSSION
This data suggest that exanthematic typhus outbreaks among civilian populations also occurred outside the context of hospitals, in link with introduction of the disease by prisoners or soldiers.


The concept of open innovation has gained widespread acceptance in different lines of research, and it has had a major impact on both research and practice during the last decade. The inherent logi ...


Laws of occurrence of breakdowns of vacuum interrupters behind front of a lightning impulse at recession of voltage (overdue delayed breakdowns) are experimentally investigated and the hypothesis of their nature is developed. It is shown, that the reason of breakdowns is the high-voltage discharge on an internal surface of insulating cases of vacuum interrupter.


It has been described that benign MCF10A breast cancer cell line suffers phenotypic changes toward malignancy when are cultured in sparse conditions. Using Raman spectroscopy with an InVia Raman microscope (Renishaw) with a backscattered configuration, we have studied the metabolic changes of confluent and sparse MCF10A cell cultures. We used Principal Component Analysis and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analyses to assess the different profiling of the metabolic composition of breast cancer cells. The results indicated that Raman spectroscopy together with multivariate analysis is a useful technique to distinguish metabolic changes in malignant transformation. The identification of new metabolites, implementing the catalogue on the characterization of the different phenotypes associated to cell malignancy using Raman spectroscopy is under study.


Hexafluoro-2-butyne, CF3CCCF3, reacts with the triangulo-clusters [Pt3(μ-CO)3(PR3)3] to give the diplatinum(0) compounds [Pt2(CO)2(PR3)2(μ-η2:η2-CF3CCCF3)]
{PR3
= PPh3 (1), PBzPh2 (2), PCy3 (3), PiPr3 (4)}. Spectroscopic properties are reported which are in accord with the molecular structures for 1 and 3, both having the acetylenic C–C axis perpendicular to the Pt–Pt axis, bridging two [Pt(CO)(PR3)] fragments in a μ-η2:η2 fashion. A large excess of hexafluorobutyne slowly converts 1 and 2 to the diplatinum(II) complexes [Pt2(CO)2(PR3)2(μ-η1:η1-CF3CCCF3)2]
{PR3
= PPh3 (5), PBzPh2 (6)}, having two planar hexafluorobutyne bridges. This stereochemistry has been established by NMR and IR spectra, and confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.


Earlier studies using projective tests showed that Americans wrote significantly more stories with future themes than did a comparable Indian sample. The present study tested samples from 7 Indian subcultures which have different family traditions. Ss were presented with 4 present tense sentences with 4 themes (economic, educational, occupational, and political, respectively) and asked to develop a story following from them. Kshatriyas, Sikhs and Parsees as well as Americans tended to write stories with future themes, while Brahmins, Vasiyas, Sudras and Muslims wrote stories with past themes. Also, the former groups had a higher need for achievement than the latter groups. It is suggested that measures of time perspective can profitably be used for assessing strength of motivation.


Today's search engines make it easier for the user to browse and query the online available data. But when it comes to structured data, the queries have to be structured too, in order to retrieve the data. This makes it difficult for novice users, with no knowledge of the underlying schema or query language, to access the relational data. Therefore, to query the structured data in an unstructured language of web, there is a need to map the user keyword queries to their equivalent SQL format. This research is intended to bridge the gap by introducing a framework named STRUCT. Unlike most of the existing work which pays very little attention to the contextual information provided by the user, our approach takes these details into account to elucidate the implied structural information necessary for constructing the SQL clauses. One fundamental issue on keyword search in traditional databases is how to interpret users' information needs behind keywords they provided. A common approach of many prototype systems is to make such interpretation as a designer's choice (such as imposing AND or OR semantics, or a combination), leaving no choice to users. A much more meaningful approach would be allowing users themselves to specify the required semantics through contextual information. So can we build a system which stays with the simplicity of Keyword search, yet can incorporate the contextual information provided in the user query? STRUCT answers this question by taking English language queries involving intended keywords. Instead of resorting on a full-fledged natural language processing, the unneeded words in the queries are discarded. Only the specific contextual information along with the keywords containing database contents will be used to construct SQL queries. The contextual information is used to interpret the meaning of the queries, including the semantics involving AND,OR and NOT. In this thesis we describe the architecture of STRUCT, procedure of English query processing (parsing), basic idea of the grouping algorithm, SQL query construction and sample results of experiments.


: According to article 66 of the civil procedure law of the People's Republic of China, evidence includes electronic date, etc. In the past when science and technology were not very developed, digital evidence has not appeared in the legislation, but with the development of science and technology, digital evidence as a new kind of evidence appears in civil litigation has always been controversial in the legal field, it is related to the realization of social fairness and justice and the construction of a harmonious society. Because digital evidence has important research value in the practice of civil action, therefore, in this paper, the application of digital evidence in civil action analysis of its shortcomings and explore the proposed solutions.


A s China's military might and tendency toward regional aggression grow, the United States and its allies are increasingly concerned with deterrence. Their strategies seek to prevent Beijing from disrupting the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific by, for example, invading Taiwan or conducting gray-zone operations in the South China Sea. One of those strategies was to revive the Quad grouping with Australia, Japan, India, and the United States in 2017 to protect freedom of navigation and promote democratic values.1 In the period since, the Quad has become implicitly—or explicitly, at least on the part of the United States—aimed at countering China's malign activities in the Indo-Pacific region.2 Statements from the February 2022 Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting highlighted the threat of "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and coercion" in the South and East China Seas while also reaffirming the Quad's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.3 Although the Quad has been reluctant to directly address security cooperation, the 2020 and 2021 joint military Malabar exercises revealed a shared focus on improving interoperability.4 Yet deterring China with minilateral groupings of states is more complex and difficult than traditional deterrence theory might suggest. This essay lays out some of the unique characteristics of the China challenge before considering how minilaterals can best enhance deterrence in these circumstances.


To analyse problems encountered during the teaching procedure of one man method of colonoscopy,countermeasures were put forward,extemal training is adotped.and the importance of combined and coordinated operation methods was emphasized which included adjusting,spinning,resetting and retreating colonoscope body.


Abstract A method for studying high-temperature tubular reactors (combustion reactors) is outlined in the paper. The method is based on the comparison of two characteristic velocities—the reactant supply rate and the combustion wave propagation rate over a moving medium (the kinematic balance method). The possibilities of the method are illustrated by an example of analysis of stationary and nonstationary states of a filtration combustion reactor. The peculiarities of reactor behaviour are considered in connection with the change of its geometric and regime parameters, as well as with the variation of physico-chemical and structural characteristics of reactants and product.


[Objective]This research studied the inhibition effect of Castanea mollissima Blume bract extract on intestinal bacteria in Dendrolimu kikuchii Matsumura in order to create new biological pesticides developed from plant sources and to provide theoretical basis for pesticide development. [Method]Using 10 strains of intestinal bacteria extracted from age 3 and age 5 Dendrolimu kikuchii Matsumura instar larvae as test strains, the inhibition effect of different organic Castanea mollissima Blume bract extract solvents was determined using the Oxford cup method. [Result]Different organic solvents of Castanea mollissima Blume bract extract had some inhibition effects on intestinal bacteria in Dendrolimu kikuchii Matsumura. As the quality concentration increased, the inhibition effect became more noticeable; different extractions were arranged in the following rank from the strongest inhibition rate to the weakest inhibition rate: acetic ether ethanolchloroformbutyl alcohollight petroleum. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited strong inhibition activity on the intestinal bacteria of Dendrolimu kikuchii Matsumura. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 6.250 mg/mL, and the inhibition effect of petroleum ether extract was not obvious or non-existent. [Conclusion]Castanea mollissima Blume bract extract could be developed as the new plant biological source pesticide to control Dendrolimu kikuchii Matsumura.


Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding diets containing laboratory synthesized deoxynivalenol (DON), or Fusarium (naturally) contaminated wheat containing DON on performance and health of young pigs (32.8–41.1 kg body weight). Diets containing 3.4–19.1 mg DON kg−1 were fed to pigs ad libitum for 14 d (exps. 1 and 2) or 7 wk (exp. 3) after which time each pig was slaughtered and blood, tissue and organ samples taken for analysis. All pigs responded to DON-contaminated diets with an immediate reduction in feed intake and body weight gain followed by some degree of recovery that was dependent on the dietary DON concentration. Negative linear relationships were found between feed intake or body weight gain and dietary DON concentration with pure DON and naturally contaminated wheat diets. Feed intake and weight gain were, respectively, 18 and 23% lower when a diet containing naturally contaminated wheat was fed compared to a diet containing an equivalent concentration of pure DON...


The Marangoni effect and Rayleigh-Benard effect in the two-phase region of solar trough heat-absorbing tube are simulated by FTM (front tracking method). Considering the Marangoni effect alone, although surface tension gradient and surface tension affect the interface wave, the two effects have different characteristics. The surface tension gradient caused by the temperature gradient is one of the factors that swing the interface. The amplitude attenuation of the interface wave decreases with the increase of the Marangoni number (Ma). In general, the surface tension gradient enhances the convection opposite to the temperature gradient. Under the gravity field, the Rayleigh-Benard effect influences the development of the vortex structure in the flow field, which in turn affects the velocity gradient near the interface to influence the evolution of the interface fluctuation. In a small Rayleigh number (Ra), the buoyancy convection reduces the velocity gradient, thus suppressing the evolution of the interfacial wave. In the range of Ra   4.0E4), the situation is just the opposite. The larger the Ra is, the stronger the promoting effect is.


Purpose: Deficit in fluency of speech is named stuttering. Stuttering could influence the personality characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stuttering on personality characteristics in male individuals. Methods: In this study, 31 stuttered men aged upper than 18 years old were compared with another 32 unstuttered men of the same age and education in terms of their personality characteristics by applying the Neo-FFI test. Results: Results from student t test showed that the mean score of mental racial, extraversion and agreeableness of personality was statistically different between two groups. Conclusion: The present findings indicate that individuals with stuttering problem have different personality compared with fluent speakers; however, this different does not mean abnormal personality.


The invention relates to the technical field of communication equipment and particularly relates to a mobile terminal. A rapid mode switching system of the mobile terminal is applied to the mobile terminal and comprises a control module, a switching instruction generation module and a storage module connected with the control module, wherein the storage module stores switching instructions and contextual models corresponding to the switching instructions; the switching instruction generation module is used for generating the corresponding switching instruction according to a switching command and sending the switching instruction to the control module; the control module is used for querying the corresponding contextual model from the storage module according to the switching instruction and switching the current contextual model. According to the rapid mode switching system provided by the invention, rapid switching of the contextual models is realized by a rapid switching channel; the operation is simple and convenient; user experiences of products are improved.


Map is an important media information today. School has responsibility to give knowledge and skill on how to use map. However, it is only used as a directional indicator instead of being utilized as a teaching-learning media or resources of learning. Actually, teachers realize that map is necessary to increase the quality of learning. They also believe that map literacy skill will be useful for daily activities and is able to improve student's high order thinking skills. In answering the needs, a learning model focusing on the map utilization as a teaching-learning media and learning resources was designed. It was developed by ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate). This paper examines the result of the design and development stage of map literacy model of learning. The model arranged is consisted of philosophical and theoretical grounds, sintax, social system, teachers' role, supporting system, instructional and nurturant effects, and learning principle. Those two stages produce map literacy model of learning's preliminary design which is ready to be tested.


In the article was critically analyzed the text of section 9.1 in the draft of the new Criminal Code of Ukraine as of January 30, 2023, created by the working group on the development of criminal law. The section was analyzed for internal and external consistency within the entire project, as well as in the context of compliance with existing doctrinal approaches and current law enforcement needs.As results of the research, it was established that compared to Section I of the Special Part of the current Criminal Code of Ukraine, Section 9.1 of the Special Part of the project is generally progressive and overcomes a number of shortcomings identified both by practice and theoretical studies. This indicates that the working group took into account the needs of law enforcement and the achievements of the science of criminal law in the process of working on this section. The texts of the articles on collaborative activity and treason received the most tangible improvement. A significant improvement is also noted in relation to the legal regulation of responsibility for: 1) public calls for crimes against state security and spreading of materials with calls; 2) justification of armed aggression against Ukraine or occupation of its territory, glorification of agents of the aggressor state.At the same time, in the course of the research, such provisions of section 9.1 of the project were discovered, which cause serious criticism or are of a debatable nature. The wording of the article on diversion proposed by the working group generates the greatest criticism, because: the construction of the composition of the crime becomes «material», that is, it requires causing a consequence; at the same time, the sanction for its commission is mitigated; in addition, actions aimed at the mass destruction of people or harming their health are excluded from the composition of diversion. Separate critical judgments are also generated by other articles of this section – both those related to responsibility for individual crimes against state security, and those that provide for signs that increase their severity.


A pedobarograph that measures and records plantar pressures has been used to evaluate the possibility of using 'Shutrak' as a system to measure pressures under the foot clinically. The Shutrak system is sensitive to pressures of approximately 2.5 kPa, however because of the method of loading, the record cannot be used reliably for standing pressures but can show areas of cumulative contact pressures above 2.5 kPa. Individual areas of high pressure cannot be reliably detected by this system, differentiation between light and dark areas of contact are not discernible, except where the pressures exceed 100 kPa.Plastazote depth impressions have a better sensitivity but care in heating and applying the load is necessary because of the mechanical and thermal characteristics of the material. If these are standardized, Plastozote could be used to quantify areas of high pressure as well as foot shape, but care has to be taken in interpreting data by this method.Both devices used in conjunction with a clinical exam...


Google Maps API combined with Street View images can serve as a powerful tool for place recognition or city reconstruction tasks. In this paper, we present a way how to build geotagged datasets of perspective views from Google Maps. Given the initial GPS coordinates, the algorithm can build a list of panoramas in a certain area, download corresponding panoramas, and generate perspective views. In more detail, each panorama on Google Maps Street View contains meta data from which the GPS location and the direction of the view can be extracted. Moreover, the information about the neighbouring panoramas can be obtained as well, hence, a list of panoramas covering a certain area can be built. Downloading panoramas from the list and combining it with the meta data, each downloaded panorama is cut into a set of overlaping perspective views and stored while the camera GPS location, yaw, and pitch are coded in the filename of the perspective view. The geotagged database is subsequently used for place recognition and structure from motion 3D reconstruction.


Michael Curtin and Jane Shattuc, The American Television Industry. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 202pp. $27.00 (pbk).Barbara SelznickIn The American Television Industry, Michael Curtin and Jane Shattuc take on the daunting task of trying to outline the workings of US television. Anyone who has ever taught the television business to introductory students knows the difficulty of this task. A discussion of one part of the system (such as program production) inevitably requires an understanding of another element (such as syndication); the question becomes, what do you cover first in order to cause the least confusion? The other significant problem with writing about the television industry at this point is the changing industrial environment. Almost all sectors of the television industry are undergoing foundational shifts caused by numerous factors including conglomeration, globalisation and technological expansion. Attempting to explain the television business can be quite tricky because the ground continues to shift underneath the industry, and new pacts and deals are struck seemingly every day.Curtin and Shattuc take on this overwhelming undertaking with quite a bit of success. They cover the major points and provide a useful starting point for understanding the significance of the business of television. The chapters outline the major players in the television industry, audiences, advertisers, production, programming and branding, as well as a chapter on the rise of infotainment television. The book is very well researched with compelling examples that are recent and relevant. Although the currency of the research will pass, the information accumulated focuses primarily on 2007-8, a particularly exceptional season due to the Writer's Strike that will continue to serve as an interesting moment in the industry's history. Information on the Nielsen ratings, advertising costs and audiences offers insight into the economic operations of US television. Of note is the means the authors use to explain different programming strategies. Rather than simply listing and describing the main terms, such as counterprogramming, lead-in, tent-poling and so on, the authors focus on two nights of network prime-time programming from 2007 and explore how these strategies are used in practice. This method is engaging and practical and is likely to help students understand programming - at least as long as they remain familiar with the shows being discussed.In addition to The American Television Industry's success at explaining the 'nuts and bolts' of the industry, the book puts industrial practices into a larger context that contributes to an understanding of how the business shapes television's aesthetic and cultural roles. There are two recurring ideas running through The American Television Industry that are useful for connecting the industry to television's social, cultural and aesthetic practices. First, the authors propose that we think of the current period of television production and consumption as part of the 'matrix era'. In what seems to be a discursive shift away from the terminology of 'the post network era' popularised by Amanda Lotz in The Television Will Be Revolutionized (2007), Curtin and Shattuc approach contemporary television as a matrix 'characterized by interactive exchanges, multiple sites of productivity and diverse modes of interpretation and use' (176). This idea highlights the changing role of broadcast and cable networks in an environment in which a 'television set' is only one means of access to televisual entertainment. Although the concept could use some further exploration and better integration into the chapters, the image of the matrix is a compelling way to visualise television at this time.The other theme that runs through the book is a steady rejection of technological determinism. The authors argue that 'technology is commonly seen as the most important factor in bringing about the decline of the classical network system', but this can be 'enriched by pointing to a host of other factors that prompted the development of these new technologies' (11). …


then (a) preparing a base body (1) made of plastic, and (b) applying a thin mirror layer (2, 3) on one side of the base body by means of sputtering, wherein: a method for manufacturing a vehicle mirror, in particular for a utility vehicle, comprising the steps of the base body is produced already before sputtering in its final form.


Based on the analysis of the difference of distribution between socialism and capitalism according to the factors of procluction, several problems about socialist distribution according to factors of production is discussed.