This survey paper explains about the various methods for feature extraction and detection of pulmonary nodules in digital chest radiographs (CXR)s, as an early and accurate detection of the nodules could be saving lives. This survey focuses on various techniques which are used to spot and classify the lung nodules which in turn will assist the domain experts for better diagnosis. In most of the surveyed papers, four stages of works are carried out such as: (i) Image Acquisition (ii) Image Pre-processing (iii) Image Segmentation and (iv) Feature Extraction. Since the volume of the X-rays is very large, Computer Aided Detection/Diagnosis (CAD/x) has more advantages in addition to manual interpretation with respect to speed and accuracy. This paper aims at summarizing various methods that have been introduced by several authors over the years of research in this field.


This paper addresses the safety assessment of an ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) device, namely a transmission line. We assume that both the physical parameters of this transmission line and those of the illumination wave are uncertain. The objective is to assess the probability of occurrence of an extreme event defined in terms of requirements imposed on the current circulating in the line. The work is based on methods of the structural reliability research community. The efficiency and accuracy of the applied methods are compared with reference results obtained by simulations.


Due to the key property of UWB communications: short transmission range, the communication between different UWB devices sometimes needs the help of relay devices. We studied a hybrid wireless network including UWB devices and WiFi devices together. We analyzed the interference of the network and introduced a new reasonable interference definition in the hybrid environment. We proposed an optimal algorithm to reduce the interference of network. Extensive simulations have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. The simulation results show that the new proposed algorithm make the interference of the network minimum and improve the throughput of the network.


AbstractCurrent cloud microphysical schemes used in cloud and mesoscale models range from simple one-moment to multimoment, multiclass to explicit bin schemes. This study details the benefits of adding a fourth ice class (frozen drops/hail) to an already improved single-moment three-class ice (cloud ice, snow, graupel) bulk microphysics scheme developed for the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model. Besides the addition and modification of several hail processes from a bulk three-class hail scheme, further modifications were made to the three-ice processes, including allowing greater ice supersaturation and mitigating spurious evaporation/sublimation in the saturation adjustment scheme, allowing graupel/hail to transition to snow via vapor growth and hail to transition to graupel via riming, wet graupel to become hail, and the inclusion of a rain evaporation correction and vapor diffusivity factor. The improved three-ice snow/graupel size-mapping schemes were adjusted to be more stable at higher mixing ratios an...


In order to realize the informatizaton of health system, it is indispensible to standardize the data format. That is, a set of standard code of diagnoses and procedures is necessary. In Japan, there are little problems for coding of procedures, because the coding system of procedures has been already introduced into the claim processing computer system. On the contrary, the coding of diagnosis has problems for its correctness. The two mains reasons are immature ability of clinical coders and intrinsic ambiguity of ICD structure. In order to solve these problems, we have investigated the coding quality based on the Japanese casemix data, so called DPC data. Using the research results, we have categorized the pattern of mistakes and developed a set of additional code for accurate ICD indexing.


celerates atheroma formation leading to endothelial dysfunction, impaired vasoreactivity, and clinical instability. Focal epicardial disease can therefore be a later manifestation of atherosclerosis that follows the aforementioned pathophysiological alterations [8] . Unmasking them is challenging for the conventional noninvasive cardiac imaging tests and this is manifested by the often negative results for myocardial ischemia in women presenting with chest pain. Taken together these data suggest that accurate assessment of the atherosclerosis burden, endothelial function, and health of the microcirculation is very important for timely risk stratification and this has implications for the noninvasive approaches used to investigate women with chest pain. The goal of such stratification is to identify patients at risk for specific adverse events (cardiac death or nonfatal MI) and to develop posttest management strategies which might reduce patients' risk of these outcomes. A variety of tests have been employed and these include exercise ECG, functional imaging with SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or stress echocardiography; more recently, CT coronary angiography and even cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) have been utilized for risk stratification. Hybrid imaging in the form of SPECT/CT or PET/CT has also been proposed as a comprehensive tool for assessing prognosis because it has the ability to provide concurrent quantitative information on myocardial perfusion, coronary anatomy, and plaque morphology [9] . Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death of women in the USA and is responsible for more deaths in women than all forms of cancer combined [1] . Moreover, recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) looking at trends in midlife coronary heart disease risk show that over the past 2 decades the prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) has increased in women aged 35–54 years while declining in men of the same age [2] . For Europe, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrate that cardiovascular disease accounts for 55% of deaths in women compared to just 43% of deaths in men [3] . In addition, there is evidence that symptomatic women with angiographically normal or nonobstructive coronary lesions have increased rates of MI, stroke, hospitalization for congestive heart failure, and cardiac mortality compared with a similarly matched cohort of asymptomatic community-based women [4] . Along with the knowledge on sex differences regarding clinical outcomes, results from the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study and related studies implicate abnormal coronary reactivity [5] , microvascular dysfunction [6] , and plaque erosion/distal microembolization as important pathophysiological determinants of adverse outcomes [7] . Dysfunction of microcirculation is more common in women than men, presumably as a consequence of hormonal variations that result in vascular inflammation and subsequent remodeling. In the presence of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), this process acReceived and accepted: March 25, 2011 Published online: June 1, 2011


One of the most important components of performing music is listening. Learning to listen musically comes along with a basic and primary foundation of musicianship, which is ear training. In my personal experience, I could define ear training as the exercise of recognition and comprehension of musical language. Moreover, the main goal of ear training is to develop the basic components of the musical craft: first of all, it helps music
readers to hear written music while looking at a particular piece of music; it aids composers in notating and arranging; and finally, it enhances performers vocabulary and understanding of the music they are hearing (Prosser 2000, 6). Furthermore, I believe that ear training is a powerful tool that reinforces the learning process of any musical instrument. For instance, the guitar player's learning process is complex and very wide because of the disposition of the notes throughout the fret board; however, by applying ear
training the mapping of notes will become more consistent and solid.


Computed digital radiography of the chest is a new technique which utilizes a photostimulable phosphor image plate in place of a conventional film screen combination. The system is based on a reusable image plate coated with barium fluorohalide which exhibits photo-stimulable luminescence. The imaging plate is placed in a cassette. The plate is exposed to radiation in the conventional manner and a latent image of the radiographed object is stored by the barium fluorohalide. The imaging plate is automatically unloaded from the cassette and the latent image is released by scanning the plate with a laser beam. The emitted light generates electrical signals which are converted to digital signals. The digital images are then processed and transferred on the film for viewing. The image processing algorithms are prepro-grammed so that image processing occurs automatically. The raw digital data are stored so that images can be reprocessed changing one or more of the image processing parameters.


Over the past decades, average global wheat yields have increased by about 250 %, mainly due to the cultivation of high-yielding wheat cultivars. This selection process not only affected aboveground parts of plants, but in some cases also reduced root biomass, with potentially large consequences for the amount of organic carbon (OC) transferred to the soil. To study the effect of wheat breeding for high-yielding cultivars on subsoil OC dynamics, two old and two new wheat cultivars from the Swiss wheat breeding program were grown for one growing season in 1.5 m deep lysimeters and pulse labeled with 13CO฀ to quantify the amount of assimilated carbon that was transferred belowground and can potentially be stabilized in the soil. The results show that although the old wheat cultivars with higher root biomass transferred more assimilated carbon belowground compared to more recent cultivars, no significant differences in net rhizodeposition were found between the different cultivars. As a consequence, the long-term effect of wheat cultivar selection on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks will depend on the amount of root biomass that is stabilized in the soil. Our results suggest that the process of wheat selection for high-yielding cultivars resulted in lower amounts of belowground carbon translocation, with potentially important effects on SOC stocks. Further research is necessary to quantify the long-term importance of this effect. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2971-2020 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-192129 Journal Article Published Version The following work is licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. Originally published at: Van de Broek, Marijn; Ghiasi, Shiva; Decock, Charlotte; Hund, Andreas; Abiven, Samuel; Friedli, Cordula; Werner, Roland A; Six, Johan (2020). The soil organic carbon stabilization potential of old and new wheat cultivars: a 13CO฀-labeling study. Biogeosciences, 17(11):2971-2986. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2971-2020 Biogeosciences, 17, 2971–2986, 2020 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2971-2020 © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. The soil organic carbon stabilization potential of old and new wheat cultivars: a CO2-labeling study Marijn Van de Broek, Shiva Ghiasi, Charlotte Decock, Andreas Hund, Samuel Abiven, Cordula Friedli, Roland A. Werner, and Johan Six Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland Grassland Sciences Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California 93407, USA Group of Crop Science, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland These authors contributed equally to this work. Correspondence: Marijn Van de Broek (firstname.lastname@example.com) Received: 24 December 2019 – Discussion started: 9 January 2020 Revised: 11 April 2020 – Accepted: 29 April 2020 – Published: 11 June 2020 Abstract. Over the past decades, average global wheat yields have increased by about 250 %, mainly due to the cultivation of high-yielding wheat cultivars. This selection process not only affected aboveground parts of plants, but in some cases also reduced root biomass, with potentially large consequences for the amount of organic carbon (OC) transferred to the soil. To study the effect of wheat breeding for highyielding cultivars on subsoil OC dynamics, two old and two new wheat cultivars from the Swiss wheat breeding program were grown for one growing season in 1.5 m deep lysimeters and pulse labeled with CO2 to quantify the amount of assimilated carbon that was transferred belowground and can potentially be stabilized in the soil. The results show that although the old wheat cultivars with higher root biomass transferred more assimilated carbon belowground compared to more recent cultivars, no significant differences in net rhizodeposition were found between the different cultivars. As a consequence, the long-term effect of wheat cultivar selection on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks will depend on the amount of root biomass that is stabilized in the soil. Our results suggest that the process of wheat selection for highyielding cultivars resulted in lower amounts of belowground carbon translocation, with potentially important effects on SOC stocks. Further research is necessary to quantify the long-term importance of this effect. Over the past decades, average global wheat yields have increased by about 250 %, mainly due to the cultivation of high-yielding wheat cultivars. This selection process not only affected aboveground parts of plants, but in some cases also reduced root biomass, with potentially large consequences for the amount of organic carbon (OC) transferred to the soil. To study the effect of wheat breeding for highyielding cultivars on subsoil OC dynamics, two old and two new wheat cultivars from the Swiss wheat breeding program were grown for one growing season in 1.5 m deep lysimeters and pulse labeled with CO2 to quantify the amount of assimilated carbon that was transferred belowground and can potentially be stabilized in the soil. The results show that although the old wheat cultivars with higher root biomass transferred more assimilated carbon belowground compared to more recent cultivars, no significant differences in net rhizodeposition were found between the different cultivars. As a consequence, the long-term effect of wheat cultivar selection on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks will depend on the amount of root biomass that is stabilized in the soil. Our results suggest that the process of wheat selection for highyielding cultivars resulted in lower amounts of belowground carbon translocation, with potentially important effects on SOC stocks. Further research is necessary to quantify the long-term importance of this effect.


Objective To develop a portable X-ray shielding curtain so as to protect adjacent patients from radiation during bedside X-ray photography.Methods The structure and size of shielding curtain were determined via experimental tests.A removable bracket was fixed to the sickbed,and then a pole on the bracket was used to hang the curtain up.Results When bedside X-ray examination performed,with the shielding curtain,the radiation dose of the adjacent sickbed was lowered by several hundreds times.Conclusion The X-ray shielding curtain,being easy to use and carry,is worth popularizing.


Early in my stint as chair of the English department at my current school, I initiated the process of getting approval for a new general education literature course on the Inklings, the group of Anglo-Catholic British writers dominated by the two towers of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Given the popularity of these two writers with our overwhelmingly Christian student body, the au courant nature of the course given Peter Jackson's blockbuster film trilogy, and the strong desire of one of our faculty to teach such a course, it seemed to me to be a worthwhile addition to the range of courses undergraduates could take to fulfill their literature requirements in the general education curriculum. Messiah College, where I chair, is a relatively small (3000 students) college of "the liberal and applied arts and sciences," which identifies itself as a Christian institution of higher education. Despite these particularities, the school has participated in many of the changes that have been affecting academe across the country: a gradually diversifying student body; competition between the traditional liberal arts and a more "applied" or practical curriculum; and systematic development of policy and procedure, fundraising, and administrative layering that has given colleges everywhere an increasingly corporate character. (1) Rationales for the curriculum here, as elsewhere, strike one as a mixture of old-style idealism and business-like pragmatism. At Messiah, courses in literature have to comply with several parameters in order to be considered a part of the general education curriculum, parameters that alternately seem to speak to practical pedagogical issues or offer somewhat generic blandishments about the nature of educating a well-rounded individual: they cannot require prerequisites, they must expose students to the work of "significant writers," etc. At that time, one parameter also called for classes through which students could develop a greater understanding of "their culture." In developing the rationale for adding the course, I found this last parameter vexing. Our institution has undergone some significant demographic change over the past seven years, and, while our cultural diversity quite literally pales in comparison to most state colleges or elite private colleges in the country, the nearly eleven percent of our student body who come from non-white ethnic groups or from overseas represent a sea change from the two or three per cent of a decade ago. In this respect, while still overwhelmingly white, we are more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity than the vast majority of private colleges that claim a specifically Christian identity, and we are more diverse than most other private colleges of any type in our geographical location in Central Pennsylvania. Students of color have strengthened their own voices, and, with some encouragement from the administration, there have been new calls for celebration and affirmation of multicultural diversity. New policy and procedure documents and college-wide identity statements declare our commitment to antiracist and multicultural education, and a five-year plan states specific plans for establishing this identity. Moreover, Messiah College as a whole springs from a tradition rooted deeply in the Dutch and German peace churches (Brethren in Christ, Mennonite, and so forth), churches with an emphasis on peace and social justice, and, incidentally, with a fairly strong residual sense of ethnic identity. The administration and faculty of the college often defines the college as at odds with, and has struggled to avoid being swallowed up by, what is seen as a dominant American religious, cultural, and political ethos associated with conservative white evangelicalism, what pundits euphemistically call the "Religious Right." Nevertheless, our student body is drawn primarily from precisely that form of conservative white Christianity. Finally, figuring out what "their culture" could really be referring to concerned me in that I am a scholar and teacher of multiethnic literature and co-chairperson of the campus committee dedicated to promoting an antiracist and multicultural identity in the classroom and in the culture of the college as a whole. …


Genus Phaeoschizochlamys Lemmerm. has been seldom recorded with its type species P. mucosa from few localities in Europe and North America. In July 2011, during some phycological studies in the Pirin Mts (Bulgaria), this alga was found in an alpine peat-bog pool. Owing to the world distribution of P. mucosa in various types of wetlands, it is assumed that this species has a broad-ranging ecological tolerance. This has contradicted with its rare records until nowadays and obviously requires further investigations.


healthcare and educational services. It is common in these applications that a user interacts directly with a robot. In such Human–Robot Interaction (HRI), trust and mutual adaption is established and maintained through a positive social rela tionship between the robot and the user and relies on the perceived competence of a robot on the social–emotional dimension. How a user perceives a robot's social intelligence and their social relationship with the robot can have a direct influence on the outcomes of an HRI system, for example, whether or not a user decides to accept a recommendation from the robot [Herse et al. 2018]. Moreover, in many HRI applications, social–emotional interaction with the intended users is the main goal of the system or a core strategy to achieve the desired outcomes, for example, in HRI applications for mental health [Robinson et al. 2019]. Thus, such affective HRI applications require emotion-awareness and social–emotional competence in the robot's functions to deliver acceptable services. In addition, for robots deployed in shared spaces with humans, even when direct HRI is not expected to occur, the social intelligence of robots, such as the ability to follow certain social norms or to predict human intentions, is key to safe and effective deployment [Tian et al. 2020]. The research topic of social robots addresses the increasing attention on social interaction in HRI and affective HRI systems [Hegel et al. 2009]. There are four aspects to a social robot: Emotion-aware Human–Robot Interaction and Social Robots


Abstract : A study is made of the flexural motion and noise generated by 11 x 11 in. steel panels flush mounted in the wall of a turbulent flow channel. The mean square exciting pressure fluctuation at the wall, its spectral density, and two- point correlations of the pressure were measured with the use of pinhole microphones. The flexural response of sample panels was studied by correlation techniques. The calculated relief plot of correlation shows qualitative agreement with the experimental results.


In a previous paper we gave enumerations and results of the enumeration of directed animals of three different forms (sites, bonds, and bonds without loops) on a variety of two-dimensional lattices. This letter adds results for site animals without loops, and gives an exact solution for the sites (no loops) Kagome lattice, which is actually a pair of directed self-avoiding walks.


General formulation of resonant backscattering from vegetation, mean field and Green's function in three media, and electromagnetic backscattering coefficients from a layer of vegetation are discussed.


Quarrying of bedrock is a primary agent of subglacial erosion. Although the mechanical theory behind the process has been studied for decades, it has proven difficult to formulate the governing principles so that large‐scale landscape evolution models can be used to integrate erosion over time. The existing mechanical theory thus stands largely untested in its ability to explain postglacial topography. In this study we relate the physics of quarrying to long‐term landscape evolution with a multiscale approach that connects meter‐scale cavities to kilometer‐scale glacial landscapes. By averaging the quarrying rate across many small‐scale bedrock steps, we quantify how regional trends in basal sliding speed, effective pressure, and bed slope affect the rate of erosion. A sensitivity test indicates that a power law formulated in terms of these three variables provides an acceptable basis for quantifying regional‐scale rates of quarrying. Our results highlight the strong influence of effective pressure, which intensifies quarrying by increasing the volume of the bed that is stressed by the ice and thereby the probability of rock failure. The resulting pressure dependency points to subglacial hydrology as a primary factor for influencing rates of quarrying and hence for shaping the bedrock topography under warm‐based glaciers. When applied in a landscape evolution model, the erosion law for quarrying produces recognizable large‐scale glacial landforms: U‐shaped valleys, hanging valleys, and overdeepenings. The landforms produced are very similar to those predicted by more standard sliding‐based erosion laws, but overall quarrying is more focused in valleys, and less effective at higher elevations.


After Great East Japan Earthquake, coal-fired thermal power generation is a very important power source in Japan. In addition, Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake occurred in Japan in 2018, and damage of coal-fired thermal power plants by this earthquake caused blackout in very wide area. Therefore improvement of the seismic performance of the thermal power plants is a very important issue. In general boilers of coal-fired power plants are suspended from the upper end of support structures in order to allow thermal expansion of the boilers. Therefore boilers are structures that easily sway by earthquakes. In order to suppress the vibration, stoppers made of steel are generally installed between boilers and their support structures. Although stoppers made of steel can suppress the vibration effectively and economically, further improvement of seismic performance is required from the viewpoint of abovementioned issue. Therefore authors have proposed and developed a vibration control damper for coal-fired power plants instead of the stopper made of steel. Construction of the damper is similar to oil dampers, but inner fluid is viscous fluid. In PVP 2017, the basic performance of the proposed damper was presented. In PVP 2018, influence of dispersion of damper properties was also investigated. In addition, seismic response analyses using various earthquakes that include long period and long duration earthquake waves were carried out. As a result of previous investigations, it was confirmed that the proposed damper has good performance in its lifetime. However, parameters of dampers were selected manually. Therefore, influence of parameters of dampers on the vibration control performance were evaluated theoretically by using the experimental design method in this paper. The experimental design method is one of the effective techniques for research such as investigation of the influence of the habitat environment on the growth of crops. The selection of damper parameters is complex optimization, because so many variables need to be optimized. Therefore the experimental design method is suitable technique for the evaluation of damper parameters. This paper will evaluate vibration control performance from the viewpoint of the experimental design method.


Chapter 1 Introduction: The Transcendental Arc Chapter 2 "The Seeds of Thought": The Feminist Reform Vision of Margaret Fuller Chapter 3 "Woman's Right to Think": Transcendentalism in the Organized Women's Movement Chapter 4 "A Woman's Life and Work": Self-Culture, Vocation, and the Female Intellectual Chapter 5 The Concord School of Philosophy and the Feminization of Transcendentalism after the Civil War Chapter 6 Epilogue: Feminism and American Intellectual History


A city was born by the will of man to conquer space as a condition for appeal or as a residence. The map of the city can, however, also hide other reason not always show: magic, religion, symbolism,... These are concepts that frequently appear in the ideological components of an urban planning.


Recent headlines in many news sources have proclaimed a revival for nuclear power. Eliot Marshall's article "Is the friendly atom poised for a comeback?" (News Focus, 19 Aug., p. [1168][1]) poses the issue as a question rather than a conclusion, but nevertheless falls into step with the other


Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that plasma renin and aldosterone level would be as the risk factor of uncontrolled hospitalized hypertensives in China. Methods: Totally 2896 subjects were included at hypertension clinics in Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from 2012–2017. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone were measured. They are classified into uncontrolled and controlled hypertension group based on a systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg or diastolic pressure > 90 mmHg who under ≥3 antihypertension drugs treatment or a systolic blood pressure ⩽140 mm Hg and diastolic pressure⩽90 mmHg by using≥4 drugs as uncontrolled hypertension group, totally 880 subjects, 2009 with controlled hypertension. The differences in group characteristics were compared using ANOVA tests or chi-square tests, accordingly. Logistic regression models were performed to determine the association between renin activity, aldosterone and uncontrolled hypertension. Results: 1)Uncontrolled hypertension group were directly associated with hospitalized SBP, DBP, BMI, triglyceride, homocysteine (tHcy), plasma renin activity (2.3 ± 3.6 vs 1.8 ± 2.8ng/ml/h), aldosterone (16.9 ± 10.9 vs 16.1 ± 11.6ng/dl), and angiotensin II (65.7 ± 52.4 vs 59.9 ± 51.6pg/ml). 2)The plasma renin activity were positively correlated with uncontrolled hypertension group (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01–1.09; P = 0.012). In the multivariate logistic regression models, compared with participants with plasma renin activity > 1.49 pg/ml/h (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03–1.87; P = 0.031). And the significantly higher prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was observed in aldosterone > 17.17ng/dl (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.00–1.60; P < 0.01). Conclusion: Renin/aldosterone phenotyping significantly make the effect in uncontrolled hypertension and no longer only as the lab test of secondary hypertension.


In-situ high-pressure energy dispersive X-ray diffraction experiments on natural scheelite ( CaWO4) have been carried out at room temperature by using DAC device with a synchrotron radiation source at 4W2 High-Pressure Station of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. In pressures higher than 16. 0 GPa,a reversible phase transition from scheelite-structure to wolframite-structure was observed. With increasing pressure,CaWO4 kept the scheelite-structure until 5. 3 GPa,and then had a coexistence with scheelite-and wolframite-structures between 5. 3 GPa and 12. 3 GPa,and finally completely transformed to wolframite-structure at pressures above 12. 3 GPa. The mechanism of the phase transition from scheelite-to-wolframite was also explained in the views of bond length,coordinate number and coordinate polyhedron.


Multi-band satellite communications antennas have applications in the commercial, defense, and civilian federal marketplace. All defence agencies have requirements for transportable multi-band systems. There are many civilian federal organizations requiring multi-band capabilities, and the commercial market uses C- and Ku-band systems, with future requirements for Ka-band coverage. The latest Intelsat satellites carry both C- and Ku-band transponders, therefore, many of the world's earth stations are, or will be, operating in both bands. The use of an antenna permitting operation of the earth terminal in all three bands without requiring the replacement of the feed is a highly desirable capability. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of an antenna system that permits operation in the three main frequency bands, (C, X, and Ku), including simultaneous operation in multiple bands. This antenna system operates in all three bands without the need to replace any components. The paper also discusses the possibilities of extending the frequency coverage of the antenna system into the Ka-band. The multi-band antenna system can increase the capabilities and operational flexibility of existing earth stations as well as new systems.


In this work, we use 3D finite difference time domain (3D-FDTD) to calculate the plasmon resonance effect for a single silver hemisphere in which the palsmon line shape have distinct peaks when the particles are located on a glass substrate. The dependence of the resonance on hemisphere size and the ratio of height over radius are characterized, and it is found that the surface interface effect played an important role on the plasman resonace effect for a single silver hemisphere.


This paper examines atomic equivalents to macroscopic electric and magnetic dipoles, an approach which promises not only to allow studies in the quantum optics realm, as discussed recently in a few multi-level schemes, but also a method to possibly fill arbitrary volumetric spaces in properly prepared solid state systems employing quantum dots, heterostructures, or nanocrystals.


Theme: Blogging is commonly perceived as being for individuals to share their daily experiences. But what else can Web 2.0 technologies be used for? In the information and library world information dissemination and current awareness services are well-established activities. What are the impacts when you apply new collaborative technology to these well-worn traditional tasks?
Description of project: DrugScope, the national drugs information charity, has been using RSS feeds and blogging for over a year. This paper presents a case study of how two projects - to streamline the dissemination of new catalogue data to our existing user group and to speed-up our acquisitions process - led to the development of the DrugScope blog and how this, in turn, afforded us networking and outreach opportunities within our own organisation, within our existing health and social care networks and within new sectors. We will cover, briefly, our use of news aggregators (Bloglines, NHS My Update, Google Alerts) to acquire information, of blogging software to create our own RSS and atom feeds, and of editorial policies to ensure focused content, before highlighting the impact blogging has had on our internal and external profiles. We will also discuss how networking assisted us in marketing our new product nationally and internationally, and how this increased the size and reach of our networks - even into the cultural sector. We will analyse the impact on our own workload, and, more significantly, the uptake of blogging within our sector - via seminars to independent health information professionals and through articles to European substance misuse specialists. The main focus of the paper is to explore the key learning points - both positive and negative - which could be applied to any professional sector - information, health, social care and beyond.


Objective To observe and evaluate the efficiency and safety of rh-TNFα-DK2 in combination with predominantly CHOP chemotherapy in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.Methods This is a randomized controlled trial.Patients in this research joined randomly either the trial group or control group.Results Fifteen patients were in the trial group,and the overall response rate(ORR)of it was 60 %(9/15),and the ORR of the control group was 25 %(2/8).There was a remarkable difference between the two groups in ORR(P =0.019).The most frequently experienced adverse events were hypodynamia,fever,nausea,soreness in the muscle and the joint,which could relive spontaneously and after using antipyretic analgesic.Conclusion The rh-TNFα-DK2 can be used safely and effectively in clinic.It becomes one kind of new tumor assistant drugs,and it helps to increase the response rate.


OBJECTIVE—The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Hispanic and Asian Americans is increasing. These groups are largely comprised of immigrants who may be undergoing behavioral and lifestyle changes associated with development of diabetes. We studied the association between acculturation and diabetes in a population sample of 708 Mexican-origin Hispanics, 547 non–Mexican-origin Hispanics, and 737 Chinese participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Diabetes was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dl and/or use of antidiabetic medications. An acculturation score was calculated for all participants using nativity, years living in the U.S., and language spoken at home. The score ranged from 0 to 5 (0 = least acculturated and 5 = most acculturated). Relative risk regression was used to estimate the association between acculturation and diabetes. RESULTS—For non–Mexican-origin Hispanics, the prevalence of diabetes was positively associated with acculturation score, after adjustment for sociodemographics. The prevalence of diabetes was significantly higher among the most acculturated versus the least acculturated non–Mexican-origin Hispanics (prevalence ratio 2.49 [95% CI 1.14−5.44]); the higher the acculturation score is, the higher the prevalence of diabetes (P for trend 0.059). This relationship between acculturation and diabetes was partly attenuated after adjustment for BMI or diet. Diabetes prevalence was not related to acculturation among Chinese or Mexican-origin Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS—Among non–Mexican-origin Hispanics in MESA, greater acculturation is associated with higher diabetes prevalence. The relation is at least partly mediated by BMI and diet. Acculturation is a factor that should be considered when predictors of diabetes in racial/ethnic groups are examined.


was really a demotion, or that with this 'Stalin intended to cut his [Kaganovich's] wings' (p. 214). As 'minister of transport', he came to rule a patronage empire much larger than Moscow, and ran what was arguably the most important non-military aspect of the Soviet war effort against the Germans. It is also highly doubtful that 'the majority of Stalin's colleagues' addressed the dictator with the familiar ty (thou). His countryman, Ordzhonikidze, did, but none of the others, at least as far as our records show. Molotov, who worked with Stalin longer than anyone, definitely did not, nor did lesser Politburo lights. This is an encyclopaedic work. As with Lenin, virtually every time Kaganovich hung his hat is recorded here. Nothing is left out. In fact, the style of much of the text resembles a Soviet encyclopaedic-biographical note: 'Kaganovich did this. . . and then he did that. . . and then he did the other thing.' Fortunately, Rees provides concluding sections at the end of each chapter to sum up, but even here the chronicle style persists: in one of these chapter summaries the vast majority of the sentences, many of them consecutive, are of the form 'he. . .' followed by a verb. Rees attempts to save his text from grinding faktologiia with an analytical framework, but it is one that will raise scholarly eyebrows. Distancing himself from totalitarian and (rather biliously) from revisionist social history approaches, Rees says that he offers an 'alternative conception' that includes the destruction of civil society, state lawlessness, control of speech and opinion, cultic aspects, promotion of the state as supreme arbiter, and a rather thoroughgoing psychological approach to Stalin and others. This sounds like old wine in new bottles, a blend of totalitarianism and Robert Tucker's psycho-history, and it is hard to find anything new or even original in it. In short, a Stalin suffering from 'malignant antisocial personality disorder', who was also a '"soul eater" (psychophagic)' who had trouble 'distinguishing between reality and his own delusions' (pp. 218–21), planned everything and did everything. All other factors recede into a dim background; we have a psychopathic Stalin that can explain it all. This reviewer confesses to scepticism about psychological diagnoses of persons who left precious few personal papers and are based solely on our evaluation of their purported actions. Having written about NKVD chief Nikolai Yezhov, I will need more than a flat statement that he was a 'schizoid persona' to convince me.


The article presents a theoretical justification for the use of medical and biological approach to the concept of management of physical education teacher of preschool children, as a theoretical and methodological approach of the general scientific level. The characteristic of his opportunities in the real learning process of preschool institutions in the semantic, content, cognitive and organizational and structural levels.


In the title copper(II) salt, [Cu(C6H6N4)2(C2H6OS)2](BF4)2, the Jahn–Teller distorted octahedral coordination sphere of copper is formed from four 2,2′-bi-1H-imidazole N atoms and two dimethyl sulfoxide O atoms. The Cu atom lies on a center of inversion. N—H⋯O and N—H⋯F hydrogen bonds give rise to a one-dimensional structure. The BF4 − anion is disordered over two sites in a 0.671 (10):0.329 (10) ratio.


Fatalities due to consumption of pesticides cases are common in developing countries. Monocrotophos is a type of highly hazardous organophosphate pesticide. We report a case of a woman who was found dead a couple of hours after pesticide poisoning due to absorbance through skin from India. Monocrotophos, an organophosphate pesticide, is basically a systemic and contact poison. It is highly hazardous and used in large quantities in India. In present study, monocrotophos was extracted using liquid-liquid extraction procedure with acetone as solvent. Thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometric (GC-MS) techniques were used for the identification of monocrotophos in blood and skin patches. Monocrotophos was found in post-mortem blood and skin sample of deceased. None of pesticide was found in autopsied stomach, intestine, liver, kidney and spleen tissue. No other xenobiotics were detected in postmortem samples. The results showed that the cause of death was monocrotophos intoxication and the manner was accidental.


The migration of women is continuing to gain attention on different platforms and scholarly works. Women make up almost half of all the migrants globally. However, they are met with a number of challenges in the destination country as a result of intersectional factors that continue to make them vulnerable. There are limited studies that show how immigrants in the African context, specifically young female immigrants, cope with the challenges that they face. This qualitative study explored the coping strategies used by young Zimbabwean female immigrants in Johannesburg to deal with their vulnerability. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions with young Zimbabwean female immigrants and migration experts. Data were analysed thematically using the Atlas.ti software for qualitative data analysis. The study found that female immigrants use individual and communal coping strategies to deal with vulnerability which did not, however, provide them with permanent solutions to their challenges. The strategies only helped them to stay strong during their time in Johannesburg. The findings of this study emphasise the need to strengthen individual and communal strategies, and advocate for collaboration with other stakeholders to help these immigrants to cope with their vulnerability.


This study evaluated and interpreted complex data sets of water samples collected from different sampling origins of ground water (hand pump and tube well) and surface water (municipal, river and canal). The aim was to provide information concerning the apportionment of pollution sources to obtain better information about water quality and possible distribution of As with respect to its speciation. The As (III) formed complex with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) and extracted by surfactant-rich phases in the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114, while total iAs in water samples was adsorbed on titanium dioxide (TiO2) and determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The accuracy of the proposed methodologies was confirmed by standard addition method. The recoveries of As (III) and total inorganic arsenic (iAs) were found to be >98%. The results revealed that the ground water of the area under study was more contaminated as compared to surface water samples. The mean concentration of As (III) and As (V) in the surface water samples was found to be 15.8 and 6.00 µg L−1, respectively, whereas, in the case of ground water samples, the contents of As (III) and As (V) ranged from 6.20 to 51.0 and 6.40 to 53.0 µg L−1, respectively. Principal component analysis performed on a combined (tube well and hand pump) samples data set extracted two significant factors explaining more than 60% of total variance, which suggested that the contamination sources might be natural or anthropogenic.


The financial crisis has hit the entire world economy. Many governments have been forced to rescue the financial systems, having as their priority to ensure economic recovery. A number of important measures have been taken to promote financial stability, including injection of capital into financial organizations, a substantial expansion of guarantees for bank liabilities by central banks, the recapitalization and the various liquidity programmes. However, the recovery has required a comprehensive plan to stabilize the financial system and restore normal flows of credit. The ultimate goal of the governments' activities has been to avoid a protracted economic downturn and restore the conditions for economic growth. .


It is sometimes suggested that authors' rights are protected under international human rights law. This claim is often supported by reference to the "creators' rights" established under Article 27(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 15(1)(c) of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. If authors' rights, as established in international copyright law, were indeed human rights, claims to the universalism of copyright norms would be significantly reinforced as, in addition to the obligations imposed by international agreements such as the Berne Convention and Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), states would assume duties to protect authors under human rights instruments. Is it true, then, that the authors' rights protected under copyright laws are synonymous with the creators' rights protected in human rights law? If not, what is the relationship between the two sets of rights? These are the issues explored in this chapter. Section 1 outlines the argument that author's rights are protected as human rights. It focuses on creators' rights, but touches also on arguments that authors' rights are encompassed within other generally recognized human rights, such as the right of freedom of expression and the right of property. The chapter then moves on to examine the scope of creators' rights within international human rights law, doing so by reference to the reports of the United Nations' (UN) Committee of Economic, Social & Cultural Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee's Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. These emphasize significant distinctions between authors' rights and creators' rights and, as a consequence, challenge the universalist claim that human rights law provides fundamental reinforcement for the norms established in copyright law. Section 3 seeks to establish the known contours of the relationship between authors' rights and creators' rights. It is suggested that, while it is very difficult to argue that the copyright system as a whole is supported by the international obligation to protect creators' rights, there are aspects of the current system which would appear to be based on human rights norms. Similarly, there are aspects of copyright law, at international and national levels, which sit uneasily with the obligations assumed by states under Article 27(2) of the UDHR and Article 15(1)(c) of the ICESCR. The chapter concludes by arguing that there is a significant (if unresolved) relationship between authors' rights and creators' rights, but that we currently do not have a mutually-supportive, pluralist copyright acquis in which the international copyright system is underpinned by the human rights of creators. Rather, as a matter of politics and doctrine, the two systems operate in relative isolation from one another. This situation is unlikely to change until, at the very least, the scope and effect of creators' rights are defined in greater detail. The means through which such clarification might be achieved are briefly considered.


Firstly a short review of some frequently used models for fibre structures is given. Then a model, based on a three-dimensional monoclinic paracrystalline macrolattice is described. This model allows the calculation of the two-dimensional intensity distribution for the small-angle scattering from semicrystalline polymers with different orientational states. The parameters of the model result from comparison with the measured intensity. The method of analysis is applied to low-density polyethylene deformed uniaxially at different temperatures. The use of synchrotron radiation makes it possible to follow the destruction and rebuilding of the superstructure. A reversible change of the superstructure during stretching and relaxing was found for different draw ratios for very high-molecular-weight polyethylene samples.


The 2013 curriculum as a complement to the previous curriculum has been running for almost seven years in education in Indonesia. The view of most teacher still does not heed the system according to the assessment in the 2013 Curriculum (K-13) guidebook. Teachers still think that the assessment is only on cognitive assessment, especially in history subjects. This study aims to describe the Implementation of learning Assessment in the 2013 Curriculum for History Subjects in Class XI IPS at SMA Negeri 2 Banjarmasin. This study also use qualitative methods in obtaining information starting from interviews, documentation, and observations collected as a source of research. There are two sources of research used in research, namely primary sources and secondary sources. The result pf this study before conducting classroom assessment, the teacher made a lesson plan (RPP). The implementation of the assessment carried out by the teacher is different from that in the lesson plans and in the implementation in the classroom. When implementing it in the classroom the teacher only uses two attitude assessment and skills assessment. The teacher's obstacle in implementing this assessment it the number of students who are assessed in one class, as well as the view of teacher who still thinks that the assessment is only on results of students, not on the process of how students achieve it.


ABSTRACT Most university students have engaged in some form of academic dishonesty. These actions can have detrimental consequences for the student, the university, and society at large. It is important to understand factors that contribute to academic dishonesty as well as to identify potential predictors of this behavior. This study employed an experimental design with 361 undergraduate students in a laboratory setting. Deception was used during the experiment to determine the impact of peer influence, personality, and an honor code on cheating behavior. Results revealed that peer influence had the largest impact on cheating behavior. In addition, personality, specifically, individuals who scored high on the openness trait were significantly more likely to cheat than those who scored lower on this trait. Implications of these findings for addressing academic dishonesty in higher education are provided.


PURPOSE: A position check system using a tag is provided to enable mobile communication terminal users to grasp their own positions accurately using the tag including positions and ID numbers of the users. CONSTITUTION: A tag(10) transmits a position of a place where the tag is attached and ID information given to each tag as text, bar code or an electrical signal which a terminal(20) recognizes. The terminal recognizes the position and ID information of the tag. An additional information server(30) provides electronic map data and additional information of the place where the tag is attached using a communication network after receiving a request from the terminal user.


In this paper, the market potential for electric vehicles (EVs) in Flanders (Belgium) is forecasted with the use of a choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis. In May 2011, a large-scale survey was conducted (n = 1.197). The goal of the survey was twofold: estimate the market potential for (plug-in hybrid) electric vehicles in Flanders (Belgium) and formulate recommendations for the further deployment of electric vehicles within the region of Flanders. When looking at the forecasts based on the CBC experiment, in 2020, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could reach a market share of around 5% of the newly sold vehicles in Flanders. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) could have a market share of around 7%. In 2030, these figures could increase to respectively 15% and 29%. A sensitivity analysis reveals that, in order to increase the potential for (PH)EVs, the main focus should be on decreasing the purchase costs.


Enterprises' dynamic capabilities are the focus in recent entrepreneurial research.The paper take 270 incubatees' data as example to measure the enterprises' dynamic capabilities on the background of China.Through the exploratory and confirmatory analy- sis,the conclusion will give us some meaningful lessons to SMEs' development .


GRINGO (GPS RINEX Generator) is a program which has been developed at the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) at the University of Nottingham, to record the pseudorange and full carrier phase data from 12-channel Garmin handheld GPS receivers, in standard RINEX (Receiver INdependent EXchange) format. It offers owners of these receivers the possibility of post-processing to an accuracy of approximately 5 m (with pseudoranges) or even a few centimetres (with carrier phase), without having to invest in separate DGPS receiving equipment or expensive survey-grade receivers. They retain the benefits of an inexpensive receiver with a user-friendly interface and powerful navigation features, but gain the possibility of improved accuracy if needed. This accuracy could be of use to all manner of navigation, mapping and GIS applications, where the accuracy achievable with standalone GPS is insufficient. A number of experiments have been carried out to assess the accuracy of positioning with Garmin raw measurement data. For example, a zero baseline test, with two Garmin receivers attached to a single static antenna, has shown that under ideal conditions, sub-centimetre accuracy can be achieved with carrier phase measurements. Recently a new project considered the use of Gringo for the rapid production of a new orienteering map. This paper will present the background to the Gringo software and its operations, and will describe the recent survey and results. INTRODUCTION Handheld GPS receivers are becoming increasingly popular among outdoor enthusiasts and other leisure users. Public awareness of GPS has risen and prices have dropped to the point where these devices are now common in highstreet consumer electronics shops. With a growing market place and increasing turnover, manufacturers have been able to increase the performance and capabilities of handheld GPS devices, and many now sport an impressive array of features, such as the ability to apply received differential corrections in real-time, and built-in and/or uploadable mapping. In May 2000, the US Department of Defense removed their artificial degradation of the GPS signals, known as Selective Availability (SA), and overnight the horizontal accuracy of GPS improved from a specified 100 m (2drms) to somewhere around 10 m – we all had a free upgrade. Nevertheless, there are many applications for which even this accuracy is not sufficient, and the technique of differential positioning, or DGPS, which prospered under SA, can still provide a useful improvement to the stand-alone accuracy. DGPS compensates for common error sources such as atmospheric delays, and can give accuracies of better than 5 m. The use of carrier phase measurements can improve the performance still further, either by smoothing the basic range measurements, or through the use of interferometric processing techniques to yield relative coordinates with an accuracy of a decimetre or better. Until recently, users wishing to make use of these techniques have had a couple of options open to them. Firstly, receivers which accept DGPS corrections as input can use these corrections to compensate for common error sources in real-time, and yield accuracies of the order of 5 m. However, this requires the user to carry additional receiving equipment in order to pick up the DGPS broadcasts, if they are available, and feed them into the GPS receiver. Alternatively, board-level and survey-grade GPS receivers provide access to the raw GPS observables, namely the pseudoranges and the carrier phase measurements. Depending on the type of receiver, these raw measurements can either be recorded in internal memory, or logged to an attached computer, and then postprocessed in conjunction with data from reference receivers. This option, by virtue of the access to the carrier phase observations, provides the highest level of accuracy, typically a few cm, but usually at a cost. Besides being significantly more expensive and bulky than handheld receivers, survey-grade receivers do not usually come equipped with user-friendly navigation firmware or features such as built-in base mapping, while board-level receivers are designed and sold to be used by Original Equipment Manufaturers (OEMs) or as the basis of a custom-built system, in which the user adds keypad, screen and logging interfaces according to particular requirements. WHAT IS GRINGO? GRINGO (GPS RINEX Generator) is a program which has been developed at the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) at the University of Nottingham, to record the pseudorange and carrier phase data from a particular range of handheld GPS receivers, in standard RINEX (Receiver INdependent EXchange) format. It offers owners of Garmin 12-channel receivers the possibility of post-processing to an accuracy of approximately 5 m (with pseudoranges) or 10 cm (with carrier phase), without having to invest in separate DGPS receiving equipment or expensive survey-grade receivers. They retain the benefits of an inexpensive receiver with a user-friendly interface and powerful navigation features, but gain the possibility of improved accuracy if needed. Figure 1 – GRINGO Splash Screen HOW IS IT DONE In addition to industry-standard protocols for DGPS input (RTCM) and coordinate exchange (NMEA), Garmin receivers use a proprietary data format to allow internal waypoints, tracks and other information to be exchanged with a computer or another Garmin receiver. Even before parts of this so-called Garmin Communications Protocol were officially published by Garmin, most of the important parts had been decoded and published on the internet by a small number of interested users of the Garmin receivers. A great deal of software, from free utilities to shareware and fully commercial programs, has been written to make use of the Garmin Communications Protocol. However, there is still quite a lot of information that the Garmin receivers output using this protocol, which is not documented by Garmin. According to Garmin, these 'undocumented protocols' are intended as engineering and manufacturing 'testing aids'. GRINGO's authors have deciphered parts of some of the undocumented protocols, which appear to contain the raw pseudorange and carrier phase measurements necessary for post-processing. GRINGO is a Windows program which decodes the relevant protocols and logs the raw data to a file using the widely accepted RINEX format. Users must connect their Garmin receiver to a serial port on their laptop computer, and run GRINGO in real-time to capture the pseudorange data as the measurements are generated and output (Figure 2). For users who do not have access to a suitable laptop for field use, a companion program has also been developed for the Psion Series 3mx PDA and the Psion Workabout mx. This companion program captures the necessary data from the Garmin receivers, in a format which GRINGO can later decode to produce a RINEX file. Figure 2 Data Logging screen from GRINGO POST-PROCESSING With the appropriate processing software, a RINEX pseudorange data file can be combined with a data file from another ('reference') receiver, to measure the vector between the receivers. If the coordinates of the reference receiver are known to a high accuracy, the coordinates of the Garmin receiver can be determined from pseudorange measurements to an accuracy equivalent to DGPS. With carrier phase measurements, the vector between the reference station and the Garmin receiver can be measured to an accuracy of 10 cm or better. Of course, such accuracies cannot be guaranteed, as many factors can influence the performance of a GPS receiver, and hence the precision of the decoded data. GRINGO comes with a Pseudorange and Phase Post-Processor (P4), which is optimised for the task of handling RINEX files of Garmin pseudorange and carrier phase data. P4 provides all the options necessary to compute stand-alone, DGPS or carrier phase positions. It provides a statistical and graphical analysis of the resulting positions (Figure 3), as well as providing details of the observations used in the computations (Figure 7, Figure 9). Figure 3 Positioning Results from P4 Post-Processor DOES IT WORK? A useful way of assessing the accuracy and precision of a GPS receiver is to carry out a 'zero baseline' test. This involves two receivers connected to a single antenna, independently recording measurements for later analysis. Since they share the same antenna, the derived baseline between the two receivers should be identically zero. The test is useful because a number of phenomena which contribute to errors in the raw measurements, such as atmospheric refraction, satellite ephemeris and multipath, should be common to the two receivers, and should cancel each other in the post-processing. The test therefore highlights the instrumental precision of the raw observables. A zero baseline test has been carried out using two similar Garmin receivers, connected to a single low-cost antenna via an antenna splitter (Figure 4). In this case, the exercise is a good test of GRINGO's decoding abilities, since any errors made by GRINGO on one receiver would not be cancelled by independent errors made on the other receiver. One receiver logged RINEX data directly to a laptop computer, while the other logged the necessary raw data to a Psion PDA (Figure 5), and GRINGO was used to process the raw data into a RINEX file. The exercise was carried out over 10 minutes, with observations recorded at 1-second intervals. Figure 4 Zero Baseline Experiment Figure 5 Logging Data to a Psion PDA Figure 3 illustrates the results achieved if one receiver is treated as a reference receiver and the other as a mobile receiver, ie each epoch of data is processed independently to give the track of the mobile. Since the shared antenna was static, each epoch of data should give the same (zero) result. The figure shows that the individual coordina


Advanced SCOOP aspects play an important role in SCOOP projects. To support a full fledged SCOOP implementation we have to make sure that advanced SCOOP aspects are processed and translated correctly. The translation is done from SCOOP code which is processed and transformed into Eiffel code by running it through the SCOOP compiler. In order for SCOOP to be able and understand those advanced aspects we have to enrich the SCOOP compiler to know how to deal with those aspects while processing the SCOOP code. Modern SCOOP projects can include feature redeclaration involving separate and non-separate types. Cases of feature redeclaration including separate and non-separate types which are allowed under the SCOOP conformance rules fail being processed by the current SCOOP implementation. The solution is to simulate that no redeclaration was done on the feature signature while adapting the internal use of the changed type in the Eiffel code which was processed and translated from the SCOOP code. As well as feature redeclaration, casting is an important advanced aspect of a language. Casts including separate and non-separate types are not fully supported in the current implementation. In order to support them, a conversion mechanism is inserted in the processed Eiffel code to deal with conversions and the translation of object tests, and assignment attempts are re-implemented. Creating objects is a vital functionality in Eiffel as well as in SCOOP where we need to make sure that the creation of objects is processed and translated correctly. Creation instructions and creation expressions, create new objects in the SCOOP environment requiring a processor handling them in order to conform to the SCOOP model. This is not supported in the current SCOOP implementation. A correct translation of creation instruction and creation expressions is implemented involving processors which are assigned to the objects according to their nature. Processors handling agent objects are not correctly assigned in the current SCOOP implementation where agent objects are always handled by the processor of their caller. The translation of the agent definition is implemented in the current SCOOP implementation but was not finished to a compiling state because the compiler makes assumptions on Eiffel base classes that we cannot accommodate at the moment. 1Simple concurrent object oriented programming 2Eiffel Verification Environment with SCOOP integration


This research paper investigates women's political participation and its impact on women's political empowerment in Balochistan, Pakistan. With women constituting half of the population, their role in various domains, including political development, is crucial. The study focuses on women political workers from eight political parties, namely ANP, BNP-Mengal, NP, HDP, PkMAP, PML-N, PPPP, and PTI, operating in Balochistan. A sample of 400 respondents was selected from these parties to gather insights into women's political participation and empowerment in the region. The findings reveal a positive trend of increasing women's political participation and empowerment in Balochistan. Moreover, the study emphasizes encouraging women to contribute and play significant roles in society actively. This research sheds light on women's political involvement in Balochistan and highlights the potential for further progress in empowering women through political engagement.


Internal thermally coupled distillation column(ITCDIC)is a frontier of high-efficient energy-saving distillation technology.A novel APC strategy based on generic model control(GMC)was therefore proposed to overcome the increasing nonlinearity with increasing product purity,which was difficult to deal with by the traditional linear control strategy.The basic algorithm of GMC and the application to ITCDIC were presented.Also the parameter preference method was given.The benzene-toluene system was adopted as the illustration example.The detailed comparative researches were carried out between GMC and traditional PID controller.The control performance of both servo control under step disturbance in feed composition and feed flow rate and fix-value control under step changes in set-point proves the efficiency of this proposed APC strategy for high purity ITCDIC process.


In my article in Canadian Entomologist, 1893, pp. 7–8, as also in my previous note in Science, Vol. XIX., 1882, p. 320, I stateed that Hyalt and Arms were the first to point out that the Diptera were the most highly specialized insects, and consequently to be considered the highest in rank. It should be noted, however, that the same idea was advanced at the same time by the renowned insect anatomist, Mr. B. T. Lowne, well known for his work on the anatomy, etc., of the blow-fly.


Korea is becoming an aged society as well developed country. Accident rates of elderly workers are increased. When elderly workers injured, elderly workers are more likely to die as a result, and they take longer to recover than young workers. Thus the cost to industry per individual accident gets higher for elderly workers. If information on the occupational accidents of elderly workers could be collected and analyzed for the purpose of preventing occupational accidents, we would be able to get rid of accidents of elderly workers. The accidents of elderly workers in small manufacturing factories were considered in this study. 97 accidents, which occurred in 1995-1998, were investigated. These accidents were analyzed in terms of sex, work period, cause of accident and form of accident. The accidents of elderly workers in small manufacturing factories are numerous and are often serious and worthy of greater attention than they have received. Successful strategies for accident prevention depend on effective analysis.


The research on language acquisition has had a great development in the recent years. Among there findings; there are very important studies about social-cultural aspects of the languages. Some authors; like Aston (1995) and Hall (1993); have made a great contribution in that field. Aston considers that "schemes" are part of the knowledge of a given linguistic community. Hall talks about "oral practices "; that integrate generic linguistics and paralinguistics elements shared and practiced by a particular social group. It is necessary for the language teachers to know these theories in orden to apply them on teaching social and cultural aspects of second languages. The students needs to understand the particular characteristics of communication of a given social group; so the can identify the sources they need in order to have a social practice in the group. The Taller de competencia sociocultural that I propose integrates student experience; analysis of situation and a theoretical model based on the studies of Aston and Hall. The activitythat I present is a telephone conversation.


Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) experience age-associated health conditions earlier than
their HIV-uninfected peers and have higher rates of co-occurring conditions that impact aging. Thus, HIV
providers frequently confront issues related to HIV and aging.
Objective: The objective of this project was to understand provider opinions about the care of older PLWH
better.
Design: This was accomplished using a quantitative survey.
Participants: This study involved 681 physicians treating PLWH in North America.
MAIN MEASURES: We collaborated with the Emerging Infections Network (EIN) to administer a ninequestion survey covering practice characteristics, attitudes, and perceived barriers in caring for older PLWH.
Key Results: Two hundred and ninety-four (43.2%) responses were collected. Providers estimate that 35%
(IQR: 25-50) of their HIV-infected patients were >50 years. The majority (72%) agreed it is difficult to care
for older PLWH but had confidence in their ability to do so (85%). Most list a lack of time (55.4%) and
insufficient multidisciplinary support (58.5%) as limitations to the effective management of older PLWH.
Multi-morbidity was overwhelmingly perceived as the most important barrier to healthy aging (62.2%)
followed by tobacco/alcohol use (10%), low income/savings (8.2%), polypharmacy (4.8%) and mental
illness (4.4%). Loneliness, frailty, and cognitive difficulties were judged to be less important. In conclusion,
HIV providers recognized the complexity of caring for older PLWH, and yet were confident they could care
for this population.
Conclusion: Multi-morbidity was identified as a major barrier to healthy aging, while syndromes such as
frailty and cognitive difficulties were deemed less important despite a growing body of evidence that these
geriatric syndromes are common in older PLWH.


Efficient collection of urban solid waste is a growing problem for cities and urban areas. Optimizing service routes based on actual waste bin fill level information can result in significant cost savings, reduced emissions, and improved city image. Fill level sensor installation and networking at an urban scale poses unique challenges. We describe Dynacargo, an innovative smart city application that leverages RFID technology in the waste bins and delay-tolerant networking (DTN) in roaming vehicles acting as mobile sinks. Dynacargo collects and transmits waste bin status information to the backend systems utilizing already existing network infrastructures and single-hop communications thus, reducing associated costs and time for installation, operation, and management of the necessary networks and ICT systems.


While rotating the tire 3 to the tire rotation shaft 1, a certain tire motor 5 to lower the tire rotational speed Nt, a rotational speed measuring means 6 for measuring the tire rotation speed Nt, the running drum 12 about the drum rotation axis 14 a drum motor 11 that rotates at a drum speed Vd, a speedometer 15 for measuring the drum speed Vd, the load applying means 4 for pressing the tire 3 to the running drum 12 with tire load Fz, load cell for measuring the tire load Fz 2, the longitudinal force load cell 2 to measure the longitudinal force Fx acting in the tire 3, drum speed Vd, tire rotational speed Nt, and the longitudinal force Fx, a tire rotational speed Nt of the measurement of the measurement results of tire load Fz is vertically and a recording means for recording associated with a plurality of times in time.


Some differences for different fruit cultivation bag paper on papermaking technology,which were brought by the requirement of fruit quality and condition of production for paper quality,were analyzed in this paper.Mine while,better methods were showed on fibrous materials and its composition of furnish,beating,dye choosing,wet strength agent′s using,sizing agent′s using and so on,in order to decrease the cost on the basis of assuring quality.


Over the last century, patient charts evolved from a simple medical record with nursing and physician notes to a record that includes notes from the many different specialties that make up today's healthcare scene. Unfortunately, most medical records reflect this legacy with a separate section for the notes of different specialties, creating a record that makes it very difficult to attain intelligent care planning. One of the earlier efforts to resolve this problem occurred in the late 1960s when Lawrence Weed developed the problem-oriented medical record (POMR) in which charting revolved around patient problems. Achieving POMR required interdisciplinary charting, a concept that in the past has not been well supported by the healthcare culture. In the late 1980s, as new ways to enhance the process and quality of healthcare were being investigated, interdisciplinary charting started to gain some credence. Early in the 1990s, Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH), a Magnet status 828-bed full-service community hospital in Florida, decided to move towards interdisciplinary charting in preparation for eventually computerizing documentation. The journey from decision to implementation is, however, not an easy one. It involves gaining consensus from real people with real perspectives. The goal was to develop a documentation system that would support the entire interdisciplinary team with the exception of physicians, their cognitive processes, and practice patterns in caring for patients. With the decision made, our first step was a literature review followed by site visits. None of what we found appeared to be an appropriate solution. At that point SMH embarked on a journey to create its own paperbased clinical documentation system which eventually became Charting By Standards (CBS©1994). CBS was designed for time-efficient, point-of-care documentation at the bedside and is registered with the State of Florida as a unique interdisciplinary documentation system.


An epoxy resin, cured with an anhydride, has been modified by the addition of silica nanoparticles. The particles were introduced via a sol-gel technique which gave a very well dispersed phase of nanosilica particles, which were about 20 nm in diameter, in the thermosetting epoxy polymer matrix. The glass transition temperature of the epoxy polymer was unchanged by the addition of the nanoparticles, but both the modulus and toughness were increased. The fracture energy increased from 77 J/m for the unmodified epoxy to 212 J/m for the epoxy polymer containing 20 wt.% of nanosilica. The fracture surfaces were inspected using scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, and these microscopy studies showed that the silica nanoparticles (a) initiated localised plastic shear-yield deformation bands in the epoxy polymer matrix and (b) debonded and allowed subsequent plastic void-growth of the epoxy polymer matrix. A theoretical model for these toughening micromechanisms has been proposed to confirm that these micromechanisms were indeed responsible for the increased toughness that was observed due to the presence of the silica nanoparticles in the epoxy polymer. _________________________________________________________________________


The infrared and visible image fusion only gives the surface information and temperature distribution of the components.In order to detect interior thermal source inside the components,an image fusion strategy between infrared and X-ray image was proposed.Firstly,the color infrared image was transformed into gray-scale image.Then,Laplace pyramid algorithm was employed to fuse the matched infrared and X-ray image.The final colored image including temperature information can be obtained with YIQ space transform by which the color is transferred from the original infrared image to the fused image.Finally,the qualities of the fused images were evaluated by image entropy,standard deviation and average gradient through the experiments of the circuit board and battery charger on working.The experiment results show that the evaluated qualities of the fused images are improved in comparison with the infrared images,especially the average gradient is increased by137.20%.Therefore the fused color image contains both of the interior structures and the temperature distribution of the components.Further,we may find out and analyze the internal heat radiation sources according to the temperature fields.


Perhaps the most widely known episode of a calling is the burning bush experience of Moses, leader of Israel's sojourn to freedom from E gyptian captivity. At present, the phenomenon of being called to a place, vocation, or career has limited social science research. Indeed, prior to the middle of the 21 st century this concept was lacking both theoretically and empirically. Any coverage of th e subject of a calling was primarily found in religious periodicals and similar publicat ons (Newman, 2006). In 2007, Scott attempted to advance the discourse on career dev lopment by examining callings and the corollary meanings which college s tudents ascribed to vocational choices and fields of study. Topics closely akin t o this phenomenon are servant leadership (Geenleaf, 1998; Spears, n.d.) and spiri tual ty in the workplace (Driscoll & Wiebe, 2007). However these modes are not synonymo us with what it means to have a calling. The operational definition which best d escribes calling is that which "...an individual (1) feels drawn to pursue, (2) expects t o be intrinsically enjoyable and meaningful, and (3) sees as a central part of his o r her identity" (Berg, Grant, & Johnson, 2010, p. 973). This study endeavors to dra w more attention to the topic by analyzing the manifestations of calling on people's ives. A qualitative phenomenological inquiry was employed for my resear ch. Dialogic interviews were conducted with 6 contemporary leaders and the exper iences were recorded, reviewed multiple times and subsequently coded for thematic renderings. The findings led to discovery of the process of callings. Calling is e xp rienced in 3 distinct phases: (a) the awareness, (b) the preparation, and (c) the lau nch. Each of the subjects expressed peace and satisfaction after entering the launch pr ocess. There is corroborating research (Tatsuse & Sekine, 2010) which links job s atisfaction to the same intrinsic


The design and implementation of a computer-assisted instrumentation system for a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine test facility as part of modernization and development of the thermal engineering laboratory was carried out at Stevens Institute of Technology. The laboratory is part of a required course in thermal engineering taken by all students in the current mechanical engineering curriculum. It is intended to facilitate the verification of classroom description of the air-standard Otto-cycle in the context of the observed performance of a single cylinder gasoline engine. The current implementation of the system allows for the students to conveniently measure both the indicated and brake horsepower as well as the fuel consumption, air intake rate and engine efficiency on a real-time basis as a function of compression ration, engine speed and load. The collected data is archived stored in the PC for access by students via the campus network. This paper describes the design, development and implementation of the system, the student laboratory experience as well as the authors' methodology for integrating outcomes-based assessment strategies in the lecture and the laboratory segment of this course


Influences of the shelf connected styles(dowels metal-pins;dowels;eccentric connecting fittings;eccentric connecting fittings etc.)on the carrying capacity under short-term load with 300 span were investigated.The results showed that furniture connects with the eccentric connecting fittings that can be vertical adjusted had the maximum carrying capacity and rigidity.It′s the best connected style of shelf in panel furniture.


Abstract The present study deals with the effect of micromagnetorotation (MMR) on a micropolar Poiseuille flow in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. Micromagnetorotation is associated with the impact of magnetization on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) micropolar flows. Previously, magnetization was assumed to be parallel to the applied magnetic field and thus, its influence on the flow was ignored. This assumption is incorrect in the case of micropolar fluids, because their anisotropy affects magnetization. Here, the velocity and microrotation fields, as well as the skin friction coefficient are examined analytically by using a new MHD micropolar fluid theory that includes a constitutive equation for magnetization. Results reveale that MMR has a strong braking effect both on velocity and microrotation. Flow deceleration is found to be up to 16 %, while an increase in the skin friction coefficient is also observed. Moreover, the stability of the MHD micropolar flow is studied by introducing a modified version of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation, which incorporates MMR. The eigenvalue problem is solved with the use of the open-source Chebfun library. It is found that the MMR has a strong stabilizing effect on the MHD micropolar flow. Thus, the MMR is proved to be a mechanism similar to the Lorentz force, which dissipates additional magnetic energy to the flow via microrotation. In summary, the important effect of MMR, neglected by researchers so far, should be considered for industrial and bioengineering applications that involve micropolar fluids and magnetic fields.


When journalists measure their success solely by the size of their readership or audience, by the profits of their companies, or by their incomes, status and visibility, they have carved into the temptation of the false gods, of selling their heritage for a pottage. James Carey


Modern IT systems have increasingly distributed and dynamic architectures providing flexibility to adapt to changes in the environment and thus enabling higher resource efficiency. However, these benefits come at the cost of higher system complexity and dynamics. Thus, engineering systems that manage their end-to-end application performance and resource efficiency in an autonomic manner is a challenge. In this article, we present a holistic model-based approach for self-aware performance and resource management leveraging the Descartes Modeling Language (DML), an architecture-level modeling language for online performance and resource management. We propose a novel online performance prediction process that dynamically tailors the model solving depending on the requirements regarding accuracy and overhead. Using these prediction capabilities, we implement a generic model-based control loop for proactive system adaptation. We evaluate our model-based approach in the context of two representative case studies showing that with the proposed methods, significant resource efficiency gains can be achieved while maintaining performance requirements. These results represent the first end-to-end validation of our approach, demonstrating its potential for self-aware performance and resource management in the context of modern IT systems and infrastructures.


Xinyu City is a hinterland of photovoltaic industry of Jiangxi province which lacks professional talents.The colleges face optimum opportunity for developing local features.In the training pattern of photovoltaic talents,the best way is to cooperate with the enterprises.


Abstract This essay examines the life and leadership of the late congressman John Lewis as it illustrates key dimensions of American history, including slavery, the exploitative sharecropping economy, the protests of the Civil Rights Movement and student activism. This embodiment of the American experience rendered him a unique national leader and conscience of the Congress. Lewis is presented as fulfilling key rhetorical dimensions of the public intellectual as moralist for the nation.


We can curb climate change by improved management decisions for the most important terrestrial carbon pool, soil organic carbon stock (SOC). However, we need to be confident we can obtain the correct representation of the simultanous effect of the input of plant litter, soil temperature and water (which could be altered by climate or management) on the decomposition of soil organic matter. In this research, we used regression and Bayesian statistics for testing process‐based models (Yasso07, Yasso15 and CENTURY) with soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and SOC, measured at four sites in Finland during 2015 and 2016. We extracted climate modifiers for calibration with Rh. The Rh values of Yasso07, Yasso15 and CENTURY models estimated with default parameterization correlated with measured monthly heterotrophic respiration. Despite a significant correlation, models on average underestimated measured soil respiration by 43%. After the Bayesian calibration, the fitted climate modifier of the Yasso07 model outperformed the Yasso15 and CENTURY models. The Yasso07 model had smaller residual mean square errors and temperature and water functions with fewer, thus more efficient, parameters than the other models. After calibration, there was a small overestimate of Rh by the models that used monotonic moisture functions and a small generic underestimate in autumn. The mismatch between measured and modelled Rh indicates that the Yasso and CENTURY models should be improved by adjusting climate modifiers of decomposition or by accounting for missing controls in, for example, microbial growth.


Abstract This learning activity describes changes made to teach Recreation Programming in an online format, specifically the use of weekly student-led discussions on readings and films related to programming. The three components of weekly discussions (weekly summaries, weekly participation, and one-time discussion leader) are explained.


Abstract Background: Health is one of our greatest assets, yet we often neglect our physical health. According to the WHO, the obesity epidemic is of global concern. This article aimed to understand how a physically active lifestyle could lead to higher levels of mental well-being and life satisfaction. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the life satisfaction, mental well-being and body mass index (BMI) of employees at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Methods: A group of 320 SQU employees (176 males and 144 females) with a mean age of 46.14 ± 9.32 years participated in this study. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) were used to measure life satisfaction and mental well-being. Additionally, BMI and exercise behaviour, which was based on weekly participation in a number of intentional sports activities and exercise, were measured. Results: The study revealed that participants who were more physically active, compared to those who were less active, experienced higher levels of mental well-being and were generally more satisfied with their lives. The findings also indicated that participants with a healthy body mass index (BMI = 20–25) enjoyed higher levels of life satisfaction than those classified as overweight or obese (BMI > 25). Finally, the study showed no significant differences between the gender and age groups. Conclusions: This study concluded that a physically active lifestyle can lead to higher levels of mental well-being and can improve life satisfaction. A healthy BMI may play a considerable role in increasing the levels of life satisfaction in adults.


Soil geochemistry may be applied in the science of geoforensics in two ways: to establish the provenance of samples and to inform the question of sample variability. Tellus data can assist in answering on a broad scale the provenance question, 'where may this sample have come from?' Although the Tellus data are too widely spaced for precisely locating the source of a sample, the spatial variation in geochemistry may exclude areas where a sample of unknown origin came from.


Financial globalization has a role in transmitting information within financial markets and helps in financial development. Additionally, financial globalization facilitates risk diversification alleviates the negative consequences of economic recessions, enabling nations to engage in international borrowing and lending activities, thus stabilizing income, consumption, investment and savings levels. This research study analyzes the causal nexus between financial development, financial Globalization and national savings in Pakistan. Co-integration test indicates co-integration vector henceforth, there is relationship between variables in the long run. The causal relation is determined through vector error correction mechanism and it is found that there is long run bidirectional causality between financial development, financial globalization and national savings in Pakistan. This study recommends that monetary authorities in Pakistan to encourage financial inclusion as the ratio of account holders in financial sector is very low. This will encourage documented economy and savings will be channelized to productive sectors. Likewise, financial development up gradation with par with international standards will not only encourage domestic savings but also help in financial globalization.


This volume is divided into the following sections: (1) ICF/IFE experiments and reactors; (2) ion beam fusion/ICF targets; (3) ITER overviews; (4) ITER: research and development; (5) ITER first wall/blanket; (6) Tokamak experiments; (7) JET; and (8) DIII-D. Separate abstracts were prepared for most papers in this volume.


INTRODUCTION "Global competitiveness through outsourcing" sounds like a descriptive term, i.e., providing the business firm with an advantage over its competitors by transferring or subordinating functional activities to adept specialists in other countries (often called offshoring). Though it accurately describes a mushrooming host of international transactions observed in recent years, (1) it also prescribes them with its implicit assumption that competitiveness will be efficient or beneficial for offshoring firms. We do not dispute that assumption herein; however, we do raise a more fundamental question--if outsourcing is intentional organizational design by managers, then exactly who are its intended beneficiaries? In a recent Forum, the editors of the Administrative Science Quarterly (2002) let several authors delve deeply into the issue of who benefits from efficient organizations? As they all noted, the typical answer propagated in business schools and management institutes emanates from the viewpoint of senior managers and their principals, the equity investors. Nevertheless, there is no reason, historical or logical, that this must necessarily be the viewpoint taken (see Srivastava and Teo, 2006, for a non-positivist approach to organizational research). One could argue that the principal-agent view is too myopic and, indeed, in light of the demands of annual financial reporting, too short-term focused. Another perspective with a longer-term purview, and the one chosen by us, asks this question from the vantage point of national economic development. More specifically, we seek an answer to the question of how beneficial is outsourcing to the economic development of the recipient country and to the on-going corporation? In other words, is its effectiveness legitimate beyond the short-term payback earned by the business organization and its dominant managers/owners and out into the long-term future shared by the corporation and other societal members? To shed light on this question for outsourcing/offshoring, the Indian Outsourcing Offices (IOO) sector, which has surged dramatically in the last ten years, is contrasted institutionally with Mexico's maquilas to uncover how offshoring has impacted national economic development. Not only are Mexico's maquilas an excellent example of a forty-year outsourcing endeavor, but they also provide an historical analogy that contrasts intriguingly with India's own past. Though there exist many differences between the two nations, at the mid-point of the last century leaders in both countries launched their nations on trajectories toward autarky or economic independence and away from financial links with developed nations. In Mexico, it was rooted in dependency theory and a reaction against the neo-colonialism of the United States. In India, autarky can be traced back to Congress' svadeshi (see Sen, 2005, for this historical link) and the reaction against British colonialism. Fifty years ago, in both countries, the current widespread practice of subordinating domestic business entities to large foreign firms with outsourcing contracts would have been viewed as too heretical, i.e. illegitimate. Nevertheless, that is exactly what has transpired, and because it occurred much sooner in Mexico, temporal logic dictates that our analysis start there. In the next section, we offer an integrative institutional framework for understanding the benefits and legitimacy of offshoring at both the sectoral and national levels. We then summarize the Mexican historical context and discuss the Mexican Maquiladora Plants/Program (MMP). The structured activities of the MMP are coherently situated within the framework derived from institutional theory, and several statistical analyses are offered to reveal the Program's weak contribution toward Mexico's continuing development. In addition, we discuss its very recent legal demise. In light of this, we next review the Indian historical context and examine, given the available data, the IOO sector's legitimacy as it is currently emerging. …


The current article analyzes the variability of length of /i/ and /u/ in stressed word endings characteristic to Lithuanian residents of Vilnius. Some Vilnius residents of Lithuanian origin pronounce these vowels as long or semi-long, though in written language they are written as short vowels.
In the Lithuanian standardization ideology, such variability is characterized negatively and is referred to as the lengthening of the word ending. It is socially stigmatized, associated with the speech of uneducated Vilnius residents, speakers that belong to the working class, have a lower social status, or are affected by a Slavic language.
The main goal of this survey was to identify the length of the stressed /i/ and /u/ in word endings and to determine with which social categories their longer variants correlate in Vilnius speech.  A computerized sound analysis programme was applied to study 800 variants of /i/ and /u/ vowels, which were selected from interviews with 40 Vilnius city dwellers of different age, gender, professional activity, and social status.
The analysis has revealed that in the Lithuanian speaking community of Vilnius the length of stressed vowels in word endings functions as a marker of speaker's age, professional activity, and educational background. A statistically significant higher average length of /i/ and /u/ is typical of those Vilnius residents who are older, educated, and work in traditional industries or manufacturing, but not for service providers.


Vital signs monitoring is pivotal in clinical environments and emerging in home-based healthcare applications. Different kind of sensors can be used to monitor the breathing pattern and the respiratory rate. However, respiration rate remains the least measured vital sign in several scenarios, due to the intrusiveness of the sensors usually adopted. In this paper, we propose a measuring system for the low-cost and contactless analysis of respiration. The system analyses a video recorded by commercial RGB camera and extracts respiratory pattern from the changes in the intensity of the light reflected back at the level of the upper chest. Then it allows estimating breath-by-breath respiratory rate from such pattern. The proposed system was tested on six healthy volunteers seated in front of the camera, with both slim-fit and loose-fit clothes. Results show promising performances for the non-intrusive monitoring of both breathing pattern and breath-by-breath respiratory rate over time. Future developments will be devoted to investigating the feasibility of the proposed measurement system for long-term observation of respiratory parameters, for subject monitoring at home or during clinical examinations (i.e., MR imaging).