A highly accurate and efe cient method for modeling three-dimensional reacting e ows with detailed chemistry is described in this paper. A mass-e ux-based governing system is developed for general curvilinear coordinates to obtain compactness of the discretization stencil. The momentum equations are represented by a set of equations of mass e uxes across cell interfaces, which are discretized by using staggered grid techniques. A third-order monotone upwind-biased scheme is used for all of the convection terms in the e ow equations and species equations to minimize numerical diffusion and capture the sharp gradients existing in e ames. The governing equations are divided into a chemical reaction part and a e uid e ow part, and they are solved in a semicoupled way. An implicit semicoarsening multigrid method combined with a line-distributive relaxation is used as the e ow solver. The species equations are discretized by an implicit method and solved in a fully coupled way. Computational results for a cone ned coe owing diffusion e ame show good agreement with experimental data. A detailed three-dimensional calculation of combustion in a gas-turbine combustor with strong swirling ine ows is also presented. YPICAL combustion problems involve e ow variables, temperature, and a large number of chemical species, and require the solution of the coupled equations of mass, momentum, species balance, and energy with detailed thermodynamic and transport relations and e nite rate chemistry. Because of the strong interaction between e uid e ow and chemical reaction, and severe stiffness and nonlinearity of chemical reaction terms, the governing equations are extremely dife cult to solve. Furthermore, the large number of chemical species that must be solved at each grid point for detailed chemistry makes the computational cost extremely high. In the past, numerical studies have followed two paths: 1 ) simple e ow with detailed chemistry


The project goal is to realize a pragmatic and analytical study on the new economic governance regarding the adoption of the single currency by the new member states of the European Union, while identifying the trends of major interest for Romania within the new post-crisis context. On these lines, the project proposes a dynamic analysis focusing on the trends reflected by the previous studies and correlated with the current developments. The purpose of the project is to accomplish an economic analysis and assessment of the performance and measures taken by the new and older member states of the European Union, in close correlation with EU initiatives to reinterpret the concept of optimal currency area and to study the sustainability of the euro, which is essential within the new circumstances resulting from the evolution of the global economy.


This paper describes the findings of exploratory research carried out in late 2007 into communication strategies implemented by agencies and individuals involved in assisting recovery of survivors of the World Trade Center attacks in New York in September 2001, and the London bombings of July 2005. Asking the question, "How has communication been used to assist the recovery of affected communities of New York and London?", the research reveals the complexity, common characteristics, and unique features of recovery communication. This paper discusses some of the different communication approaches adopted by government agencies following these events. It explores differences and similarities, drawing on the research findings to suggest best practice in post-disaster communication and to recommend further research avenues. Introduction For an array of reasons, both intrinsic and extrinsic to people affected by disaster, communication with this audience is difficult for public affairs officers and others charged with the task (Gordon, 2004). Despite initially being similarly affected by a disaster, differences between disaster survivors relating to social, linguistic, ethnic and cultural characteristics (to name a few) render effective communication difficult and a single message strategy almost impossible. As well, public affairs officers working for government agencies have a number of stakeholders whose needs they are obliged to meet. These include political office-holders with vested interests in the formulation of messages addressed to their electorates, but not necessarily any expertise in communication campaigns, so that the communication needs of the target audience – that is, the disaster-affected population – may be set aside in the face of political pressures. Moreover, most politicians and the majority of public affairs officers lack expertise or understanding of the peculiar and contradictory needs of disaster-affected communities, both in the short and longer term (Gordon 2004). This paper will present findings from recent exploratory research specifically investigating communication practices, materials and policies that were developed following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, and the London bombings of 7 July 2005. Based on the question, "How has communication been used to assist the recovery of affected communities of New York and London?", the research used observation, data collection and informal interviews with communication practitioners as its methodology. The paper will begin by describing in detail some of the strategies adopted by agencies and individuals involved in recovery communication, first, following the 2001 attacks on New York's World Trade Center, and second, following the 7 July London bombings. It will then attempt to assess these strategies in terms of recovery communication and suggest avenues for further research. Communicating for recovery It is said that recovery has a long tail (see Harckham & Chanes, 2000). This tail is capable of lashing out, scorpion-like, against those who are seen by survivors as being responsible, if not for the disaster itself, then for ongoing assistance with their attempts to achieve a The Statue of Liberty. Ph ot o: S . N ic ho lls Communication with disaster survivors: towards best practice Nicholls and Healy examine the World Trade Center and London bombing events to determine best practice in post-disaster communication.


Martin Heidegger (b. 1889–d. 1976) is a central figure in 20th-century philosophy. Especially in his early works, most notably Being and Time (1927), Heidegger critically continues the tradition of phenomenology inaugurated by Edmund Husserl (b. 1859–d. 1938). Heidegger's philosophy has been a major influence on a number of important philosophers in their own right, including Hans-Georg Gadamer (b. 1900–d. 2002), Maurice Merleau-Ponty (b. 1908–d. 1961), Hannah Arendt (b. 1906–d. 1975), Paul Ricoeur (b. 1913–d. 2005), Michel Foucault (b. 1926–d. 1984), Jacques Derrida (b. 1930–d. 2004), and Richard Rorty (b. 1931–d. 2007). His work has also impacted other disciplines, such as theology, literary and cultural studies, art theory, and the theory of architecture. Heidegger is primarily known for his work in metaphysics and existential philosophy, but he has also made much-discussed contributions to a wide range of philosophical topics, including the study of numerous authors from the history of philosophy. The German edition of his collected works (Gesamtausgabe, or GA) includes published writings, lecture courses, seminars, and manuscripts. Once completed, it will include 102 volumes. To manage this rich material, Heidegger's philosophy is often divided into different periods. Although how to demarcate these periods is itself a matter of scholarly debate, Oxford Bibliographies divides his work into an early, middle, and later period. This entry treats the middle period of his thought (roughly 1933–1945). It coincides with the rise to power of the German National Socialist Party, in which Heidegger was involved as rector of the University of Freiburg, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. Although Heidegger rarely addresses these events directly, this period in particular should not be considered without taking into account these events and the dominant ideologies of the time. Heidegger's major concerns during this period are with the experience of art, the philosophy of history, and the history of Western philosophy in particular. Heidegger gives a few important lectures and lecture series during this time that were later edited. These should be the starting point for any reading. The major body of his writing during this period, however, consists of manuscripts, notes, and course materials, which are more difficult to assess. In using this bibliography, be sure to also check the entries on the early and later period of Heidegger's works. Although the focus of Heidegger's philosophical concern shifts, many themes continue to be relevant throughout his works. Often, scholars writing on Heidegger take into account his development as whole, and relevant literature may be treated in another entry. This bibliography aims to be inclusive with regard to schools of thought and interpretations of Heidegger. It is not exhaustive but rather an attempt to identify useful starting points for individual study within the more recent literature on Heidegger.


The industrial revolution, which transformed 19th-century labour, brought about fundamental changes in the lives of working-class families. In this sequel to "A Millenium of Family Change", Wally Seccombe examines in detail the ways in which large-scale economic changes shape the microcosm of personal life. Seccombe argues that what we think of as the modern nuclear family only took shape relatively recently; it was not until the time of World War I that the male breadwinner became the norm. He traces the effects on the family of increasingly centralized manufacture, the separation of the workplace from the home neighbourhood and the rise of birth control brought about by urban housing. He also documents how the introduction of compulsory schooling and the rise of birth control contributed to changes in the dynamics of the working-class family, as children were differentiated from adults, and conjugal rights and duties renegotiated. This contribution to the study of family history should find an audience in history, sociology, politics and women's studies departments.


Considering the deployment characteristics of the folding wing, this paper proposed three deployment modes, synchronous deployment, fixed-axis–non-fixed-axis stepwise deployment, and non-fixed-axis–fixed-axis stepwise deployment, to obtain the optimal deployment scheme of the orthogonal biaxial folding wing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at different airspeeds. On this basis, combined with the folding wing deployment action, the Lagrange method was used to establish the aerodynamic model of the folding wing, and the Fluent simulation software was used to simulate the aerodynamic simulation of multiple deployment modes of the orthogonal biaxial folding wing, which analyze the influence of the UAV deployment mode and airspeed towards the driving torque of the folding wing. Based on the driving moment of the folding wing, the optimal deployment mode at different airspeeds was obtained. The comparison of simulation results shows that when the airspeed is less than 40 m/s, the optimal deployment mode is synchronous deployment. When the airspeed is greater than or equal to 40 m/s, the optimal deployment mode is non-fixed-axis–fixed-axis stepwise deployment. The accuracy of the folding wing aerodynamics model can be proven according to the comparison of the simulation results with the theoretical results.


Massera-type criteria are derived for the existence of periodic wave solutions of quasi-linear partial differential equations of first order. Results generalize a theorem of Massera for first order scalar ordinary differential equations.


Energy and environmental problems have become two major problems in the world. Compared with the energy consumption level of the whole country, the energy consumption of Yunnan 100 million yuan is significantly higher. As the industrialization of Yunnan province to the middle and later on, the energy supply and demand contradictory intensifies, leading to the province's economic and social development of resource constraints and environmental pressures, constitutes a threat to the sustainable development. Therefore, face and solve many problems of the energy in Yunnan, in Yunnan province energy system and thorough research on the sustainable consumption issue is both the needs of the development of theory, but also solve the practical problems are urgently needed. This topic research based on the needs of economic sustainable development, on the basis of analyzing energy consumption situation of Yunnan province, puts forward the sustainable consumption energy resources and environment in Yunnan province under the restriction of the implementation of the path, in order to energy consumption policy adjustment and to provide a theoretical basis. Keywords—resource environment constraint; energy sustainable consumption; realize the path


Results of electron-attachment reactions in the gas phase as well as negative-ion mass spectra are given for a series of bis(1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dionato)metal(1) complexes, (ML2), with the divalent metals MgII, MnII, Co11, Nil1, Cu11 and ZnII. While molecular, [ML2]- or [ML2]-, and ligand, [L]-, ions are present in the negative-ion mass spectra, the lability of the ligand C-F and C-CF3 bonds enables rearrangement processes involving fluorine atom transfers to become significant in the decompositions of both molecular and fragment ions, particularly for the class (a) metals, for which significant yields of [MLF2] and [MLF] negative ions were obtained. Thus, the predominant fragmentation pathway for such metal-containing complexes, for which metastable peaks have been assigned, occurs in the sequence [ML2]- -(*) → (MLF2]- - (8) → [L]- or alternatively [ML2]- -(*) → (MLF2]- - (8) → [L]- with the latter fragmentation in these sequences involving the elimination of the divalent metal fluoride, MF2.


We discuss a new low loss semiconductor structure for femtosecond intracavity mode-locking in low-gain solid state lasers. This monolithic device can be engineered to exhibit specific saturation characteristics desirable for modelocking solid state lasers. Self-starting 100 fs pulses are obtained in a diode-pumped Cr:LiSAF laser. We discuss modelocking mechanisms in quantum well passively modelocked solid state lasers, and extensions to other wavelengths.


In this paper the characteristics of acoustic field for miniature cylindrical focused transducer with a hole was studied in order to instruct the optimization design of the transducer for both realizing visualization and improving the treatment effect. Then the acoustic field was simulated numerically with different parameters of hole. It is found that position of focus is almost unchanged but acoustic pressure amplitude declines. In addition the performance of transverse focusing for the focal plane and levels length of acoustic pressure are lowered. Moreover, if size of transducer and rigidity of material permit, the area and ratio of width to height for the hole should be reduced appropriately to improve the focusing properties. And it is deduced that area and ratio of width to height for the cylinder can be increased to achieve the same therapeutic effect with a fixed hole size.


The ability to read is taken for granted by those of higher socioeconomic status in the developed world. However, many people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the developed world – and even more in the developing world – are unable to read or write well enough to thrive in today's technologically advanced global society; many cannot read at all. The International Adult Literacy Survey reports that "... while countries differ in the literacy attainment of their adult populations, none does so well that it can be said that it has no literacy problem" (Human Resources Development Canada, 1994ff). UNESCO (1999) reported 876 million illiterate people in the world as of 2000, with especially high rates of illiteracy in (for example) subSaharan Africa (39.7%) and southern Asia (45.8%). In this paper, we explore how computer technology can meet the economic and social challenges of literacy learning in the developing world – not only learning in widely spoken languages such as Arabic, (Mandarin) Chinese, English, and Swahili, but also in a child's own native language – every language in the world. Technological affordances


There seems little doubt among not only the scholars who have contributed to this volume but among academicians and practitioners in general, that the nature of security threats in the twentyfirst century has undergone – and continues to undergo – a change. We are no longer in the era of a world clearly defined on the basis of polarity; a world in which states could be considered both the primary source of insecurity as well as necessarily the primary means of response to security threats. Instead, we are faced with insecurity threats from a far broader range of actors, and along a much wider range of issues than interstate conflict. Whether we are talking about the very serious potential global threats from environmental degradation, the spread of lethal viruses, or terrorism beyond national borders, it is quite easy to come to agreement on the idea that security threats in the twentyfirst century are complex and, if not entirely new in nature, at least new in their global reach and severity. What remains a far more contentious issue is the question of the appropriate response to these new security threats: who or what is best poised to counter them? Using what means? Are new actors emerging to respond to these threats or are traditional actors in the best position to adapt their means and step up to the plate? These questions were the launching points for this volume and for the workshop that brought it about. Both in the workshop discussions and in the preceding chapters, scholars and practitioners have presented their ideas. In order to keep the discussions and chapters cohesive, they have all focused on one particular "new" threat, that of transnational terrorism, and, more pointedly, a specific dimension of the transnational response to it – intelligence cooperation. They have each made comments and arguments specific to a particular focus or case, but various common themes can also be found running throughout the different pieces.


Domain generalization (DG) demonstrates superior generalization ability in cross-center medical image segmentation. Despite its great success, existing fully supervised DG methods require collecting a large quantity of pixel-level annotations which is quite expensive and time-consuming. To address this challenge, several semi-supervised domain generalized (SSDG) methods have been proposed by simply coupling semi-supervised learning (SSL) with DG tasks, which give rise to two main concerns: (1) Intra-domain dubious semantic information: the quality of pseudo labels in each source domain suffers from the limited amount of labeled data and cross-domain discrepancy. (2) Inter-domain intangible style relationship: current models fail in integrating domain-level information and overlook the relationships among different domains, which degrades the generalization ability of model. In light of these two issues, we propose a novel SSDG framework, namely IS2Net, by arranging an inter-domain generalization branch and several intra-domain SSL branches in a parallel manner, powered by two appealing designs that build a positive interaction between them: (1) A style and semantic memory mechanism is designed to provide both high-quality class-wise representations for intra-domain semantic enhancement and stable domain-specific knowledge for inter-domain style relationship construction. (2) Confident pseudo labeling strategy aims at generating more reliable supervision for intra and inter domain branches, and thus facilitating the learning process of the whole framework. Extensive experiments show that IS2Net yields consistent improvements over the state-of- the-art methods in three public benchmarks.


The fruits at different developmental stages of Calanthe tsoongiana were sectioned and observed through conventional paraffin section,semithin section and scanning electron microscope.The results showed that:(1)The ovule primordia began to differentiate from placenta 19 days after pollination.The ovule primordia was a layer of epidermal cells encircled a list of cells.The top cell differentiated into archesporial cell.Then archesporial cell differentiated directly into megaspore mother cell,45 days after pollination.(2)The mature ovule was anatropous,bi-integument and tenuinucellar.Development of embryo sac was polygonum type.Ovule development was not synchronized even in the same fruit.(3)The first zygote division was unequal,producing a basal cell and a terminal cell.The basal cell gave rise to the suspensor and it did not participate in the formation of embryo proper.The suspensor degenerated at the late stage of the embryo development.Terminal cell gave rise to embryo proper.Development of embryo was Caryophyllad type.(4)The shape of mature seed liked spindle.It consisted of globular embryo,endopleura and episperm.Endopleura and episperm developed from inner tegument and outer integument respectively.


Improving representation and success among equity groups is an important task, and one that deserves to be informed by evidence. This paper looks at the evidence on what impacts positively on educational success rates for Indigenous students. It is seen that aspirations and expectations have a major impact, as do the types of learning modalities and personal relationships. Recommendations for improvement are made based on this evidence. The paper also discusses the QUT experience in improving Indigenous student outcomes.


Over-segmentation has often been employed to simplify representation of images and speed the process of image analysis, where each over-segment is also called a superpixel. However, the superpixels generated by the existing algorithms rely heavily on some preset parameters, for example, number of superpixels. In this paper, we present a novel superpixel algorithm under the framework of nonparametric Bayesian image clustering, which is called Nonparametric Bayesian Iterative Clustering (NBIC). Unlike traditional approaches for image clustering, Bayesian nonparametric models provide a principled way to infer the number of clusters from observed data. Therefore, unlike traditional approach to image over-segmentation, the NBIC is free of preset number of superpixels. The NBIC to superpixel segmentation is based on histogram clustering, and local histograms are extracted as observation. For each observation, compute the probability of each class and sample a class label accordingly. The cluster probabilities depend on the number of classes in the pixel neighborhood and the distance of cluster center. This method groups pixels into meaningful regions without setting any parameters related to superpixels in the nonparametric Bayesian theory. The adaptive amount of superpixels can eventually be converged, and the size of superpixels can automatically be controlled by iterative calculation


The Civil Service in every state is responsible for execution of essential state policies and action plans, and is thus the backbone of its government. It is the executive arm of the government. Meritocratic recruitment practices are correlated with the effectiveness of the Civil Service. As a result, quotas in the recruitment process in the Civil Service have become a matter of question. The present article deals with the quota policy in Bangladesh for direct recruitment to the civil service, especially the cadre services called the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). It also deals with how far this policy is consistent with the principle of equality in job opportunity and efficiency. This article finds that a sound recruitment policy for civil service does not exist in Bangladesh. A sound recruitment policy would place emphasis on merit rather than any other considerations. However, in recruitment to the civil service of Bangladesh, merit is not given due importance. A majority of civil service posts are reserved for preferred groups through quotas. The article makes recommendations to abolish this situation in order to create equality in job opportunities with efficiency for better governance in the country.


In this study, a new method is proposed for recognizing actions from still images with general content. High increase in the number of action images in recent years bring about the need for indexing and large-scale visual search for these images. Although some previous researches mainly worked on body pose estimation, it is still challenging to estimate body pose from daily activity images like interacting with computer, photographing and walking, as viewpoint variability and human pose occlusion occurs a lot in them. Following the idea of the correlation between human action, objects likely to occur in the action image, human factor and scene type, Spatial Pyramid representation is used. Besides local matching performed by Scale Invariant Feature Transform, the performance of a global representation which extracts spectral features of the image, namely Gist descriptors are also investigated. Considering image representation, a binary classifier, Support Vector Machines is trained using 1-vs-all method for multiclass classification and test results are shown.


As the Nigeria economy develops, corporate organizations become increasingly popular and the number of shareholders also increase in leaps and bounds. The separation of ownership and management has led to a need for authoritative and reliable standards of financial reportingand therefore professionalization of the accounting function and subsequently, the accountancy profession. Therefore, determining the accountancy functions and the role the profession plays in Nigeria's economy becomes inevitable. The paper evaluates the role the accountancy profession plays in fostering the ideals of NEEDS, NEPAD and AGOA in Nigeria. The paper brings together existing knowledge regarding the accountancy profession and its skills while stating them in practical terms. It reveals that lack of the involvement of the Accountancy profession in the business community and government is a major cause that hinders growth and development. The paper recommends among other things the role of the accountancy profession plays in the implementation and realization of the ideals of Nigerian government's NEEDS and similar initiatives (NEPAD AND AGOA).


This study aims to assess the factors  that lead to customer delight in specialty restaurants in Pune city (India). The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that could create the  customer delight for customer in specialty restaurant. These identified factors would help  specialty restaurants to analyze the   most important factors of a product or service by a customer which leads to customer delight. In this highly competitive restaurant business environment the specialty restaurants can identify their position with regards to competitors and identify new growth opportunities. A sample of specialized restaurants in Pune city(India) is surveyed using a structured questionnaire.  The outcome of the study  illustrate that to delight customers few factors play an significant role. The  study  discovered that Word of Mouth assumes the most imperative job in conveying customers to a specialty restaurant. Future research suggestions and strategies are recommended.


This article looks at the press coverage of Ukrainianization, the Soviet terror, and the famine (Holodomor), particularly in the years 1932–33, focusing on the largest Ukrainian daily outside Soviet Ukraine, the Lviv Dilo. It compares this coverage to the reporting in the press of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). It argues that these two years were a turning point in political attitudes. Galician Ukrainians turned away from the Communist Party of Ukraine and support for the OUN began to grow. Ironically, the OUN had not led protests against the famine, but benefited from the lack of a strong response from European governments and international bodies. The article draws on a reading of the Ukrainian press of the 1930s, and on recent research by Polish and Ukrainian scholars.


Green algae are diverse and ubiquitous in aquatic and some terrestrial habitats. They play a vital role in the global ecosystems for hundreds of millions of years. Differences between trees in bark topography can cause different epiphytic variation in community composition. The objectives of this research was to assess the response of number of algal cells towards bark roughness inhabiting 15 standing trees from field collections in the Central Region of Peninsular Malaysia, Putrajaya. Several methods were involved including field sampling, algal quantification, algal identification and physical assessment of the bark roughness. The study showed that trees with rough bark sustained higher density of microalgae (1140 ± 405 cells/ml) compared to the smooth ones (1069 ± 434 cells/ml). The slight differences could be due to other physical parameters such as the degree of slope or inclination of the tree. As a conclusion, this study showed that trees with rough bark surfaces efficiently accumulates the atmospheric pollutants through its fissure and delayed water movement thus sustained more algal cells compared to trees with smooth bark.


Aims. I present the analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the classical TTauri star TW Hydrae, and determine emission measure distributions, elemental abundances, electron temperatures, densities, and line fluxes. Methods. TW Hya was observed in the wavelength range 5–175 A by CHANDRA-LETGS . I performed a multi-temperature fit, based on a collisional ionisation equilibrium (CIE) model for optically thin plasmas. I measured line fluxes by fitting a Gaussian line profile, folded through the response matrix, to the observed line features and I applied these values to establish plasma properties. Results. No line features were established in the spectrum above 40 A. Due to the absence of line features above 40 A  N H is calculated to be somewhat higher than assumed so far. The observed "coronal" temperature covers a range from about 1.5 to 20 MK. The abundance pattern shows a very strong enhancement of Ne and some enhancement of N. From forbidden-intercombination line ratios of $\ion{O}{\sc vii}$ and of $\ion{Ne}{\sc ix}$ I obtain a value for the electron density of $n_{\rm e}\simeq 10^{12}~{\rm cm}^{-3}$. This is higher than the value for electron densities in coronal plasmas of older late type main-sequence stars. A blackbody component was added to describe the shape of the continuum around 15 A better. The emitted X-ray luminosity is in the order of 10 30 erg/s.


7. 23 IUBMB Congress and 44 Annual Meeting of the SBBq: Biochemistry for a Better World August 24–28 2015, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil http://www.sbbq.org.br/iubmb2015/ Web-based Sources to Check for Interesting Meetings International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) http://www.iubmb.org/index.php?id5180 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) http://www.asbmb.org/Calendar.aspx The American Chemical Society (ACS) http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings.html Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) http://www.febs.org/ The Biochemical Society http://www.biochemistry.org/Events.aspx Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology (FASEB) http://faseb.org/Science-Research-Conferences/ Calendar.aspx Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) http://www.asbmb.org.au/faobmb/conferences.html Gordon Research Conferences http://www.grc.org The Gordon Research Conferences provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences and their related technologies. POGIL Workshops http://www.pogil.org/events/ The POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) Project is an NSF-funded project that focuses on the national dissemination of POGIL methods and materials. Meetings Calendar


The container throughput at Hamburg during 1978 rose by 129,133TEU to reach a total of 600,084TEU, thereby overtaking Bremen/Bremerhaven in the world port league and attaining eighth place. The greatest contribution to these figures came from Hamburg's two major container terminals, HHLA and Eurokai. Both terminals, though vastly different in size and operational approach, have achieved a high degree of efficiency through their distinctive operating philosophies and the use of computers. The article examines the handling procedures and developments at the two terminals.


AbstractPhotoluminescence (PL) has been used to study GaN layers, which were grown by the sublimation sandwich technique on 6H-SiC substrates. The promising quality of the samples, which have a lattice mismatch of 3·5%, is demonstrated by the high intensity and the small half width (2 meV) of the donor bound exciton which is comparable to that for metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy grown layers. Fourier transform infrared photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to search for 3d elements (deep defects) which are incorporated as natural contaminants during the epitaxial growth. An emission with a no phonon line at 1·3 eV was observed, which is proposed in the literature to be caused by an internal 3d transition of Fe3+, and also two additional strong emissions with sharp no phonon lines at 1·19 and 1·04 eV. The PL measurements show that the emission at 1·19 eV is due to an internal 3d transition of a d2 system. The no phonon line at 1·04 eV belongs to an internal 3d transition of a d1, d2, or d7 system, poss...


Based on principle of multi-functional,miniaturization and low cost,we designed a kind of UAV TTC system adaptive for autonomous operation and multi-aircraft cooperative combat.The system is based on Time Division Duplex(TDD)and Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA),and selects the data radio as the hardware platform.Moreover,the system uses the CF card as the storage medium and integrates telemetry data recording and playback functions.It can realize semi-real-time and non-real-time measurement and control function when communication link breaks.


Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) represents a convenient, minimally invasive, and cost-effective approach for the treatment of small liver cancers measuring less than 3 cm in diameter. Nonetheless, the existing RFA techniques encounter challenges in precisely controlling the extent of ablation and the risk of overheating, which can lead to damage on the surrounding tissues. The ability to control the ablation area also plays a crucial role in the success of RFA procedures. To address these issues, we introduce a novel method that utilizes tumor boundary temperature monitoring to achieve precise control over the RFA process. Through the utilization of COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, the proposed method was verified by comprehensive simulation and modeling and its efficacy in achieving regional control was testified. Subsequently, ex vivo experiments were conducted employing a custom-designed cooling RFA instrument. The experimental results demonstrated that the RFA controlled by boundary temperature yielded an ablation area with a diameter approaching 30 mm. In comparison to the standard spherical solidification zone (characterized by both the ellipticity and regularity indices of 1), the cooling RFA discoloration zone, under boundary temperature control, exhibited a maximum deviation of 7% in the ellipticity index and 17% in the regularity index. The average ellipticity index was determined to be 0.96, while the average regularity index was 0.86. Collectively, these findings underscore the capability of the proposed temperature-controlled cooling RFA method to attain precise control over the ablation area, contributing to comprehensive ablation of tumor tissue within the target region.


This book explores the inherent difficulties and moments of enlightenment involved in cross-cultural teacher education programmes, specifically here between a UK Department for International Development (DFID) Teacher Education English Language Teaching (ELT) Programme with China aimed at introducing the communicative language technique (CLT) at tertiary level. The theme of the book focuses on knowledge transfer and the training and development of teachers with the key argument being one of the centrality of context for learning, sometimes ignored to the personal detriment of both the British teacher educators and the experienced Chinese teachers they were working with. Teachers here are seen as the key drivers for change in a globalised world which, as Gu points out, is reshaping the local. She argues for the need for a 'globally aware but locally relevant education policy' (p. 7) and the importance of discussion in such a project in a move towards intercultural understanding. The book is structured along the lines of a PhD thesis, with the context and methodology mostly well explained, and chapters exploring the concept of teacher identity, gaps in perception around pedagogies, the nature of teacher knowledge, and most interestingly, cultural misconceptions and stereotypes about learning and the impact of the whole of the DFID programme on the British 'experts'. Chapters end in useful summaries and pithy new points. Gu finishes with a model of an in-service training course based on her findings. The research is expansive, including semi-structured interviews with some 38 British and Chinese respondents in the DFID programme and 33 participants and non-participants at other universities as well as some 24 universities contacted through questionnaire for comparison. This gives rigour to her findings, as does her own researcher position which crosses both cultures, constantly exposing 'the otherness' of each group. One point of criticism here is that we do not know in which language the interviews with the Chinese participants are conducted and therefore whether their words are in translation. There is, however, an authenticity and depth to, for example, Gu's discussions over contrasting concepts of what it means to be a teacher and what is gained by going on in-service training programmes; for Chinese teachers of English, this is to gain deeper knowledge of English language and grammar rather than fluency and thus enhanced social status and promotion in recognition of their subject mastery, whereas in the UK learning about new pedagogies leads to greater self-respect and knowledge. Altering the shared, often routine social interactions that constitute teaching was experienced as a threat by the Chinese teachers when context was poorly understood by one group of British teacher educators and the importance of theory in Chinese practice. They failed to provide their Chinese colleagues with theory covering, for example, applied Compare Vol. 39, No. 1, January 2008, 120–122


Current deployments of FTTH in Malaysia become an issue due to the installation of fiber under or inside the home. It becomes a major concern for the consumer because to subscribe the broadband from TM, their house needs to be drilled in order to install equipments and inserts fiber into the home. Sometimes massive hacking of concrete walls or floor tiling may cause permanent damages to their home premises. The objective of the research is to find other alternatives of deploying FTTH in Malaysia. In order to maintain reliable and consistency of high data rates and large bandwidth of FTTH, RoF technology and Photonic Access Point technology is the excellent approach to be applied. With combination of Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is considered as the best solution to provide high data rates under frequency-selective fading channel. Hypothetical –Deductive method will be used as development methodology for this project. In order to complete development of this project, this method was chosen because it serves as the typical method in other successful researches conducted. The idea has been realized by designing and simulating the multichannel OFDM-RoF for wireless access network using OptiSystem software. The system is based on photonic access point technology and utilizing of MIMO antenna. The completed system is designed to accommodate Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) 802.11n standard which is using data rate 130Mbps over carrier frequency 2.4GHz. Several analysis tools from Optisystem software has been used to analyzed the system's performances. The simulation results such as eye diagram and graphs have been discussed to determine the system performance.


During NREM sleep, as known as slow-wave sleep (SWS), an EEG mostly displays high-amplitude low-frequency fluctuations, which are generated by synchronized slow oscillations of the cortical neuron membrane potential. During waking, an EEG exhibits low-amplitude high-frequency fluctuations, which are generated by the irregular firings of cortical neurons. These two states are mutually exclusive in a normal brain, and their ratio is homeostatically regulated. However, it is still challenging to bridge the gap between electrophysiological dynamics (i.e. SWS firing pattern) and the homeostatic dynamics (i.e. sleep duration). A simple computational model predicted that the Ca2+-dependent hyperpolarization pathway may play a role in generating the SWS firing pattern. From this prediction, we hypothesized that Ca2+-dependent hyperpolarization pathway also plays a role in the regulation of sleep duration. To validate the hypothesis, we comprehensively generated the KO mice by the Triple-CRISPR methods, which allow us to obtain biallelic-KO mice in one-generation, and analyzed these sleep phenotypes by the respiration-based non-invasive sleep phenotyping system to screen for important molecules for sleep duration. We found that impaired Ca2+-dependent K+ channels (Kcnn2 and Kcnn3), voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (Cacna1g and Cacna1h), or NMDA receptors decrease sleep duration, while impaired plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (Atp2b3) increases sleep duration in mice. Interestingly, impaired Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases (Camk2a and Camk2b) decrease sleep duration. To analyze detailed sleep phenotypes of genetically- or pharmacologically-impaired mice, we conducted the EEG/EMG recording of these


Recent developments in power electronics and renewable energy sources have brought the risen of Direct Current (DC) Microgrids. By power converters' utilization, a DC Microgrid is able to integrate renewables, storage systems, and other devices in a simpler topology, since the major part of the modern grid's compounds have DC nature. This paper proposes a control strategy aiming to regulate the voltage in the DC bus of a Microgrid by a supercapacitor. The control law is applied to a bidirectional boost converter that connects the supercapacitor to the DC grid. The control scheme is based on dynamical feedback linearization and consists in splitting the system in different time scale dynamics, creating consequently a simplified model. Simulations on Matlab/Simulink illustrate how the control strategy is able to regulate the DC voltage with good performance.


The grassland degradation did not just happen in current China.Historically,the"Dust Bowl"took place in the Great Plains,including the North Dakota state.Nowadays in North Dakota,62.7% of land is used for cropland,and 1% is forest land.There are two important reasons,private property and higher profit rate of crops,for the bigger proportion of crops to livestock.The Conservation Reserve Program is supported by the United States finance,and in North Dakota,the major of practice surrounds grass.The developed education system in USA takes a higher flow rate,and makes the population in North Dakota stabilize the range of 600 000 to 700 000 after 1930s.Thus it prevents the result of the increasing population press on the grassland in China.From the studies,we can conclude that:(1)the grassland is an important nature resource,and can't be protected completely;(2)private property maybe take reclamation again without other measures;(3)the grassland livestock is also an important component of the whole livestock,and the development of livestock production need cooperate with crops production especially the feed.


Adherence is a documented problem in collegiate athletics. The patient–clinician relationship is an important component of how one will receive the idea of rehabilitation and adhere to the prescribed treatment protocol. Attachment theory states that an emotional bond between two individuals usually flourishes when one individual looks for support and assurance during a time of need. Attachment theory was initially proposed to describe the parent–child relationship and has implications into adulthood. If clinicians understand and recognize the different attachment styles a given patient might portray, then the relationship between the two may flourish, and consequently lead to greater adherence. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model for improving treatment adherence by adjusting the patient–clinician relationship based on a patient's attachment style.


The concept of a locally repairable code (LRC) was introduced to protect the data from disk failures in large-scale storage systems. In this paper, we consider the LRCs with multiple disjoint repair sets and each repair set contains exactly one check symbol. By using several structures from combinatorial design theory, such as balanced incomplete block design, cyclic packing, group divisible design, near-Skolem sequence and Langford sequence, we construct several infinite classes of LRCs with the size of each repair set at most 3, which are optimal with respect to the bound proposed by Rawat et al. in 2016.


Dermatoglyphics, the study of finger-tip and palmar prints, can play an important role in suggesting or confirming the diagnosis in the case of certain congenital syndromes. The paper discusses the prints in the cases of two important syndromes viz Turner's and Klinefelter's, and shows how to differentiate between the two.


The invention discloses an energy storage and stabilization integrated control device of flywheels for a ship. The energy storage and stabilization integrated control device comprises a forward flywheel, a backward flywheel, a forward flywheel controller, a backward flywheel controller, a system controller, an attitude sensor, a supercapacitor, a solar controller, a solar panel, a bidirectional inverter, an alternating current power supply/load, a bidirectional direct-current converter and a direct current power supply/load. By adopting a forward-backward flywheel structure, energy flows in the two flywheels in the stabilization process, and required external energy is extremely-low; when the ship steers, generated moments are mutually offset, so that the pitching is avoided, and driving resistance is prevented from being increased. A solar cell is utilized to generate power and the power is stored in the flywheels, so that the power can be supplied to the ship for performing stabilization control in a state that a ship main engine is not started; the flywheels are adopted to store energy, so that no secondary pollution is caused; the service life reaches 20 years or longer, and the safety and the reliability are guaranteed; a traditional storage battery is used as an emergency power supply, and the service life of the traditional storage battery is about three years; besides, a lithium battery has explosion hazard.


In the Hebrew language, many words have for each one, a few possible stems. However, for a given word in a context of a specific sentence in a specific paragraph in a specific document, each word has only one correct stem. We have developed seven baseline methods in order to find the correct stem for a given word. These methods use contexts, declensions and analyses of various features. A machine learning method has been applied successfully. Experiments for our application domain Hebrew Rabbinical questions and answers dealing with Jewish holydays have shown a result of 89% in finding the correct stem. Key-Words: Context, Declension, Hebrew, Machine Learning, Stem, Word


Using high-resolution x-ray standing waves and low-energy electron diffraction, the structure of Te adsorbed on Ge(001) was studied. A coverage-dependent structural rearrangement was observed between Te coverages of 1 and 0.5 monolayer (ML). At Te coverages near 1 ML, Te was found to adsorb in a bridge site, as expected. However, at Te coverages near 0.5 ML, a structure unanticipated for Group VI/Group IV adsorption was discovered. Te-Ge heterodimers were formed with an average valency of 5, allowing them to satisfy all surface dangling bonds. The results help explain the efficacy of Te as a surfactant in epitaxial growth of Ge/Si(001). {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}


Objective To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture and quick cupping therapy at eight points around umbilicus on simple obesity aphasia.Methods Ninty-five cases were randomly allocated into treatment group(n=50) treated by acupuncture and quick cupping at eight points around umbilicus as Huaroumen(ST 24),Tianshu(ST 25),Wailing(ST 26),Shuifen(RN 9),Yinjiao(RN 7),and control group(n=45) treated by oral administration of sibutramine,an inhibitor for appetite.The body weight(kg),body mass index(BMI),waist hip ratio(WHR) and distribution rate of body fat(F%) before and after eight weeks treatment were assessed.Results The total efficacy rate was 98.00% in the treatment group and 97.78% in the control group;There was no significant difference in therapeutic effects for body weight and BMI between the two guoups(P0.05),but the treatment group in WHR and F% was superior to the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture and quick cupping therapy at eight points around umbilicus have a good therapeutic effect on simple obesity aphasia,but acupuncture and quick cupping therapy can obviously improve WHR and F% for obesity,and it's safe and no side effect.


The Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases
(MORGEN-project) is conducted by the National Institute of Public Health
and Environmental Protection (RIVM). Its general purpose is to determine
the prevalence of risk factors for chronic diseases as well as the
prevalence of some specific chronic conditions in a sample of the general
population. In the MORGEN-project, data on the health status and
prevalence of risk factors are collected in a random sample of the
general population in the Netherlands from 1993 through 1997. In 1993,
5154 men and women participated in the MORGEN-project. The prevalence
figures of the most relevant risk factors (hypercholesterolemia,
hypertension, obesity) are comparable to those observed in the Monitoring
Project on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors 1987-1991. The proportion
of smokers however, decreased from 40% over the period 1987-1991 to 37%
in 1993. The prevalence of self-reported asthma was 3%. Almost half of
those with asthma reported regular use of medication. The prevalence of
low back pain and of neck-shoulder complaints was approximately 50%. Of
those with low back pain or neck and shoulder complaints, 10% had been on
sick leave for longer than one week due to their complaints.
Approximately 9% of the respondents reported regular headache with
symptoms of mi74aine. The prevalence of self-reported diabetes was about
1%. Based on non-fasting glucose measurements, diabetes was diagnosed in
an additional 0.8% of men and 0.1% of women.


The North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) is one of the largest igneous provinces in the world. Large ranges of rock types comprise the NAIP, including tholeiitic and alkali basalts, nephelineand quartz-syenites, nephelinites and carbonatites. The province is Paleocene in age and covers large parts of the North Atlantic region today. Parts of the NAIP outcrop onshore the Faroe Islands, on the western and the eastern side of Greenland, on Iceland and on the British islands.


Gonorrhea in the adult male is a self-limited venereal disease. Consequently, it is commonly considered an ignominious and unimportant disease, the treatment of which need not concern the mind of the welleducated practitioner in medicine. But those who have had experience with the very slow and unsatisfactory improvement in urethral conditions due to gonorrhea under the treatment they received in the army and navy during the late war will doubtless agree that there is room for improvement in the treatment of this disease as conducted by the average practitioner. The dissatisfaction with the results of our treatment of urethral gonorrhea has led me to interest myself very considerably in the pathologic conditions involved. From this interest there has arisen a classification of lesions and of the treatment of these lesions, notably in the case of chronic gonorrhea, which has been of assistance to me in helping such cases. Practical as


This paper addresses the problem of region-based color image segmentation using a fuzzy clustering algorithm, e.g. a spatial version of fuzzy c-means, in order to partition the image into clusters corresponding to homogeneous regions. We propose to determine the optimal number of clusters, and so the number of regions, by using a new cluster validity index computed on fuzzy partitions. Experimental results and comparison with other existing methods show the validity and the efficiency of the proposed method.


Sodium scandium silicate gasses can be formed containing a maximum of approximately 15 mol% Sc 2 O 3 . The addition of scandium oxide to these glasses increases their density, refractive index and glass transformation temperature. The glass transformation temperatures of these glasses approach 800°C for glasses containing 10-15 mol% Sc 2 O 3 . Replacement of silica by scandium oxide significantly reduces the helium permeability and slightly decreases the electrical conductivity of these glasses. Glasses containing scandium oxide have higher glass transformation temperatures than corresponding glasses containing Y 2 O 3 or Er 2 O 3 . The density of corresponding glasses containing Sc 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 5 or Er 2 O 3 increases with increasing atomic weight of the cation. Results of this study indicate that scandium ions act as network cations increasing the connectivity of the vitreous network.


In this paper, a new score level fusion approach is proposed. It is based on Differential Evolution (DE) technique and Proportional Conflict Redistribution fusion rule. DE technique is used to find the best confidence factors of the belief assignments of the different modalities. The fusion of the weighted belief assignments is then performed by Proportional Conflict Redistribution combination rule. Experiments are conducted on the scores of BANCA multimodal dataset. A comparative study is achieved using our method, Proportional Conflict Redistribution combination rule and the SVM based fusion. The experimental results show that the proposed approach improves significantly the performance compared to the well established methods.


PURPOSE: A ferroelectric memory device is provided to increase a sensing margin by increasing the difference in the voltage of bit lines when "0" is read and "1" is read. CONSTITUTION: A ferroelectric memory device includes a memory array(500) in which a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines are crossed in a matrix shape. A sense amplifier senses/amplifies BL and /BL signals. A row address buffer(540) stores the row address of a cell to be driven. A word line driving circuit(550) receives the row address and drives the word line(wl). A precharge voltage select unit(520) selectively sends Vcc+α and Vcc to BL and /BL in order to transmit Vcc+α and Vcc to a precharge unit(560) without a voltage loss in response to the least significant bit(LSB) of the bootstrapped row address from the driving circuit(550). The precharge unit(560) precharges BL and /BL with Vcc+α and Vcc inputted from the precharge voltage select unit(520). A Vcc+α generator(530) generates Vcc+α for precharging BL.


Diffuse X-ray scattering measurements have been performed on a non-stoichiometric spinel single crystal, MgO-3Al2O3, with 10% octahedral vacancies, and the following conclusions have been reached. The probability of a vacancy occupying a site adjacent to another vacancy is □□ = 0.20, compared to 0.10 for a completely disordered model. This probability is consistent with the Jagodzinski-Haefner model. The distance between neighbouring A1 atoms in octahedral sites is 1% larger than the mean value. The distance between the octahedral Al and its neighbouring oxygen atoms is 0.5% shorter than the mean, and the vacancy-oxygen distance is 5% larger. By comparison between stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric spinels, a large Debye-Waller factor for static displacement is derived. This factor leads to a qualitative explanation of the observed anisotropy of the thermal and pseudo-thermal diffuse scattering. The large local displacement permits one to observe the second-order term, (kδri)(kδrj), of the displacement correlation between the oxygen atoms of the occupied octahedral sites.


This paper documents and explains the relation between industries' heterogeneity in skills requirement, and contract segmentation. In most labour markets, open-ended contracts entail the payment of red-tape costs upon termination. Fixed-term contracts (FTCs) do not engage firms in the long-run, but are restricted in their use. These law provisions uniformly apply across industries. Hence, all employers face the same trade-off. Yet, empirical evidence shows that firms in knowledge intensive (KI) industries employ more open-ended contracts and longer FTCs, suggesting endogenous sorting. To explain these facts, we build a labor-demand model with heterogeneous match quality and workers' investment in specific human capital (HC). Our findings are threefold. I) Longer contracts and employment protection induce higher HC investment. This rationalizes the existence of permanent contracts, our benchmark. II) Super-modularity between workers' ability and HC pushes firms to offer FTCs to low worker types, and permanent contracts to high types. This justifies the presence of positive assortative matching in the data. III) FTCs are converted to permanent jobs if productive enough. This explains the existence of "up-or-out" policies in several industries. We then run simulations. Introducing FTCs in the a one-tier labour market lowers unemployment. Liberalizing a dual market can take three forms: lower firing taxes, longer FTCs, no EPL on FTCs . As expected, the former has a better impact on unemployment. Finally, we empirically test the last two policies on Italian matched employer-employee administrative data.


In this paper, we present a tool-chain for the REMES language, which can be used for the construction and analysis of embedded system behavioral models. The tool-chain consists of the following tools: (i) a REMES editor for modeling behaviors of embedded components, (ii) a REMES simulator to test timing and resource behavior prior to formal analysis, and (iii) an automated transformation from REMES to Priced Timed Automata, needed for formal analysis.


Pulsatile Drug Delivery Systems (PDDS) are gaining a lot of interest as the delivery of the drug will be at the right site and at the right time, and the amount of drug that is reaching the site of action will also be so accurate, and therefore it generally improves the patient compliance. These followed a sigmoidal drug release profile and were characterized by a time of no drug release followed by a rapid and complete drug release. This article focuses on the various types of methodologies involved for the existing system and different marketed technologies, including PulsincapTM, OROS, DIFFUCAPS, CODAS®, TIMERx®, and CONTIN®, which follow the above mechanism to render a sigmoidal drug release profile, diseases requiring pulsatile drug delivery system, need for PDDS and evaluation of PDDS.


Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been explored as a method to determine the need for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in breast cancer patients. In theory, a properly performed negative SLNB should accurately identify those patients without axillary node involvement, thereby obviating the need for a more morbid ALND. The risk of arm morbidity, particularly lymphedema, chronic pain, shoulder-arm dysfunctions and other complications is significantly lower after SLNB than ALND.


Objective To investigate the absorption rate and its influencing factors of dietary iron in prepubertal children.Methods Sixty prepubertal children in Beijing were selected as subjects,half males and half females,to take part in 11 d metabolic balanced test.The recipe was made based on local eating habits.Fecal,diet and water samples during the test were collected.All the samples were pretreated by freeze-drying,smash and microwave digestion,then amount of iron and other influencing factors were analyzed.Results The iron absorption rate of males and females were(8.05±0.90)% and(9.13±0.57)%(t=2.38,P0.05),and the average iron intakes were(13.6±2.4) mg/d and(12.8±1.7) mg/d which were accounted for 85.0% and 71.1% of RNI(recommened nutrient intakes) respectively.The average protein intakes were(75.5±4.1)g/d and(69.3±6.2) g/d,accounted for 107.8% and 106.6% of RNI.The average vitamin C intakes were(43.2±3.6) mg/d and(38.9± 2.1) mg/d,accounted for 48.0% and 43.2% of RNI.The average intakes of dietary fiber and phytic acid per day were(16.3±3.5) g,(15.1±2.0) g and(1.2±0.2) g,(1.0±0.3) g respectively.Conclusion The iron absorption rate of prepubertal children was still low,and the absorption in females was significantly higher than that in males.Less intakes of dietary fiber and phytic acid and more intakes of heme iron are recommended in order to increase the iron absorption rate.


Abstract This study explores the meaning of the serious leisure experience for volunteer firefighters. The 70,000 volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania are the basis of this study. Volunteer firefighting contrasts with other serious leisure pursuits examined to date in two ways. First, individuals are involved in a highly visible, emotionally charged public service involving life and death situations. Second, volunteer firefighters are simultaneously volunteers, amateurs, and professionals. Within this nexus, being a volunteer is marked by both obligation and ambiguity, creating dynamic tensions that must constantly be negotiated. Giving freely of their time to perform "double duty" beyond their roles as employees, family and community members, society thinks of them as professionals and holds them to professional standards. In reality they are unpaid, voluntary amateurs. The resulting haziness concerning the value of volunteer firefighters as social capital has significant implications for future recruitment and retention numbers.


We have performed 2D cylindrical MHD simulations of the experiments using FLASH, a publicly available∗, open source, modular, multi-physics, finite-volume, Eulerian, shock capturing code. In order to model the full range of physical processes involved in the experiments, our simulations include an unsplit staggered mesh MHD solver, extended to three temperatures and cylindrical geometry, explicit Spitzer resistivity, implicit thermal conduction and heat exchange, as well as multi-group radiation diffusion with multi-material tabulated opacities and equations of state. The laser energy deposition is accurately modeled using a 3D in 2D ray trace laser-package, whereas the Biermann battery source is added to the MHD equations. We initialize the simulations with two carbon foil targets having density 1.13 g/cm, radius 250 μm, and thickness 100 μm located at [0,0 cm] and [0,6 cm] (i.e., separated by 6 cm) in a [0, 2 cm]× [−1, 7 cm] cylindrical (r− z) computational domain, which is filled with argon gas at 1 mbar and at room temperature. Each target is illuminated by a laser whose energy is taken to be the measured value (i.e., 240 ± 30 J) for a duration 1 ns, with a spot size of 300 μm. We used the measured shock position of the single jet at different times for a range of different laser energies to calibrate the fraction of the laser energy that is deposited in the target. We find that a fraction 57% is consistent with all of the measured shock positions within uncertainties, and we therefore use this fraction in our simulations. We utilize 8 levels of refinement and blocks of 16 × 16 cells, obtaining an equivalent resolution of ∼ 9.8 μm per cell (2048 × 8192 zones). The reconstruction is carried out with a Piecewise Linear Method (PLM), employing a minmod limiter; the Godunov fluxes are recovered with an HLLC (Harten, Lax & van Leer-Contact) Riemann solver. Outflow (zero gradient) boundary conditions are used except for the z axis where axial symmetry is enforced. We performed several simulations of the described setup for a single jet and for two colliding jets and followed their evolution for 2.5 μs. The agreement of the FLASH magneto-hydrodynamic simulations with the experimental results is good: the simulations quantitatively reproduce the flow characteristics, such as the jet morphology; the position of the face of the jet with time; the electron number density and temperature in the interaction region; and the morphology and time


A Brief History of English SyntaxThe Syntax and Semantics of Middle ConstructionsA Student Grammar of GermanArchitecture of TopicGermanComparative and Diachronic Perspectives on Romance SyntaxThe Cambridge Handbook of Germanic LinguisticsAn Introduction to SyntaxAn Introduction to Language and LinguisticsThe clausal syntax of German Sign LanguageSyntactic StructuresThe Cambridge Handbook of Experimental SyntaxUsing German SynonymsSymmetry Breaking in SyntaxSyntax Theory and AnalysisHead Movement in SyntaxThe Syntax and Semantics of Middle ConstructionsThe Syntax of NegationDeconstructing Language Structure and MeaningThe Syntax of GermanSyntax ProcessingInfinitives at the Syntax-Semantics InterfaceThe Syntax of AdjunctsEnglish GrammarCambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary KLETT VERSIONEnglish as a Global LanguageThe Syntax of Pronominal CliticsContinuity and Variation in Germanic and RomanceModality in Syntax, Semantics and PragmaticsThe Syntax of Argument StructureMiddle VoiceThe Germanic LanguagesQuantifying Expressions in the History of GermanClause Structure and Word Order in the History of GermanThe Syntax of DutchBavarian SyntaxBeyond CoherenceRethinking Verb SecondSyntactic Complexity from a Language Acquisition PerspectiveWithin Language, Beyond Theories (Volume I)


This paper investigates an incremental pavement performance model based on experimental data from the American Association of State Highway Officials road test. Structural properties, environmental effects, and traffic loading, the three main factors dominating the characteristic of pavement performance, are incorporated into the model. Due to the limited number of variables that can be controlled and observed, unobserved heterogeneity is almost inevitable. Most of the existing models did not fully account for the heterogeneity issue. In this paper, the Bayesian approach is adopted for its ability to address the issue of interest. The Bayesian approach aims to obtain probabilistic parameter distributions through a combination of existing knowledge (prior) and information from the data collected. The Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation is applied to estimate parameter distributions. Due to significant variability in the parameters, the need exists to address heterogeneity in modeling pavement performance. Furthermore, it is shown that not all the parameters are normally distributed. It is therefore suggested that the performance model developed in this research provides a more realistic forecast than most previous models. In addition, pavement deterioration forecast based on the Gibbs output is performed at different confidence levels with varying inspection frequencies, which can enhance the decision-making process in pavement management. In general, the Bayesian approach presented in this paper provides an effective and flexible alternative for model estimation and updating, which can be applied to both the road test data sites and other data sources of interest.


To the Editor.— After a urinary tract calculus has been demonstrated by excretory urography, its progress along the ureteral lumen must be observed by periodic roentgenographic studies. When the stone is not demonstrated in the lower part of the ureter, one must decide whether it has been passed or is still present. Before transurethral extraction or ureterolithotomy, one must visualize the stone roentgenographically in order to plan the approach. However, a calculus in the pelvic portion of the ureter, especially if it is small, of low radiodensity, or both, is often hard to demonstrate roentgenographically because of gas and feces in the intestinal tract. The simple maneuver described here shifts the bowel out of the pelvis and permits clear visualization of this portion of the ureter. Method.— The bladder is filled to capacity with sterile water through a urethral Foley catheter or through the cystoscope at the time of cystoscopic


The output torque capability of a dual-three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (DTP-PMSM) can be increased by intentionally injecting proper harmonic currents, which can be beneficial in some applications that require high torque density. To achieve this, current references containing multiple harmonic components with time-varying frequencies must be accurately tracked by the current controllers, which can hardly be achieved by conventional control methods. Fortunately, to track these complex but predetermined current references, generalized predictive control (GPC) shows unique advantages for its characteristics of multistep prediction and receding horizon optimization. In this article, a current control strategy based on GPC is proposed for the DTP-PMSM, which enhances the output torque capability by tracking the harmonic current references with high accuracy in both phase and magnitude. Parameter tuning and model mismatch issues of the proposed GPC are discussed. The effectiveness and merits of the proposed control strategy are validated by a comparison study based on simulation and experiments.


An exploration of industrial relations and democracy, co-determination, the development of corporatism and social consequences in the coal mining industry of Britain, the United States, Belgium, France, Germany and Austria with a comparison of coal output and trade union organisation in those countries.


As network planners try to plan and operate networks that offer the best value for money, they often find it a difficult to choose among the many alternatives. Network modeling can yield insight into network performance and cost prior to investment. Network modeling is a decision support tool, only as good as the information it processes. Ultimately, a successful network manager understands current requirements and is prepared to meet requirements in the future. Modeling can perform essential services to keep a network manager better informed and prepared, and a business better poised to meet the demand of its users and ultimately the demands of its customers.<<ETX>>


Objective To approach to concept, intension and biphasic circulation regulation law of Channel-qi. Methods The concept and intension of Channel-qi, functions of Channels, classical books of past dynasties, the research results of channel transmission at home and others are analyzed. Conclusion Channel-qi is the part of the general qi which circulates in the channels, including ying-qi, wei-qi (defensive energy), pectoral qi and primordial qi, with biphasic flow.


A part of the study on the preparation of the universal VEX computer code developed for determination of pressure profiles during combustion of gas-air mixtures in closed vessels is presented. This part includes the combustion of stoichiometric methane-air mixture in small spherical vessels. The mathematical model used is briefly characterised where the special emphasis is put on determination of the burning velocity and the heat exchange. The results of calculations have been compared to experimental data collected during own studies and those available in the literature. The general conclusion is that the agreement between the experimental data and the results of calculation performed with the use of the VEX computer code is satisfactory.


Relying on the thermosenstors scattering in the skin, people are capable of adetecting the thermal stimuli to protect themselves from the damage of hazardous environmental factors. Temperature sensitive sensors can be divided into two classes: innocuous thermosensors (warm or cool) and noxious thermonociceptors (hot or cold). Main thermosensors belonged to the transient receptor Potential (TRP) cation channel family. Thermo TRPs respond to distinct thermal thresholds, and their responding mechanism is useful to make the thermal sensation be well understood at the molecular level. Considering that the thermal sensors played vital role in the practical process of temperature perception, some researchers tried to link the temperature traits of thermal sensors with thermal sensation and develop new index for assessing thermal sensation. The evaluation models of thermal sensation that combined the thermosensitive characteristics of sensors with heat transfer occurring in skin tissue were introduced in this paper.


ABSTRACT A pair of new dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes, [MoO2L1(CH3OH)] (1) and [MoO2L2(CH3OH)] (2), where L1 and L2 are the dianionic forms of 5-bromo-N′-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide and N′-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-3-methylbenzohydrazide, respectively, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectra, and single crystal X-ray determination. The crystal of 1 is triclinic: space group P−1, a = 7.779(2), b = 10.002(3), c = 12.012(3) Å, α = 93.612(2), β = 93.252(2), γ = 105.798(2)°, V = 894.9(4) Å3, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0536, wR2 = 0.0938. The crystal of 2 is triclinic: space group P−1, a = 7.830(2), b = 10.000(3), c = 11.842(3) Å, α = 92.795(2), β = 94.168(2), γ = 103.692(2)°, V = 896.4(4) Å3, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0293, wR2 = 0.0764. The Mo atoms in the complexes are coordinated by one phenolate O, one imine N, and one enolic O atoms of the benzohydrazone ligand, two oxo O atoms, and one methanol O atom, forming octahedral coordination. In the crystal structures, adjacent two complex molecules are linked by two methanol ligands through intermolecular O−H···N hydrogen bonds, forming dimers. The catalytic property of sulfoxidation for the complexes was studied.


Abstract We examined effects of tagging season, anatomical placement of tags, and fish total length (TL) at tagging on 2-month retention of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in 181 brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis (99–302 mm TL) and 709 brown trout Salmo trutta (122–511 mm TL) in small streams of southeastern Minnesota. A lower percentage of brown trout retained their tags in spring (56%) than in fall (68%), but season did not affect tag retention in brook trout. Retention rates varied with anatomical placement for both species. For brook trout, retention was 70% when the PIT tag was placed into the body cavity using an insertion point that was posterior to the pelvic fins and 100% when the tag was placed into the dorsal musculature. Among brown trout, PIT tag retention was 56% for body cavity placement (posterior insertion) and 95% for dorsal musculature placement. Tag retention was not associated with fish TL for brown trout and was only weakly associated with TL of brook trout. Although report...


From the Publisher:
With help from best selling Linux author, Bill Ball, in just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you will be up and running with SuSE Linux. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds upon the previous one, allowing you to learn the essentials of SuSE Linux from the ground up.

Covers installing and configuring SuSE as well as general use and troubleshooting Written by best-selling author Bill Ball who has sold over a quarter of a million units on Linux Learn how to: Install SuSE Linux; Use the Linux command-line interface; Configure and use the X Window System; Connect to the Internet and send email; Learn about different shells; Use graphics software for Linux, and Archive your files Includes a cd with SuSE Linux


The article deals with the task of developing information technology for the provision of copywriting services. The topic of the article is due to the fact that any Internet resource requires the availability of relevant content for further development. An important component for information and news portals, author's blogs, online stores, corporate and personal sites are texts. The main activity of the copywriter is the writing of texts on an order, the creation of content for sites with the deduction of audience prestige, and the requirements of search engines. A review of the dynamics of changes in popularity, seasonality, growth and fail from the side of users is presented. The existing most common providers of copywriting services are considered: the stock exchange – the site of Advego, the studio of Denis Kaplunov, freelance. The advantages and disadvantages of all types of services are revealed. An overview of the most powerful and most popular free content management systems (CMS – Content management system) Joomla, WordPress, Drupal is also presented. Taking into account the obvious advantages and disadvantages of each of these systems, it is defined that CMS is most suitable for solving the tasks and is optimal for the development of the site. To search for fuzzy duplicate Web documents, it is suggested to use the shingle algorithm. The diagram of variants of using the work of providing copywriting services is developed. To support the work of the site a database model was developed. The environment, development tools, language tools and the operating modes of the site are described. The presented site allows companies to solve such issues as reducing the cost of searching for copywriters, checking their level of qualification, time spent on organizing the process, maintaining the necessary documentation, including accounting. The texts for the customer are created faster because several people can work on them and order some other additional services presented on the site. The developed site for providing copywriting services is designed for use by large and small companies, private enterprises, individual individuals and owners of Internet resources


Background Excessive expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is deleterious to the cutaneous wound-healing process in the context of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to explore whether a cationic star-shaped polymer consisting of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) core and poly(amidoamine) dendron arms (β-CD-[D3]7) could be used as the gene carrier of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to reduce MMP-9 expression for enhanced diabetic wound healing. Methods The cytotoxicity of β-CD-(D3)7 was investigated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay (MMT) method in the rat CRL1213 skin fibroblast cell line. The transfection efficiency of β-CD-(D3)7/MMP-9-small interfering RNA (siRNA) complexes was determined by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Quantitative real time (RT) polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the gene expression of MMP-9 after the transfection by β-CD-(D3)7/MMP-9-siRNA complexes. The β-CD-(D3)7/MMP-9-siRNA complexes were injected on the wounds of streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Wound closure was measured on days 4 and 7 post-wounding. Results β-CD-(D3)7 exhibited low cytotoxicity in fibroblast cells, and easily formed the complexes with MMP-9-siRNA. The β-CD-(D3)7/MMP-9-siRNA complexes were readily taken up by fibroblast cells, resulting in the downregulation of MMP-9 gene expression (P<0.01). Animal experiments revealed that the treatment by β-CD-(D3)7/MMP-9-siRNA complexes enhanced wound closure in diabetic rats on day 7 post-wounding (P<0.05). Conclusion β-CD-(D3)7 may be used as an efficient carrier for the delivery of MMP-9-siRNA to reduce MMP-9 expression in skin fibroblast cells and promote wound healing in diabetic rats.


HbA1c has important reference value in risk stratification, diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring and drug selection for diabetic patients. Therefore, the ability to detect HbA1c has attracted much attention. This study was designed to evaluate the performance of the enzymatic HbA1c assay on a newly launched Mindray BS-600M chemistry analyzer, which can be used to measure whole blood samples directly after mixing without centrifugation.

 Total 309 clinical samples (EDTA anticoagulation) were analyzed using Mindray BS-600M (enzymatic method), Tosoh G8 (HPLC method) and Roche c501 (immunoassay method) analyzers for the performance comparison. And also, the analytical performance of BS-600M, such as precision, accuracy, linearity, interference of conventional interferents, hemoglobin variants, hemoglobin derivatives and common drugs, were evaluated using other fresh whole blood samples, eight frozen calibrators (IFCC) and forty frozen venous whole blood samples (NGSP).

 The within-run and between-run precision of the enzymatic method for HbA1c determination were less than 1% and linearity of HbA1c (%, NGSP unit) was excellent from 2.96% to 20.23%. The deviations between the results of 48 accuracy samples (IFCC and NGSP) and target values were within ±5%, and the sigma metrics of HbA1c at the high and low concentration levels were between 9.9∼19.0, which belongs to the "world-class" level. The results were excellently correlated with those obtained by Tosoh HLC -723 G8 and Roche Cobas c501 (r = 0.997, 0.992). The regression equations of HbA1c was y = 0.979x + 0.005 (n = 198) between BS-600M and G8 and y = 0.934x + 0.317 (n = 112) between BS-600M and c501. The deviation of interference from conventional interferents (bilirubin, Intralipid, vitamin C), hemoglobin variants (HbS, HbC, HbD, HbE), hemoglobin derivatives (LAlc, CarHb, AcetylatedHb), and commonly used antipyretic analgesics and hypoglycemic drugs were all within ±6%, except for the high level HbF (>10%); and also, BS-600M cannot be applied to severe anemia patients (HGB < 45 g/L), which may lead to falsely high HbA1c results.

 The Mindray BS-600M proved to be a robust and reliable method for HbA1c measurement, and was suitable for routine clinical chemistry or hematology laboratory use. In addition, attention or comment need to be added for samples having high HbF concentrations and severe anemia patients in reporting HbA1c% result.


Nowadays with the dispersion of wireless networks, smartphones and diverse related services, different localization techniques have been developed. Global Positioning System (GPS) has a high rate of accuracy for outdoor localization but the signal is not available inside of buildings. Also other existing methods for indoor localization have low accuracy. In addition, they use fixed infrastructure support. In this paper, we present a novel system for indoor localization, which also works well outside. We have developed a mathematical model for estimating location (distance and direction) of a mobile device using wireless technology. Our experimental results on Smartphones (Android and iOS) show good accuracy (an error less than 2.5 meters). We have also used our developed system in asset tracking and complex activity recognition.


This book examines the governance and planning of mega-city regions in Europe, America, China and Australia. It provides international comparisons on how planners and policymakers are dealing with the effects of neoliberalism on mega-city regions. The book stems from a 2008 symposium on mega-city regions at the University of Honk Kong (although clearly many chapters are derived from work preceding the symposium) and includes several well-known urban scholars. It is composed of an introductory chapter followed by three parts. Chapter 1 lays down the overall position. Here, the editors caution against "a rather narrowly set perception . . . that the emergent superimposition and increasing socio-economic interdependencies at the regional scale are mainly a major response to globalization and interspatial competition" (p. 2). Rather, their purpose "is to rediscover different mega-city regions in different circumstances by treating them . . . also as products of diverse processes and contextually reconstituted state spaces" (p. 3). The first section, "Multi-level Governance and Planning in Europe", contains three chapters. In Chapter 2, Peter Hall focuses on the polycentric metropolis from a Western European perspective. Here, he draws our attention to two important ideas: city regions are best understood as spaces of flows of people and information—functional urban regions, rather than physical or administrative units; and mega-city regions are increasingly composed of more specialised nodes, or as he puts it, concentrated deconcentrations. In Chapter 3, Willem Salet begins with European cities in general before focusing on the urbanised Randstad area of the Netherlands. The Randstad provides an interesting example where international trade and advanced services predominate economically and indeed in planning terms; the major airport, Airport Schiphol, directly participates in regional spatial planning. In Chapter 4, Louis Albrechts addresses the many planning issues facing contemporary Europe (not the least of which is economic crisis) and advocates proactive reaction: "a shift is needed from a more regulative, bureaucratic approach towards a more strategic, implementation-led and development-led approach". He does not reject a central role for the state. On the contrary, this is 'new' spatial planning "transformative and integrative, public-sector-led . . . " (p. 79). The second section, "Multi-polity Governance and Planning in Federacy", mostly moves on from Europe. In Chapter 5, Saskia Sassen argues the scale of the megaregion provides the opportunity to reincorporate routine production functions back "in ways that


And thanks, too, to Washington University and the Center for Social Development for hosting this powerful and thoughtful conference. Thanks especially to everyone in attendance today, and to those who are livestreaming, for your commitment to a more equitable American economy, for your focus on removing barriers to opportunity, and for advancing our shared mission of a more perfect and inclusive future for our children. It is a privilege to speak before all of you today.


Workplace Wellness That Works: 10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into any Organization by Lauren Putnam [4]– Currently a manager or want to make a difference in your workplace? Follow these 10 steps to ensure employees' health and happiness while promoting a culture of well-being. Yoga Wisdom at Work: Finding Sanity Off the Mat and On the Job by Maren and Jamie Showkeir [5]– Implement yoga teachings in your everyday life to remain centered, compassionate, positive and sane in this online book. Live Well, Live Long: A Lifetime of Healthy Living by Paul Goyen [6] – The comprehensive guide provides a practical, easy-to-follow lifestyle program for the entire family.


Organic chemists who want to make only one of a molecule's two enantiomers typically use chiral catalysts to steer the synthesis in the right direction. Now, researchers have shown that chiral solvents can act as the sole source of handedness in catalytic reactions that preferentially produce a single enantiomer (ACS Cent. Sci. 2019, DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.9b00330). The method works by passing the chirality of the solvent, (R)-limonene, to a copolymer, poly(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl), or PQX, which twists into a right-handed helix. Then the helix binds a palladium catalyst, creating a chiral structure that can control the symmetry of a reaction. Michinori Suginome of Kyoto University and colleagues created the catalyst and tested it in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, which forms a carbon-carbon bond by coupling an aryl bromide to an aryl boronic acid. It produced the S enantiomer of the coupling product almost exclusively, with an enantiomeric excess of 98% (a 99:1 mixture of


In children with very severe cerebral palsy, an adversarial legal process for medical negligence, when liability is admitted, requires an estimate of life expectancy. Medical experts using the same cohort data and the same clinical facts can produce quite different life expectancies, leading to arguments in legal conferences and courts. The issues that commonly arise include between‐country comparisons, projected and therapy‐induced advanced life expectancies, and the contribution of epilepsy, scoliosis, and especially cognition to life expectancy. In this review, these factors are discussed from an arithmetic, statistical, and medical viewpoint to initiate debate on the issue, including whether median survival should be advocated.


A study of the injection and transport of a high-power relativistic electron beam (130 A, 300 keV) in the UNM betatron was recently concluded. The electron beam was injected at an angle of 20 degrees with respect to the main axis of the accelerating ring. An electron beam current of 15 A was transported around the entire accelerating ring. The experiments verified that a transverse electric field can be used to bend an externally injected relativistic electron beam onto the main axis of the accelerating ring and that the injected beam can be transported in a periodic solenoidal lens array. The beam injection results were consistent with calculations of the single-particle orbits under the combined influence of a transverse electric field and a strong focusing magnetic field, as were used in the experiment. A large fraction of the electron beam current was lost during injection and transport. This is attributed to a large spread in beam energies that was caused by a nonuniform injector voltage pulse. In order to remedy this difficulty, the Marx generator is being upgraded to 600 kV and a novel crowbar system is being installed.<<ETX>>


Particle size of Mo and W powders was measured by laser diffraction method.This investigation focused on the influence of ultrasonic power and dispersion time on particle size.The results show that strong power ultrasonic is suitable for Mo and W powder.Because of different particle shapes and agglomeration status,the dispersion time of 10 minutes is enough for Mo powder and 20 minutes for W powder.


. Abstract ! The internship – for many medical students a longed for opportunity to finally gain practical experience and to bear responsibility. Neverthe-less this step is oftentimes like a jump in at the deep end. Searching for self-fulfillment and role models one soon comes face to face with excessive demands and doubts which, unfortunately, do not alwaysget resolved. The idealism is in danger of getting betrayed by command structures, time-and efficiencies pressure and border crossings. The border of the own capacities and capabilities, the limitations of medicine and particularly the border area between life and death are aspects, which the studies barely prepare for. How much space should be yielded to dying and death? Why are patients reduced to organs and with what consequences? How to do the splits between truth and giving hope? This is a report of a medical student ' s experiences at a surgical ward as well as an attempt to position oneself to one ' s own fear.


Abstract Background Satisfaction with dental appearance plays an important role in the self‐esteem and psychological well‐being of the elderly, the significance of which the attending dentist may not always be fully cognisant of. Objectives To assess the level of satisfaction with dental appearance, its associated factors and temporal changes in two cohorts of 75‐year‐old Swedes born 10 years apart. Methods In 2007, a questionnaire was mailed to all those living in Örebro and Östergötland counties, Sweden, who were born in 1932 (n = 5195), and in 2017 to all born in 1942 (n = 7204). The evaluation was carried out with a global question 'Are you satisfied with the appearance of your teeth?', and four attitude‐related statements about dental appearance. Results About 80% in both cohorts were 'very satisfied' or 'to large extent satisfied' with their dental appearance. The 1932 cohort was significantly more concerned about their dental appearance than the 1942 cohort, and women were generally also significantly more concerned than men. In the regression analysis, 'very satisfied' with dental appearance was predicted by good chewing efficiency, having complete dentures, no impact from Oral Impacts on Daily Performance, disagreement that 'minor esthetic imperfections of the teeth have no importance, only they should function well', better perceived general health than same‐aged peers and belonging to the 1932 cohort. Conclusion Satisfaction with dental appearance among 75‐year‐olds was generally high, with attitudes varying by gender and temporally. Women and the earlier‐born generation (1932) were more concerned about dental appearance than men and the later‐born generation (1942), respectively.


2. Calibration of Scalar α While the extinction coefficients σ, σi, and σp in our model depend on the fog density, the scalar α is independent of the density. Rather, the scalar α has a dependency in terms of spatial locations, resulting in per-pixel α. To obtain the spatiallyvarying α, we built a closed chamber where a fog generator creates fog. We then wait for the fog to stabilize within the box physically and capture the foggy scene without objects in order to calibrate the scalar α.


Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in aqueous media is a challenging task for their utilization in industrial heat transfer applications. Since, CNT are hydrophobic in nature, so they remain unstable in polar base fluids. But, use of surfactants has opened a new gateway for resolving the problem of CNT dispersion by attaching non-covalent hydrophilic group onto the surface of CNT. This study reports a comparative analysis on the dispersion of CNT in water using three surfactants SDBS, SDS, and GA. The CNT nanofluids were prepared under dynamic condition. Dispersion of CNT has been characterized with the help of UV-vis spectroscopy. An optimum Surfactant CNTs ⁄ ratio has been determined for each surfactant. This parameter has been shown to affect the dispersion of CNT in aqueous basefluid significantly. The ratio above or below the optimum Surfactant CNTs ⁄ ratio effects the dispersion of CNT adversely. To analyze stability, the prepared CNT nanofluids were kept under static condition and observed visually.


The minimum capacitated dominating set problem is an NP-hard variant of the well-known minimum dominating set problem in undirected graphs. This problem finds applications in the context of clustering and routing in wireless networks. Two algorithms are presented in this work. The first one is an extended version of construct, merge, solve and adapt, while the main contribution is a hybrid between a biased random key genetic algorithm and an exact approach which we labeled Barrakuda. Both algorithms are evaluated on a large set of benchmark instances from the literature. In addition, they are tested on a new, more challenging benchmark set of larger problem instances. In the context of the problem instances from the literature, the performance of our algorithms is very similar. Moreover, both algorithms clearly outperform the best approach from the literature. In contrast, Barrakuda is clearly the best-performing algorithm for the new, more challenging problem instances.


The financial management seeks to maximize the shareholders' wealth. That is why the financial leverage should be evaluated for its influence on the firm value. The main objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between the changes in the financial leverage, stock returns and firm value. To achieve this goal, the association between the financial leverage and some variables such as stock returns, expected future return, future investment, and future operational performance on the firm value has been tested. In this regard, financial leverage has been evaluated with the two measures of book value or market value. Using the multivariate regressions and the data of 98 selected firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2001 to 2010, the relationships between the variables have been analyzed. The findings of the study indicate that the variations in the financial leverage and stock return are positively associated. However, it was found that there is no significant relationship between the changes in the financial leverage and expected future returns. It was also shown that the relationship between the changes in the financial leverage and future investment and future operating performance are different in terms of either market value or book value. Perceiving the type of the relationship between the changes in the financial leverage and assets' returns might be an indicator to select an optimal compound of debts used as the finance methods which lead to increasing return on assets and finally firm value.