Achieving Gulf national security has become a major importance for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially after the growing challenges they face in this regard, and with the expectation of the emergence of other new challenges with the decrease in the volume of trade exchange between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran, as the volume of trade exchange between Iran and the Arab countries in particular has been affected With the Arab Gulf states with the end of the Arab Gulf War and the emergence of the idea of isolating Iran from commercial exchange with neighboring countries, especially the Arab Gulf states, even though the value of the surplus in the trade balance in Iran amounted to about $32 billion annually, While the surplus in the trade balance in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council reached about $422 billion annually, the value of Iranian exports amounted to about $72 billion, while the value of exports in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries amounted to about $811.2 billion annually, and the value of Iranian imports amounted to about $40 billion and the value of imports in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries reached about $279 billion annually in 2016, and compared to the volume of trade in Saudi Arabia, which has many natural resources that contribute to the development of its foreign trade movement and that contribute to building many commercial and economic relations with all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where the value of the Saudi trade volume reached about 13.8 billion Saudi riyals, while the balance of trade reached about 7.6 billion Saudi riyals in 2016, and the study is concerned with the Iranian-Gulf trade exchange and its impact on the Saudi economy despite the strengthening of trade, economic and political relations with Iran.


Pseudoaneurysm (PSA) formation is a potential complication of breast biopsies. Ultrasound is the most common imaging modality used for evaluation and treatment of a PSA. Color Doppler images show a cystic structure with swirling flow inside in a "to‐and‐fro" pattern. Treatment options for PSA include observation, ultrasound‐guided focused compression, thrombin injection, open surgical repair, and percutaneous embolization. The risks and benefits of these treatment options will be discussed in the following cases.


This article focuses on the role that the provisions of the Natura 2000 Network play in affecting land-taking processes by looking at the Italian region of Sardinia, where strict rules on land development have been enforced since 1993 through regional landscape plans and where an extensive Natura 2000 Network, covering nearly 19% of the regional land mass, was established in compliance with Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds. The results and inferences of our study could be easily generalized to other European Union regions, provided that similar geographic datasets are available. By shedding some light on the relation between land take on the one hand, and nature conservation and landscape protection on the other, it is possible to enhance regional planning policies to prevent or hinder land-taking processes, and, by doing so, to help implementing the European Commission recommendation on no net land take by 2050 into the EU regional policies.


The invention discloses an inverter circuit and a structure thereof. The inverter circuit comprises PCB (printed circuit board), an insulating material, a radiation seat and clamp springs. Three circuits consisting of a plurality of transistors are arranged on the PCB, and the transistors are MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor) or IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistor). Each circuit is formed by connecting the transistor units in parallel, and each transistor unit comprises two MOSFETs or two IGBTs. Four rectangular protrusions are arranged on the radiation seat, the four rectangular protrusions are in parallel arrangement and are separated to form three spaces, the transistors fixed on the PCB are also positioned in the three spaces formed by separating the four rectangular protrusions,and are symmetrically attached to side faces of the rectangular protrusions, and radiation materials are arranged between the transistors and the side faces of the rectangular protrusions. The transistors on the side faces of the rectangular protrusions are compressed closely two ends of the clamp springs. To achieve the purpose of overcoming the shortages of high cost, easiness in pseudo soldering and poor thermal conductivity of conventional inverters, the inverter circuit and the structure thereof with low cost, fine universality, and fine electrical performance and thermal conducting effect are designed in the scheme.


Ames Research Center and UCSC have been working on the development of a Mid IR Camera for the KAO in order to search for extra galactic supernovae. The development of the camera and its associated data reduction software have been successfully completed. Spectral Imaging of the Orion Bar at 6.2 and 7.8 microns demonstrates the derotation and data reduction software which was developed.


Simulation by quantum computers [1] is a promising method to investigate quantum systems which are intractable to classical computers. However, it is not explicit how quantum computers outperform classical ones in practice. In this project, we will answer this question as follows: in the first and the second section, we mainly discuss the motivation of quantum simulation and different models of quantum simulation; in the third and fourth section, we survey the recent research on the simulation of Hamiltonian dynamics; on the other hand, we illustrate how to simulate the equilibrium properties of quantum systems by implementing quantum metropolis algorithm. For simplicity, We will focus on the spin models and will not touch the detail of the physical realization.


Despite a lack of gender differences in mathematics and science aptitude (e.g., Ceci et al., 2009; Hyde et al., 2008; Waber et al., 2007), female's subjective perceptions of competence are lower in STEM domains as compared to males (e.g., Schunk & Pajares, 2005). From a motivational perspective, Weiner's (1985, 2006) attribution theory underscores the importance of perceptions of personal control in predicting student engagement and achievement, with over 30 years of research showing brief interventions encouraging personally controllable explanations (attributions) for academic setbacks to consistently improve academic motivation and performance (i.e., Attributional Retraining (AR); for reviews, see Forsterling, 1985; Haynes et al., 2009; Wilson et al., 2002).


This paper examines citizen receptivity to green infrastructure (GI) development in three neighborhoods in Syracuse, New York. Data from 208 surveyed residents were statistically assessed to determine levels of environmental knowledge (EK) about and stated willingness to implement rain barrels, rain gardens, trees, porous pavements, and curbside extensions. Respondents had high levels of EK about GI as a measure for stormwater control and strong stated willingness to implement GI measures. There were no statistically significant relationships between either EK or stated willingness to implement, and sociodemographic variables, with the exception of age. However, there was a statistically significant positive relationship between EK and stated willingness to implement GI. This article, grounded in environmental psychology, argues that there may be nuances in the type of EK that can explain the observed relationships. Specifically, knowledge obtained from a common shared experience of combined sewer overflows flooding, rather than EK gained through formal education, explains the results. It is within this framework, that policy-makers must make decisions about GI implementation.


We propose the use of simple full inter-relay self interference cancellation (FSIC) at the relay nodes within a four relay network. The four single antenna relay nodes are arranged as two spatially well separated groups of two relays with offset transmission scheduling. This approach can achieve the full available distributed diversity order and its end-to-end transmission rate can asymptotically approach one when the number of samples is large. Pairwise error probability analysis is used to confirm the available diversity and simulation studies are employed to verify the end-to-end bit error rate (BER) as a function of the level of inter-relay interference.


Abstract : A modified version of the LINKAGES ecosystem simulation model is used to access the changes in the role of forests in the interior of Alaska to act as a source or sink of carbon over a fifty-year period. The study area is the Tanana Valley State Forest (TVSF). The TVSF occupies an area of 5523 hectares along the Tanana River from the Canadian Border to the confluence of the Tanana River and the Yukon River. The current inventory for the TVSF is used to develop a starting state for the model for ten vegetation classes. The model is run with the current climate until the current stand age for the various vegetation types is reached. Then a 5 deg C increase in mean annual temperature and a doubling in precipitation distributed evenly over the year is gradually added to the model. The model was then used to develop an average estimate of the atmospheric carbon sequestering for the current vegetation distribution of the productive forest types in the TVSF. This value was estimated as 392 g M-2 yr-1 for a 490,000-hectare area of interior Alaska.


The current study was organized to determine the abundance and distribution status of the seaweed community in two Red Sea locations in order to assist decision-makers in managing natural resources, particularly the macroalgal community. During summer, autumn of 2017, and winter, spring of 2018, seaweed species were collected seasonally by snorkeling in the intertidal zone at two sites: a mangrove forest 17 km south of Safaga


As the modern market economy changes and competition intensifies, companies need to obtain more information if they want to remain competitive. The emergence of strategic management accounting can provide companies with more useful information. Whether or not the strategy can be achieved is not a question of the strategy itself. In most cases, it is the implementation of the strategy. The Balanced Scorecard is a new type of strategic management tool applied by modern enterprises in strategic management. This article attempts to proceed from the relationship between balanced scorecard and strategic management, and discusses the application of balanced scorecard in strategic management.


The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager
(RHESSI) was designed to measure hard X-rays and γ-rays from solar flares. With its big detection area and thin side shielding it also proved to be well suited for studying
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB). Polarization analysis is feasible as well, due to a big modulation factor (MF), though serious constraints on the minimum detectable polarization
(MDP) come from detection efficiency of double scattered photons. More constraints are given by background of accidental and real coincidences.


We study the classic problem concerning the dissipative dynamics of a system of two interacting spin-$1/2$ particles, coupled to a thermal bath. In particular, we consider the case of a resonant excitation of the initial single-spin coherences and examine the consequences of the interplay between this excitation and the spin-spin dipolar coupling. Using a fluctuation-regulated Quantum Master Equation (frQME) [Phys. Rev. A 97, 063837 (2018)] we show that the relevant dissipator consists of cross-terms between the drive and the dipolar Hamiltonian, apart from regular self-terms responsible for ordinary relaxation effects. The drive-dipole cross-correlations provide for a novel second-order coupling of single and two-spin observables in the Zeeman basis, which cannot be classified as a dissipative effect. We show that the presence of these unique second-order non-dissipative terms lead to the well-known spin-locked steady-states in dipolar spin-ensembles. Importantly, the mathematical form of the steady-state magnetization in the spin-locked phase, obtained from our theory, matches with the prediction of the traditional spin-temperature based methods used to describe such phenomena.


The rain flashover of insulators in rainy weather is an important factor which affects the external insulation of electric power system. In view of rain flashover problem of insulators, this paper carried out a lot of artificial rain test under different rainfall conditions for suspension composite insulators with different parameters. Selected the number of water column, the number of water droplets and the proportion of the water column to the large sheds spacing as the rain characteristic variables. And the rain characteristics of insulators were studied. Experimental results indicated that rainfall had a significant influence on the rain characteristic variables of insulator. When the rainfall increased, the number of water columns, the number of water droplets and the proportion of the water column to the large sheds spacing increased, and the possibility of bridging between the water column and the water droplets in the two large sheds increased, and the more easily the insulators were flashover. Shed configuration has effect on the rain characteristic variables of insulator. Under the same conditions of rainfall, the larger the rain area of the shed, the more water columns and water droplets between the shed units. The increase in the shed spacing can reduce the possibility of bridging and improve the utilization ratio of leakage distance.


One hundred patients, aging from 1-16 years (47 females and 53 males), with obstructive symptoms and other adenoids and tonsils hypertrophy related symptoms, were studied. These patients were submitted to tonsillectomy. A questionnaire was applied to parents or tutors before surgery and in the 5-month-postoperative follow-up. Physical distress, sleep disorders, speech and deglutition disorders, psychological stress, activity limitation, parents' concern about children's snore were evaluated. Results: There was a significant improvement on the quality of life of the adenotonsillectomized patients, which was confirmed through statistical validation (p<0,05) in T-student test.


Abstract Nonlinear optical properties of fullerenes, studied by transverse second-harmonic and wave-dispersed third-harmonic generation, are reviewed and discussed. The origin of second-harmonic generation in C 60 , as well as its absence, at the limit of dielectric breakdown in C 70 thin films is also discussed. The observed third-harmonic generation χ (3) susceptibility dispersion in both lower fullerenes C 60 and C 70 is described in terms of the three-level model. In both molecules the two-photon level is found to lie below the one-photon transition level, in good agreement with theoretical calculations and other experimental determinations.


Polypyrrole was synthesized using two different methods of chemical synthesis to obtain a product with different electrical conductivity values. The two products were found to possess about the same ability to bind protein. After prolonged exposure to aqueous solutions of different ionic composition and at different pH values, the polymer was tested for electrical conductivity and protein-binding ability. Electrical conductivity was found to vary with the conditions under which the polymer was stored, and of these, the pH of the medium was found to be the most important. On the other hand, the ability to bind protein did not show any such variation and only chemical reduction of the polymer produced a significant reduction in the level of protein binding.


A heat‐pulse technique was used to study phonon scattering in γ‐irradiated LiF as a function of polarization, input power, and propagation direction. The results provide direct experimental evidence of a strong, anisotropic, polarization‐dependent scattering by γ‐induced defects with a frequency‐dependent absorption of transverse phonons for propagation in the [111] direction.


Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetically transmitted disease, is the most common genetic cardiovascular disease. Current strategies to stratify risk are expensive and concentrated in wealthy centers. Twelve‐lead electrocardiography (ECG) is inexpensive, universally available, and can be readily used for Selvester QRS scoring, which estimates scar size. This study aimed to establish the relation between ECG scar quantification and myocardial fibrosis (extent of myocardial delayed enhancement) in multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).


The present invention is directed to a process for preparing a boehmite alumina by hydrolysis Am mini Umm alcoholates in aqueous alkaline solution. The present invention further alumina or alumina hydrate prepared by the present methods, and to the use thereof. .BACKGROUND


Duns are a problematic class of monuments for Argyll. They encompass an ill-defined and diverse range of structures, with limited evidence for their chronology and functions within late prehistoric and early historic society, settlement and economy. The Isle of Islay has a notably high concentration of duns, especially in its south-east region. We describe a small-scale excavation at one of these, Dun Fhinn, designed to establish the date of its construction and that of a circular internal structure, the latter proposed by the RCAHMS as a later addition. These are shown to have functioned at the same time in the later half of the 1st millennium bc, the roundhouse likely being an integral part of the original construction. Finds were limited to a few utilised stones, fragments of burnt clay and the rim of a wooden bowl, while the charcoal assemblage provides insights into the surrounding landscape and its exploitation for fuel. We consider the significance of Dun Fhinn for development of an Iron Age chronology for Argyll.
Canmore ID 38091


Halasova E., A. Drgova, T. Matakova, Z. Tatarkova, M. Sivoňova, M. Franekova, J. Lehotský, P. Szepe, D. Dobrota: Do Statins influence the Activity of c-fos gene Following Transient Forebrain Ischemia in the adult rat Hippocampus? acta vet. brno 2008, 77: 73-79. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase inhibitors (statins) have been associated with stroke prevention. This stroke prevention appears to occur apart from cholesterol lowering effects. a number of mechanisms have been postulated for this prevention. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of simvastatin on the c-fos gene activity and its relation to delayed neuronal death in Ca1 region of hippocampus following transient forebrain ischemia in the adult rat hippocampus. a total of 17 male Wistar albino rats were used in this study. The animals were divided into three groups: 5 sham-operated animals; 6 ischemised rats without statin pre-treatment and 6 ischemised rats with statin pre-treatment. We used simvastatin at the dose of 20 mg/kg during 14 days prior to the ischemic attack. Fifteen min long transient forebrain ischemia was induced by the four-vessel occlusion. Two and a half h reperfusion was used for the c-Fos activity detection using immunostaining and 72 h reperfusion was used for the determination of neurons surviving using haematoxylin/eosin staining. The average neuronal density in the Ca1 region of hippocampus in the sham-operated rats, in ischemised rats without pre-treatment and in ischemised rats with statin pre-treatment was 47.03 ± 3.09/0,025 mm2, 9.05 ± 2.46/0,025 mm2 and 16.45 ± 2.78/025 mm2, respectively. A significant neuroprotective effect was observed in the pre-treated ischemic group (P 0.05). These findings indicate that simvastatin provides protection against CA1 hypoxic neuronal injury, which is independent of c-fos activation. We can conclude that simvastatin neuroprotection may be mediated by multiple mechanisms as can be expected based on its pleiotropic effects. Simvastatin, cerebral ischemia, CA1 hippocampal region, c-Fos Transient cerebral ischemia/recirculation induces alteration of the neurochemical conditions in the vulnerable regions of the brain such as the hippocampus and striatum. It was repeatedly documented that neurons located in Ca1 region of the hippocampal formation respond to an ischemic injury in a characteristic way, whereas other hippocampal neurons are relatively resistant and can survive a longer ischemic period (kirino et al. 1982; Mudrich and baimbridge 1989; bonnekoh et al. 1992; burda and Chavko 1991b; Burda et al. 1994; Cižkova et al. 1996). Delayed neuronal death has attracted much interest in an effort to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms of brain function changes in patients suffering from cerebrovascular diseases. ACTA VET. BRNO 2008, 77: 73–80; doi:10.2754/avb200877010073 Address for correspondence: E. Halasova Institute of Medical biology, Comenius University in bratislava Mala hora 4, 036 01 Martin slovak republic Phone: +421 43 41 314 25 E-mail: email@example.com http://www.vfu.cz/acta-vet/actavet.htm Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme a (HMg-Coa) reductase is the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway for cholesterol biosynthesis (reinoso et al. 2002). statins via their structural homology (Istvan and Dreisenhofer 2001) to HMg-Coa reductase can inhibit its activity. recent studies have shown that statins, which are the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs, significantly reduce the incidence of ischemic stroke in patients with or without high serum cholesterol levels (Crouse et al. 1998; van Mil et al. 2000). It is likely that statins have pleiotropic effects and they are beneficial in brain ischemia (Faggiotto et al. 1999). simvastatin is a lipophilic statin which penetrates into endothelial cells and has high blood-brain barrier (bbb) permeability (Johnson-anuna et al. 2005). statin therapy may reduce stroke by ameliorating precerebral atherosclerosis in the carotid artery and the aorta (vaughan and Delanty 1999; Hess et al. 2000; Takemoto et al. 2001). In addition to delaying atherosclerosis, there is emerging evidence indicating that statins have beneficial effects on cerebral vessels (van Mil et al. 2000). These drugs possess antiinflammatory and anti-thrombotic activity in blood and plaques (Delanty and vaughan 1997; kwak et al. 2000) and they reduce vascular inflammatory responses (Kwak et al. 2000), modulate cytokine production (Pahan et al. 1997), promote angiogenesis (kureishi et al. 2000) and decrease oxidative stress (aviram et al. 1998). apart from the mentioned secondary preventive effects, there are many evidences of a neuroprotective effect, as well (Daimon et al. 2004; berger et al. 2007; Jonson-anuna et al. 2007). Until now, the mechanism underlying statin-induced neuroprotection has been poorly understood. one possibility of their action may be via c-fos inhibition. The c-fos and c-jun genes belong to the immediate early genes known to have rapid but brief responses. Products of these genes, proteins c-Fos and c-Jun form a dimer known as activator protein AP-1 which acts as transcriptional factor. The dimers bind to a specific Dna-TgagTCa sequence of promoters and enhancers of many genes (Cox and sinclair 1997). Examples of genes that contain aP-1 binding sites include neurotrophins, proenkephalin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and tyrosine hydroxylase (sharp et al. 1994). some of them play an important role in neurodegenerative processes following brain ischemia. The aim of our study was to determine the possible effect of simvastatin on the c-fos gene activity and its relation to delayed neuronal death following transient forebrain ischemia in the adult rat hippocampus. Materials and Methods Experimental animals Male Wistar albino rats, with a body weight ranging from 240 to 280 g, were used in this study. The animals were divided into three groups. group a (negative control) contained 5 sham-operated animals. group b (positive control) consisted of 6 ischemised rats without statin pre-treatment and group C consisted of 6 ischemised rats with statin pre-treatment. We used simvastatin at the dose of 20 mg/kg during 14 days prior to the ischemic attack. The simvastatin was administered per os. The experiments were approved by the animal Care Committee of the slovak republic and European Union. after pre-treatment, the animals were anaesthetized with a mixture of 1.5% halotane, 30% oxygen, 70% nitrous oxide and subjected to 15 minutes of forebrain ischemia. Transient forebrain ischemia was induced by the four-vessel occlusion as reported in detail in the procedure of Pulsinelli (1988). The body temperature was maintained at 37 °C during the ischemia as well as during the early post-ischemic period. only animals showing restless behaviour were involved in this study. after the appropriate survival times 2.5 and 72 h (reperfusion period) rats were anaesthetized and transcardially perfused with saline, followed by 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffer (pH = 7.4) as a fixative. immediately after that the brains were removed from the skull and postfixed in the same fixative solution for 24 h and then prepared for immunostaining and haematoxylin/eosin staining. Two and a half h reperfusion was used for c-Fos activity detection and 72 h reperfusion for the determination of surviving neurons. Preparation for c-Fos immunostaining After fixation, tissues were cryoprotected in solutions containing 10, 20, and 30% sucrose at 4 °C for the period of 48 72 h. sagittal frozen sections (40 m) were prepared and collected in Pbs (0.9% naCl in 0.1 M phosphate 74


Various authors have reported advantages of establishing a nursing contract with the patient and/or the family (Blair, 1971; Forrest, 1975; Sloan and Schommer, 1975). Practical, professional and philosophical considerations account for the increasing attention on contracts in recent studies.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 A contract is defined as "an agreement between two parties for the doing or not doing of some definite thing" (Parsons, 1972). Since both nurse and patient are involved in establishing the terms of the contract, the goals and expectations of both parties become apparent. Patients often have ideas that differ markedly from those held by professionals (Friedson, 1960). The nursing contract can help clarify these differences and clear up incorrect assumptions on both sides (Maluccio and Marlow, 1974; Parsons, 1972; Pincus and Minahan, 1973: 178). During interactions between nurse and patient, each party can refer back to the original terms of the contract for clarification and direction.


This article studies the characteristics of households' inflation expectations in India vis-à-vis realised inflation at the aggregate level. It also examines the regional and occupational variations in inflation expectations observed during 2018-19. Majority of the survey centres and occupation categories recorded some hardening of inflation expectations in 2018-19. Analysis for a longer period suggests increasing alignment of respondents' inflation expectations with the inflation target. Empirical findings suggest that past forecast errors in households' inflation expectations are helpful in improving inflation forecasts.


Interpretation of flood plain sedimentation often relies on qualitative evaluations. Quantitative analysis is often made difficult by large amounts of data generated through an array of physical and chemical measurements of sediment character. As such, analysis of sediment character is mostly focused on bivariate comparisons. This paper illustrates the utility of multivariate statistical techniques in the interpretation of flood plain sedimentation, which consider multiple factors simultaneously. Seventeen sediment characteristics were used to distinguish between groups of sediment samples collected from the lower Balonne flood plain in southwest Queensland, Australia. Sediment samples were analysed in a hierarchical manner according to a nested design of river, zone and geomorphic unit scales. The analyses demonstrated differences in sediment character at the river scale. Clear patterns in sediment character were noted at the zone and geomorphic units scales, although these were river-specific. Techniques used in this study can rapidly divide the flood plain into units based on similarities in sediment character, and can provide greater quantitative inteipretations of flood plain sedimentation.


The main factors determining the short term variations of the river Thjorsa in Iceland are rainfall and the melting of snow and glaciers. Time dependent spectral analysis was applied to investigate seasonal variations in the second order properties of the variations of Thjorsa and their relationships with temperature and precipitation. In late summer a linear model of Thjorsa and the temperature and precipitation at the meteorological station at Haell provides a good fit of the observations. Because of non-linear effects connected with snow melting linear models are less appropriate during the winter although they can still explain a significant proportion of the variations of Thjorsa. The most important information for predictions a few days ahead are past values of the river itself. Some improvement can be achieved by also taking meteorological observations into account. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1970.tb00500.x


The present article considers current trends in the documentation of narratives. Approximately seventy indices published during the last fifteen years are compared for contents and structure and are evaluated within the framework of the existing national and international systems of classification. Three basic tendencies were observed : 1) a renewed interest in the documentation of narratives in Europe and beyond ; 2) the inclusion of genres that up to now have received less scholarly attention (e.g., animal tales, nursery rhymes, ballads), and of specific forms within individual genres (e.g., comtemporary legends) ; 3) an increasing specialization (systematics, periods) in the indices despite the retention of the international systems of Aarne and Thompson's the Types of the Folktale and Thompson's Motif index.


The paper reports the results of an experimental investigation whose objecteve was measuring the energy-dissipation capacity of concrete with and without fiber reinforcement under uniaxial stress cycles. This test program is the first phase of a major investigation underway at Columbia University to establsish a data base that can be used to develop damage prediction tools and facilitate low cycle fatigue analysis of concrete and concrete members subjected to arbitrary load histories. A new energy based damage index is proposed, which is well suited for quantifying concrete residual strength and predicting its remaining life.


The invention discloses an equipment monitoring system based on three-dimensional real scenes and a system integration method based on three-dimensional real scenes. A database technology is fully utilized, and static data of a three-dimensional real scene model library is integrated and associated with dynamic data in an equipment monitoring subsystem to realize dynamism and instantaneity of three-dimensional real scene object information display; physical modeling is performed to smart equipment to form identifiable equipment three-dimensional pixel, feature information of the smart equipment is extracted to build a visual information data structure of the smart equipment; an industrial data bridge and an SOA (semiconductor optical amplifier) technology are utilized to integrate real-time date collected by the smart equipment to a three-dimensional real scene image so as to realize information display control and statistical analysis, accurate visualized dynamic information is provided for administrators in real time, and omnibearing monitoring requirements are met.


The retail industry undergoes rapid changes in India, the retail sector accounts for 10% of the country's GDP and around 15% of the employment. There is an increased demand for quality retail space from a varied segment of large – format retailers and brands, which include food and apparel chains, consumer durables and multiplex operators. India ranked No.1 in A.T.Kerney's Global Retail Development Index in both for the consumer market's potential and attractiveness. This paper focuses on Indian retail industry in current scenario, organized retailing in India, reasons for growth of retail sector, challenges before the Indian retail sector, and factors needed to promote the Indian retail industry and future scenario of Indian retailing.


Highly asymmetric effects in the photonic responses of structured materials have been attracting increasing attention recently, since they enable a higher degree of directional diversion of light that is conducive to application specific demands. We explore here a particular type of an asymmetric photonic response that is related to the system's reflectance profile. We show that the asymmetric reflectance profile of a photonic system can be tuned with an appropriate synergistic control of the geometric-structure asymmetry and the intrinsic material dissipation. Even extreme, near-perfect reflector materials can be sculpted so that reflection is almost totally suppressed for light incident from one-side while the structure maintains the near-perfect reflector property for light incident from the other side. We demonstrate this effect with a platform comprising a phonon-polariton material, in particular SiC, which in bulk form repels light within the reststrahlen-band spectrum. We subsequently explain, how as a consequence of Kirchhoff's law, the aforementioned asymmetric reflection response enables such platform to operate as a near-unidirectional emitter. We believe that these results are important for highly efficient one-way THz/infrared sources as well as passive radiative cooling devices.


This article describes the personal and professional experiences of the author as a result of her direct exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster. The author proposes the use of the term shared trauma to describe the experience of clinicians exposed to the same collective trauma as their clients. Shared trauma can result in the blurring of clinician-client roles and increased clinician self-disclosure and emphasis on the shared nature of the experience. Posttraumatic growth can also occur, including in the professional realm where clinicians develop a renewed appreciation for the value of the profession, learn to initiate greater safeguards in protecting personal time, and gain an intimate understanding of patients' traumatic experiences. The results of her 9/11 research as well as plans for collaborative research in environments characterized by chronic acts of terrorism or exposure to natural disasters are summarized. Language: en


Soil contamination with heavy metal has become an important issue that affects public health. So there is an urgent requirement for selecting appropriate technologies to solve food safety problems due to soil contamination. In this study, a field experiment was performed to study the accumulation and remediation efficiency of heavy metals in the rotation system of Brassica juncea and Elsholtzia splendens on a heavy metal-contaminated field. The results showed that the straw biomass of the oilseed rape reached 7.67 t·hm-2 and the seed yield was 1.59 t·hm-2 . The concentrations of Cd and Cu in the seed were 90% and 33% higher than the permissible limits, respectively. In the rotation system of Brassica juncea and Elsholtzia splendens, the total uptake of Cd and Cu by shoots were 35.16 g·hm-2 and 400.68 g·hm-2 , respectively, in which Brassica juncea accounted for 83% of the total Cd uptake and Elsholtzia splendens accounted for 73%. The remediation efficiency was 0.2% for Cd and only 0.07% for Cu. These results indicated that the rotation of Brassica juncea and Elsholtzia splendens was not suitable for the highly copper and cadmium-contaminated soil. Not only the quality of the harvested seed does not meet the requirements of food hygiene standards, but also it will take a long time to remediate the polluted soil through the phytoremediation.


The utility model provides a multi-protocol power switch control system and a network thereof. The multi-protocol power switch control system comprises a client and a central control terminal. The client mainly comprises a central control unit. The central control unit can be provided with a switch for controlling a downstream controlled device in a wired or wireless connection manner. The central control unit comprises a central control processor and at least one switch group consisting of one or a plurality of switches. The switch group receives a control signal from the central control processor so as to turn on or off the controlled device. The central control processor and the switch group together form a switch control system. The system comprises a protocol area arranged in the central control unit in a firmware manner and comprising at least two control protocols; and a standard control interface module. The central control unit is communicated with the outside through the standard control interface module. The central control terminal is connected with the at least one central control unit. Due to the adoption of the multi-protocol power switch control system and the network thereof, a plurality of central control units are controlled at the same time by means of the central control terminal, and electronic or electric devices adopting different control protocols can be controlled by the plurality of central control units.


INTRODUCTION
Centro-nuclear myopathy is a congenital myopathy characterized by the presence of central nuclei on muscle biopsy. Three clinical forms have been distinguished. Classification depends on the type inherited, age of onset and degree of muscle involvement.

CLINICAL CASE
We describe the case of a female patient in whom the diagnosis of centro-nuclear myopathy was made at the age of 53. The patient had not been studied previously, but was sent to us by the Department of Anaesthesia. The clinical features had first appeared in infancy. There was no family history of this disorder. Apparently this was a sporadic case.

CONCLUSIONS
In the differential diagnosis of adult patients with girdle paresthesias centro-nuclear myopathy should be included. This unusual muscle disorder may be need to be considered if anaesthesia is required.


Background: Migration of physicians from less developed countries to affluent ones has become as one of the major concerns of human resource policy-makers. This leads to problems such as inequity in the distribution of physicians, lack of physicians in less developed areas, as well as an excess of the health workforce in developed environs. Thus, policy-makers aim to increase retention of physicians in their places of origin. Aims: This study aimed to find those effective factors for the retention of physicians in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: 30 569 records of public sector physicians in 2016 were gathered from the Ministry of


Antrodia polysaccharide was separated by ethanol precipitation and ultrofiltrationr(UF) and the effects of Antrodia polysaccharide were investigated on immune function of mice.The result showed that the rate of Antrodia polysaccharide was 18.18%,increased by 56.99% compared to that by ethanol extracting.The yields of Antrodia polysaccharides with molecular weights of 1000 kD(GFP100),100~1000 kD(GFP10) and 10~100 kD(GFP1) were 3.85%,1.81% and 4.69%,respectively.All the polysaccharide components separated by UF can significantly increase the proliferation rate of mouse spleen lymphocytes.Conclusion: The method of ultrafiltration separation of Antrodia polysaccharide was simple and feasible.


The observation conditions have a significant influence on the positioning performance. GNSS signals are easily blocked in urban environments, which leads to discontinuity and instability of position solution. With the construction of BeiDou and Galileo satellite navigation system in the final stage, multi-satellite fusion will be the future development trend of GNSSs. This paper introduces the mathematical fusion model of Galileo and BeiDou satellite navigation system, typical urban coverage conditions are simulated, and a detailed in the aspects of number of visible satellites, positioning error and PDOP values are analysed. The results show that the positioning accuracy of the integrated navigation system in the horizontal is within 3 m, the elevation is within 5 m, and the PDOP value are less than 1.5 in the open sky condition. In any coverage conditions, Galileo stand-alone system cannot guarantee the positioning continuity in the whole day, and positioning performance is the worst in the north coverage condition, unable to obtain the position solutions for more than 40% time in the whole day. In the north coverage condition, BeiDou has the best positioning performance, with a minimum of 4 visible satellites and 99% of PDOP values are less than 10.


The Electric Power Research Institute's Air Emissions Risk Assessment Model (AERAM) was developed to assess the risk of toxic air emissions from coal-fired power plants. AERAM was used to study the cancer risk to the population through inhalation of airborne emissions from the Mount Tom coal-fired power plant. AERAM treats coal fly ash by particle size classes and accounts for enrichment of trace elements as a function of particle size. The stack emissions are used as a source term for atmospheric dispersion calculations using EPA's ISCLT model to obtain exposures at designated receptor points. Single-hit, multi-stage, and log-probit risk models are available for extrapolation of animal cancer data to establish the carcinogenic risks of the nearby residents. The resulting risks for arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene emissions were found to be very low. The carcinogenic risks determined by sample runs and the key sensitivities of the model options and input are presented.


Untargeted metabolomics focuses on the detection of as many groups of metabolites as possible to obtain patterns or fingerprints of biological phenomena. Hundreds or even thousands of metabolites can be measured, utilizing advanced chemistry detection techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography – quadrupole time of flight (HPLC-qTOF). Statistical analyses are utilized to narrow the number of metabolites from thousands to just those that are statistically impactful on the applied treatments. This smaller number of compounds (100 to 200) may then be analyzed statistically using various multivariate approaches to then identify those influenced by applied treatments. When analyzing serum from either Angus or Brahman cattle that were segregated into three temperament treatments based on chute scores, differential upregulation of metabolites was found between the two breed types and the temperament scores. It appears that in Angus cattle, the most temperamental cattle had significantly upregulated metabolites according to the heatmap, while Brahman cattle showed downregulated metabolites in individual animals in both the Intermediate and Temperamental temperament scores. In a separate study to illustrate the impact of metabolomics on meat quality, 18 USDA Select and 18 USDA Choice strip loins were collected and then aged for either 10 or 20 d post-processing. Furthermore, steaks from each quality grade and aging treatment were then cooked to either 63, 71, or 80oC internal temperature. Samples from the interior of each steak that excluded the exterior seared surface were analyzed. In a Principal Components Discriminant Analysis of the significant metabolites, all treatment combinations within 10 or 20 d aging were evenly split on either side of the vertical centerline with Principal Component 1 (50.5%) pulling the metabolites apart. In particular, Select steaks cooked to the two higher internal temperatures were pulled the furthest apart. Metabolomics is a relatively new but effective technology in determining cause and effect for commonly-known factors that impact meat quality.


In recent years it has been possible to examine selective attention as an organ system with its own functional anatomy, circuitry and cellular structure. Although information remains incomplete on each of these levels, this view has already altered our knowledge concerning many perplexing problems in cognitive science and allowed important insights into neurological and psychiatric disorders of children and of adults. It promises to help describe the evolutionary and developmental basis of a principle brain mechanism of voluntary control, thus advancing the way toward an understanding of how genetics and culture shape control systems. While all humans have an attention system, the efficiency of its operation clearly differs between people. These differences serve as a basis for differences both in intelligence and in emotional control.


Adsorptive separation in a continuous countercurrcnt solid-liquid contacting process is discussed. The process was demonstrated with the removal of 2%w benzene from hexane by adsorption on silica gel slurry in a rotary disc contactor at ambient temperature. Sorbent regeneration is carried out at elevated temperature in a second RDC unit, Operability, slurry transport and handling, methods of minimizing gel attrition and plugging tendencies are discussed.


The invention relates to a formula of a sizing material for binding rubber and a coppered steel wire and a preparation method thereof. The sizing material is prepared from the following raw materials in parts by weight: nitrile-butadiene rubber, high styrene, vulcanizing agent, accelerator, metal oxide, stearic acid, anti-aging agent, adhesive, plasticizer, fluid rubber and filler. The sizing material is a combined blend system using the nitrile-butadiene rubber and high styrene as the main body. The blend system has multiple functions of rubber and plastic. Compared with the sizing material formula only using butyronitrile as the main body, the sizing material provided by the invention has higher stiffiness, strength and hardness as well as improved flowability. The composite binding system combining adhesive A, RS and cobalt salt compound can effectively enhance the steel wire draw-out value of the sizing material, and improve the interlayer adhesive force, overall performance and compactness of the steel wire. The plasticizing system combining the plasticizer phenol aldehyde resin and Hm601 resin can effectively enhance the plasticity of the sizing material and perform the function of tackification.


The basic equation of Brookes information science provides a framework for the transformation of information into knowledge.Based on the theory of the transformation of information into knowledge,this paper introduces the theory of information field,analyses the role of interconnection amony informations.Using of matrix method in the information field,the paper explores the role of information content in the process of the tramsformation of information into knowledge,puts forward that information interaction will directly transform into knowledge in the framework of the knowledge structure.


Many fuzzy logic systems, in effect, perform interpolation on fuzzy X-Y graphs. Each If-then rule represents a fuzzy point on the graph; the job of the system is to balance two criteria that sometimes are in conflict. One criterion is selectivity, which asks that the behavior of the function at an intermediate point should resemble its behavior at the nearest given point. The other criterion is consensus, which asks that behavior at an intermediate point should reflect information from all nearby rules. The present paper examines the relationship between the parameter value and the behavior of the family of S-implication operators derived from the Schweizer-Sklar family of T-norms. The context is the interaction between rules, not just the behavior of an isolated rule. Subsequent research will examine other families of operators such as R-implications, Q-implications, and Mamdani pseudo-implications. The key consideration will be the effects of the parameter on the balance between consensus and selectivity. A fuller understanding of this relationship will help system designers to produce a system with desired characteristics by taking advantage of an important dimension of the flexibility that is the raison d'etre of fuzzy systems.<<ETX>>


In this paper contributions to the theory of economic growth are discussed, starting from the standard Harrod-Domar's model, R. Solow's neo-oclassical model and the model of growth by the new Cambridge school to modern trends in the theory of growth which focus on the development of dynamic models. Dynamic models include macroeconomic aggregates such as the inflation rate, money supply and government expenditure. Special attention has been paid to the approach based on the theory of rational expectations. The author shows that the current relationship constellation of key categories in the Croatian economy is not, either from a static or from a dynamic point of view, particularly favorable for autonomous formation of strong short-term impulses for economic growth with the relative stability of prices being sustained. From the time when hyperinflation was being stopped, and at reasonable economic and social costs, the goal of the economic policy has evolved into a much more subtle and multi-dimensional demand for inducing economic growth at a low inflation rate. Within this framework the author points to the restrictions of the prevailing orthodox approach to the transformation of economies in transition, and due to its orientation only towards those policies which enable market incentives, he suggests that there is a need for broadening such a conceptual framework.


This report summarises the proceedings of a workshop organised by the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), in association with the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). Academics and practitioners discussed international trends as regards the concept of universal jurisdiction and the EU's approach to promoting universal jurisdiction through its external relations, as well as practical experience in applying universal jurisdiction in the fight against impunity in Europe. The experts agreed that universal jurisdiction can play a role as part of a wider accountability strategy, complementary to international courts and prosecutions on other jurisdictional bases. They recommended more specialised training for investigators, prosecutors, judges and law enforcement staff for universal jurisdiction cases and more cooperation at EU and international level. Speakers supported the initiative for a multilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance and extradition. Special attention in universal jurisdiction cases must be given to victims seeking justice, including for sexual and gender-based crimes.


Objective:To compare the transfection efficiency of LipofectAMINE2000 and Fugene6.Methods:The plasmids containing the Firefly luciferase and Renilla luciferase gene were transfected into 293T,HepG2,DLD-1 cells using LipofectAMINE2000 and Fugene6 respectively.After 48 h transfection,cells were lysed and the luciferase activity was detected.Results:In 293T cells,the Firefly and Renilla luciferase activity of LipofectAMINE2000 transfection group were as more 6.5,5.6 fold as that of Fugene6 transfection group(P0.005);while in HepG2 cells,the activity of LipofectAMINE2000 transfection group were as more 44,49 times as Fugene6 transfection group(P0.001);but in DLD-1 cells,there was no difference between two groups.Conclusion:There is significant difference between LipofectAMINE2000 and Fugene6 for transfecting different cells.That might be needed to choose proper transfection agents depending on the type of cells.


When an Android mobile device starts for the first time, the Android Setup Wizard (ASW) is loaded so the user can do his initial configurations, such as Wi-Fi network, date, user account, data restore, terms and condition, and others. However, in the context of manual or automated tests, every time a device starts for the first time, this ASW should be consistently configured before the tests begin. This configuration should not affect the test measurements to make them reproducible. It is impracticable to manually pass through all the steps of the ASW before every new test since this limits scalability. Moreover, a manual process can be error-prone, since two testers might use different navigation paths in the ASW, and this can affect the output. An automated script to do this task is not trivial as steps of the ASW can change depending on the device model, Android version (N, O, P, Q, etc.) and vendor (Verizon, Global, etc.). This means that the number of steps and the actions that should be executed in each of them can vary. Therefore, we propose WIZARD, an intelligent system that navigates automatically and consistently through the steps of the ASW, allowing the specialist to customize this navigation. To do that, WIZARD uses information retrieval (IR), vector space model (VSM), and re-rank techniques. We validate our approach on a set of real-world and commercially-available Android builds of a large company that comprises 1505 unique records. In the task of predicting the action to execute, our approach achieved an average Accuracy@1 of 98,82% and an Accuracy@5 of 99,87%. To the best of our knowledge, WIZARD is the first system that automatically navigates in the ASW to prepare devices for reproducible tests.


AIM: To consummate the quality standard for Naolibao Pill. METHODS: Fructus Schisandrae sphenantherae,Rhizoma Acori tatarinowii,Rhizoma Chuanxiong,Vitamin E were identified by one TLC at lock in time.The Diamonsil C_(18) column was used mobile phases: methanol-isopropanol(70∶30),flow rate:1.0 mL/min,detection wavelength:284 nm for determining vitamin E;mobile phases:0.5% glacial acetic acid,flow rate:1.0 mL/min,detection wavelength:246 nm for determining Vitamin B_1. The content of Vitamin E and Vitamin B_1 were determined by HPLC. RESULTS: The average recoveries of added sample were 99.96% and 99.54%(RSD were 1.66% and 1.87%). CONCLUSION: The methods are accurate with a good reproducibility.They could be used for quality control of Naolibao Pill.


Raft -sparse pile is a newly rising pile foundation which has come into use in some areas. There are many factors affecting the sparse compound pile foundation's bearing performance, of which, the width of raft in the project design is an important factor. The application of the foundation has yielded some economic profits and some social profits. The use of numerical method of ANSYS results in calculating the effect of the raft width ranging from 0.5 to 3.0m on bearing performance of raft -sparse pile in the condition of thin soft soil ground. This paper gives a good reference on the design of raft -sparse pile foundation.


The subject Social Studies in the Senior High Schools (SHS) curricula (3 & 4 year policy) in Ghana is taught mostly by graduate teachers from the country's two teacher preparation universities-University of Cape Coast and University of Education (i.e. UCC and UEW) and graduates from other universities. Documentary analysis of their programmes reveals differences in how the subject is structured to prepare teachers to teach it at the SHS level. Qualitatively, an interpretative design was used. Documents of Social Studies course structures were analysed vis-a-vis the SHS Social Studies syllabus. The study revealed that: (a) Teacher Training Institutions (i.e. UCC & UEW) subscribe and use a particular conception of Social Studies curriculum for the production of Social Studies education graduates; and (b) Although social studies is seen as an integrated body of knowledge, there is an issue of acceptable level of integration. It was recommended that Social Studies curricula of both universities should be harmonized to focus more on attitudes and values cultivation as well as skills development of students. Key-words: Conceptions of Social Studies. Social Studies curriculum. Social Studies curriculum implementation.


The capacitive argon discharge operated in the intermediate pressure regime is studied by performing one-dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision simulations. First, the basic object-oriented plasma device code (oopd1-v1) is strictly benchmarked against the well-established xpdp1 code over a wide range of pressure (0.05–15 Torr) and varying blocking capacitor of the external circuit (5–105 nF), and excellent agreement is obtained. The oopd1-v1 is upgraded to oopd1-v2 and oopd1-v3, by adding excited atoms modeled as time- and space-evolving fluid species. The metastable Arm, the radiative Arr, and the Ar(4p) manifold, and their roles in discharge equilibrium are explored. It is found that the presence of the metastable Arm enhances the plasma density by a factor of 3 at 1.6 Torr and even higher at pressures up to 5 Torr. At low pressure (0.05 Torr), electron impact ionization from the ground state atom dominates the ionization over the whole discharge region, while metastable pooling and step-wise ionization has small contribution. The proportion of metastable pooling ionization and step-wise ionization increases with increasing pressure and becomes the dominant ionization source at 5–15 Torr.


A multilingual terminology bank consists of a data base of multilingual terminology and various programs to access it. The bank acts as a computerized dictionary, accessible to translators either on‐line or through hard‐copy printouts. Retrieved information consists of a record containing a term, its equivalents in other languages, and descriptive information which includes usage samples, synonyms, definitions, and grammatical information. Banks currently operate in Canada and Europe where they have proved extremely useful to translators. A terminology bank for the United States is being designed at Carnegie‐Mellon University, in a project undertaken jointly by the Translation Center and the Department of Computer Science. Surveys, interviews, and reviews of the literature have been used to design a bank suitable for a small, relatively impoverished sponsoring institution. The bank is to serve technical translators either on‐line or off‐line, with a data base consisting of records of English, German, French, Spanish, or Russian terms used in business or engineering. The bank will begin operation with procedures only to enter and retrieve terms; later, more complex facilities will be added.


Building energy simulations can be used to predict a building's interior conditions, along with the energy use associated with keeping these conditions comfortable. These models simulate the loads on the building (e.g., internal gains, envelope heat transfer), determine the operation of the space conditioning equipment, and then calculate the building's temperature and humidity throughout the year. The indoor temperature and humidity are affected not only by the loads and the space conditioning equipment, but also by the capacitance of the building materials, which buffer changes in temperature and humidity. This research developed an empirical method to extract whole-house model inputs for use with a more accurate moisture capacitance model (the effective moisture penetration depth model). The experimental approach was to subject the materials in the house to a square-wave relative humidity profile, measure all of the moisture transfer terms (e.g., infiltration, air conditioner condensate) and calculate the only unmeasured term: the moisture absorption into the materials. After validating the method with laboratory measurements, we performed the tests in a field house. A least-squares fit of an analytical solution to the measured moisture absorption curves was used to determine the three independent model parameters representing the moisture buffering potential of thismore » house and its furnishings. Follow on tests with realistic latent and sensible loads showed good agreement with the derived parameters, especially compared to the commonly-used effective capacitance approach. These results show that the EMPD model, once the inputs are known, is an accurate moisture buffering model.« less


Do people care about their location privacy while using location-based service apps? This paper aims to answer this question and several other hypotheses through a survey, and review the privacy preservation techniques. Our results indicate that privacy is indeed an influential factor in the selection of location-based apps by users.


Barley possesses the highest level of salt tolerance among cereals, thus it is used as an important species to investigate mechanisms involved in salt tolerance. The present investigation was conducted to study the effect of salt stress by different NaCl concentrations (0, 9000, 12000, and 15000 ppm) on proline production and it was found that there is a positive correlation between proline production and salinity. Also study the effect of salinity on BADH-1 gene expression by Real-Time PCR,where this gene was performed and it was aligned in GenBank. The sequencing was translated into amino acid sequences and these amino acid sequences were aligned in GenBank. Finally, the secondary structure of BADH-1 enzyme was determined from the most tolerant barley (Giza 2000 and Wadi Sedr) and sensitive barley Giza 129 cultivars, then sequencing translated into amino acid sequences and these sequences were aligned in GenBank. Finally, the secondary structure of BADH-1 enzyme was determined. These isolated genes were submitted in GenBank under accession numbers KX433169, KX342849, KX342850, KX342851, KX433170, and KX433171.


Objectives To describe trajectories in melanoma survivors' adherence to monthly total skin self-examination (TSSE) over 12 months, and to investigate whether adherence trajectories can be predicted from demographic, cognitive or emotional factors at baseline. Design A longitudinal observational study nested within the intervention arm of the ASICA (Achieving Self-Directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare) randomised controlled trial. Setting Follow-up secondary care in Aberdeen and Cambridge UK. Participants n=104 adults (48 men/56 women; mean age 58.83 years, SD 13.47, range 28–85 years; mean Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation score 8.03, SD 1.73, range 2–10) who had been treated for stage 0–IIC primary cutaneous melanoma in the preceding 60 months and were actively participating in the intervention arm of the ASICA trial. Interventions All participants were using the ASICA intervention—a tablet-based intervention designed to support monthly TSSE. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was adherence to guideline recommended (monthly) TSSE over 12 months. This was determined from time-stamped TSSE data recorded by the ASICA intervention app. Results Latent growth mixture models identified three TSSE adherence trajectories (adherent −41%; drop-off −35%; non-adherent −24%). People who were non-adherent were less likely to intend to perform TSSE as recommended, intending to do it more frequently (OR=0.21, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.81, p=0.023) and were more depressed (OR=1.31, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.61, p=0.011) than people who were adherent. People whose adherence dropped off over time had less well-developed action plans (OR=0.78, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.96, p=0.016) and lower self-efficacy about TSSE (OR=0.92, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.99, p=0.028) than people who were adherent. Conclusions Adherence to monthly TSSE in people treated for melanoma can be differentiated into adherent, drop-off and non-adherent trajectories. Collecting information about intentions to engage in TSSE, depression, self-efficacy and/or action planning at outset may help to identify those who would benefit from additional intervention. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03328247).


To eliminate fretting wear caused by flow-induced vibration in recirculating steam generators, tubes are separated from each other by tube support lattice bars. In the U-bend portion of the tube bundle, rows of tubes are separated by fan bars that radiate from collector bars located in the straight-leg portion of the steam generator. The replacement steam generators constructed by Babcock & Wilcox International use Type 410S stainless steel with a specified maximum hardness of R{sub b} 95 for tube support lattice bars, collector bars, and fan bars. An autogenous weld is used to join the fan bar to the collector bar. Corrosion tests were conducted to assess the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of welded type 410S stainless steel. These tests included constant-extension-rate (CERT) tests and long-term immersion tests on 410S in various welded and heat-treated conditions. The results of this test program demonstrate that, when highly stressed, the as-welded 410S weld joints are susceptible to SCC in steam generator environments. However, highly stressed 410S autogenous welds given a post-weld heat treatment were not susceptible to SCC even under faulted steam generator operating conditions.


We investigate a new method of increasing the efficiency of silicon solar panels which is based on the creating a favorable temperature regime by increasing their heat transfer coefficient. This is achieved by placing solar panels on the blades of the wind generator with the horizontal axis of rotation. The result is a simultaneous conversion of the solar energy and wind energy into the electrical energy. We show to increase the efficiency of this method it is necessary to carry out some constructive measures to increase the heat transfer coefficient.


The GTEM cell has been found as a suitable test environment for radiated susceptibility testing of electronic equipment. In Microwave Measurement Laboratory, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur, a GTEM cell with test volume 1 m /sup 3/ and characteristic impedance of 50 /spl Omega/ has been fabricated and is being successfully used for radiated emission and susceptibility testing. For susceptibility testing the device is intentionally put in the required amount of electric field. In this paper a method of moment based procedure is described to evaluate the field produced inside the cell due to a certain amount of applied power. The theoretical value is in good agreement with the measured one.


Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of qi-regulating and blood-activating herbs in treating chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and its effects on expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) and P21ras. Methods 60 patients were randomized into treatment group and control group,30 cases in each group;treatment group were treated by "Weiweian Granule",while control group treated by "Weiweian Decoction". The clinical symptoms and PCNA and P21ras expressions were observed. Results In treatment group, the clinical and pathological effective rates were 86.67% and 83.3%;they were 93.3% and 73.3% in control group, P 0.05. PCNA and P21ras expressions down-regulated after treatment(P 0.05),with no difference between two groups(P 0.05). Conclusion These herbs can improve the symptoms and pathological results possibly by down-regulating PCNA and P21ras expressions.


Abstract : Preliminary to a design of a setback-leaf system for the XM532 S and A unit to withstand the parachute malfunction requirement, an examination of frictional effects in a T293type setback-leaf system was made. It was found by analog computation that a coefficient of friction function could be used in analytic expressions to compute arming times in excellent agreement with the arming time of the leaf system obtained under ambient conditions in a centrifuge. Attempts to ascertain if the arming time of the leaf system under actual firing conditions was also in agreement when this function was used failed due to instrumentation difficulties. (Author)


One afternoon in July 1978 I was sitting at a pavement table outside a café on the Boulevard St Michel in Paris. This may sound like a 'What I did on my holidays' story, but in fact I was working on a small qualitative research project. Earlier that afternoon I had done an interview with a scholar just around the corner in the Sorbonne. I had not taped the interview, and had only scribbled a few words and names into my notebook whilst it was in progress. What I was doing in the café was writing up an account of the interview (on paper in those pre-laptop days). Whether this was the first interview I had done in this way I can't remember, but I do know that I was very happy with the results that my simple technique produced. It certainly wasn't what the contemporary manuals on research technique advised, but I found that it worked. In what follows I shall offer some thoughts about LIS research methods from the perspective of someone who has much more faith in the qualitative than the quantitative, and who believes that the imaginative devising and matching of methods to circumstances in the field is a skill that should be encouraged. Since you will find that I concentrate very much on the downside of LIS research in this little paper, I should say at the outset that I do encounter a great deal of very good output from all sorts of sources, but that's not really what I will write about here.


Cold fusion reactions and excess heat production have been reported in the electrolysis of heavy water with a palladium metal cathode. Solution of the standard diffusion equation for deuterium without fusion indicates that the deuterium concentration distribution rapidly becomes constant in the palladium lattice. Solution of the nonlinear diffusion equation for deuterium undergoing fusion also gives constant deuterium concentrations, suggesting that any fusion occurs uniformly throughout the palladium lattice. The hypothesis that fusion reactions occur predominantly at the palladium surface is shown to be inconsistent with experimental data.


Low concentrations of nitrous acid in air were estimated by a differential absorption method. Over a three-month period, atmospheric concentrations at one location in southern England varied between 0.4 and 11 ppb while those of nitrogen dioxide varied between 4 and 21 ppb. The highest proportion of acid was found in air which had passed over the industrial regions of W. Europe. In the laboratory, concentrations of about 1 ppm of nitrous acid with less than 0.03 ppm of nitrogen dioxide were produced by blowing air over a shallow layer of very dilute acidified nitrite solution. Exposure of the vapour to the light from a pyrex-shielded mercury arc caused decomposition, with production of nitrogen dioxide. This decomposition was apparently prevented by some olefins. The experiments did not support the view that nitrous acid is a source of hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1974.tb01964.x


A severe blight of buds and flowers in olive trees (Olea europaea L.) was observed in the Aitoloakarnania region, West-Central Greece during the 2015-2017 growth seasons. Symptoms appeared in buds and expandable flowers of >100 trees cv. Kalamon in 30 olive groves (50-60% disease incidence). Necrotic buds and flowers appeared scattered in the tree reaching up to 70% disease severity in some trees. Microscopic observations of dead buds and flower tissues showed abundant Alternaria-like conidia. 50 dead buds and 50 dead flowers were collected from 50 olive trees cv. Kalamon in December 2015, surface-sterilized in 0.5% NaClO for 10 min, rinsed with sterile ddH2O, immersed in 70% EtOH for 3 min, rinsed again with sterile ddH2O, dried in sterile filter paper and finally placed in potato dextrose agar and in Rose-Bengal media. Plates were incubated at 25οC with a 12h photoperiod for 5 days. Dark green fungal colonies with septate hyphae and conidia were consistently isolated from all diseased buds and flowers. ...


ABSTRACT Universities and stakeholders themselves demand more direct impact of scientific research provided through engagement and scientific outreach. Yet few research faculty receive preparation during graduate school or as early career faculty in anything other than research procedures such as scientific communication, education, or outreach. The Cooperative Extension System has had over 100 years of working with communities to improve their lives using university research through Extension education offerings in almost all the counties of the United States. We imagine if any research faculty get support in public engagement with science it should be Extension faculty with appointments requiring them to interact with stakeholder audiences. Therefore, in a case study, we examine the experiences of exemplary Extension faculty members as nominated by their department chairs using semi-structured interviews and thematic coding. All ten participants in our study equated their extension work with scientific outreach. We found that while researchers note a lack of time and money for engagement, other barriers such as lack of mentoring and professional development in engagement techniques and evaluation as well as structural barriers in the Extension system may be more significant. Continued research on Extension faculty and other exemplary public engagement faculty members throughout the U.S. in similar and other disciplines will shed light on the extent of these problems. Professional development for scientists can assist all faculty members in increasing the impact of their work.


Novel farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS) derivatives were synthesized by coupling with different substituted diamines. Their in vitro growth inhibitory activities against seven human cancer cell lines were evaluated. The results revealed that the synthetic farnesylthiosalicylamides displayed significant antitumor activities compared to the positive control FTS. Especially, compound 8f exhibited the strongest antitumor activities with IC50 values of 6.20–7.83 µM, which were one‐ to threefold less than those of sorafenib and six‐ to tenfold less than that of FTS against each cell line in vitro. Furthermore, 8f could inhibit the Ras‐related signaling pathway and induce SMMC‐7721 cell apoptosis superior to FTS in a dose‐dependent manner. These data indicate that 8f may hold greater promise as therapeutic agent for the intervention of human cancers.


Three-Temperature modeling combined with FDTD is used to study laser excitation and damage in silicon. The model reproduces parametric dependencies observed in damage threshold of silicon and is consistent for a range of interaction conditions.


Evolution is littered with paraphyletic convergences: many roads lead to functional Romes. We propose here another example - an equivalence class structure factoring the broad realm of possible realizations of the Baars Global Workspace consciousness model. The construction suggests many different physiological systems can support rapidly shifting, sometimes highly tunable, temporary assemblages of interacting unconscious cognitive modules. The discovery implies various animal taxa exhibiting behaviors we broadly recognize as conscious are, in fact, simply expressing different forms of the same underlying phenomenon. Mathematically, we find much slower, and even multiple simultaneous, versions of the basic structure can operate over very long timescales, a kind of paraconsciousness often ascribed to group phenomena. The variety of possibilities, a veritable rainbow, suggests minds today may be only a small surviving fraction of ancient evolutionary radiations - bush phylogenies of consciousness and paraconsciousness. Under this scenario, the resulting diversity was subsequently pruned by selection and chance extinction. Though few traces of the radiation may be found in the direct fossil record, exaptations and vestiges are scattered across the living mind. Humans, for instance, display an uncommonly profound synergism between individual consciousness and their embedding cultural heritages, enabling efficient Lamarkian adaptation.


We show that stars with transiting planets for which the stellar obliquity is large are preferentially hot (Teff > 6250 K). This could explain why small obliquities were observed in the earliest measurements, which focused on relatively cool stars drawn from Doppler surveys, as opposed to hotter stars that emerged more recently from transit surveys. The observed trend could be due to differences in planet formation and migration around stars of varying mass. Alternatively, we speculate that hot-Jupiter systems begin with a wide range of obliquities, but the photospheres of cool stars realign with the orbits due to tidal dissipation in their convective zones, while hot stars cannot realign because of their thinner convective zones. This in turn would suggest that hot Jupiters originate from few-body gravitational dynamics and that disk migration plays at most a supporting role.


As a binarization threshold selection method to utilize fully edge information, a method has been proposed to select the threshold so that the edge and boundary are as close to each other as possible. In such a method, the binarization actually is performed for various threshold values, and the degree of coincidence is calculated. Consequently, a very large processing time is required. The degree of coincidence is defined as the ratio between the number of boundary points in the edge region to the total number of boundary points in the image.

The authors have devised a method which can determine with a high speed the number of boundary points for each threshold without actually performing the binarization. In this method, the result of applying shrink filtering after binarization is the same as that of applying the binarization with the same threshold after applying the minimum filtering.

By utilizing this property, it is shown that the difference of the cumulative histograms between the original image and the result of processing by the minimum filter is the same as the number of boundary points for the threshold. Furthermore, the following property is shown by extending the method. The degree of coincidence between the edge and the boundary is defined as a two-variable function of the threshold of edge detection and the threshold of binarization. Then it is shown that the degree of coincidence between the two can be calculated for any threshold without actually detecting the edges and boundaries.

By utilizing this property, not only the threshold for binarization of the original image but also the threshold for the differentiated image to detect the edge can be determined simultaneously in an optimal way without necessitating a large amount of computation.


Currently, care and rehabilitation practices move, to a greater extent, out of hospitals and into private homes. This accelerating trend challenges healthcare systems and their patients. Heterogeneous settings such as private homes together with the diverse nature of the inhabitants and their conditions create both technical and usability constraints and possibilities that can inform development of home-based care and rehabilitation applications. This workshop likes to investigate and discuss challenges, requirements and possibilities related to home-based healthcare applications, seen from a patient perspective. For example, how do we design for acceptance and engagement among patients and their families living with these systems on an everyday basis? How can barriers related to patient engagement, motivation and the feeling of 'being cared for be handled by developed systems in heterogeneous environments such as private homes? Or, how can User Driven Innovation (UDI) and Participatory Design (PD) be used to create systems that are aesthetically and functionally accepted by persons subject to homebased healthcare and rehabilitation? About the workshop This Workshop will be a one full-day workshop. We expect high-quality, non-previously published work to be submitted. Accepted papers should be four pages long, and formatted according to the format of the main conference, Pervasive Health 2010. The workshop will be a mix of traditional presentations and discussions. Position papers should include a statement of no longer than 200 words containing a research question related to the submitted paper. The research questions will be


Cuprous oxide is widely known to be a native p-type semiconductor. Despite this, reports of electrodeposited films of n-type Cu2O continue to appear in the literature, with oxygen vacancies commonly implicated as the electron-donating defect. Through first-principles calculations, we demonstrate conclusively that intrinsic n-type defects or defect complexes in Cu2O cannot be the source of any n-type behavior displayed by electrodeposited samples. In light of these results, we discuss the experimental findings.


Compositional minimisation can be an effective technique to reduce the state space explosion problem. This technique considers a parallel composition of several processes. In its simplest form, each sequential process is replaced by an abstraction, simpler than the corresponding process while still preserving the property that is checked. However, this technique cannot be applied in a setting where parallel composition is first translated to a non-deterministic sequential monolithic process. The advantage of this monolithic process is that it facilitates static analysis of global behaviour. Therefore, we present a technique that considers a monolithic process with data and decomposes it into two processes where each process defines behaviour for a subset of the parameters of the monolithic process. We prove that these processes preserve the properties of the monolithic process under a suitable synchronisation context. Moreover, we prove that state invariants can be used to improve its effectiveness. Finally, we apply the decomposition technique to several specifications.


In the 1960s, British cinema began re-thinking the masculinist ideology and tried to portray a new type of decentered man. To illustrate this theory, the author analyzes several key films of this period, including Lawrence of Arabia, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, and The Hill.


This paper introduces an improved de-noising SOBI (Second Order Blind Identification) separation method, which is used to separate mixed components of different composite materials damage acoustic emission simulated signals. The contrastive analysis and numerical simulations of a variety of blind source separation algorithms are investigated, which suggests that traditional SOBI performance degrades when noise is present. By introducing noise-elimination algorithms, SOBI is improved and optimized. The improvement of separation effect of the de-noising SOBI algorithm is proved by numerical simulation experiments. Finally, based on the online structural damage simulation and monitoring test-bed, the feasibility of the proposed method is validated.


In this paper (Paper II), the isokinetic dynamics scheme described in Paper I is combined with the plane-wave based Car–Parrinello (CP) ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) method [R. Car and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 2471 (1985)] to enable the efficient study of chemical reactions and metallic systems. The Car–Parrinello approach employs "on the fly" electronic structure calculations as a means of generating accurate internuclear forces for use in a molecular dynamics simulation. This is accomplished by the introduction of an extended Lagrangian that contains the electronic orbitals as fictitious dynamical variables (often expressed directly in terms of the expansion coefficients of the orbitals in a particular basis set). Thus, rather than quench the expansion coefficients to obtain the ground state energy and nuclear forces at every time step, the orbitals are "propagated" under conditions that allow them to fluctuate rapidly around their global minimum and, hence, generate an accurate approxima...


Abstract: In an entomological study conducted in two high altitude malaria endemic sites in Kakamega district, western Kenya (1995–96), Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (A. gambiae s.l.) and Anopheles funestus were the only two anopheline species collected and identified based on morphological criteria. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was the predominant species forming 83% (n = 2667) of the total female anopheline mosquitoes collected indoors. In both ecogeographical sites, the two species showed different seasonal patterns in population densities and Plasmodium falciparum infectivity rates both which are responsible for variation in malaria transmission in the two sites. To establish the sibling species composition of the A. gambiae Giles complex 30% of the total A. gambiae collected were analysed by the DNA‐based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All 802 mosquito specimens tested belonged to one sibling species, A. gambiae sensu stricto (A. gambiae s.s). No A. arabiensis was present from the specimens tested. The results suggest that A. gambiae s.s. may be the only member of the gambiae complex represented in the high altitude sites in western Kenya. This species, unlike A. arabiensis, is highly anthropophagic and endophilic, and these behavioural trends may be useful in targeting specific control measures for this species in the high altitude sites such as indoor residual spraying and destruction of breeding sites. The present study is the first logitudinal entomological study to be carried out in highlands of western Kenya where malaria epidemics are frequent.


The amount of energy absorbed during laser irradiation of powder layers is extremely important in accurately representing the process in numerical simulations. Experiments were conducted using a process calorimeter to measure the bulk absorption (energy transfer efficiency) during irradiation of a mild steel substrate, pure iron powder layers, and nickel alloy powder layers with a Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1.06 mm) Irradiation of the powder layers, having different thickness, was conducted using process parameters applicable to the laser cladding process. Bulk absorption on the bare, mild steel substrate was found to be 0.48. Bulk absorption was observed to increase with powder layer thickness up to approximately 3.0 mm. The bulk absorption for pure iron powder was found to be between 0.46 and 0.68, and the bulk absorption for the nickel alloy powder was found to be between 0.54 and 0.69.The amount of energy absorbed during laser irradiation of powder layers is extremely important in accurately representing the process in numerical simulations. Experiments were conducted using a process calorimeter to measure the bulk absorption (energy transfer efficiency) during irradiation of a mild steel substrate, pure iron powder layers, and nickel alloy powder layers with a Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1.06 mm) Irradiation of the powder layers, having different thickness, was conducted using process parameters applicable to the laser cladding process. Bulk absorption on the bare, mild steel substrate was found to be 0.48. Bulk absorption was observed to increase with powder layer thickness up to approximately 3.0 mm. The bulk absorption for pure iron powder was found to be between 0.46 and 0.68, and the bulk absorption for the nickel alloy powder was found to be between 0.54 and 0.69.


Covalent bonding between transition metal atoms is a common phenomenon in honeycomb lattices of layered materials, which strongly affects their electronic and magnetic properties. This work presents a detailed spectroscopic study of α-MoCl3, 2D van der Waals material with covalently bonded Mo2 dimers, with a particular focus on the Mo–Mo bonding. Raman spectra of α-MoCl3 were studied with multiple excitation laser lines chosen in different parts of the absorption spectrum, while polarization measurements aided in the symmetry assignment of the observed modes. Furthermore, far-IR measurements and (Density Functional Theory) DFT phonon computations were performed to complete vibrational assignment. Polarized absorption, PL, and photoelectron spectroscopy supported by DFT calculations were employed to understand the consequences of the Mo–Mo bonding for the electronic structure and the localization/delocalization balance in d3–d3 interactions. A coupling of dimerization-related structural and electronic properties was revealed in the strong resonance Raman enhancement of the Mo–Mo stretching mode at 153 cm−1 when the excitation laser matched the electronic transition between σ-bonding and antibonding orbitals of the Mo2 dimer (σ → σ*). The deeper understanding of the metal–metal bonding and identification of the vibrational and electronic spectroscopic signatures of the dimerization will be of great use for the studies of electron delocalization in magnetic van der Waals materials.


In most of the VLSI systems, multiplier being the vital part consumes nearly 15-20% of total IC power and is quiet slow in overall operation of the system. Thus it is essential to have an efficient design for the multipliers to improve the overall performance of the system. Booth multiplier reduces the number of partial products, taking into account two bits of the multiplier at a time, resulting in speed advantage over other multiplier architectures. With this advantage, Booth Multiplier is widely used in multiplication process for various digital and DSP circuits. The objective of this paper is to implement an optimized Booth Multiplier (8*8) with improved Power consumption and Delay Product (PDP). The sign extension is implemented using a single inverter and the addition operation is implemented by using custom designed Carry Skip Adders with IOT Full Adder. The design implementation and the simulations are done in Cadence Virtuoso V13.0 under 45nm technology.


The liquefaction potential of saturated sand is estimated by using torsional shear. Laboratory tests indicate distinct patterns between torsional moment and rotation angle of cylinder embedded in sand for contracting and dilative behavior. Using corresponding relations, shear stress versus shear strain of sand adjacent to cylindrical surface is evaluated. By slightly modifying the standard penetration test, torsion shear tests were carried out. The predictions of liquefaction potential by torsional shear compares favorably with the predictions of standard penetration tests for liquefaction potential.


Abstract Self-diffusion coefficients for nine liquid metals are calculated over a wide temperature range using an expression developed by consideration of a rigid sphere model and application of a newly developed equation of state. Comparisons made with experimental data and previously published expressions suggest that the rigid sphere model provides an accurate means of calculating self-diffusion coefficients for liquid metals.


ABSTRACT This case study sought to broaden the scope of inquiry into factors influencing human-wildlife coexistence beyond immediately tangible wildlife impacts and challenges with flagship wildlife species. Maasai pastoralists in Laikipia County, Kenya, were interviewed regarding challenges with wildlife, particularly perceptions of disease transmission from wildlife to domestic livestock. Responses revealed experiences with numerous diseases and multiple perceived associations between wildlife and livestock disease. Responses aligned with prior research that elephants severely compromise pastoralists' well-being, but concerns were overwhelmingly articulated as fear affecting daily activities rather than in more directly quantifiable terms. Findings did not indicate concerns with lions, despite their focus in scholarship and conservation initiatives. Responses indicated the need to view human-wildlife coexistence more broadly to include species beyond iconic wildlife, and to recognize that subjective concerns (e.g., fear, disease transmission to livestock) in addition to quantifiable events (e.g., human deaths, livestock predation) might affect attitudes toward wildlife conservation.


The present invention relates to a mobile communication system in a DPCCH (Dedicated Physical Control Channel) Gating system. UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) according to whether the data forward transmission on (dedicated physical data channel) to the PCCH (physical common channel) and a forward DPDCH, through the TFCI (Transport Format Combination Indicator) symbol to a UE (User equipment) transmit gating start command or gating end command to start or end the gating DPCCH.


A solution processible poly(3-hexylthiophene) derivative containing O4-substituted diaminopyrimidine (ODAP) terminated side groups has been prepared by post-polymerization functionalization of the precursor copolymer, namely, regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-co-3-(6-bromohexyl)thiophene), with 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine. An interesting feature of this polymer is its capability of the hydrogen bond assisted formation of organic−inorganic composites with 1-(6-mercaptohexyl)thymine functionalized semiconductor nanocrystals (CdSe). The composites, obtained in a simple one-pot preparation step, exhibit a homogeneous distribution of nanocrystals within the polymer matrix in an extended three-dimensional network, whereas in blends without specific interaction between the constituents, phase segregation on a submicron level occurs.


The concept of a waveguide invariant has been used extensively to explain and exploit the time‐frequency structure present in passive lofargrams. Recently this concept has been extended to active sonar data and has been demonstrated experimentally for both target and bottom scattering returns obtained in shallow water channels. In this talk, characteristics of the active invariance structure observed with towed horizontal arrays operating in deep water channels are presented and discussed. A towed array offers an ideal array aperture to observe the active invariance structure because a single pulse received across the array can be processed to recover the invariance striations. This processing offers higher resolution than what would be obtained with multiple returns from a moving target when sampled across a single receiver. Furthermore, for larger apertures operating at higher frequencies, the ability to observe the invariance intensity structure may be affected by details of the beamforming. The framew...


Larvae collected in phytotelmata on Palawan, the Philippines, were bred and yielded three new species of genus Exochomoscirtes which are described. Exochomoscirtes pupae are described for the first time, and supplementary descriptions of larvae and females and some biological notes are provided. Scirtes (Curtoscirtes ?) brunneus sp. n. is named from a field-collected male. Larvae of unidentified species of Prionocyphon and Hydrocyphon are also recorded from Palawan.


Faced with the challenges of producing with quality and safety, even through non-conventional production models, agriculture has been passing through a process of continuous transition in the search for alternative production of self-sustaining systems. The objective of this work was to evaluate the post-harvest quality, through sensorial analysis of Crimson Sweet watermelon fruits produced in organic system in pre-planting with legumes and application of bio-fertilizers. The sensorial test was carried out at the Universidade Estadual do Piauí (State University of


The risk assessment presentation features of information security by the risk maps are considered. The attention is paid to special aspects of such a presentation. The established limit for discreteness and unevenness of changing the step the value of a risk. Using continuous risk maps is proposed to overcome the limit. This is due to income information security events with a continuous flow to consider the analogy information security management system with the queuing system. Therefore, the justification of continuous risk map is led to the probability of occurrence events with risk acceptance. For this, the concept and methods of geometric probability are used. Through this received "unit square" as a reflection of probabilistic geometry which is corresponding to the value normalized quantity of information security risk. The admissibility limit is represented by a hyperbola. With this in mind, use the continuous risk maps is justified.


Simultaneous discrimination among various parametric lifetime models is an important step in the parametric analysis of survival data. We consider a plot of the skewness versus the coefficient of variation for the purpose of discriminating among parametric survival models. We extend the method of Cox & Oakes from complete to censored data by developing an algorithm based on a competing risks model and kernel function estimation. A by-product of this algorithm is a nonparametric survival function estimate.


Efficiency is crucial for an airplane to reduce both costs of operations and emissions of pollutants. There are several airplane concepts that potentially allow for increasing the efficiency. A few of them were not investigated thoroughly enough yet. The inverted joined wing configuration, where the upper wing is positioned in the front of the lower one is an example of such a concept. Therefore, a project consisting of an aerodynamic analysis and optimisation, development of the software for multidisciplinary optimisation, development of an electric propulsion system, development of an experimental scaled demonstrator, wind tunnel testing and flight-testing was undertaken by consortium led by the Institute of Aviation, including also Warsaw University of Technology, Air Force Institute of Technology and small company MSP. Results of this project led to the conclusion that inverted joined wing configuration allows to build an airplane with the best performance in the world, but its advantage against conventional airplanes is marginal. One reason for this is large trimming drag of the configuration with relatively high position of the thrust vector. Therefore, other configurations of the propulsion were also considered to see if airplane performance could be further improved. This effort is described in the present paper.