The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), a fully approved and funded project of the European Space Agency (ESA), is an astronomical satellite, which will operate at wavelengths from 2.5–240 μm. ISO will provide astronomers with a unique facility of unprecedented sensitivity for a detailed exploration of the universe ranging from objects in the solar system right out to distant extragalactic sources. The satellite essentially consists of a large cryostat containing at launch over 2000 litres of superfluid helium to maintain the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, the scientific instruments and the optical baffles at temperatures between 2 K and 8 K. The telescope has a 60-cm diameter primary mirror and is diffraction-limited at a wavelength of 5 μm. A pointing accuracy of a few arc seconds is provided by a three-axis-stabilisation system consisting of reaction wheels, gyros and optical sensors. ISO's instrument complement consists of four instruments, namely: an imaging photo-polarimeter (2.5–240 μm), a camera (2.5–17 μm), a short wavelength spectrometer (3–45 μm) and a long wavelength spectrometer (43–196 μm). These instruments are being built by international consortia of scientific institutes and have been delivered to ESA for in-orbit operations. ISO will be launched in September 1995 by an Ariane 4 into an elliptical orbit (apogee 70000 km and perigee 1000 km) and will be operational for at least 18 months. In keeping with ISO's role as an observatory, the majority of its observing time is being made available to the general astronomical community via a "Call for Observing Proposals".


The first phase of the Democracy and Governance (D&G) project in Nigeria has been concluded in February 1998. Started in March 1997 by the collaborative effort between the Johns Hopkins University Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) and the US Agency for International Development it aimed to contribute to the development of Nigerias civil society by increasing participation of women in all aspects of political and civil life. Under the project JHU/PCS worked with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in nine states which were mandated to improve their constituents well-being and status in society. The project used a quasi-experimental design involving the measurement of pertinent indicators at the initiation and end of the intervention to assess the impact on behavior change at institutional membership and community levels. The NGOs conducted group interviews of key members of the NGO management team. Overall the project showed a positive impact on the NGO members and NGO institutions. The findings noted an improvement on knowledge of democracy and governance issues political empowerment political participation and self-efficacy and cultural and economic issues concerning the well-being of women. Based on the results the evaluation report provides evidence on the feasibility of implementing D&G interventions in an unstable and difficult socio-political environment.


In this paper, we will show that the cost − cosh ◦dHn is a regular cost, meaning that minimizing this cost on hyperbolic space yields a smooth optimal map between two given distributions of mass which satisfies suitable hypotheses. We show this by proving this cost satisfies Ma-Trudinger-Wang's conditions and by investigating notions of convexity under this cost.


A draft adjustable floating submersible device for fluid flux power generation is provided to minimize resistance to fluid by forming an incline in a tip-end part of a floater. A draft adjustable floating submersible device for fluid flux power generation comprises: a vertical lift unit(270) lifting a generator assembly to the upper side of a platform(100); a pair of the floaters(200) in which the platform is installed; an air inlet and outlet unit installed in a ballast tank; an air pump controlling the air pressure of the ballast tank inside; and a water inlet and outlet unit installed at a floating tank. The incline(200a) is formed in the end part of the floater so that resistance to fluid flux is reduced.


Children in the UK start learning to read and write using the phonics method, which teaches them how to link sounds (phonemes) with their written representation (graphemes). However, it is a difficult skill which takes a long time to master. To address this, our research begins to explore how a multisensory toolkit could aid phonics learning and support engagement in the process. In this exploratory study, we use variants of the bouba/kiki stimuli, which have been shown to have pre-existing shape, colour and scent mappings, and explore how they could be applied to phonics learning. We presented a first prototype to four children in order to gain initial insights of their experiences of using multisensory tangible models for phonics, as well as the types of sensory associations and interactions that could be further explored.


Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) seed gum (LSG) was evaluated for disintegrant action in lactose (soluble) based tablets containing ibuprofen, a relatively insoluble drug. The properties of tablets evaluated include weight uniformity, hardness, friability, disintegration time and in vitro dissolution (k, T 50 , A 30 ). LSG, at low concentration level (2% w/w), can be used as a disintegrant in tablet dosage form containing water-insoluble drug. In contrast to maize starch, LSG swells rapidly when brought in the contact with water, while preventing the liquid uptake in cylindrical column of powder. This presumably suggests that initial swelling of LSG particles generates enough pressure to elicit disintegration action in the tablet before further liquid uptake results in formation of mucilaginous, gel like coherent mass, which hinders further movement of water into the tablet matrix.


In parallel software development performance engineering is important to get to an efficient parallel program. If, for example, the choosen parallel algorithm or load balancing strategy does not match the multiprocessor system characteristics, the resulting software will not exploit the full processing power of the system. It is crucial to determine performance estimates in early stages of the parallel program development to prevent the developers from making wrong parallel program design decisions.


The varieties of native potatoes: Super Chola, Leona Negra and Coneja Blanca with husk, contain important physico-chemical characteristics. The objective of this research was to evaluate the use of these native potatoes with husk in two processes of transformation: puree and potato chips. Made with a DBCA (Randomized Complete Block Design) that had three replicates in which factors to study were three varieties of native potatoes with husk (Super chola, Leona negra and Coneja blanca) and two types of processes (puree and potato chips). Analysis physical and chemical had five variables: total ash, moisture, color, firmness and reducing sugars. content, to determine the sensory properties and the acceptance of puree and chips of potatoes with husk, was made a sensory analysis of color, smell, texture and taste, with the help of a seven-point hedonic scale. The puree treatment of Coneja Blanca with husk has higher content of total ash with 2.44 percent, in the case of the chips the Leona Negra with husk treatment presented a higher content of total ash with 3.11 percent. The moisture content in the mashed potatoes and chips did not vary with the presence of the potato skin, since there was no significant difference, by means of a statistical analysis (p minor que 0.05). With the statistical analysis the steadiness did not have significant variation (p minor que 0.05). The reducing sugars in the puree treatment of Coneja Blanca with husk had lower content of it with a value of 0.130 g, for the chips the treatments Coneja Blanca with husk and Leona Negra with husk had lower content of reducing sugars with a value of 0.112 g. The sensory evaluation could establish that the treatment of better acceptance was the Coneja Blanca puree. that obtained a score of 6.1 which is called "I like moderately", on the other hand the sensorial evaluation of the chips according to the results had better acceptance the Super Chola with husk treatment obtaining a score of 6 which is called "I like moderately" moderate to the treatment Super Chola with husk. The results obtained in this study support the need to continue with research and use of native potato varieties that are suitable for the contribution of physical-chemical and sensory characteristics.


High quality InP and Gal xInxAs layers have been grown on InP substrates using MOVPE growth at atmospheric pressure. Excellent material quality has been obtained using triethylindium and tr imethylgall ium sources (n = 1.7 1014 cm 3,/x = 106 000 cm2V-ls -1 at 77 K for InP and n = 1 3 1015 cm -3, t~ = 75 000 cm2V-ls -~ at 77 K for Ga~_fln~As). The InP/Ga~_~InxAs interface width obtained is very small (10/~). The first PIN diodes grown by the process exhibit excellent characteristics.


In this article we will talk about the Namangan local versions of the genre of chandish – a verbal game, widespread in Uzbek folklore. The article analyzes and classifies the original texts of the genre, taking into account the homogeneous features of the highlighted Namangan areal zone.


Three catecholato copper(II) complexes, [Cu(catCl4)(L1′)], [Cu(catBr4)(L1′)], and [Cu(catCl4)(L1H)], supported by sterically hindered neutral and anionic N3 type ligands: tris(3,5-diisopropyl-1-pyrazolyl)methane (referred to as L1′) and hydrotris(3,5-diisopropyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate (referred to as L1−), are synthesized and characterized in detail. Their X-ray structures reveal that both [Cu(catCl4)(L1′)] and [Cu(catBr4)(L1′)] complexes have a five-coordinate square-pyramidal geometry and [Cu(catCl4)(L1H)] complex has a four-coordinate square-planar geometry. The L1H is unusual protonated ligand that controls its overall charge. For the three catecholato copper(II) complexes, the oxidation state of copper is divalent, and catechol exists in catecholate as two minus anion. This difference in coordination geometry affects their d-d and CT transitions energy and ESR parameters.


Objectives: To evaluate the effect of Audiovisual sexual stimulation(AVSS) on nocturnal penile tumescence(NPT). Methods: 20 patients with erectile dysfunction were examined twice about NPT after AVSS. Result: Difference is significance in maximal amplitude(P0.01) and temporal summation(P0.01). Conclusions: The AVSS can improve NPT. To decrease false negative rate,it is necessary to offer AVSS before NPT .


The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of clofazimine in controlling the neuritic complications of infection with M. leprae. Previously reported studies of the use of clofazimine have utilized lepromatous patients, and only briefly refer to its value in controlling neuritis (1. 2, 3, 4 , II, 6, 7) . The patients included in this trial are all in the tuberculoid and borderline portions of the spectrum. Initially our intention was to make this a controlled study and to place representative patients on clofazimine with and without additional corticosteroids, along with comparable patients on dapsone or thiambutosine, also with and without corticosteroids. However, it was soon evident that such a study would have insurmountable technical difficulties. More importantly we saw that this would result in patients developing irreversible neurologic complications and would be morally indefensible. The most important problems of Jeprosy relate to its neurological component, and in Africa some 40% to 60% of patients need therapeutic prevention of the permanent neural sequelae, and this is usually not attained with conventional therapy. This refers particularly to the patients in the TT and BT portions of the spectrum, where in many instances nerve involvement can be rapidly irreversible, and can be aggravated by conventional treatment with dapsone. The combination of corticosteroids with either dapsone or thiambutosine is not always effective in controlling the inflammatory response in nerves and also occasionally leads to steroid dependency and reversal reaction, either of which can readily lead to serious complications. From preliminary trials of the use of clofazimine and the reports of others (II, 6, S), it appeared that this drug would help to halt the progress of neural involvement,


In this study we focus on the film The Siege (1998), as an illustration of how mediated representations of terrorism serve as a vehicle for Orientalist discourse. This text serves as a specific location of struggle and negotiation over interpretations of media characterizations of Arabs, Arab Americans, Muslims, and Islam. First, we focus on how the film represents these communities and the religion textually. Second, we consider news discourse offering critiques of the film by protesting organizations, and the defenses articulated by some of the film's makers. Third, we explore the interpretations of young U.S. viewers as they resonate with competing facets of the text and with public perspectives. Despite the varied possibilities within the text, these interpretations privileged rather than challenged an underlying Orientalist ideology. Still, news media did acknowledge the contestation of dominant discourse, a potential step toward improved portrayals.


We study a complex Ginzburg-Landau (GL) type model related to fluid instabilities in the boundary of magnetized toroidal plasmas (called edge-localized modes) with a prescribed shear flow on the Neumann boundary condition. We obtain the following universal results for the model in a one-dimensional interval. First, if the shear is weak, there is a unique linearly stable steady-state perturbed from the nonzero constant steady-state corresponding to the zero shear case. Second, if the shear is strong, there is no plausible steady-state except the trivial zero solution in the interval. With the help of these results and the existence of global attractors, we can dramatically reduce the number of cases for the long-time behavior of a solution in the model.


The thesaurus was developed for a library catalogue in a legal aid clinic in Toronto (Canada). This organization assists low-income injured workers with worker's compensation claims appeals. A small non-profit with limited resources, it has been actively engaged for nearly fifty years in advocacy and law reform. Its commitment to social justice is also advanced through its work in public legal education, participatory research and community organization, including support of self-help groups. The library serves as an archive of the social history of injured workers' movement in Ontario, as well as a working law library. The library collection has been developed since the clinic's establishment in 1969. It includes not only commercially published literature, but also a substantial proportion of grey literature covering a unique range of materials on workers' compensation in Ontario, the struggles, historical and current, to improve the system and its impact on injured workers' lives and well-being.

The library catalogue is online and made available to the public through a link on a website for injured workers. It is intended to be easily maintained by a community organization that may not have a full-time librarian and/or professional cataloguer. All cataloguing is original and full-level, and the bibliographic records also include tables of contents and annotations to improve access to materials through keyword search. All records are also indexed with subject terms drawn from a customized thesaurus, at present linked to the library catalogue as a static pdf file. The thesaurus, built on freeware, aims to make accessible a specialized terminology and examine its complex meanings and many underlying biases.

Our presentation focuses on the stories behind many subject terms in the thesaurus. While many existing sources were used in constructing the thesaurus, it has become clear that much of this vocabulary, such as the term "entitlement", has specific biases and social sensitivities. The library users include lawyers, researchers, and injured workers from a multicultural population with many non-native English speakers. We discuss the challenges in developing a socially responsive thesaurus to meet the needs of this diverse range of users:

• How can both the literary warrant vs. user preferences and sensitivities be best incorporated into a thesaurus entry?
• How should one define the primary user group?
• What are feasible means for evaluating alternative terms?
• How can the thesaurus reflect historical contexts and meanings?

Technologies for thesaurus construction and display carry their own challenges as well. An earlier initiative to build and evaluate a thesaurus for the clinic's library catalogue used the techniques of Vicente's and Mai's Cognitive Work Analysis to analyze organization work domains and the selected terms. We present case studies of selected thesaurus terms, addressing socially responsive structure of an entry and technological issues of dynamic implementation and sustainability. We discuss how a thesaurus as a form of controlled vocabulary can also become an educational tool for diverse user groups. The implications for creating a transferable and scalable model for community-based organization of knowledge are discussed.


Intervention Infants were assigned to 1 of 9 treatment groups (8 infants per group): sucrose 12%; Ross Special Formula (a solution approximating human milk containing 7.5 ml protein, 3.24 g lactose, 1.85 ml fat, and water to make 50 ml); Similac, a commercially available milk; lactose 7%; fat/lactose (3.5 g lactose, 1.85 ml fat, and water to make 50 ml of solution); fat (1.85 ml of a coconut and soy oil blend and 48.15 ml water); protein (7.5 ml provimin and 35 ml water); concentrated fat (3.7 ml fat and 46.3 ml water); or water. 7 minutes before blood collection, the infant's foot was placed in a heated matrix. After 3 minutes, infants drank 2 ml of the designated solution from a syringe for 2 minutes. During the next 2 minutes, the nurse, who was unaware of the treatment condition, prepared for the procedure. For scoring purposes, the procedure began when the nurse squeezed the heel immediately before the heel stick, and ended with the application of a bandage and release of the heel (3–6 minutes). The entire session was videotaped.


Since 2004, Ireland has included in its system of social welfare payments criteria for receipt which limit the extent to which immigrants can receive welfare payments. In this paper, we compare the rates of receipt of welfare for immigrants and natives to see if the outcome is consistent with the operation of this policy. Using data from 2008, we generally find lower rates of welfare receipt among immigrants. While the numbers of immigrants claiming unemployment-related payments surged at the outset of the recession, there appears to have been a quicker stabilisation in the number of immigrants claiming such benefits relative to natives, based on official data from 2007 to 2010. This would be consistent with the on-going implementation of the type of criteria introduced in 2004.


Based on integrated pest management, a stage-structured predator-prey model with pulses and time delay is proposed and investigated. Sufficient conditions are derived for the global attractivity of the pest-eradication periodic solution and the permanence of the system. We also show that time delay, pulse catching rate and the period of pulsing can affect the dynamics of the system.


Background: Health and behavioural outcomes of adolescents have been shown to be related to school pressure, demands or unfavourable relationships with classmates or teachers. These associations may relate to school satisfaction, but evidence on this is lacking. Therefore, our aim is to explore the associations of school satisfaction with hopelessness, health complaints, fighting and truancy. Methods: Data come from the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study collected in 2018 from Slovak 15-year-old adolescents (N = 816; 50.9% boys). School satisfaction was measured by school engagement and attitudes towards education, grouped as: satisfied (both positive), inconsistent (one positive, one negative) and indifferent (both negative). Hopelessness, health complaints, fighting and truancy were measured using self-report questionnaires. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of school satisfaction with hopelessness, health complaints, fighting and truancy separately. Results: Indifferent adolescents were more likely to feel hopeless, to frequently experience two or more health complaints, to be involved in a fight and to skip school (odds ratios/95%-confidence interval: 2.57/1.49–4.45; 2.51/1.48–4.25; 1.92/1.02–3.60; and 2.34/1.25–4.40, respectively) than satisfied adolescents. Inconsistent adolescents were more likely to frequently experience two or more health complaints than satisfied adolescents (1.72/1.05–5.79). Conclusions: School satisfaction affects adolescents' health and social behaviour and may threaten their healthy development.


This paper build a comprehensive cost-minimizing model of public economics including sharing cost,decision-making cost and congestion cost.We analyze the forulation of organizational size when business associations providing public goods,club goods and combinations of them.In addition,we also examine the effects of exogenous factors,such as industrial organization structure and institutions,on business associations' function and size.The data from the surey on Guangdong and Zbejiang has been uesd to test several important variables which impact business associations' good supply.Finally,some useful conclusions of inspiration have been made. According to our suggestion,the "one industry one association" rule need to be reformed to improve autonomy and organizational efficiency for business associations.


Mutations in the TRMU gene encoding the mitochondrial tRNA-specific 2-thiouridylase were found in infantile hepatopathy related to mitochondrial translation defect (OMIM# 613070). This condition is rare mitochondrial disorder with a life-threatening onset and with spontaneous remission, therefore a prompt diagnosis and treatment of these patients has importance in clinical practice. Here we describe a patient, with liver failure due to mutations in TRMU gene and compare with patients from literature.


HE development of the dentin proceeds in two well-defined steps of formation and of calcification. Previous experiments have shown that the formation of the organic ground substance and its mineralization may be influenced separately. It was shown that after nephrectomythe rate of formation of dentin was accelerated while the calcification was not disturbed.' It is also known that vitamin D primarily influences the calcification of hard tissues. Therefore, it seemed of interest to investigate the combined effect of nephrectomy and the injection of massive doses of ealciferol.


In today's world, everything is connected via the Internet. Smart cities are one application of the Internet of Things (IoT) that is aimed at making city management more efficient and effective. However, IoT devices within a smart city may collect sensitive information. Protecting sensitive information requires maintaining privacy. Existing smart city solutions have been shown not to offer effective privacy protection. We propose a novel continuous method called Differential Privacy-Preserving Smart City (DPSmartCity). When the IoT device produces sensitive data, it applies differential privacy techniques as a privacy-preserving method that uses Laplace distributions or exponential distributions. The controller receives the perturbed data and forwards it to the SDN. SDN controllers eventually send the data to the cloud for further analysis. Accordingly, if the data is not sensitive, it is directly uploaded to the cloud. In this way, DPSmartCity provides a dynamic environment from the point of view of privacy preservation. As a result, adversaries are unable to easily compromise the privacy of the devices. The solution incurs at most 10-18% overhead on IoT devices. Our solution can therefore be used for IoT devices that are capable of handling this overhead.


Pyridoacridines are marine natural products that contain planar structures. Almost all are cytotoxic and capable of DNA intercalation. Several pyridoacridines have demonstrated anti-cancer activity, being able to generate reactive oxygen species or to inhibit topoisomerase (Topo) II. Synthetic pyridoacridines were characterized and compared to other pyridoacridines as well as the Topo-inhibiting drugs (etoposide, 9-aminocamptothecin and wakayin) in a series of in vitro enzyme systems. We found AK37 was able to stabilize a DNA–Topo I cleavable complex, but not a DNA–Topo II cleavable complex. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a DNA–Topo I cleavable complex stabilizing pyridoacridine. Structure comparison studies demonstrated that this activity was lost when an extra 'F' ring was added, but activity was not affected when the 'D' ring was removed. AK37 inhibited the catalytic activity of both human Topo I and II.


The mixed pixel of low-resolution remote-sensing image makes the traditional water extraction method not effective for small water body extraction. This study takes the Loess Plateau with complex terrain as the research area and develops a multi-index fusion threshold segmentation algorithm (MFTSA) for a large-scale small water body extraction algorithm based on GEE (Google Earth Engine). MFTSA uses the AWEI (automated water extraction index), MNDWI (modified normalized difference water index), NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and EVI (enhanced vegetation index) for multi-index synergy to extract small water bodies. It also uses slope data generated by the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model) and NIR band reflectance to eliminate suppressing high reflectivity noise and shadow noise. An MFTSA algorithm was proposed and the results showed that: (1) The overall extraction accuracy of the MFTSA algorithm on the Loess Plateau was 98.14%, and the correct extraction rate of small water bodies was 92.82%. (2) Compared with traditional water index methods and classification methods, the MFTSA algorithm could extract small water bodies with higher integrity and clearer and more accurate boundaries. (3) The MFTSA algorithm was used to extract a total of 69,900 small water bodies on the Loess Plateau, accounting for 97.63% of the total water bodies, and the area was 482.11 square kilometers, accounting for 16.50% of the total water bodies.


In this paper we describe the effect of spacing between two adjoining circular cylinders on flow around three rows of two-dimensional circular cylinder bundles supported by wires. The experiment was carried out in an N.P.L. blow-down-type wind tunnel with a working section of 500mm×500mm / 2000mm and with the Reynolds number of 9.4×103. The frequency of shedding vortices from the circular cylinder, displacement of the vibrating circular cylinder, and the time mean and fluctuating surface pressure distributions on the circular cylinder were measured. And the results were compared with those for the case of fixed support. Consequently it was found that (i) shedding vortices from circular cylinders exist in the range of spacing ratio S/D≥3 for the first row, S/D≥2.3 for the second row and S/D≥2.0 for the third row, (ii) the fluid elastic vibration occurs in the range of S/D<2.O for the first row and S/D<2.3 for the second row, though it does not occur for the third row, and (iii) the variation of fluctuating drag coefficient and fluctuating lift coefficient corresponds to that of displacement of a vibrating cylinder.


The paper is about a fast controller based Data Acquisition and Control System. System consists of several plant systems varying from cryogenics, mechanical components, laser based diagnostic systems and gas feed systems to high voltage and high current power supplies. The operational mandate for is to undertake long duration experimental shots of up to 3600 sec. During the experimental durations various signals are to be sampled and acquired at various speeds ranging from 5 Sps to 100 MSps. The total number of signals to be acquired ~800. To operate the facility coordination between multiple plant systems is required for which a matured DACS is required. The DACS has several challenges like online monitoring of slow and fast signals for long duration. The fast controller prototype is based on NI hardware. Also a preliminary file management system will also be developed in the prototype. Prototype is based on LabVIEW2012 software. The system is about Data Acquisition system for acquiring data from the controller at high sampling rate. For this purpose industrial controllers can be used which are meant for high speed data acquisition and for controlling purpose. The Data acquisition and control system has the important responsibility of operating the entire facility in an integrated manner. To ensure proper operation of the DACS must be able to satisfy certain criterions which ensure proper and safe operations. It must be able to integrate multiple plant systems for a proper coordinated operation of the facility. Must be able to monitor important system parameters like heat load on mechanical structures, grid breakdown for power supplies etc. for protection of facility. Due to the long duration of 3600sec of the beam pulses stringent requirements are there on both data transfer throughput and storage space. Should be able to manage the large amount of data (in order of 100MB/s) generated by each experimental shot. To be able to facilitate online monitoring of some of the signals for real time study of the facility. The DACS must include a mature Data management facility which should be able to save all the data in servers and should facilitate the data for post analysis in proper format. The fast control and Data acquisition system is based on NI hardware. The fast control and data acquisition system will be based on LabVIEW software. II. TOOLS TO BE USED: For the DACS the tools that we can used are stated as below by consulting different references based on this type of system. A. Hardware: For Fast Controller the hardware that will be used is National Instrument's PXI controller.PXI is a modular PC- based platform that consists of 3 components: chassis, embedded computer, and measurement modules.PXI is a rugged PC-based platform for measurement and automation systems. PXI combines PCI electrical-bus features with the modular, Eurocard packaging of CompactPCI and then adds specialized synchronization buses and key software features. PXI is both a high-performance and low-cost deployment platform for applications such as manufacturing test, military and aerospace, machine monitoring, automotive, and industrial test. The NI PXI DAQ platform provides the highest performance in accuracy, synchronization, signal conditioning and channel count options. A widely adopted industry standard, the PXI hardware architecture defined using LabVIEW or other software tools, offers the ideal modular solution to meet the needs of even the most challenging data acquisition application.


This paper explicates the experimental research of W-band $TE_{02}$ mode gyrotron traveling wave tube interaction, discussing the reasons for adopting TE02 mode as the working mode, the existing competitive modes, the high-frequency structure adopted, the simulation of the interaction, and the design of the inner mode converter. Finally, the test results are given.


Purpose – The purpose of the underlying paper is to strengthen and develop the theory around (dynamic) relational capabilities for firm innovativeness and competitive advantage with focus on the resource knowledge. Therefore one objective is the development of a theoretical concept of DRC within the research fields of social system‐theory, relational and capability‐based view. Another goal is the evolvement of the four DRC concerning the interorganizational knowledge transfer between firms.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical part is based on a literature analysis in strategic management research. The authors propose a theoretical framework – DRC – predicated on social system‐theory, relational and capability‐based view. The discussion concludes by providing management implications for implementation of DRC to practitioners in firms.Findings – The outcome of this paper contributes to the underlying conceptual work for strategic and knowledge management of firms. In detail a theoretical concept – ...


This paper provides the definition of generalized Kato-Fredholm operator as well as the corresponding spectrum,then the conditions that upper triangular operator matrices is the generalized Kato-Fredholm operator are studied,where A∈B(H),B∈B(H) and C∈B(K,H) in the Hilbert space.


Although tobacco prevention programs in public schools may be effective, most focus on high school or middle school students. To assess teacher receptivity at an earlier level, 2,290 early elementary (K-3) teachers in one rural state attended a training workshop that included grade-specific tobacco prevention materials. Four weeks later, 986 completed a follow-up questionnaire. Even on the initial questionnaire, an overwhelming majority thought that tobacco prevention should start in early elementary school, and that they could make a difference in reducing youth tobacco use. Following training, there was a 25 percent increase in number of teachers who had taught tobacco prevention at least once. Early elementary teachers were receptive to grade-specific tobacco prevention efforts that were integrated into their existing curriculum.


We define advertising copy testing, describe the major copy test methods using case examples, discuss each method's strengths and limitations, and identify areas of debate. The case examples were selected based on the authors' direct experiences and the methodological rigor of the methods. We define advertising copy testing as a quantitative and qualitative marketing research method that is used to pretest advertisements where numerical data on effects is collected and statistically analyzed. We discuss three copy test methods that apply the principles of sound copy testing that were developed by US advertising agencies, which require that the methods (i) be relevant to the objectives, (ii) have agreement about the use of results, (iii) use multiple measurements, (iv) be based on a model of human response, (v) consider multiple exposures, (vi) test comparably finished executions, (vii) control the exposure context, (viii) define the relevant sample, and (ix) demonstrate reliability and validity. To this list, we add (x) take baseline (i.e., pre-exposure) measurements and/or use control groups, because this reflects sound and generally accepted research standards. Our three case examples of sound copy test methods come from the US National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, the US Federal Trade Commission, and the ARSgroup, a major copy test firm.

Keywords:

advertising;
copy test;
pretest;
evaluation;
consumer research;
marketing research;
research validity


This paper discussed the t-type s cuts and t cuts of occurrence nets.The concept of transfer sets were introduced and used to transfer one t cut to anather.The concept of t-type s cut was introduced,that there is correspondence between the set of t-type s cut and the set of t cuts was proved,that every t cut is the accompany set of a t-type s cut and that the transfer of a t cut correspond to the transfer of a t-type s cut with some transfer set were also proved.


Objective:To investigate and evaluate the utility of exponential model multi b-value diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)in differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumors.Methods:Thirty-one patients(17pancreatic cancers,8mucous cystadenomas,and 6solid pseudopapillary tumors)with pancreatic tumors and thirty healthy volunteers were included in this study.All the tumor cases were proved by surgery or pathology.Routine MR and multi b-value DWI(ranged 0~ 1000s/mm2,12b-values)were performed in all cases at a 3T MR scanner(GE Healthcare 750Discovery,USA).ADCstandard,monoexponential mode(ADCslow-mono,ADCfast-mono)and biexponential model(ADCslow-bi,ADCfast-bi)values were evaluated and compared respectively.Results:ADCstandard values were highest in mucous cystadenoma,which were followed by normal pancreas,pancreatic cancer and solid pseudopapillary tumor.Different ADCstandard,ADCfast-mono and ADCslow-bi values were observed in different types of pancreatic tiusses(ANOVA)(F=32.961,P=0.000;F=5.56,P= 0.002;F=15.986,P=0.000).Significant differences were found in ADCstandard,ADCfast-mono and ADCslow-bi values between pancreatic tumors and normal pancreas(LSD test,P0.05).ADCstandard values in pancreatic cancer were lower than those of normal pancreas(P=0.000).ADCstandard,ADCslow-bi and ADCfast-bi values in mucous cystadenoma were higher than those of normal pancreas(P=0.000,P=0.000,P=0.033),while ADCstandard and ADCfast-mono values in solid pseudopapillary tumors decreased significantly(P=0.001,P=0.000).Conclusion:Multi b-value DWI exponential model can provide more information for differential diagnosis in pancreatic tumors,and it can help to the diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasms.


The author discusses the developments of microsensors with particular emphasis on the following topics; intelligent sensors; compensation; information encoding; physical structures; and ASICs. >


This paper briefly canvasses some issues that surround the employment of workers with disabilities in the new industrial environment under the Employment Contracts Act. The ability of employees with disabilities to negotiate contracts from a less than comparable position of strength is discussed. The underlying reasons for this imbalance in power is analyzed. The use of bargaining agents as provided for under the Act is discussed as one mechanism which may assist in addressing this imbalance in power.


The prevalence of Eimeria species and compare efficacy of Toltrazuril and Amprolium against natural infection of Caprine coccidiosis was studied. Of the total 384 fecal samples examined for Eimeria, 209 (54.42%) were found infected with seven species of Eimeria. Amongst the identified species, Eimeria arloingi was the commonest (62.20%) followed were E. christenseni, E. ninakohlyakimovae, E. parva, E. fauri, E. caprina and E. kocharii with incidence of 46.88, 40.66, 29.18, 25.35, 19.61 and 10.52 percent, respectively. Kids ( 12 months). Twenty four Eimeria positive animals were randomly divided into three equal groups. Group A was treated with Toltrazuril (20mg/kg b.wt. once) and Group B was treated with (50mg/kg b.wt. for 5 days) while Group C was control. On day 7th post treatment, all goats of Group A stopped shedding oocysts while 4/8 (50.00%) goats of Group B stopped shedding oocysts. After the treatment, goats of Group A gained 2.67 kg b.wt. over a period of 28 days compared 1.87 kg weight in group B. The lowest weight gain (0.21 kg) was in goats of Group C (untreated control). It was concluded that control of goat coccidiosis through single treatment of Toltrazuril is economical and beneficial.


LaMnO$_3$ is considered as a prototypical Jahn-Teller perovskite compound, exhibiting a metal to insulator transition at $T_{JT} = 750K$ related to the joint appearance of an electronic orbital ordering and a large lattice Jahn-Teller distortion. From first-principles, we revisit the behavior of LaMnO$_3$ and show that it is not only prone to orbital ordering but also to charge ordering. Both charge and orbital orderings appear to be enabled by rotations of the oxygen octahedra and the subtle competition between them is monitored by a large tetragonal compressive strain, that is itself a Jahn-Teller active distortion. Equally, the competition of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders is slave of the same tetragonal strain. Our results further indicate that the metal to insulator transition can be thought as a Peierls transition that is enabled by spin symmetry breaking. Therefore, dynamical spin fluctuations in the paramagnetic state stabilize the insulating phase by the instantaneous symmetry breaking they produce and which is properly captured from static DFT calculations. As a basis to our discussion, we introduce canonical notations for lattice distortions in perovskites that deform the oxygen octhedra and are connected to charge and orbital orderings.


This paper presents an overview on different research activities that we did in the recent decade for developing reconfigurable discrete-event systems (RDESs) from initial high-level specification according to user requirements until final low-level deployment in target hardware components. A reconfiguration is any run-time scenario that adapts the system's behavior to any evolution in the related environment by adding or removing services or also configuring their parameters, i.e., their frequency, execution time, or also their location in the considered hardware architecture. Since the development of distributed RDESs under functional and extra-functional constraints is required by experts, we propose a complete methodology that deals first with their initial design with a new general profile named R-UML extending unified modeling language (UML) or also with new specific technology-oriented profiles, the validation of the related models with a new language R-OCL extending object constraint language (OCL), before their transformation to formal formalisms, such as Petri nets, timed automata, or B method for simulation or also formal verification of different properties. The checked models are transformed into OS reconfigurable tasks in the operational level, before applying a co-design methodology under functional, real-time, memory, and energy constraints for minimizing redundancies in tasks and for optimizing the composition of software and hardware parts together. We describe technology-oriented solutions for the scheduling of distributed RDESs by parameterizing tasks and their exchanged messages between multi-speed networked processors. We finish with the real low-level deployment on target hardware devices before applying useful software and hardware tests for checking the delivered system quality. These contributions, published in different journal and conference papers, are applied to different applications in medicine, wireless sensor networks, transportation systems, manufacturing industry, smart grids and microgrids, embedded technologies, and so on. We find significant gains in terms of the system reactivity and flexibility under related constraints.


Explains the output of a simple two-element voltage or current dividing circuit (here called a general divider) as being proportional to the logarithm of the input. The general divider's logarithmic property was noted while analyzing a resistive voltage divider. This is extended to show that dividers comprising pairs of passive elements exhibit the logarithmic property and the output can be a current, voltage, or frequency. Applications are discussed in examples; advantages over logarithmic amplifiers log-amps are noted. The phenomenon's simplicity yields several cost saving benefits.


— The spread of information and communication technology (ICT) has revolutionized the way we share information. Collaborative tools have a great importance for teaching-learning activities, so as to assist in the dissemination of knowledge. In the area of education, the Brazilian Sing-Language translator or just Libras translator and interpreter is the main agent enabling the communication between teachers and Deaf students. This specialist needs to overcome different challenges, such as proficiency in the languages they translate, interpretation techniques, history and deaf culture. They also must lead with to specific contents taught to the Deaf student during different disciplines. This paper presents the development of a collaborative tool called InterLib, which has as main objective the qualification of these professionals toward these specific contents through the socialization and dissemination of knowledge. Thus, in regards of the lack of specific technologies for this purpose, a mobile application was developed aiming at facilitating the interactivity and collaboration of the Libras interprets.


J Echocardiogr Vol.3, No.4, 2005 156 We report the case of a 64-year-old woman who presented to Emory University Hospital with progressive shortness of breath over the last year. An echocardiogram was ordered to further evaluate the patient's symptoms. The echocardiogram revealed a preserved ejection fraction with marked pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 75 mmHg) with severe decrease in right ventricular function. An incidental finding on this echocardiogram was a dilated coronary sinus (CS) with a diameter of 3.0 cm (Figure 1). Patient underwent work-up for her pulmonary hypertension including antinuclear antibody that was negative and a pulmonary function test which was normal. Furthermore, she underwent a right heart catheterization for further diagnostic and therapeutic purposes (testing for chronic thromboembolic disease and looking for effect of vasodilators on pulmonary vascular resistance). A pulmonary angiogram revealed pruning of the distal vessels consistent with thromboembolic disease. During the procedure, the CS was cannulated and dye injection revealed the presence of persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) (Figure 2). PLSVC is relatively common occurring in 0.3%-0.5% of the general population [1, 2, 3] and 3%-5% in congenital heart disease patients [4]. It should be suspected everytime a dilated coronary sinus is seen on echocardiogram [1]. Injection of microbubbles in the left Dilated Coronary Sinus With a Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava: Echo and Cath Findings


The utility model discloses a half-tooth locating pin structure of a large-scale mill. The half-tooth locating pin structure of the large-scale mill comprises a half-tooth I, a half-tooth II, stud fastening pieces and a locating pin. The half-tooth I and the half-tooth II are connected through the stud fastening pieces; the locating pin is a barbell structure with two thick ends and a thin middle; locating pin semi-circular grooves mutually connected in a matching mode are placed on the combination surface of the half-tooth I and the half-tooth II, and a round groove is formed after the two semi-circular grooves are connected in a matching mode, and the locating pin is placed inside the round groove. The locating pin is in clearance fit with the round groove in a big gear axial direction, while is in interference fit with the round groove in a big gear radial direction. The locating pin structure guarantees that installation error problem can not be caused by the differences of people, time and places when the two half-tooth I and the half-tooth II are installed. After relatively moving in the axial direction and radial direction, the half-tooth I and the half-tooth II are ensured to be fixedly connected through the bolt fastening pieces, and accordingly hobbing accuracy of the big gear on a gear hobbing machine is guaranteed, and meanwhile stable delivering power in the use process of the big gear is also guaranteed.


The application of external violence to the abdominal wall not infrequently causes laceration of the intestine. Rectal injuries incident to labor, pelvic operations, the introduction of foreign bodies, penetrating and punctured wounds, are not uncommon. Cases are reported in which injuries of the rectum followed the rough handling of an enema syringe, rectal bougies and the sigmoidoscope. However, I have been unable to find a case recorded in which the intestine was lacerated from the therapeutic or criminal use of compressed air. Nor did I find in a single one of the many recent text-books a mention of compressed air under an innumerable list of etiologic factors in the production of intestinal or rectal lacerations. Van Hook has collected 28 injuries to the rectum, complicated by wounds of the peritoneum. Death followed in 20 and recovery in 6 cases. Bryant collected 20 cases of intestinal invagination treated by rectal insufflation


Agile or adaptive enterprise architecture driven software development approach requires a modelling standard to describe the existing and to-be developed artifacts both at the high enterprise level and low, detailed level. However, a single modelling standard may not be used off-the-shelf to fully support the modelling needs of an adaptive enterprise architecture driven software development needs. The modelling standards need to be systematically analyzed and integrated for a particular modelling context. This paper reviews two well-known modeling standards ArchiMate and BPMN by using the interoperability research framework. Based on the syntax, semantics and structural analysis of these two modelling standards' metamodels, it proposes a hybrid adaptive enterprise architecture modelling approach for describing and analysing the artifacts both at the high enterprise level and low, detailed level for a particular context. This paper has both theoretical and practical implications for researchers and practitioners pursuing to integrate various modelling standards.


Every so often the field of theatre is gifted with an extraordinary artist whose work inspires a generation of colleagues and students. Heinz-Uwe Haus is one such example, as evidenced by his contributions to Cypriot and Greek theatre over the past forty-seven years. Since his 1975 staging of Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle in Nicosia, his oeuvre as a director/scholar/teacher has changed lives and reimagined theatre's sociopolitical role in these two countries. Uwe Haus's illustrious career as such is resourcefully cataloged in Heinz-Uwe Haus and Theatre Making in Cyprus and Greece. The book opens with a lengthy yet informative Introduction that puts Haus's work in Cyprus and Greece in perspective. It is organized in four parts that include a conversation with his co-editor Meyer-Dinkgräfe, as well as well as a section entitled "Brecht's 'Use Value' and Aristotle's Artistic Proof.'" While the Introduction neither signals nor explains the book's trajectory, it effectively contextualizes the "indelible mark" that Haus has left on Cypriot and Greek theatre (32). Meyer-Dinkgräfe's interview offers an overview of Haus's work in Greece and Cyprus, wherein the latter recounts his harrowing experiences in dealing with the Stasi and German Democratic Republic (CDR), his country of origin and where he has been living for most of his life. His tireless advocacy for liberalism unleashed a "creative force" that has been germane to his aesthetic (3). It is little wonder that Brecht became the benchmark of Haus's theatre-making. Transferring Brechtian principles to his productions in Cyprus and Greece would be especially important to him and became the genesis of this book. As such, the monograph is jointly an artistic and political enterprise. Haus's comparison of Brecht and Aristotle proves as much in that he positions the social and philosophical ethos of the latter in relationship to the artistry of his contemporary and fellow German. The opening chapter recounts Haus's Brechtian productions in Greece between 1975 and 1990. From The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Mother Courage to The Good Person of Szechuan and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Haus and Dinkgräfe source reviews and testimonials that provide a remarkable archive of Brechtian performance under the former's direction. It is a treatise offering insights into his expert staging of Brecht's


Characterizing temporal evolution of stock markets is a fundamental and challenging problem. The literature on analyzing the dynamics of the markets has focused so far on macro measures with less predictive power. This paper addresses this issue from a micro point of view. Given an investigating period, a series of stock networks are constructed first by the moving-window method and the significance test of stock correlations. Then, several conserved networks are generated to extract different backbones of the market under different states. Finally, influential stocks and corresponding sectors are identified from each conserved network, based on which the longitudinal analysis is performed to describe the evolution of the market. The application of the above procedure to stocks belonging to Standard and Pool's 500 Index from January 2006 to April 2010 recovers the 2008 financial crisis from the evolutionary perspective.


Seawater intrusion into near-shore aquifers is one of the main environmental problems that affect Mediterranean islands. Crete is the biggest and most populated island of Greece, characterized by limited surface waters and strong dependence on groundwater sources as the primary source of natural water supply for extensive agricultural activity and human use. Freshwater demand in Crete has increased notably the last decades. The Geropotamos aquifer is located on the north-central coast of Crete and freshwater management is in a delicate balance with saltwater at coastal areas of the aquifer due to the scarce precipitation and high evaporation as well as the intense over exploitation of the groundwater resources. The geological setting of the study area is considered complex and the local tectonic regime is characterized by two sets of faults orientated NW-SE and NE-SW. Investigation of the aquifer using a survey grid of 1179 Transient ElectroMagnetic soundings (TEM) in 372 sites, has resulted in 1D models, and 2D/3D visualization of geoelectric structures, depicting the zones of salination of groundwater in the aquifer. Geological mapping, hydro-lithological data and geochemical analysis of 24 water samples (22 boreholes and 2 springs) are in agreement with results obtained from TEM soundings, supporting our interpretation that the aquifer is degraded by saline intrusion which likely occurs along fractures in a fault zone, emphasising the critical role of fracture pathways in salination problems of coastal aquifers.


In this paper, three different low-complexity maximum Doppler Spread (DS) estimators are compared. A single source transmitter through a Rayleigh channel scenario is considered. The first studied method is based on velocity estimation and correlation properties of narrow-band mobile communication channels. The second low-complexity considered approach is the robust Doppler Spread estimation in the presence of residual carrier frequency offset which exploits the covariance matrix of the received signal. The third one uses reduced interference time-frequency distribution of the received signals. Simulation results shows that the second approach offers lower estimation error with a good compromise between computational complexity and estimation accuracy.


In recent times, Vietnam has been successful in maintaining a currency policy aimed at stabilizing the exchange rate, macroeconomic stability, and inflation remained at a low number. In 2012, Vietnam exported 284 million dollar trade, balance of payments surplus of 9.1 billion dollars, foreign exchange reserves doubled to reach about 30 billion dollars. Vietnam and other countries are faced with the globalization of the financial markets in 1990-2000, thereby reducing the stability of the exchange rate and policy autonomy of states. An unintended consequence of financial globalization is the loan with the costly expense of developing countries and the debt crisis. Countries with emerging markets responded by choosing monetary policy with the aim of controlling cash flow for the three policy impossible, integrate their finances with rising foreign exchange reserves, as self-insurance means the integration into the global financial system. Policy impossible trilogy (the ability to perform only two of the three policy goals - free flow of capital, exchange rate stability and an independent monetary policy) continues to be a model of management policy in macroeconomics. This article, the authors use the model impossible trinity of Robert Mundell and Marcus Fleming model (Mundell - Fleming) to explain the objectives of monetary policy Vietnam period before the WTO (1990 -2007), and after joining the WTO (2007 - present). The author updates the national experience of the world and draw lessons options for monetary policy in Vietnam in the coming time.


In this paper,large scale Ni\|based laser\|clad multi\|track coatings were obtained by remelting the pre\|located coatings.SEM observations showed that microstructures were composed of clad region and combined region. Microstructures in the overlapping region of Ni\|based coatings showed a different characteristic.The microstructure in Ni\|based overlapping region reveals radial direction.The fracture surface of multiple\|clad coatings revealed periodically,where the hot crack surface and quenched crack surface appeared alternately.Numeric analysis results confirmed that the thermal stress played an important role during the crack initiating and propagting.


Energy resolution and detection efficiency were compared between new scintillators, lanthanum bromide (LaBr3:Ce) and lanthanum chloride (LaCl3:Ce) with conventional detectors, sodium iodide NaI(Tl) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe or CZT). The study has shown that LaBr3:Ce and LaCl3:Ce scintillator detectors provided by Saint-Gobain offer better resolution than NaI(Tl) detector. LaBr3:Ce and LaCl3:Ce detectors could resolve some closely spaced peaks from 133Ba and 152Eu, which Na(I) could not. LaBr3:Ce has slightly better resolution and higher efficiency than LaCl3:Ce. An overall advantage of LaBr3:Ce and LaCl3:Ce detectors over NaI(Tl) and CZT has been discussed. The intrinsic activity of LaBr3:Ce is also demonstrated in this study.


We present a search for HCN emission from four high-redshift far-IR-luminous galaxies. Current data and models suggest that these high-z IR-luminous galaxies represent a major starburst phase in the formation of spheroidal galaxies, although many of the sources also host luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs), such that a contribution to the dust heating by the AGN cannot be precluded. HCN emission is a star formation indicator, tracing dense molecular hydrogen gas within star-forming molecular clouds (n ~ 105 cm-3). HCN luminosity is linearly correlated with IR luminosity for low-redshift galaxies, unlike CO emission, which can also trace gas at much lower density. We report a marginal detection of HCN (1-0) emission from the z = 2.5832 QSO J1409+5628, with a velocity-integrated line luminosity of L = × 109 K km s-1 pc2, while we obtain 3 σ upper limits to the HCN luminosity of the z = 3.200 QSO J0751+2716 of L = 1.0 × 109 K km s-1 pc2, L = 1.6 × 109 K km s-1 pc2 for the z = 2.565 starburst galaxy J1401+0252, and L = 1.0 × 1010 K km s-1 pc2 for the z = 6.42 QSO J1148+5251. We compare the HCN data on these sources, plus three other high-z IR-luminous galaxies, to observations of lower redshift star-forming galaxies. The values of the HCN/far-IR luminosity ratios (or limits) for all the high-z sources are within the scatter of the relationship between HCN and far-IR emission for low-z star-forming galaxies. These observations are consistent with dust heating by a massive starburst in these systems, with two important caveats. First, about half the measurements are strictly upper limits to the HCN luminosities. Second, the IR spectral energy distributions for most of the high-z sources are well constrained only on the Rayleigh-Jeans side of the thermal dust peak. We also present a spatially resolved 42 GHz continuum image of the gravitational lens J0751+2716.


Late 18th century author Jane Austen is known for her tales of money, manners and marriage, ironic and humorous portrayals of women heroines of everyday life, their families and the society in whic ...


Ligaria cuneifolia (liga-liga) is used in traditional medicine in our country for the treatment of many health disorders, but there is limited information on their pharmacological properties. A methanol extract of Ligaria was prepared and its individual polyphenols were identified by HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC / MS) on a Phenomenex Luna C18 column with ultraviolet detection at 280 and 320 nm using an electrospray ionization (ESI). The mobile phase was A: water/ acetic acid 98/2 (v/ v) and B: water / acetonitrile /acetic acid 49.5/50/0.5 with a flow rate of 1mL/min a gradient program. The plant extracts (0-100 mg /mL) were incubated in cell lines for colon cancer (HCT-116), breast (MDA-MB-231), prostate (PC-3), cancer liver (Hep-G2), skin cancer (A-375)and ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3). The total polyphenol content showed a significant amount of bioactive compounds.The Ligaria exhibited concentration-dependent activity in all cancer cell lines. The methanol extract was more active in colon cancer cells (IC50 = 28.14 mg / ml). A variety polyphenols were identified mainly , quercetin, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid and chlorogenic acid glycoside.


Background: Enteral Nutrition (EN) is nutrition provided through the gastrointestinal tract, which delivers nutrition distal to the oral cavity. Critically ill patients are at high nutrition risk thus the need for full nutrition assessment. At present, NUTRIC score is one of the reliable assessment tools for quantifying risk of developing adverse outcome in critically ill patients, which may be modifiable by aggressive nutrition therapy. Objectives: We assessed the nutrition risk levels as measured by NUTRIC score among admitted patients who were given enteral nutrition at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cebu Doctors' University Hospital from June 2016 to June 2017. Methodology: This is a one year single center cross sectional retrospective chart review study on admitted ICU patients from June 2016 to June 2017. Categorical profiles were expressed in frequency and percentage while those continuous variables were described in mean and standard deviations. Moreover, incidence rate of nutrition risk levels of patients was computed. In comparing the required and actual feeding amount of patients was compared using the Paired t-test wherein a p-values lesser than 0.05 alpha were considered significant. IBMSPSS 21 was used as software. Results: This study has shown that 86.4% of the patients admitted in this institution's ICU were started on early enteral feeding within 24 h to 48 h of ICU admission. From the subjects given EN, only 21 (5.8%) were able to achieve the energy requirement. In those subjects who did not achieve the required energy requirement, there is an associated increased length of stay in the ICU (p-value of 0.045). Based on NUTRIC score, out of 52 patients included in this study, 39 patients (75%) were identified to be at low risk while 13 subjects (25%) were at high risk for 28 days mortality. Conclusion: Early initiation of enteral nutrition was being practiced among patients admitted to ICU in our institution. However, majority of patients given enteral feeding were not given the required energy requirement. The ICU patients who were given early nutrition feeding were associated with decreased length of ICU stay. Maricel B Malazarte and Gerry H Tan* Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Cebu Doctors' University College of Medicine, Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, Cebu City, Philippines Gerry H Tan, et al., Annals of Diabetes Research Remedy Publications LLC. 2019 | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | Article 1012 2 length of stay in the ICU. In this light, this study aims to survey the timing of initiation of enteral feeding in admitted patients in the ICU. The study also aims to determine whether adequate caloric energy requirements have been provided through the enteral route for this subset of population with nutrition risk. Review of Literature Generally, patients admitted in the intensive care unit are critically ill requiring vital organ support have anorexia and may be unable to feed volitionally by mouth [1]. This subset of patients is at risk of accumulating rapid energy deficits, which leads to leantissue wasting and are associated with adverse outcomes [2]. In acute critical illness, the catabolic response is more pronounced than in healthy fasting persons due to superimposition of energy deficit on severe inflammatory and endocrine stress response as well as immobilization. Those with severe musculoskeletal wasting and weakness during critical illness are associated with a prolonged need for mechanical ventilation and rehabilitation [3]. Previous studies have revealed that the degree of energy deficit accumulation in the critically ill patients is strongly associated with length of stay in the ICU thus increasing incidence of infectious complications and risk of death. Nutrition has become a primary therapeutic intervention to prevent deterioration, loss of body mass and improve outcome of critically ill patients. Considerations in nutrition therapy include the timing of initiation, targeted amount of macronutrients and its route of delivery. A widespread consensus among recent international guidelines has recommended that enteral nutrition is preferred in the critically ill patients without a contraindication. The use of enteral nutrition compared to parenteral nutrition significantly reduced the rate of infectious complications as well as length of ICU stay [4]. In critically ill patients unable to maintain volitional intake, the guidelines also recommended to initiate nutrition support therapy in the form of early enteral nutrition within 48 [1]. It has been stated in the guidelines that all hospitalized patients must undergo an initial nutrition screen within 48 h of admission. Patients at higher nutrition risk in an intensive care unit however require a full nutrition assessment. Many screening and assessment tools are used to evaluate nutrition status, such as the Mini Nutritional Assessment, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire, the Malnutrition Screening Tool, and the Subjective Global Assessment. Only the NRS 2002 and the NUTRIC score determine both nutrition status and disease severity [5]. The energy requirements should be determined to achieve goals of nutrition therapy. The ASPEN guidelines suggested the use of indirect calorimetry when available but in its absence, a simplistic weight-based equation (25 to 30 kcal/kg/day) is to be used to determine energy requirements [1]. In recent studies, critically ill patients with accumulating degree of energy deficit have been strongly associated with the duration of stay in the ICU. This is linked with an increased occurrence of infectious complications and risk of death. Hyper-metabolism and malnourishment are common in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. This subset of patients receives specialized nutrition therapy to attenuate the effects of malnourishment. However, the optimal amount of energy to deliver is unknown. It has been suggested that full calorie feeding improves clinical outcomes but other studies have concluded that caloric intake may not be important in determining outcome [6]. Significance of the Study In recent years, nutrition has become a vital component of therapy especially in the critically ill patients where there is rapid energy deficit accumulation. This subset of patients is at high nutrition risk, which is strongly associated with poor recovery and adverse outcomes. Our local institutions have started to practice incorporating nutrition as a primary therapeutic intervention. Unfortunately, there are concerns as to the timing of initiation, route of delivery and the targeted amount of macronutrients. In the current guidelines and studies, enteral nutrition is preferred over parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients without contraindications. The timing of enteral nutrition initiation is within 24 h to 48 h of ICU admission with a targeted (25 to 30 kcal/ kg/day). This study would like to determine the institution's current standard practice on enteral feeding, its timing of initiation, the amount of macronutrients provided for and the selected population's nutrition risk. It is the researcher's intent to provide information that may serve as a guide in this institution's future enteral nutrition protocol/s in the critically ill patients [7,8]. Objectives General objectives The objective of this study is to determine the nutrition risk levels as measured by NUTRIC score among admitted patients who requires feeding via enteral route at the Intensive Care Unit of Cebu Doctors' University Hospital from June 2016 to June 2017. Specific objectives o To determine the timing of initiation of enteral feeding in patients admitted in the ICU: • Within 24 hours • Within 48 hours • Within 3 to 5 days • More than 5 days o To compute the desired caloric-energy requirement of admitted patients requiring feeding via enteral route in the ICU o To determine the actual caloric intake provided to admitted patients requiring feeding via enteral route in the ICU o To compare the computed caloric requirements vs. actual caloric intake given during the patients' ICU admission o To determine the rate of high risk nutrition among admitted patients requiring feeding via enteral route in the ICU using the NUTRIC score Definition of Terms Malnutrition: An acute, subacute or chronic state of nutrition, in which varying degrees of over nutrition or under nutrition with or without inflammatory activity have led to a change in body composition and diminished function. Enteral nutrition (EN): Nutrition provided through the gastrointestinal tract via a tube, catheter or stoma that delivers nutrients distal to the oral cavity. Nutrition screening: A process to identify an individual who is malnourished or who is at risk for malnutrition to determine if a detailed nutrition assessment is indicated. SOFA score: The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is a mortality prediction score that is based on the degree of dysfunction of six organ systems and assigns a score based on the data Gerry H Tan, et al., Annals of Diabetes Research Remedy Publications LLC. 2019 | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | Article 1012 3 obtained in each category as shown in Table 1. This scoring system predicts ICU mortality based on laboratory results and clinical data gathered. The data was gathered using chart review and the score used for this research has been calculated using values taken within 24 h of patient's ICU admission or using the worst value during the patient's ICU stay. APACHE II score: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II is severity of disease classification system, which uses a point score, based upon initial values of 12 routine physiologic measurements, age, and previous health status to provide a general measure of severity of disease. In this study, the required variables are taken using data taken within 24 h of the patient


Conventional methods for designing mechanically stable solid brush current collection systems are sometimes found inadequate when developing state-of- the-art electrical machines. These methods rely primarily on the brush angle relative to the rotor as a complete stability parameter. This paper shows that brush angle is not a complete dynamic stability parameter; other parameters are important also. Stability boundaries are shown as functions of brush angle and system damping for various typical values of the other system parameters. The analysis indicates that brush stability improves with increasing trailing brush angle, decreasing slope of the friction- velocity curve, decreasing brush load, increasing brush radius of curvature relative to rotor radius, and increasing supported brush length.


Abstract : This report describes a closed system audio helmet for monkeys which is both reliable and inexpensive. The need for head restraint is eliminated and also permits self-feeding. No problem was experienced in the daily fitting of the helmet; the operation required less than 5 minutes. (Author)


Abstract : The hypothesis of this paper proposes that it is possible to structure a non-hierarchical approach to air tasking in the conduct of Joint air operations. For the private sector, advances in information and communication technologies have led to innovations in organizational structures in order to know more across the enterprise. However, the application of these "value network" principles has not been fully applied to the processes upon which the U.S. organizes for Joint force operations. A non-hierarchical model is constructed for the tasking of air assets in order to test an agent-based approach to the servicing of targets in an air campaign, using agent-based simulation techniques and models established by Epstein & Axtell (SugarScape) within the Santa Fe Institute's Swarm agent modeling environment.


This paper examines the claims of Paul Cassell and Richard Fowles, who argue on the basis of a multiple regression analysis of the time series of national clearance rates, that the Supreme Court's Miranda decision has impaired police effectiveness. The paper notes that, although the raw clearance rates published by the FBI seem to have fallen sharply at about the time of the 1966 decision, it is difficult to tell how much of this result reflects changes in the reporting conduct of police departments and, if real, how much is the product of forces other than the Supreme Court's decision that are not well captured in the gross statistical model. The paper notes that clearance rates are not the best measure of the impact of Miranda since the decision only mandates the police to inform individuals of their rights when they are taken into custody, which is when the police consider a case to be cleared. Thus, any impact that Cassell and Fowles find is likely either to be spurious or to represent a reduction in clearances of crimes other than the one for which the recitation of rights is being offered.


With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, the mobile crowdsourcing has become the most effective and reliable method for data collection and processing. However, as huge amounts of data are generated in mobile crowdsourcing services, data privacy and security has become a key challenge for IoT. To address this challenge, a Cross-Blockchain based Distributed mobile Crowdsourcing System, named CBDCS, is proposed in this paper. In CBDCS, to overcome the privacy leakage problem caused by a single-point failure, the blockchain is used as a crowdsourcing task server, based on which an improved multi-subchain structure is designed. Then, based on multi-subchain, a task hierarchical storage mechanism is proposed, which stores different levels of tasks in corresponding subchains to improve privacy protection. In addition, CBDCS meet the demands of workers for tasks through a cross-subchain mechanism based on root&sub CA and smart contracts, while guaranteeing data privacy. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the CBDCS can obtain high throughput, low overhead, and data privacy under various IoT scenarios.


Your correspondents protesting in April 1979 against the all-female issue of Philosophy in April 1978 mystify me somewhat, first by making so much fuss about it, and second by their unrealistic attitude to the force of prejudice.


Daily reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is the most crucial link in estimating crop water demand. In this study, Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M), Genetic Algorithm-Back Propagation (GA-BP) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) models were introduced to calculate the ET0 values, Based on the Pearson Correlation analysis method, five meteorological factors were obtained, which were combined into six different input scenarios. Compared with the values that calculated by the the Penman Monteith (PM) formula. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), and Scatter Index (SI) were used to evaluate the simulation performance of the models. The results showed that the simulation effect of the L-M model is better than that of the GA-BP model and PLSR model in all scenarios. PLSR model has the worst performance. The SI index of L-M6 was 46.69% lower than that of GA-BP6 and 65.78% lower than that of PLSR6. When the input factors are 3, the simulation effect of the input wind speed, the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature is the best. L-M model and GA-BP model can predict the ET0 in the region with a lack of meteorological data. This study provides an important reference for high-precision prediction of ET0 under different input combinations of meteorological factors.


Overlap syndrome of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common condition, which is not well understood. This study describes the characteristics and hospital impact of patients suffering from this condition.


We have studied the question of whether prominent jet structure would be expected in hadron-hadron collision events which are selected on the basis of having a large amount of transverse energy carried by the final-state hadrons. Using a computer simulation based on the Field-Feynman parton scattering model, we find that such a transverse-energy selection does not yield events predominantly having clear jet structure; this finding is in agreement with data from experiment NA5 at CERN. The basic reason for this effect is that high-multiplicity fragmentation of the beam and target spectator partons will contribute a substantial fraction of the transverse energy while also diluting the jet structure.


Treatment of cis- and trans-10-hydroxy-N-methyl-decahydroisoquinoline, (3a) and (10a) respectively, or N-methyl-Δ9,10-octahydroisoquinoline (4 a) with hydrogen chloride in acetic acid affords the thermodynamically more stable trans-isomer of 10-chloro-N-methyl-decahydroisoquinoline (1a). On the other hand ring closure of β-(cyclohexen-1-yl)-ethylamines 11a or 11b with aqueous formaldehyde in the presence of chloride ions leads to the 10-cis-chlorides 2a or 2b in a kinetically controlled reactions.


Significance The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis between fungi of the Glomeromycota phylum and plants involves more than two-thirds of all known plant species, including important crop species. This mutualistic symbiosis, involving one of the oldest fungal lineages, is arguably the most ecologically and agriculturally important symbiosis in terrestrial ecosystems. The Glomeromycota are unique in that their spores and coenocytic hyphae contain hundreds of nuclei in a common cytoplasm, which raises important questions about the natural selection, population genetics, and gene expression of these highly unusual organisms. Study of the genome of Rhizophagus irregularis provides insight into genes involved in obligate biotrophy and mycorrhizal symbioses and the evolution of an ancient asexual organism, and thus is of fundamental importance to the field of genome evolution. The mutualistic symbiosis involving Glomeromycota, a distinctive phylum of early diverging Fungi, is widely hypothesized to have promoted the evolution of land plants during the middle Paleozoic. These arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) perform vital functions in the phosphorus cycle that are fundamental to sustainable crop plant productivity. The unusual biological features of AMF have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. The coenocytic hyphae host a community of hundreds of nuclei and reproduce clonally through large multinucleated spores. It has been suggested that the AMF maintain a stable assemblage of several different genomes during the life cycle, but this genomic organization has been questioned. Here we introduce the 153-Mb haploid genome of Rhizophagus irregularis and its repertoire of 28,232 genes. The observed low level of genome polymorphism (0.43 SNP per kb) is not consistent with the occurrence of multiple, highly diverged genomes. The expansion of mating-related genes suggests the existence of cryptic sex-related processes. A comparison of gene categories confirms that R. irregularis is close to the Mucoromycotina. The AMF obligate biotrophy is not explained by genome erosion or any related loss of metabolic complexity in central metabolism, but is marked by a lack of genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and of genes involved in toxin and thiamine synthesis. A battery of mycorrhiza-induced secreted proteins is expressed in symbiotic tissues. The present comprehensive repertoire of R. irregularis genes provides a basis for future research on symbiosis-related mechanisms in Glomeromycota.


One concern during laser ablation of tissue is the mechanical injury that may be induced in tissue in the vicinity of the ablation site. This injury is primarily due to rapid bubble expansion and collapse or due to laser‐induced pressure waves. In this study, the effect of laser pulse duration on the thermodynamics of bubble formation and accompanying acoustic pressure wave generation has been investigated.


Today, new earth observation missions are designed from satellite to ground segment to best fit the end-user needs while reducing the overall costs and complexity. Furthermore, an efficient use of high resolution image data is only possible if its location is accurate enough. The accuracy of the image location model depends on the knowledge of platform and orbital parameters (instruments calibration, satellite orbit and pointing) and also of the ground elevation (Digital Elevation Model). Good accuracy can be ensured by stringent requirements on onboard equipments (GPS, gyro, ...) but also by appropriate ground processing which is easier and less expensive to setup. This paper describes and evaluates an automatic method to improve location models during ground processing. This method has been implemented and tested at CNES for current and new missions (such as SPOT/FORMOSAT image ortho-rectification, Pleiades-HR images mosaicking or Venmus images time-series generation). These results must be considered for future missions designing.


Synchronization dynamics in an array of coupled periodic oscillators with quenched natural frequencies are discussed in the presence of homogeneous phase shifts (frustrations). Frustration-induced desynchronization and chaos are found. The torus-doubling route to chaos, toroidal chaos and torus crisis are investigated.


We suggest a means of incorporating the Planck length as a fundamental constant determined by the structure of spacetime. In this scheme the spacetime symmetry group is taken as the de Sitter group with radius of curvature proportional to the Planck length, but we argue that the effects of this curvature are not apparent at elementary-particle length scales. To make the connection with gravity we present a formulation of the gravitational interaction as the gauge theory of the de Sitter group. We obtain an action containing the Einstein-Cartan action, but in which the dimensional gravitational constant G appears naturally as the consequence of the commutation relation of the de Sitter group. We also find a cosmological term, higher-derivative couplings of the gravitational field, and a propagating torsion field, which we discuss.


Watershed management with potential water resources greater than or equal to 20% of the potential of water resources in the province requires a device capable of addressing those needs. The Siak river area is a potential source of water resources greater than 20%. Until now, the Siak river area does not yet have an integrated water resource information system; thus information on the potency of water absorption cannot be adequately recorded. Prediction of water availability in watersheds has significance for the management of a watershed. The research aims to develop a hydrological model to strengthen the water availability information to complete the water availability information. The built model is a combination of a conceptual model with wavelet (hybrid model) that is wavelet-ihacres. The wavelet transform method has the advantage of decomposing and reconstructing the data to produce better predictions. The results showed that the combined wavelet-ihacres have a coefficient correlation between observation data and output model of 0.737. The value is classified as a strong correlation.


Objective
To evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided arterial catheterization in intern-ships of anesthesiology.

Methods
Sixty students were randomly divided into ultrasound-guided teaching group(n=30, 3 male)and traditional teaching group(n=30, 4 male). In the two groups, the ultrasound-guided arterial catheterization technology and artery catheterization technique were adopted respectively for teaching. The success rate of arterial catheterization was compared between the two groups after 2 months intern-ships and when finishing internships of anesthesiology. The questionnaire was investigated in ultrasound-guided teaching group after finished internships of anesthesiology.

Results
The success rate of arterial catheterization in ultrasound-guided teaching group was extremely higher than in traditional teaching group after 2 months internships of anesthesiology(52±8)% vs.(38±10)%,(χ2=7.746 , P=0.005). After finishing internships of anesthesiology, the success rate of arterial catheterization was(67 ± 7)% in ultrasound-guided teaching group and(59±9)% in traditional teaching group(χ2=5.531 , P=0.036). And all students thought ultrasound-guided arterial catheters teaching was helpful to them and could improve their learning interest.

Conclusion
Ultrasound-guided arterial catheterization is beneficial to the internship teaching of under-graduate of anesthesiology, which can help them to master the arterial catheterization technique better, and improve the success rate of arterial catheterization and their learning interest.

Key words:
Ultrasound-guided arterial catheterization; Traditional arterial; Catheterization anes-thesiology; Internship teaching


The Great Plains are sometimes characterized as an economically lagging region. To shed some light on the region sprospects, the locational and structural changes in employment patterns in the northern and central Great Plains were examinedfor the 1980 to 1990 period. County-level data were drawn from CD-ROM census publications and matched with locational references using Atlas *GIS . Shift-share computations were undertaken for the region as a whole and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Employment declined sharply in agriculture and construction, but increased in the service sectors. Compared with the nation as a whole, the region competed poorly in many sectors, though it performed superbly in manufacturing and came close to holding its own in the business service and public administration sectors. Prospects appear brightfor the metropolitan centers on the region s periphery, but the bulk of the territory will likely see only localized points ofgrowth. The Great Plains increasingly have been treated as a distinct major region of the United States (Mather 1972), one noted for its immense size and limited topographic expression, semiarid grassland environment, harsh winters, and a traditional focus on grain and livestock production. The population density is low except in or near metropolitan areas on the eastern and western periphery, and ongoing population loss characterizes a majority of counties (Archer 1992). The farm population has been declining since the 1930s as modernization brought extensive farm consolidation (Baltensperger . 1987). With alternative employment opportunities limited in rural areas, people migrated to the growing urban centers on the outer margin of the Plains or to a more distant destination like California. A clear dichotomy has evolved: the largely rural and small-town core of the study area and the set of metropolitan areas on the periphery. While there is general optimism about the future for the metropolitan areas, there is much pessimism regarding the largely nonmetropolitan core. Some observers predict widespread


Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder defined by the presence of recurring episodes of abdominal pain in association with altered bowel habits and no evidence of a structural or easily identifiable biochemical abnormality that might explain these symptoms. 1

IBS affects up to 20% of the population, making it a fairly common gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, and affects more women than men. As a chronic, functional GI disorder, it significantly decreases patients' quality of life. 1-3


Virulent strains of Staphylococcus aureus secrete exfoliative toxins (ETs) that cause the loss of cell‐cell adhesion in the superficial epidermis. S. aureus ETs are serine proteases, which exhibit exquisite substrate specificity, and their mechanisms of action are extremely complex. To date, four different serotypes of ETs have been identified and three of them (ETA,ETB and ETD) are associated with toxin‐mediated staphylococcal syndromes related to
human infections leading to diseases of medical and veterinary importance.


Aiming at the overhaul and operation features of S109FA gas steam combined cycle power generation unit,combining with the operation experience of similar units,several influencing factors on unit operation and starting-up were analyzed providing reference for gas turbine operation and overhaul management in other power plant.


Objective ExAblate received FDA approval for treatment of a range of movement disorders, including tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (TDPD), dyskinetic PD, and essential tremor. This incisionless device permits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for ablation of regions of interest. This systematic review sought to 1) determine the extent of literature on nonmotor cognitive outcomes of MRgFUS, 2) investigate differences in postoperative outcomes, 3) suggest future research directions. Data Selection PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library databases were searched January 2016 to January 2020. Guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses were used to review clinical trials comprehensively assessing pre- and postoperative neurocognitive functioning in PD patients undergoing MRgFUS. Due to limited literature, TDPD was expanded to dyskinetic PD. Data Synthesis Twenty-two abstracts were initially reviewed. After full-text review of eight articles, two studies included comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of PD patients undergoing MRgFUS thalamotomy/pallidotomy—these occurred in different countries with different normative data, prohibiting quantitative comparison. Most excluded studies used only brief cognitive screeners with unsubstantiated cutoffs. Conclusions Few studies to-date have administered comprehensive neuropsychological batteries to ascertain MRgFUS risks to neurocognitive functioning in PD and how it compares to deep brain stimulation. Cognitive declines appear to be minimal following MRgFUS, with exceptions being verbal fluency and inhibition. These results are limited by sample size and sample diversity. Studies must extend beyond brief screeners when assessing PD populations vulnerable to decline. Further, consensus on a comprehensive battery would better serve replicability and the ability to engage in useful meta-analyses.


View classification for cardiac MR images is a new topic in medical image analysis, and can support efficient content-based filtering, browsing, and retrieval. The major difficulty lies in large variability in image appearance caused by various acquisition protocols, heart phases and disease conditions. We propose a collaborative learning approach that exploits statistical dependencies at three levels: the local image patch level, the parts-whole level, and the anatomical level. Specifically, at the local image patch level, we make redundant use of the training images in a spatial manner; At the parts-whole level, we model the relationship among the detected landmarks by a sparse configuration method to remove erroneously detected landmarks; At the anatomical level, we train a view classifier based on the DICOM header as another information source, which is then optimally incorporated in a Bayesian way as a prior. We compare the approach with various integrations of state-of-art methods. Large-scale experiments on real-world clinical datasets - over ten thousand unseen images, many with severe diseases - show that the approach is highly robust, outperforming other integrated approaches, and can achieve a 97.6% classification accuracy.


This article focuses on the development of a competency model of quality specialists. First, it provides a competency model for quality specialists to apply several qualitative methods to build a model. Second, after formally conducting tests with scales, use an exploratory factor analysis to refine and to construct a validity of the scale. The results show three major competency groups among quality specialists of small and medium enterprises. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis is applied to test the goodness of the fitness of the proposed competency model. The practical application to recruit, serve as educational training and career development for quality specialists.


The dental pulp has a rich circulatory force that, by vidue of the dynamics of fluid interchange between capillaries and tissue, establishes and maintains an extravascular hydrostatic pressure within this non-compliant chamber. An increase of intrapulpal pressure in an isolated region of the pulp may exceed the threshold of excitability of the peripheral sensory structures in that area and produce pain.


The Bolton Institute has carried out an extensive programme of testing masonry arch bridges, primarily to study the effect of soil structure interaction, spandrel wall and ring separation on their behaviour. The full programme has included both single and multi-span bridges. The paper describes three multi-span bridge tests and concludes that failure resulted from the development of a global mechanism at lower loads than those observed for similarly proportioned single span bridges. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 858602.


The development of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought various benefits and conveniences to daily affairs. In addition to the communication platform, ICT is an efficient payment medium because it saves cost and time. Zakat institutions are also no exception in applying digital platforms as one of the mediums of zakat payment. Therefore, this study aims to identify the influence of information technology on the payment of zakat at the Malacca Zakat Center (PZM). The study was carried out quantitatively using a survey design with a sample size of 145 people consisting of Muslim residents aged 25 and 56 years old. Questionnaire sets were distributed to respondents in Melaka's three central districts: Alor Gajah, Melaka Tengah, and Jasin. The study results show that the Muslim community knows zakat payment activities. Furthermore, the determining factors studied showed a positive relationship to the payment of zakat in PZM, namely service quality (r=0.352, p=0.01) and information technology (r=0.408, p=0.01). Therefore, the application of efficient service quality and the information technology facilities offered can influence the payment of zakat by the community, further leading to an increase in the zakat collection rate in PZM.


The appropriate level of staffing for air-traffic control facilities has long been controversial. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed mathematical models, called staffing standards, for estimating its current and future need for controllers. In reports to Congress the agency maintains that its modeled staffing estimates are defensible in the aggregate for national and regional projections but are less precise for individual facilities. Transportation Research Board Special Report 250 documents the outcome of a study to examine the potential for developing methods by which the agency can more confidently determine the required number of controllers at each of its facilities. The study was requested by Congress and funded by FAA. This article briefly reviews the study findings and the recommended strategy developed by the study committee for improving the current staffing process.


The practice work of sociology major is rather complex.It is influenced directly by six factors.To improve the effect of such work,universities should construct the systematic mode with students as the main body,the university's organization as the guarantee,the supervision as the key point,the units for practice as carriers,the content for practice as the core,and the social environment as the basis.In this way we may improve the quality and effect of the practice work of sociology major and hence make the graduates meet the social needs.


The a. publishes a military diploma dated January 7 224, which was discovered years ago near Pozzuoli; it concerns a miles of cohortes urbanae, native of Puteoli. This new diploma is of particular interest not only for its rarity (so far only eight diplomas are known for urbaniciani), but also for the grant to the veteran of the ius conubii with peregrinae even after the Constitutio Antoniniana; this poses the problem of explaining the persistent value of the privilege.


The invention discloses a kind of method of quick preparation high-purity hydroxyl γ sanshools, extracted using constant temperature oscillation, n-hexane extraction and ultraviolet irradiation handle three committed steps, iron powder is added in operation as catalyst, the purity of product is improved.In addition the preparation method does not need special instrument and equipment, such as preparative or semipreparative high performance liquid chromatography instrument, so that preparation method is low compared to traditional simpler, time-consuming shorter, cost of column chromatography, therefore the hydroxyl γ sanshools of high-purity can be prepared for general laboratory to be tested needed for carrying out it, operating efficiency is greatly improved.Because the operating experience of the present invention is not strong, so the personnel of general operation level can also be prepared.