BACKGROUND: Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a type of tectosilicate found in large quantities in Iran. It is possible that this compound can absorb mycotoxins. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of DE on experimental aflatoxicosis in broilers from 1 to 42 days of age. In four treatments of four replicates, 160 one-day-old Hubbard male chicks were subjected to two levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (0 and 1.0 mg kg−1) and DE (0 and 30 mg kg−1)

RESULTS: Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and productive efficiency index were adversely affected in the chicks treated with AFB1. Weight of heart was significantly decreased (20.3%) by AFB1 (P < 0.05). Serum total protein, albumin, and the activity of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were decreased by AFB1. DE significantly (P < 0.05) increased body weight gain (9.51%), feed intake (7.44%), and improved feed conversion ratio (2.08%) as well as productive efficiency index (5.48%) in the birds that subjected to AFB1 DE also increased serum albumin (22.6%), and the activity of serum LDH (44.4%).

CONCLUSION: DE might be beneficial in reducing toxic effects of AFB1 in broilers. It is possible to include DE as an alternative to other mycotoxin binders at levels of 30 mg kg−1 in the diets on offer to broilers between the ages of 1 and 42 days. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry


The polymerisation of dec-1-ene, using several combinations of aluminium alkyls and titanium halides, has been studied to try to elucidate the nature of the active catalyst species in the system triethylaluminium/titanium tetrachloride at a molar ratio (AlEt3:TiCl4) of 0.3:1. Polymers similar to those formed by the AlEt3/TiCl4 system have been obtained using ethylaluminium dichloride in combination with titanium trichloride and titanium tetrachloride. The complexes formed from these combinations are the most likely catalyst in the AlEt3/TiCl4 (0.3:1) system.


The study area in north Algeria appears as a slightly waved landscape, extending between the Saharien Atlas from South and the Mediterranean Sea to the North. The High Plain average altitude is 900 meters. We have in the northern border isolated reliefs: Djurdjura Montaigne (1200 meters), DjebelTnoutit (1193 meters), and DjebelTella (1055 meters). SebkhetBazer, Sebkhet El Hamiet, the Chott El Fraïn, sebkha Oran are located in some closed depressions. In this paper we focused on geological, geophysical and hydrogeochemistry investigations of geothermal reservoirs to develop its lithology. The hydrogeology study allowed us to identify the main aquifers in the region, which are the Mio-plio-quaternaire aquifer near the surface and the deep carbonated aquifer (Jurassic and Cretaceous). The electric soundings supplied invaluable geological information for the exploration of the groundwater. We have some limestone outcrop in (DjebelsYoussef ), although affected by numerous faults. In the overlapping zones (DjebelTnoutit) the outcrops are reduced. The calcareous formations constitute good aquifers. The geophysics study had just confirmed some geological work fields where interpreted the same cross section and geological maps. Finally, to optimize geothermal reservoir exploitation in regards to hydrodynamics as water quality, it's better to exploit the limestone aquifer of the lower Cretaceous (Aptien. Barrémien). Results show that the geological structure of the region would be one of a graben weaknesses faults and the waters of study area have a chemical type of sodium chloride.


Abstract L-Histidine, a biologically important amino acid, has been modified onto the silver electrode through covalent bonding. The coenzyme dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(P)H) was electrocatalytically oxidized to NAD(P)+ at a L-histidine modified silver electrode (His/Ag). The electrochemical processes at the His/Ag electrode were investigated by using UV-visible spectroelectrochemistry in detail. Amperometric determination of NAD(P)H, at a potential of 0.25V (SCE), gave a linear response in the range of 1 × 10−7∼2 × 10−5 mol/L with a detection limit of 0.05 μmol/L. The His/Ag electrode has been used in a FIA system with satisfactory results. Meanwhile, other proteins and chemicals present in samples do not interfere in the assay.


Based on little deformation theory,the general stability characteristic equations for the straight compression bars with both constant and variable cross-sections are derived so as to find the calculated length of compression bar by trial method.The calculation of the rigidity of elastic restraint at the end of pile bent column pier is also discussed here.


Shame, Disgrace and Loss of Face. How Do Curacao Mothers View the Delinquent Behavior of Their Sons.
Investigates a relation between Curacaoan mothers' attitudes and their sons' delinquent behavior in the Netherlands, following up Van San's (1996 [see abstract 9708532]) findings that mothers play a significant role in perpetrators' justifications for their behaviors, eg, stealing and knifing. Drawing on interview data from 30 of the boys' mothers, it was found that, while they think their sons are good, they acknowledge and sometimes tolerate their criminality, attributing it to outside factors -- eg, "bad" friends who lack loving mothers, laxity of Dutch society, absence of the father. It is concluded that, although the mothers tend to be deeply ashamed of their sons' delinquent behavior, they justify it in the same ways the perpetrators themselves do, especially when so-called questions of honor are at stake. 20 References. Adapted from the source document.


Explosive Injury Mechanisms a brief overview. The damage created by a conventional explosion depends on a number of factors, including the type of explosive, the amount of explosive, and the environment within which the detonation takes place. Whenever and wherever an explosion occurs in air, the principles are the same. An understanding of the principles enables a prediction of likely injury [1][2]. As a substance explodes it rapidly expands from a solid (or liquid) state to a gas, increasing in volume by up to 100,000 times. The speed of expansion depends on the type of explosive. This expansion pushes out whatever is surrounding the explosive, such as casing (which may or may not be designed to fragment) or other items, for example nails or ball bearings. The explosion also compresses the surrounding air to form a shock-wave. This is a wave of very high pressure which expands away from the explosive at a speed greater than the speed of sound in air. The high pressure lasts for a very short period of time (milliseconds) and in an open air explosion, is relatively short-lived. As a result the peak overpressure decreases rapidly. For single shock waves in air, after the initial rise in pressure, the pressure drops to sub-atmospheric levels for a short time due to the elasticity of air (Figure 1). Under water, the shock wave is propagated for a much greater distance and the distance from the detonation at which injury may occur consequently increases.


With the rapid development of economy,we are badly in need of talent of intellectual property,especially in western regions of China.The key of talent-training of intellectual property is cultivating a lot of complex talents who have the knowledge of science and technology background in western areas.In order to reform the talent-training pattern of intellectual property,the colleges and universities should adopt combined training mode and establish clear level of talent-training system and provide specially-designed courses with the development of local economy,cultivating students' quality through practice teaching.


This paper presents an investigation about the effect of the complexity of a fluid molecule on the fluid dynamic quantities sound speed, velocity, and Mach number in isentropic expansions. Ideal-gas and dense-gas expansions are analyzed, using the polytropic ideal gas and Van der Waals thermodynamic models to compute the properties of the fluid. In these equations, the number of active degrees of freedom of the molecule is made explicit and it is taken as a measure of molecular complexity. The obtained results are subsequently verified using highly accurate multiparameter equations of state. For isentropic expansions, the Mach number does not depend on the molecular weight of the fluid but only on its molecular complexity and pressure ratio. Remarkably enough, the Mach number can either increase or decrease with molecular complexity, depending on the considered pressure ratio. The exit speed of sound and flow velocity, however, are dependent on both molecular complexity and weight, as well as on the inlet total temperature. The exit flow velocity is found to be a monotonically increasing function of molecular complexity for all expansion ratios, whereas the speed of sound monotonically increases with molecular complexity only at high pressure ratios. The speed of sound is not monotone for pressure ratios around 3, which leads to the Mach number being nonmonotone at pressure ratios around 10. It should be noted that the sound speed and flow velocity depend much more strongly on molecular weight than on molecular complexity, which in realistic expansions often obscures the influence of the latter. Quantitative differences are observed between ideal and dense-gas expansions, which are dependent on the reduced inlet conditions. The present study concludes with the numerical simulation of two-dimensional expansions in a turbine nozzle to document the occurrence of real-gas effects and their dependence on molecular complexity in realistic applications.


Linked article: This article is commented on by A. Wollenberg et al., p. e169 in this issue. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.15401.


The current internet of things leverages existing network infrastructures for communications and control. As devices proliferate in parallel with higher data rate communications and services, existing networks will become increasingly stressed, particularly in remote and underserved regions. There has been a renaissance in interest and investment in space - and suborbital-based high-data-rate communications networks - the internet of space (IoS). IEEE MTT-S, AP-S and EMC-S have joined together to create a technical community that provides global Internet Access from space-based or near-space platforms. Our goal is to ultimately provide Internet access to unreached 4.5B people of the world.


CHARLES GOUNOD has probably succeeded Mendelssohn in the mind of the semi-educated musical world as the representative of all that twentieth-century music does not stand for. The younger generation may or may not, in its heart of hearts, care for ' Faust ' ; but' Faust ' is the only work of Gounod's which it knows, and it is not difficult to find material for contemptuous jokes in the libretto and the music. (It never has been difficult. In the eighties of last century, when 'Faust' was a little more than twenty years old, Saint-Saens and Chabrier used to do a comic performance of the church scene, Saint-Saens singing the part of Marguerite.) An older generation in England remembers the days when 'The Redemption' stood almost on an equal footing with ' Messiah' and ' Elijah '; and it is impossible for anyone who has ever been a regular attendant at Anglican services not to have something of Gounod's religious idiom so deeply engrained in his musical consciousness as to be almost second nature. Gounod's evil reputation reposes, in fact, on a vast ignorance-on a shamefaced affection, often hotly denied, for ' Faust '; on a healthy dislike of the mental and emotional furniture of his weaker disciples, Sir John Stainer and John Bacchus Dykes (" Our blest Redeemer, 'ere He breathed", "Holy! holy! holy ! "); and on a rather exaggerated horror of the 'Ave Maria' arranged by Gounod as a descant to the first prelude of Bach's Forty-Eight Preludes and Fugues. Probably not one in a hundred English music-lovers realizes that Gounod was in his day a revolutionary, a stern protestant against the debased musical taste of his age, a fanatical admirer of Bach and Palestrina and one of the heralds of the French musical renaissance which flowered so quickly and so abundantly in the years after the Franco-Prussian War of I87o. Born in I818, Gounod grew up in the years of clerical and monarchist reaction which followed the defeat of Napoleon, the end of the First Empire and the restoration of the Bourbons; and the atmosphere of these early years combined with Gounod's


Title: MCMI-111 Profiles of Combat Veterans: Predictors of Educational and Vocational Impairment Author Catherine J enk:s Major Advisor RichardT. Elmore, Jr., Ph.D. This study investigated the ability of four selected scales on the MCMI-111, Passive Aggressive, Avoidant, Antisocial and PTSD to determine the amount of variance contributed by each of the scales as predictors of educational and vocational impairment in Vietnam Veterans. Subjects consisted of 40 Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD who received treatment at an outpatient Readjustment Program in Brevard County, Florida. Multiple Regression analyses identified the Passive-Aggressive personality scale on the MCMI-111 as significantly contributing to the variance as a predictor in vocational impairment, however, in an unexpected direction. Results and implications of these findings are discussed.


ABSTRACT Klebsiella pneumoniae LZ is a bacterium isolated from soil which can produce 1,3-propanediol from glycerol. Here we present a 5,431,750-bp assembly of its genome sequence. We annotated 9 coding sequences (CDSs) responsible for glycerol fermentation to 1,3-propanediol, 19 CDSs encoding glycerol utilization, and 134 CDSs related to its virulence and defense.


This instrumental-comparative qualitative case study attempts to investigate the relations between teachers' beliefs and classroom practices. For this purpose, five Iranian EFL teachers from three private language institutes were interviewed for their beliefs. Then, their classroom practices were observed and videotaped. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method around common categories, which were identified as distinctive features of teachers' beliefs; these themes were then compared with their practices. The data for each case were also compared with the others so that possible causes of the inconsistencies could be traced. Based on the causes, some suggestions for teacher education and educational management are made. Keywords: Teachers' Beliefs, Teachers' Practices, Contextual Factors, Iranian ELT, Case StudyIt has always been a thought-provoking question why there are discrepancies between what teachers believe to be appropriate and what they actually do in their classes. The topic has been challenging enough to attract researchers' attention. In response to the call of different researchers including Kane, Sandretto, and Heath (2002, pp. 196-204); Munby (1982, p. 223); Pajares (1992, p. 327) for more detailed and explanative attention to the teachers' beliefs and also due to the significance of the topic itself, many studies have attempted to "sift clarity from complexity" (Pajares, 1992, p. 324). Among them, some reported a degree of inconsistency between teachers' beliefs and practices. In her review of literature, Basturkmen (2012) found studies indicating limited correspondence outnumbering those suggesting a general convergence between beliefs and practices. Exploring the issue, situational factors have been understood to mediate the relations between beliefs and practices (Basturkmen, 2012). Through his work with the action theory, Li (2013) similarly observed the relations between espoused theories and the theories-in-use complicatedly mediated by the context, both micro and macro. Further, a study by Devine, Fahie, and McGillicuddy (2013), outstanding in terms of the participants' number, found shared beliefs like passion and commitment differently played out when it came to practice: "sociocultural factors...influence how teachers construct and do teaching" (Devine et al., 2013, p. 105). By the same token, T. S. C. Farrell and Bennis (2013) together with Basturkmen, Loewen, and Ellis (2004) argue that "[teachers'] complex beliefs are not always realized in classroom practices" (T. S. C. Farrell & Bennis, 2013, p. 163) due to contextual factors: "These results indicated a somewhat tenuous relationship between the teachers' practices and stated beliefs" (Basturkmen et al., 2004, p. 243). Equally important, Kissau, Algozzine, and Yon (2012) drawing on the evidence provided through in-depth interviews identified some challenges, mostly contextual, on how beliefs inform practices and thus suggested other studies to incorporate context more. In other words, classroom realities in some cases resulted in a disconnect between beliefs and behaviors (Kissau et al., 2012). Not to ignore the alternative theoretical frameworks, Zheng (2013) through his work with complexity theory could not deny the role of context: "The mechanism underlying the relationship between the teachers' beliefs and practices lies in the interaction between their core and peripheral beliefs in different teaching contexts" (Zheng, 2013, p. 192). Taking qualitative and emic approach, all these studies fed the field with new insights which according to S. Borg (2003, p. 83) were mostly untouched till the turn of the century.Teacher BeliefsAvailable literature suggests different definitions for teacher beliefs from different theoretical perspectives, including beliefs as " a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously held, is evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and is therefore imbued with emotive commitment; further, it serves as a guide to thought and behavior" (M. …


Objectives Most studies have investigated the effect of pathological aging brain on information recall and recognition memory of patients by using yes-no procedures. For this reason, they provide an incomplete picture of memory defect, and other factors related to recognition memory such as recognition discriminability (RD) and response bias (RB) are not taken into consideration. In this regard, present study aims to examine the effect of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease on RD and RB using the Shiraz verbal learning test (SVLT) compared to healthy peers. Methods & Materials This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 190 eligible older people aged 60-89 years with amnestic MCI, Alzheimer's disease, and normal memory in Shiraz, Iran, in 2021. The data collection tools were SVLT and mini-mental status examination. Data analysis was done in SPSS software, version 19 using descriptive statistics (No., Mean±SD) and analytical tests (ANOVA and Scheffe's test). The significance level was set at 0.05. Results The patients with amnestic MCI and Alzheimer's disease had significantly lower scores than the healthy older people in recognition memory performance (P<0.001). They also had lower scores and more false-positive errors in RD domains (global, semantic, source, and new) (P<0.001). in RB, the patients with Alzheimer's disease had significantly higher scores than older people with amnestic MCI and normal memory (P<0.001). Conclusion The study of recognition memory performance (RB and RD) in patients with amnestic MCI can provide useful information to predict Alzheimer's disease in the prodromal stage.


The objective of this study was to explore the differences among different treatments used in seroma formation after operation for breast cancer patients. Ninty-seven patients who suffered seroma after breast cancer surgery were divided into two groups randomly,that were treated with the piliated pseudomonas aeruginosa (61 patients) and conventional treatments respectively (36 patients). In the piliated pseudomonas aeruginosa group,the patients after operation with seroma formation were treated by injecting piliated pseudomonas aeruginosa subcutaneously to incomplete cavity and pericavity. In the conventional treatment group,the patients were treated by fine needle aspiration,tube drain and injecting tetracycline,acetrizoic acid or 50% glucose into the incomplete cavity. Then the concrescence time of each group was compared. the average concrescence time of the piliated pseudomonas aeruginosa group was 9.836 d,while the one of the control group was 16.361 d. The piliated pseudomonas aeruginosa can obviously reduce the produce of seroma formation and accelerate the wound healing after operation for breast cancer patients.


The technique of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in combination with plasma emission models for determining the parameters of a gas discharge is presented. Measurements of charge carrier concentration and electron temperature in an inductively coupled RF plasma of argon are carried out under low pressure. The concentration and temperature of electrons were determined by selecting the ratio of the intensities of the spectral lines calculated with the collision-radiative model (CRM) to the intensities of the lines obtained in the experiment. The model describes the kinetics of the first 30 excited states of argon and takes into account the following processes: direct electron impact excitation / relaxation, spontaneous emission, radiation trapping, electron impact ionization and charge loss due to diffusion on the walls. The obtained OES results were compared with the results of Langmuir probe measurements of plasma parameters.


Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 (US) The invention describes how to use nanometer scale fluores cence particles as a label material for fluorescence lateral flow device application. The utilization of the nanoparticles instantly increases the fluorescence intensity by thousands to millions of times. The resulting signal enhancement not only significantly increase sensitivity for analyte detection, but also makes it possible to use low power light sources for (60) Provisional application No. 60/853,896, filed on Oct. illumination and low cost detectors for fluorescence detec 23, 2006. tion. (21) Appl. No.: 11/974,358


Similarity between two DNA sequences is based on alignment. There are different approaches of alignments; each has its own specialty of bearing different information on DNA sequence. This paper presents a study on similarity kernels based on different similarity schemes and proposes a hybrid one. Similarity Kernel is required in order to represent the distance or similarity between two DNA sequences. The different schemes of alignments and the cost of computing them, make it further more difficult to decide what scheme to use. In this study we combine different similarity schemes; each scheme is deduced based on alignment. We demonstrate that combining different similarity scheme does in fact generalize well in machine learning. The scoring scheme also turned to have impact on generalization.


The Standardised Transport Label project involved the formulation of recommendations for the standard form and content of transport labels. The standardised transport label is recommended for consigners who do not already follow established and jointly accepted practices for labelling parcels. The standardised transport label aims to 1) promote the correct filling in of transport labels, 2) reduce the number and costs of extra handling procedures caused by misinterpretations of and insufficient data in transport labels, 3) increase delivery reliability, 4) increase efficiency throughout the supply chain, 5) promote the introduction of automatic identification, handling and management systems. The standardised transport label is based on international standards and includes all the essential information required at each part of the supply chain. The project is based on a similar project carried out in Sweden in 1996-1997 and on an initiative made by Finnish transport operators. The consigners, consignees and transport operators interviewed during the project gave mostly positive feedback about the transport label recommendations. The recommendations were usually not considered to conflict or cause problems with current labelling practices. The interviews also made it clear that many practicable labelling practices are already being used. The new transport label recommendations are not meant to interfere with established and effective labelling practices. They are only meant for use in situations where no special agreements or established practices have been set. Thus the target audience for the transport label recommendations clearly consists of incidental consigners and small and medium-sized companies who do not have established transport service providers or logistics partner. The project helped promote the use of the standardised container address labels by introducing a FITS publication, leaflet and electronic manual that provide both technical details and instructions for users of the address labels. Transport operators, logistics service providers and system providers will be informed of the economic and functional benefits of using the standardised container address label. This report is available at http://www.vtt.fi/rte/projects/fits/ or http://www.mintc.fi


This review article discusses the electrophysiological basis of sinus node reentry, clinical features of sinus node reentry, and the management of this uncommon tachycardia with drugs and ablative therapy. It also proposes the use of the term "sinoatrial reentrant tachycardia" for this form of tachycardia.


Abstract : Smallpox, is a virus that plagued humanity for millennia. It was the first and only disease ever intentionally eradicated from the face of this planet, a scourge defeated in a remarkable, never-before-attempted campaign of generosity and cooperation by the nations of the world. Its eradication was a triumphant symbol of science and dogged persistence winning over nature. Moreover, its eradication was a gift of man to all mankind. Yet, is it possible that the same hand of man, that once rid the scourge of smallpox from the world, will be used to unleash this terror again on its unprotected citizens? This paper, by providing a thorough review of the history, epidemiology, and current risks associated with this dreaded disease, addresses that question and its implications for the American public.


The multiscale finite volume (MSFV) method is introduced for the efficient solution of elliptic problems with rough coefficients in the absence of scale separation. The coarse operator of the MSFV method is presented as a multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) with numerical evaluation of the transmissibilities. The monotonicity region of the original MSFV coarse operator has been determined for the homogeneous anisotropic case. For grid-aligned anisotropy the monotonicity of the coarse operator is very limited. A compact coarse operator for the MSFV method is presented that reduces to a 7-point stencil with optimal monotonicity properties in the homogeneous case. For heterogeneous cases the compact coarse operator improves the monotonicity of the MSFV method, especially for anisotropic problems. The compact operator also leads to a coarse linear system much closer to an M-matrix. Gradients in the direction of strong coupling vanish in highly anisotropic elliptic problems with homogeneous Neumann boundary d...


Within the last decade, mixed-severity fire regimes (MSFRs) have gained increasing attention in both the scientific and management communities (Arno and others 2000, Baker and others 2007, Hessburg and others 2007, Perry and others 2011, Halofsky and others 2011, Stine and others 2014). The growing influence of the MSFR model derives from several factors including: (1) recent recognition of the wide geographic breadth of mixed severity fire regimes within western North America and elsewhere, (2) a lack of basic ecological data that spans sufficient temporal and spatial scales to sufficiently describe MSFRs for many regions, (3) debate about the appropriateness of using low- and high-severity fire regime models for MSFRs and (4) uncertainty regarding the implications of the MSFR model for describing ecosystem dynamics, predicting ecosystem responses to climate change and past management, designing ecological restoration treatments, and implementing future forest management and policy.


The densities of radicals and neutrals in fluorocarbon (FC) plasmas have been investigated in an inductively coupled plasma system to understand the predominant gain and loss mechanisms of dissociative products and their interaction with chamber surfaces. The input parameters varied in this experiment are the source to chuck gap and the F: C ratio of the feed gas. The densities of F, CF2, CF3, CF4, C2F4, SiF4, COF2, CO, and CO2 are measured and analyzed. In addition, two different forms of C4F8, the standard cyclic c and a radical linear l structures are observed in C4F8 containing plasmas. l-C4F8 is shown to be the primary dissociation product of c-C4F8 and, thus, cannot be neglected from calculations of the loss rate of c-C4F8 to electron collisions. This implies that the typically cited dissociative products of c-C4F8 (primarily C2F4) can have dual production channels: one from l-C4F8 and the other directly from c-C4F8. Furthermore, the measured density of CF4 shows strong correlation to the loss of F ...


Simplicial identities play an important and fundamental role in simplicial homotopy theory. On the other hand, the study of the paths and the regular paths on discrete sets is the foundation for the path-homology theory of digraphs. In this paper, by investigating some weighted face maps and weighted co-face maps on the space of the paths as well as the space of the regular paths, we prove some simplicial-like identities for the paths and the regular paths on discrete sets.


AlargenumberofsolutionshavebeenproposedtosupportmobilityinIPnetworksincludingoriginal Mobile IP, its derivatives and several newly proposed protocols. However, these solutions often show drawbacksintermsoftrianglerouting,handoffinefficiency,heavysignalingoverhead,etc.whenhandling diversified mobility scenarios. In this paper, we argue that these problems can be addressed by an adaptive mobility solution based on software-defined networks (SDN). We discuss why SDN helps to solve the problems in current IP mobility protocols and give our design and algorithm to demonstratehowtheyaresolved.WeshowperformancebenefitsoftheSDN-basedproposalcomparingwith existing solutions by making evaluations based on real network topologies. We also implement our proposal using Mininet and experiment on it to prove that it is not only theoretically but also practically feasible to realize software defined mobility support in IP networks.


In this study, two stage transfer line with limited repair capability is modeled to formulate optimal dynamic repair priority policy. The method of Markov Chains is used to analyze the analytical model of this line. An efficient algorithm is developed, utilizing the block tridiagonal structure of the transition probability matrix, to obtain the steady state probabilities and system performance measures, such as the steady state production rate of the line and the average in-process inventory in the interstage buffer.


Background/Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the normal values of amniotic fluid index (AFI) at different gestational ages among a group of Iranian women. Patients and Methods: The four-quadrant sum of amniotic fluid pockets, AFI, was studied in 489 normal pregnant women with 20–42 weeks of gestational age. Those with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ultrasonographically detectable anomalies, premature rupture of membranes, intra-uterine growth retardation, and any known fetal abnormalities were excluded from the study. The mean 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles of AFI for each gestational age were calculated. Results: The mean (±SD) gestational age of the pregnant women studied was 31.46±6.1 (range: 20-41) weeks. The mean (±SD) AFI was 13.26±4.59 (range: 5.1-26.1) cm. The mean (±SD) AFI was 12.1±1.6 cm (Confidence Interval 95%: 8.9–15.3) at the 20th week, increased to 14.6±1.2 cm (CI95%: 12.2–17) at the 27th week, which then declined to 10.9±1.2 (CI95%: 8.5– 13.3) at the 41st week. Conclusion: Our study determined the curve of normal values of AFI for each gestational age and the upper and lower normal limits in a group of Iranian women.


Abstrac: There are many areas affected with productivity reduction and it is the problem of planted olives areas in Egypt. This habit causes severe loss for olive growers income expressed in disturbances in yearly income of the orchard and poor fruit quality.because climate changes and high temperatures (over 30°C) during blooming period induced reduction of fruit set in olive cvs. This work was conducted to investigate the effect of irrigation daily by 80, 100 and 120 % ETc beside the control for a sustainable balance between water saving spraying of and foliar application of Kaolin 5 % in March, April, May and June, tree vigour and oil production based on knowledge on the sensitivity of the olive tree to water stress at different phenological stages, the effect of this on blooming, fruiting aspects and chercteristics, fruit chemical contents of "Picual" olive cv. throughout two successive seasons (2017 and 2018 seasons). These trees were 17-years-old and planted at 6 x 6 m. apart in a sandy soil in a private orchard at Al-Khatatba, Minufiya Governorate. The study aims to improve flowering, productivity and fruit quality of olive trees. The Perfect flowers (%), irrigation daily by 80 % ETc and Kaolin in 1 March, April, May and June gave the highest significant values compared to other st treatments and the control, respectively. Irrigation daily by 80% ETc and Kaolin spraying, increased significantly number of fruit set /m, number of remained fruit (m), improving fruit weight and yield (Kg/tree) of Picual cv. in both seasons. Data indicated that, the irrigation daily by 80% ETc and Kaolin sprays gave the highest significant values in fruit length and width of Picual cv. during the two growing seasons. Although fruit weight (g) of Picual cv. was affected significantly by irrigation daily by 80% and foliar sprays of Kaolin in both seasons. This research can recommend irrigation daily by 80 % ETc (2934-3079 m /fed/year) and foliar 3 application of Kaolin in 1 March, April,May and June for improving perfect flowers (%), set fruit/m, number st of remained (m), fruit weight, yield (kg/tree), gave the lowest fruit drop (%) and gave the highest significant values in fruit oil (%) during both seasons, reducing economic losses and thus increasing the income for growers.


This essay describes the process of composing music based on a predetermined theme to then perform it. The purpose was to find out how composing and to perform what has been composed, can be influe ...


Turkish banks are faced with an increasing but relatively over‐banked customer base, with changing savings and spending patterns, declining/slow‐growing markets, severely increasing costs, deregulation and serious competition. The bank's response has been sales‐oriented (traditionally promotion and branching) and the unco‐ordinated use of marketing mix tools has contributed to current problems. The adoption and implementation of a marketing philosophy aided by the new 1983 Banking Law which promises steady deregulation, restructuring of the banking industry, and the entrance of foreign banks to the domestic market, could help solve the short‐term, as well as the long‐term, problems.


Aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are a well‐known class of enzymes that act as sentinels of genome. During protein translation, aaRSs ensure that L‐amino acids are charged or acylated onto their cognate tRNA isoacceptor(s). Hence, aaRSs help ensure that ribosomally translated proteins contain the proper sequence of amino acids. aaRS catalyze tRNA charging in a two‐step process. In step one, aaRSs selectively form a high energy amino acid adenylate. This step, refereed to amino acid activation, is the first level of selectivity in protein translation. Here, aaRSs effectively discriminate non‐cognate L‐amino acids. In step two, aaRSs transfer adenylated amino acids onto the cognate tRNA isoacceptor. This step is referred to as aminoacylation or tRNA charging. A great deal is known about aaRS reaction mechanisms but a number of confounding idiosyncrasies remain. The focus of this work aims to elucidate idiosyncrasies associated with amino acid activation. Here, a 32P‐based assay is used to measure the level to which E. coliaaRSs activate non‐cognate L‐amino acids. The purpose of these assays is to measure the plasticity of aaRS active sites to define additional underlying binding interactions that modulate amino acid recognition. This information could also be used to develop small molecule inhibitors of aaRS. Moreover, these data could reveal underlying clues to the potential origins of aaRSs. Here, three aaRSs are investigated: ArgRS, IleRS and LysRS. The activation data shows that each aaRS perhaps somewhat surprisingly activates more than five non‐cognate AAs to varying levels. Next, computer docking experiments are used to visualize the binding interaction of synthetase active site residues to each non‐cognate amino acid. These data are currently being used to construct protein‐ligand interaction maps of each aaRS active site. The resulting interactions maps can be used to more clearly elucidate idiosyncrasies associated with amino activation.


Abstract Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which appears frequently as the result of genetic mutations and may be syndromic (S-ID) or non-syndromic (NS-ID). ID causes an important economic burden, for patient's family, health systems, and society. Identifying genes that cause S-ID can easily be evaluated due to the clinical symptoms or physical anomalies. However, in the case of NS-ID due to the absence of co-morbid features, the latest molecular genetic techniques can be used to understand the genetic defects that underlie it. Recent studies have shown that non-syndromic autosomal recessive (NS-ARID) is extremely heterogeneous and contributes much more than X-linked ID. However, very little is known about the genes and loci involved in NS-ARID relative to X-linked ID, and whose complete genetic etiology remains obscure. In this review article, the known genetic etiology of NS-ARID and possible relationships between genes and the associated molecular pathways of their encoded proteins has been reviewed which will enhance our understanding about the underlying genes and mechanisms in NS-ARID.


This study is focusing on the evaluating the neighbourhood facilities and services by using the socio demographic variables. There are three important variables used which are genders, religions and housing locations. The main purpose of the study is to examine the neighbourhood facilities and services by using level of satisfaction with different socio demographic background.  The self-administered questionnaire survey distributed at three neighbourhood area in Manjung District Perak Malaysia with the sample of 421 respondents. To determine the level of satisfaction of different socio demographic background with neighbourhood facilities and services the t-test and one-way ANOVA test were performed. Generally the result shows that all neighbourhood facilities and services are moderate to less level of satisfaction by different socio demographic background. With the detail t-test analysis the result shows that the male are less level of satisfaction then the female. With One-Way ANOVA test analysis for different religions shows that the highest level of satisfaction is Muslim and the lowest level of satisfaction are other religion. While for different housing location the highest level of satisfaction is Lumut and the lowest level of satisfaction is Sitiawan. Based on the result the local authority the Manjung Municipal Council and related religions agencies must be take into account to upgrade and improve the neighbourhood facilities and services in their area for the purpose of neighbourhood quality. With this study the accurate targeted group of people will be identified by the relevant agencies, bodies or local government will tackle and can solve the problems precisely.


In this paper, one new similarity measure which holds better mathematical description is given and discussed in details. The increment of the amazing measure, which denotes the similarity measure between two count vectors is discussed in this paper and its corresponding properties are also explained. We also give the analysis and the proof to explain the efficiency of the proposed similarity measure. The experimental results indicate that when using the proposed similarity measure , the corresponding results for different applications can be optimized. Keywords-Similarity measure; Context modeling; Amazing measure; description length


The numerical modelling of four-wave mixing in ultralong semiconductor optical amplifiers (UL-SOAs) is discussed. Inside the UL-SOA, complex wave mixing interactions take place so that time-domain modelling is an important requirement for the simulation model. We validate our simulations by comparison with measurements and show that the confinement factor is a crucial parameter for the device optimisation with regard to the generation of broad FWM combs.


Following the generalized Batalin, Fradkin and Tyutin (BFT) method, we systematically embed the second-class SU(2)×U(1) Higgs model in the unitary gauge into a fully gauge invariant theory. We also suggest a novel path at the classical level how we directly get a first-class Lagrangian from the original second-class one using the BFT fields. 11.10.Ef, 11.15.-q, 11.15.Ex Typeset using REVTEX ∗e-mail: email@example.com, Permanent address: LG Corporate Institute of Technology, Seoul 137-724, Korea, and firstname.lastname@example.com †e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com ‡e-mail: email@example.com


Cockerill Sambre researched double-face enameling for hot rolled steels ranging from soft and formable to high strength. Hydrogen traps, drawing quality and enamel adherence were evaluated.


Because of low population levels, there were especially restrictive hunting regulations beX tween 195v1965, including complete clcesures during the 196s1963 seasons for canvasback (Aythya valtmeria) and redhead (A. amerrana) ducks Banding data from 1952 through l965 indicated that restictive regulations reduced both harvest and annual mortality rates. During the pexiod with very restrictive regulations, annual mortality-rate estimates ranged from 14 to 21 percent, much lower than before this period when estimates were 50 percent or higher. Drought conditions in the major nesting range of the canvasback and redhead severely reduced the amount and quality of their breedmg habitat begimiing in 1958 and continuirlg approximately through 1963. Low production rates, which caused populations of both species to decline, led to progressively restrictive hunting regulations in the United States in 1958 and 1959, and finally to closed seasons, from 1960 through 1963. The season was re-opened in 1964, with a restricted bag limit, and was continued in 196S. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the bandirlg data for the period 1952 through 1965 to determine the effectiveness of restrictive regulations in reducing harvest and mortality rates of these two species.


The possibility of expectation is an importam question in the study of the theory of penal law. According to our country's theory of penal law, possibility of expectation is one of the elements that comprise the capacity for criminal responsibility. For the judgment of it, it is better to do according to the actor's Standard; and this possibility is also suitable for all criminal forms including intentional crimes. It is necessary for our country's penal code to increase the articles about the possibility of expectation.


The main purpose of this study was to comparison of emotional intelligence on sport coaches. The population of the
 study consisted of 1677 women and 2291 men that 313women 327men was selected through sample sampling
 method. The Syber Yashring (1986) questionnaire for emotional intelligence is used in this research. The result
 indicates that there was a not significant difference on emotional intelligence among men and women. Also, there
 was significant significant relationship between emotional intelligence with age, sport experience and coaching
 experience.


An emulation system-Visual Cast-has been developed to simulate the fluid flow, temperature distribution and level fluctuation in the continuous casting mould area based on the three dimensional K-eturbulence model and energy equilibrium equation.The calculation results agree with the water modeling experiment.It has been proved that Visual Cast is recommendable for the process parameters design and optimization in continuous casting.


Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is defined as a primary heart muscle disorder characterizedby decreased myocardialcontractility, impairment of the ventricular function of the myocardium. The management of a patient with dilatedcardiomyopathy is always a challenge for an anesthesiologist, as this situation is associated with severe cardiac failureand a high mortality rate during or after anesthesia. We report the successful anesthetic management of a patient withdilated cardiomyopathy undergoing surgery for pelvic fracture.


Management of patients with lumbopelvic pain can be a complex process, requiring thoughtful consideration of the available literature as well as of unique features of the patient presentation, including pelvic and lower-limb asymmetries. It has been suggested that the spine should not be viewed in isolation and that the influence of lower-limb dysfunction is an important consideration in managing the root cause of lumbopelvic pain.1 In her case report, Boyle2 emphasizes the importance of integrating hip and pelvic asymmetries when identifying and addressing underlying dysfunctions that, if left untreated, may limit recovery. The report offers a systematic and logical description of a patient assessment and management interventions that address the primary reason for persistent lumbopelvic pain and dysfunction in a 65-year-old female patient. The outcomes of this case provide support for the use of unilateral exercises selected to address hip-joint dysfunction resulting from a pattern of postural asymmetry in the lumbar-pelvic-femoral complex.


45 Background: Practice variation in diagnosis and treatment exists between clinicians and regions across Canada. This variation can impact the quality of care that patients receive and affect patient outcomes. We aimed to gain a better understanding of the scale and type of variation between clinicians and provinces within the cancer system. Methods: Fifty pathologists, surgeons, and medical oncologists from 10 regions were convened to leverage literature and the College of American Pathologists data standards to create 48 indicators related to five cancers: breast, lung, colorectal, endometrial and prostate. Six months of synoptic pathology data were used to generate the indicators, which were reviewed by 65 clinicians to identify practice variation and potential quality improvement areas. Results: Five provinces generated 48 indicator data analyses. Practice and performance variation across five cancer sites and jurisdictions was found. For example, guidelines recommend examining at least 12 lymph nodes in colorectal cancer resections as this directly impacts staging, treatment and patient prognosis. Only one province met this guideline in 90% of cases. Another example is Lynch syndrome testing, a hereditary condition that increases the risk of developing multiple primary cancers – particularly colorectal and endometrial. The data showed unequitable access to screening with 0-70% of colorectal cancer patients aged ≤70 years and only 10-40% of endometrial cancer cases being screened for Lynch syndrome. The value of these indicators is enormous to inform potential training opportunities and set standards of care at the local or broader clinical governance level so that consistent, high-quality care is delivered in accordance with evidence-based guidelines. Conclusions: Practice variation exists between clinicians and jurisdictions. In two jurisdictions (200 pathologists), comparative pathology indicator data are being used to self-reflect and converse with peers with the goal of reducing practice variation and improving patient care.


Data throughput in modern telescopes instrumentation have been steadily increasing over the last decade. The few gigabits per second range is now the lower bound, and bandwidths as high as tens of terabits per second are expected with the Square Kilometer Array. We present a new approach based on DPDK, and its support for GPUDirect recently introduced by Nvidia to perform DMA from Network Interface Controller (NIC) to GPU memory, to answer very high throughput data acquisition in astronomy.


| african arts SUMMER 2022 VOL. 55, NO. 2 In Things Fall Apart (1958) and Arrow of God (1964), Chinua Achebe was concerned to show that Africans before the intervention of Europeans had culture, government, religion, philosophy, astronomy, music, dance, science, art, and architecture. These novels were set in the precolonial era, toward the onset of colonization in Igboland in Eastern Nigeria (Fig. 1). Traditional architecture has long been used as an index to measure humankind's state of development or their response to their environment in terms of using available materials to afford protection over the elements, animals, and fellow people. Beyond these basic essentials, however, Vitruvius, in his treatise De Architectura Litori Decem (27–23 bce) considered philosophy, music, meteorology, astronomy, and engineering as related to architecture (Dmochowski 1990: v). It is within these and other contexts—like environment, religion, tradition and language—that traditional Igbo architecture will be examined to illustrate its symbolic attributes in this essay. Labelle Prussin (1969: 1) considers architecture first as a building process where humans manipulate materials at their disposal and hence as building technology. It is also seen as a concept that examines the nature and quality of the space created. Finally it is considered as the sublimation of a culture's symbolism and therefore an array of its graphic and formal system of values. Similarly, Aniakor (2002: 273) appraises Igbo architecture within the matrix of society's ideas, symbolism, space, building materials, and technology. Even when one views Igbo architecture as the art of space and space organization, a building is a spatial entity formally quantified into three-dimensional form as a structure. This is made possible by master builders who manipulate available materials to form distinct styles of architecture. The skill is a form of expertise, but the building design derives from ideas of the society. This interplay among form, symbol, idea, and expertise is crucial to any understanding of Igbo architecture. Aniakor further notes that "the ability of architecture to symbolize derives from the fact that it is a social institution and thus lies in the social matrix of the human society" (2002: 273). Traditional Igbo architecture, an aspect of the people's material culture and artistic heritage, will be shown to intersect with and be contiguous with other components of Igbo cultural attributes, worldview, and mores using aspects of the fictive, but materially valid, environment in the novels Things Fall Apart1 (Achebe 1958) and Arrow of God2 (Achebe 1964).


Few new ideas in management accounting have achieved the same attention in terms of books, reports, conferences and implementation efforts, as has Activity Based Accounting (ABC). A lot of survey studies have been carried out describing the diffusion of ABC in different countries, for example Krumwiede (1998a) in USA, Gosselin in Canada (1997), Innes & Mitchell in Great Britain (1995), Sherrer in Germany (1996), Lukka & Grönlund in Finland (1996) and Björnenak in Norway (1997). The surveys give a general picture of the extent to which ABC has been considered and adopted at certain points in time. No such study has so far been made in Sweden. This paper reports on a survey conducted during autumn 1999. The sample contains 400 Swedish manufacturing firms with more than 50 employees with a response rate of 37%. The aim of the paper is to describe and explain the diffusion and the adoption of ABC in Swedish manufacturing industry and, wherever possible, compare the results with surveys from other countries. From a diffusion perspective, the survey shows that the majority of Swedish manufacturing firms (53%) never even discussed adopting ABC. In the end, however, 16% of the Swedish firms have implemented and are currently using ABC. Out of these, only 17% have chosen a complete implementation. In the adoption perspective 27 variables were tested, all generated from the ABC literature. The factor analysis reduced the 27 variables to 9 factors, which are size, competition, differentiation, system quality, automation, strategic importance of costing, budgetary control, product diversification and finally Relevance Lost variables. The results from the study show that only three of the factors were statistically significant and could explain why Swedish firms have adopted and are using ABC. Notably none of the classic "ABC factors", e.g. product diversification (Cooper, 1988ab), was significant.


THIS PAPER presents the results of additional work by the AIEE lightning arrester subcommittee and contains station-type-arrester performance values which may be expected of present-day commercial station-type arresters rated from 3 to. 245 kv. The characteristics of line-type arresters were presented by the subcommittee in the May 1937 and November 1938 issues of Electrical Engineering.


Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) are marine animals that is highly nutritious for human consumption, commercially important, and serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem Less optimal monitoring in Pombo Island Conservation Area and the activity of catching sea cucumbers by the surrounding community, then the aim of this research is to find out community structure of sea cucumber in Pombo Island Conservation Area, Central Maluku. It is a descriptive quantitative research. The research was conducted from October 28, to November 28, 2018 by using linear quadratic transect method. Based on the result of the research, it can be concluded that there were 208 individuals which consists of 1 family (Holothuroidea) and 3 species (Holothuria atra, Holothuria leucospilota, Holothuria nobilis). The most observed species is Holothuria atra with a total of 111 individuals whereas the least observed species is Holothuria nobilis with a total of 42 individuals. Furthermore, Holothuria atra was the species with highest density, abundance, frequency of occurance, and important value index while the lowest is Holothuria nobilis. The diversity index value is in medium category at 1.0086, while the dominance index value is close to 0 (0.3385) or no species dominates.


The present invention relates to a method for compensating a multi-stage optical amplifier (3) the gain tilt, the optical amplifier for amplifying an optical wavelength multiplexed signal (the WDM), and comprising at least one pump means (each having a plurality of series of 11) of the amplifier stage (4-6). If determined in a second amplifier stage (6) a desired power transition (20), and accordingly the pump means (11) belongs to a new calculated pump power (the I), and in the second stage (6 ) a power toggle (20) appears on the input before the pump means (11) set up a new pump power (I), it can simply compensate for fluctuations in the gain after the switching procedure (23).


Information and communication technology advancements has spawned numerous innovations, including cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is a currency that only exists in Indonesia as a digital asset. The volatile and uncontrollable value of cryptocurrencies causes investors to suffer losses. This study aims to determine the legal protection of cryptocurrency investors in Indonesia under Consumer Protection Law. This study employs a descriptive qualitative methodology with a normative approach through legislation. According to the findings of this study, The Consumer Protection Act provides legal protection for cryptocurrency investors by regulating the rights and responsibilities of consumers and business actors.


An experiment to study the effect of a meterologically well-characterized atmosphere on near-millimeter wave propagation has been designed and is being implemented. The primary emphasis of this experiment is on measurement of atmospheric mutual coherence function (MCF) simultaneously with measurement of temperature/humidity structure parameters C2T C2Q, and CTQ. Quasi-optical techniques, which make use of the Fourier transforming properties of focussing reflective optics, will be applied to measure real and imaginary parts of the MCF, while fast temperature and humidity sensors will provide derived structure parameters. This paper will discuss experimental concepts and range instrumentation.


The present invention relates to a target material coating tip of a low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus in which an optimal material suitable for the intended use is applied to a tip from which plasma is generated so that materials are separated and activated by various radicals and high-energy electrons. The target material coating tip of a low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus comprises: a plasma generation module for generating plasma; a module expansion structure, extending from the plasma generation module, in which a plasma generation tip is disposed and which contains a target material applied to the plasma generation tip when the plasma is generated; and a plasma generating tip which is connected to the plasma generation module and is located inside the module expansion structure and is coated with a material which is separated and activated by radicals and high-energy electrons of the plasma when the plasma is generated.


Background: Fibroblast proliferation, as a component of the fibrotic process, plays a role in structural remodeling, but also can alter the electrophysiology of the cardiomyocytes. Aim: To study the action potential duration dispersion (dAPD) in fibrotic atrial strands, where fibroblasts exerts both, structural and electrical influence on the propagation, using a fractional diffusion model. Methods: The Courtemanche model of human atrial cell is implemented under chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) remodeling conditions. The atrial strands are designed as 1D domains, having a fibrotic portion localized in the middle. Fibrosis is modeled taking into account an electrical component, implemented by coupling a number of fibroblasts to a single cardiomyocyte, and a structural component, implemented through a q-order fractional derivative. Results: The variations of q define two dAPD dispersion regimes. For q < 1.4, the fibrosis density and the number of fibroblast per cardiomyocyte do not alter the dAPD. For q ≥ 1.4, the dAPD depends on the fibrosis spatial characteristics. Conclusion: This study shows that the structural component of fibrosis, modeled using fractional diffusion, modulates the spatial dAPD in a domain including electrical coupling of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts, under chronic AF conditions.


Objective: To investigate the thermal expansion property and pore size distribution in the matrix of ZirconiaToughened Glass Infiltrated Nanometer-ceramic Composite(Al2O3/nZrO2).Methods: Processing the Zirconia ToughenedGlass Infiltrated Nanometer-ceramic Composite(Al2O3/nZrO2)powder with combination of chemical co-precipitationmethod and ball milling. Prepare bar-shaped specimens (5mm×5mm×20mm) with two free and surfaces perpendicularto its long axis and parallel to each other. Thermal expansion coefficient was measured by using Thermal Analyzer (TMA-2940) with a heating rate of 20℃/min and temperature range from 25℃~1000℃; pore size distribution measurementwas performed via Mercury Porosimetry (Auto pore II-9270). Results: 1. The thermal expansion coefficient of our materialis a little less than that of infiltration glass; 2.The pore distribution inside the ceramic matrix range from 200A~0.426mm.Conclusions: The thermal expansion property and pore size distribution of our material are both desirable for its mechanicalproperty and the later glass infiltration.


Hyperfine separations in unstable Eu{sup +} ions of mass 148, 149, and 150 have been measured in laser-microwave double-resonance experiments in a Paul ion trap. In spite of the small available quantities of the isotopes, the experimental uncertainties are of the order of 10{sup {minus}8} or below, which is of the same order as in earlier measurements on stable isotopes of Eu{sup +}. Extensive second-order perturbation calculation is required to obtain coupling constants for magnetic-dipole (A) and electric-quadrupole (B) interactions. The uncertainties are a few times 10{sup {minus}7} for A and 10{sup {minus}3} for B. The experiments are a step in an attempt to determine the differential hyperfine anomaly (Bohr-Weisskopf effect) in a long chain of isotopes. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}


Purpose – The research reported here generated a list of criteria adopted by postgraduate students when evaluating websites. The analysis presented aims to determine whether metacognition played any part in the evaluation of websites by volunteers.Design/methodology/approach – Forty‐eight students participated in the study. They carried out a series of searches designed to bring them into contact with a range of websites, from forums to electronic books. The students were encouraged to "think aloud" as they searched, and to explain their actions and strategies. Search sessions were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to ethnographic content analysis.Findings – A range of evaluation criteria is presented. The criteria were applied at different stages of the search process and demonstrate varying degrees of metacognition. Observations on evaluation processes are also presented. Factors affecting evaluation included the purpose of the search, advice received from lecturers, and the perceived nature of the w...


The benefits of OJ advertising result from 1) increased gallon sales and 2) higher prices. Advertising was estimated to increase the delivered-in price by $.083 per single strength equivalent (SSE) gallon in 2006-07. The with-advertising and without-advertising delivered-in prices were estimated at $1.981 and $1.898 per SSE gallon, respectively. With FDOC advertising focusing on the U.S. market, benefits due to advertising were estimated for the U.S market only. However, it should be recognized that to the extent world OJ prices increase by the same amount as the U.S. price increase ($.083 per SSE gallon), not only U.S. imports of OJ, but also Brazil and other country exports of OJ to Europe and other destinations also benefit from the advertising-induced price increases.


Surface material developments for fusion devices are overviewed in some detail. Surface properties investigations, surface diagonostics, coating technologies, tritium related surface problems, and permeation studies are included.


Free drug samples are widely used in clinical practice. We were concerned about free sample drug utilization as a source of misclassification in pharmacoepidemiology research using claims data that may result in biased effect estimates.


Basically found five determinants on existing service quality, that is cover direct proof (tangibles), reliability (reliability), conception (responsiveness), guarantee (assurance) and attention (emphaty), where is variable or determinant can influential towards consumer satisfaction on service quality that given side companies.
Watchfulness kind that do this watchfulness survey, where does researcher do observation in data collecting that done in travel "Bali Prima" Malang with watchfulness title "Service quality towards satisfaction in travel "Bali Prima" Malang".
This watchfulness aim detects service quality that cover direct proof variable (tangibles), reliability (reliability), conception (responsiveness), guarantee (assurance) and attention (emphaty) influential significant towards occupant satisfaction in travel "Bali Prima" Malang and to detect variable that has biggest contribution towards consumer satisfaction towards occupant in travel "Bali Prima" Malang.
Based on watchfulness result and discussion by using logistics regression analysis that done so can be pulled conclusion that service quality that cover direct proof variable (tangibles), reliability (reliability), conception (responsiveveness), guarantee (assurance) and attention (emphaty) influential significant towards occupant satisfaction in travel "Bali Prima" Malang. direct proof variable (tangibles) has biggest contribution towards occupant satisfaction in travel "Bali Prima" Malang.
Suggestion that submitted in this watchfulness especially for travel "Bali Prima" Malang that is to defends occupant satisfaction so should manager side travel "Bali Prima" Malang always out for increase service and attention to occupant begins from moment ticket order, moment and give guarantee on occupant welfare with always out for on time good process also arrival. Supposed side travel "Bali Prima" Malang to always pay attention on completion facilities (audio for example, ac, wet tissue), always watch over seat cleanliness with supposedly manager side to operate vehicle that still proper road so that doesn't evoke troubleshoot that can harm occupant.


This research aims to obtain empirical evidence on whether the components of good corporate governance and company characteristics influence earnings management. This research has eleven independent variables, namely audit quality, board of commissioners, managerial ownership, auditor independence, institutional ownership, audit committee, profitability, firm size, free cash flow, financial leverage, and sales growth. This research used a sample of 210 data from 70 manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2019 to 2021. This study used a purposive sampling method for sample selection and used multiple regression for data analysis. The results of this research indicate that audit quality, profitability, and free cash flow affect earnings management. However, other independent variables such as the board of commissioners, auditor independence, audit committee, institutional ownership, financial leverage, firm size, sales growth, and managerial ownership do not affect earnings management.


This study was commissioned by the Oxford Farming Conference to provide information for the 2012 Conference whose theme is Agriculture: tomorrow's power. This report examines where the economic, political and natural resource power currently lies in world agriculture; how that might change in the future and what it means to British farmers. This report has been produced with the support of Lloyds TSB, Massey Ferguson and Volac.


The structure of the first successfully manufactured ultra low attenuation OPGW cable is of an ordinal all ACS wire structure with double steel tubes,24 SMF-28ULL fibers(ULL fiber) are placed in one of steel tube,and 12 ULL fibers and 12 selected low attenuation SMF-28e+G.652D fibers are placed in another tube.The attenuation results of cabled fibers at 1550nm show that the average attenuation coefficient of ULL fiber is 0.167 dB/km with max value of 0.173dB/km and min value of 0.164 dB/km.Additional loss of cabling is around 0.01 dB/km.The test results and analysis show that ULL fiber is very suitable for ultra low attenuation OPGW application.It has lower attenuation coefficient at wavelength band for normal communication and distributed Raman amplification application compares with that of conventional G.652 fiber,and it can be an ideal transmission media for long station span communication system.


This study focused on the composition and species diversity of plants during different succession periods based on a field investigation in Houzhai Valley in Puding County, a karst area in Guizhou Province in Southwest China. The results showed that the vegetation in this area was mainly in four succession stages: grassland, shrub grassland, shrub forest and arbour forest. There were also some artificial fruit-bearing forests. In summary, 97 families, 230 genera and 382 species were investigated and recorded in the studied region. The predominant three families with the largest number of species were the Rosaceae, Compositae and Poaceae. The percentage of the life forms as arbour, shrub, herb and rattan accounted for 14.66%, 29.84%, 43.46% and 11.52% of the total species, respectively. The species richness index and Simpson's diversity index were as follows: arbour forest > shrub forest > shrub grassland > fruit-bearing forest > grassland. The species evenness and Shannon–Wiener index were as follows: arbour forest > shrub forest > shrub grassland > grass > fruit-bearing forest. In different stages of vegetation succession in the karst area, the measures taken for the restoration of vegetation and afforestation should be based on the specific species.


The typical installation of a roundabout in the United States is at an isolated intersection where it is implemented to address location specific safety and/or operational needs. Their use in a signalized corridor however, has not been well evaluated although they have been used in several communities. It is commonly believed that roundabouts can improve traffic flow and travel speeds along an urban corridor since unnecessary delay due to idling at intersections is removed. However, there is some concern that the implementation of a roundabout in a coordinated signalized corridor will disrupt continuous traffic flow since downstream signals can more efficiently process vehicles in a platoon and roundabouts disperse rather than form platoons. Additionally, roundabouts can discharge vehicles more efficiently when traffic arrives randomly. As a result, unnecessary queuing may result when roundabouts are downstream of signalized intersections. Since little research was available to compare the traffic flow impacts of implementing roundabouts within a signalized corridor, two case studies were evaluated using the microscopic traffic simulation package, VISSIM. A roundabout and two signalized alternatives as well as a roundabout and a four-way stop controlled alternative were compared at intersections along signalized corridors in Ames, Iowa and Woodbury, Minnesota, respectively. The traffic data and corridor geometry were coded into VISSIM and traditional intersection traffic control within the corridors was compared to a scenario with a two-lane roundabouts. Using the microsimulation software, average travel time, stopped delay and average delay for the entire corridor were compared. INTRODUCTION The typical installation of a roundabout in the United States is at an isolated intersection where it is implemented to address location specific safety and/or operational needs and as a result, much of the information about the safety and operational impacts are based on information obtained from isolated intersections. The impact of a roundabout in a corridor is expected to be much different than for an isolated intersection. While the roundabout may solve safety and operational problems at one intersection, it may adversely affect another intersection upstream or downstream, or corridor performance as a whole. As a result, consideration should be given to how roundabouts affect traffic operations in a corridor. One of the common benefits cited for roundabouts is improvement in traffic flow, since unnecessary delay due to vehicle idling at intersections is reduced. When a roundabout is used in conjunction with traffic signals along a corridor, proponents have suggested that travel time through the corridor will be reduced due to consistent speeds. Flow is also expected to be smoother since a roundabout reduces acceleration and decelerations that occur with signalization. However, there is some concern that use of a roundabout in a signalized corridor will disrupt traffic flow rather than providing more efficient flow. In a signalized corridor, vehicle platoons form upstream and downstream at signalized intersections. If the signalized corridor has proper progression, vehicles arriving downstream in a platoon can be served in a much shorter amount of green time than vehicles arriving randomly. This leads to better utilization of capacity. It is also difficult to coordinate a series of traffic signals without formation of platoons upstream. In addition, platooning creates a recurring pattern of gaps which traffic on minor streets downstream can utilize to enter the corridor or cross the corridor at unsignalized locations Hallmark et al (2009) 3 (1). Roundabouts disperse traffic randomly and can discharge vehicles more efficiently when traffic arrives randomly. As a result, roundabouts which are upstream of a signalized intersection will disperse rather than create platoons which can cause inefficiency downstream and may make it difficult to coordinate a set of signals. When a roundabout is within a signalized corridor, queuing also may occur if platoons of vehicles arrive from an upstream signalized intersection. Roundabouts do have the potential to alleviate congestion at critical intersections (i.e. bottlenecks) within a coordinated signaled corridor but this should be assessed carefully. Impacts are specific to corridor traffic volumes, percent turning vehicles, intersection spacing and vehicle types. Although roundabouts are often believed to cause less queuing and delay, their impact on a signalized corridor has not been well demonstrated. Several studies have evaluated the traffic flow impacts of a roundabout within a corridor but results are not well documented. Bared and Edara (2) used a microscopic simulation program, VISSIM, to evaluate the performance of a roundabout within a coordinated set of signals. The study evaluated a corridor with three intersections spaced at quarter mile intervals. Initially the authors evaluated the corridor with all three intersections being signalized. They also optimized coordination using TRANSYT-7F. This was compared to a scenario where the center intersection was replaced with a roundabout. Results of the VISSIM analysis indicated that when the system was operating below capacity, the roundabout scenario resulted in less delay. When the corridor approached capacity, they found that the coordinated signal scenario resulted in slightly lower overall delay. The City of Golden, Colorado, replaced signalized intersections with roundabouts which had a heavy retail land use including strip malls, grocery stores, and fast food restaurants. Traffic operations were compared before and after installation of the roundabouts. Travel time decreased by 10 seconds while, at the same time, the 85th percentile speed decreased from 47 to 33 mph. The queues in the parking lots were nearly eliminated because the vehicles did not have to wait to make left turns. Instead, they made right turns and used the roundabouts for U-turns (3). A series of roundabouts was implemented in Edina, Minnesota. The existing four-lane roadway was reduced to a two-lane roadway and three roundabouts were implemented in the corridor. Prior to installation of the roundabouts in Edina, traffic during peak travel times had a difficult time entering the corridor. Although the roundabouts have only been open for a short time when the city evaluated them, they indicated that vehicle operations have improved from a level of service (LOS) between B and F prior to opening to an LOS between A and D after opening. The city also found no reduction or change in access (4). There is also a concern that if drivers perceive that roundabouts along a corridor interfere with traffic flow they may divert to other roadways causing safety and operational problems on those roadways. PROBLEM STATEMENT Since little research was available to evaluate the impact of roundabouts within a signalized corridor, two case studies were developed and analyzed using microscopic traffic simulation. One case study was in a suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul, MN and the other was in Ames, Iowa. The case studies compared existing corridor geometry with the implementation of a roundabout at one intersection along the corridor. The case studies compared average corridor Hallmark et al (2009) 4 travel time, delay, and stop time in each direction of travel for one case study. It is acknowledged that the information obtained from simulation modeling of alternatives only offers speculative evidence about the performance of a roundabout within a corridor. However, it is extremely difficult to conduct a field study to obtain before and after data to document the impact. As a result, simulation modeling can be used to provide some preliminary evidence of the impact so that agencies who wish to implement roundabouts in a corridor have some information about what the expected impacts might be. This information is also useful for agencies who wish to model roundabouts within a corridor in a simulation model since there are several challenges as addressed in the following sections. MODELING ROUNDABOUTS IN A CORRIDOR A detailed description of each case study is provided in the corresponding section. The following paragraphs describe general information about how the corridors were developed and analyzed in VISSIM. Building a network in VISSIM The microscopic simulation program VISSIM version 4.30 (5) was used to model both case studies. VISSIM is a link-link based stochastic traffic microscopic simulation program which is ideal for simulating and evaluating complex networks and multi-lane roundabouts. The link-link structure allows complex geometry such as that found in roundabouts to be modeled explicitly and VISSIM allows users to define driver reactions to changes in the roadway geometry. VISSIM also has a complex driver behavior model that can be adjusted to calibrate specific conditions and extensive vehicle operations evaluation output. Scaled aerial photographs were used as a background to code the existing street network for each corridor into VISSIM. Existing signal timing and volumes were used to develop the initial model. The roundabout was then developed and coded into an alternative scenario. Vehicles were loaded and unloaded from the network based on the signalized intersection turning movement volumes. Both case studies modeled the evening peak hour traffic volume through the corridor. VISSIM includes several calibration tools which were used to adjust the models to reflect actual conditions as much as possible. They include:  Priority rules: adjusts acceptable gaps which includes minimum headway, minimum gap per second time, and which driver has the right-of-way at intersections or roundabout entry point  Reduced speed areas: allows for temporary driver speed reduction through specific areas such as through a turning maneuver and, in this case, through the circ


This research examines how individual preferences for the major functions of stream restoration processes are associated with flood prevention and risk mitigation in Johnson Creek of Portland, Oregon, USA. We first reviewed a set of results from an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model to rank the major stream restoration functions and compared citizens' preferences for "flood prevention" using ordinary least squares regression. Our results show that the perceptions and interests of citizens may be centred on the inconvenience of everyday life arising from the previous flood events. Residents in the highly urbanized downstream regions showed a higher sensitivity to flooding than those living in the upper regions of the watershed. Community participation and annual incomes are positively related to flood risk perception in more developed downstream regions, while ecological or development goals associated with property protection are positively associated with higher flood risk perception in the less developed upper regions. Our findings of citizen perceptions can be adopted to help local government leaders and households mitigate flood risk while also achieving multiple benefits from stream restoration projects.


The Malay cultural landscape has become an integral part of examining the cultural significance in Malaysia. Thus, the main objective of the study is to determine the impact of the visual characteristics of the built cultural landscape in conserving and preserving Kota Bharu as an aristocratic area in this modern era. Kota Bharu is one of the Islamic cities in Malaysia. This study embarks into a quantitative study using a mixed-method. A significant implication is to propose a significant model to value the Malay cultural heritage and preserve the culture and spirit among the Kelantanese Malay population who live in the modern era.


Puskin, Gogol', and Lermontov with distinct historical roles, not only in the development of Russian literature but in the very development of the Russian national consciousness" (p. 64). The best virtue of this work is, in fact, its unswerving determination to zero in on the central trait of Belinsky's criticism: its "organicism;" (The classroom teacher's repetition of a main point marks the discussion in many places. Chapter 4 begins: "Belinskij's world view always remained 'organic.'" Chapter 5 begins: "Belinskij's conception of the work of art is organic from beginning to end.") What does "organic" mean ? Two related things: seeing literature "as a function of both nationality and society, on the one hand, and as 'a living whole,' on the other" (p. 119); seeing Russian literature as an integral part of the national life and national consciousness, to which it gives both expression and direction. This is the essence of Belinsky's message as a critic. Everything else is commentary. And this book derives its unquestionable validity from its concentration on this main critical argument of Belinsky's work. This study in the development and latter-day fortunes of this critical tradition in Russia raises, in fact, a very big question (a question one could wish to offer to Belinsky for his answer) : Is this "organic" emphasis in the conception of Russian literature something that Belinsky created or something that he reflected? Does Belinsky's real significance reside in his special ability to elaborate and transmit a view of literature that was growing in the national soil ? Are the moral earnestness and ethnic concern that both glorify and imperil Russian literature a result of historical conditions that also created Belinsky? For example, didn't Pushkin and Gogol and Lermontov and Turgenev and Dostoevsky and Goncharov provide the foundation for Belinsky? Shouldn't their work be listed among his "sources" ? To wonder if there may be something characteristically Russian in Belinsky's critical emphasis is of course only to add lustre to Belinsky's fame as a national critic (unless one prefers to denounce Belinsky and his influence and turn away from this controversial Russian seriousness about literature). Both the friendly and the unfriendly student of Belinsky will find this study useful. Nowhere else is so full a treatment offered of most of what one needs to know about this famous spokesman of Russian literary thought. One nagging query: How should one pronounce "Schellingian"?


With the increasing proportion of electricity in global end-energy consumption, it has become a global consensus that there is a need to develop more environmentally efficient renewable energy generation methods to gradually replace traditional high-pollution fossil energy power generation. Renewable energy generation has become an important method of supplying power across the world. Therefore, the accurate prediction of renewable energy generation plays a vital role in maintaining the security of electricity supply in all countries. Based on this, in our study, a novel dynamic accumulation grey seasonal model is constructed, abbreviated to DPDGSTM(1,1), which is suitable for forecasting mid- to long-term renewable energy generation. Specifically, to overcome the over-accumulation and old information disturbance caused by traditional global accumulation, a dynamic accumulation generation operator is introduced based on a data-driven model, which can adaptively select the optimal partial accumulation number according to the intrinsic characteristics of a sequence. Subsequently, dummy variables and a time trend item are integrated into the model structure, significantly enhancing the adaptability of the new model to the sample sequence with different fluctuation trends. Finally, a series of benchmark models are used to predict renewable energy generation in China, wind power generation in the United States, and hydropower generation in India. The empirical results show that the new model performs better than other benchmark models and is an effective tool for the mid- to long-term prediction of renewable energy generation.


This letter was stimulated by an interesting coincidence. The publication of Jaffe's [1966] article in the February 15 issue of this Journal coincided closely with the news about the first 'soft landing' on the moon achieved by the unmanned Russian space probe Luna 9 on February 9, 1966. Truly close-up photographs by a camera stationed about 60 cm above the lunar surface were radioed back to earth. As an example, reference can be made to the picture reproduced on page 56 of the March 1966 issue of Scientific American which was accompanied by a brief summary of discussions attributed to N. Barabashov, a leading Soviet selenologist, who emphasized that the probe did not sink into the 'soil' to any substantial degree and concluded that the surface of the moon appears to be quite solid, or a sponge-like, rough-textured mass scattered with individual sharp-edged fragments of various sizes.


The distribution of global photometric, spectroscopic, structural and morphological parame- ters for a well-defined sample of 350 nearby galaxies has been examined. The usual trends were recovered demonstrating that E/S0 galaxies are redder, more quiescent, more centrally concentrated and possess larger Sersic indices than late-type galaxies. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to examine the distribution of all parameters simultaneously. The main result of these analyses was the existence of only two classes of galaxies, corresponding closely to early and late types. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was able to reproduce the classifications of early- and late-type galaxies with high success, but further refinement of galaxy types was not reproduced in the distribution of observed galaxy properties. A principal components analysis (PCA) showed that the major variance of the parameter set corresponded to a distinction between early and late types, highlighting the importance of the distinction. A hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) revealed only two clear natural classes within the parameter set, closely corresponding to early and late types. Early and late types are clearly distinct and the distinction is of fundamental importance. In contrast, late types from Sa to Irr are smoothly distributed throughout the parameter space. A population of galaxies classified by eye as elliptical/lenticular, and exhibiting concentration indices similar to early types were found to have a significant star formation activity. These galaxies are preferentially faint, suggesting they are low-mass systems. Ke yw ords: galaxies: evolution - galaxies: fundamental parameters.


The main goal of the research work is to solve a wide range of data problems by offering batch, iterative, and interactive computations in a unified architecture. The dissertation proposes an integrated architecture to manage a large amount of massively distributed data including spatial data. The implementation architecture has three major components: data preparation, data analytics, and data visualization. As a part of the implementation, a novel big spatial data analytics framework is developed to load, store, process, and query spatial and non-spatial data at scale. As proof of concept, spatial analytics applications are developed using agricultural reallife datasets.


We demonstrate interrogation of a single, high performance Mach-Zehnder interferometric sensor over a total of 166 km of single-mode optical fiber, using a remotely pumped EDFA and Raman amplification. A phase resolution less than 5 μrad/Hz1/2 at 1 kHz is achieved.


The concept of Economic ordering quantity is generally employed by Public/Private sector undertakings and Govt. organizations, trying to balance the opposing costs of Inventory carrying costs and ordering costs. This is a simplistic method, which does not directly take into account the month-wise consumption/utilization trends of spare parts used. This article focuses on a "New Inventory Model" based upon actual consumption trends of materials/spares in the immediate past and the ideal maintenance requirements of spares in a year for ensuring trouble-free service of machinery and plant for achieving zero defects/breakdowns. The month-wise fluctuations in drawals/utilizations are translated into a vision by introducing utilization ratio as ratio between the maximum and minimum of actual utilization during the year. Similar to growth of population, the procurement coefficient is arrived at as a geometric mean between theory and simulated practice, with utilization ratio as the common ratio. Finally Revised Annual Procurement (RAP) is found out by making use of this information. The new Inventory Model (NIM) is easy to understand, since it is based on ground realities and is amenable for computerization.


Plant plasma membrane aquaporins (PIPs) are channels facilitating the passive movement of water through biological membranes. A tight regulation of aquaporin density/activity in cell membranes is essential to control transcellular water flows and to maintain plant water status under challenging environments. A wide variety of mechanisms regulate PIP trafficking to the plasma membrane and their activity or gating. These mechanisms usually involve physical interactions of PIPs with other proteins and also depend on trafficking motifs present on the sequence of these PIPs. Post-Golgi trafficking of PIPs was shown to involve an interaction with the SNARE proteins SYP61 and SYP121 that also appeared to be physically associated in a SNARE complex (Hachez et al., 2014). These findings suggest that several SNAREs modulate the activity of PIP aquaporins in the cell membrane by mediating their subcellular routing. We are currently characterizing the role of other PIP interactants in controlling their cell surface abundance under abiotic stress. PIP aquaporins are divided in two groups PIP1 and PIP2 that differ in their subcellular localization. When expressed alone in mesophyll protoplasts, maize PIP2s reach the cell PM while PIP1s are blocked in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A protein domain-swapping approach was utilized to demonstrate that a new LxxxA motif in the transmembrane domain 3 of PIP2s regulates their anterograde routing along the secretory pathway and, more particularly, their export from the ER (Chevalier et al., 2014). The reason why such motif impacts the trafficking of PIPs is currently under investigation. Altogether, these data support the view that tight modulation of PIP trafficking contributes to the fine tuning of the plasma membrane water permeability in plant cells. Chevalier, A.S., Bienert, G.P., and Chaumont, F. (2014) A new LxxxA motif in the transmembrane helix 3 of maize PIP2 aquaporins is required for their trafficking to the plasma membrane. Plant Physiol. In press Hachez, C., Laloux, T., Reinhardt, C., Cavez, D., Degand, H., Grefen, C., De Rycke, R., Inze, D., Blatt, M.R., Russinova, E. and Chaumont, F. (2014) Arabidopsis SNAREs SYP61 and SYP121 coordinate the trafficking of plasma membrane aquaporin PIP2;7 to modulate the cell membrane water permeability, Plant Cell. In press


The performance of the XRJ43-MA-3 flight-weight ram-jet engine has been investigated in a free-jet facility as part of the development program for the "Bomarc," ram-jet powered, interceptor-type missile. The engine performance was obtained at Mach number s of 2.35, 2.50, and 2.70, altitudes from 50,000 to 75,000 feet, and Miami hot day and cold day inlet temperatures at an angle of attack of +4 deg. At each flight condition investigated, the engine control set an inner-ring fuel flow which was held constant as outer-ring fuel flow was varied. Combustion screech, which occurred more readily at the higher combustor pressures, fuel-air ratios, and inlet temperatures, resulted in discontinuities in the performance curves and an improvement in engine performance. The maximum time that the engine was allowed to operate continuously in the screech region was approximately 4 minutes. For these periods of time at the pressure levels investigated, no serious damage was evident. At a given fuel-air ratio, increasing the altitude or inlet temperature in the range investigated resulted in small reductions in net thrust coefficient. An increase in the flight Mach number raised the combustion efficiency but had little effect on the net thrust coefficient. Because conditions external to the engine did not simulate the actual flight conditions, no valid check of the durability of the combustion chamber and exhaust nozzle was obtained. All other engine components operated satisfactorily at least for at total burning time of 5 hours and high fuel-air-ratio operation of 35 minutes.


The article highlights the conceptual vision of the role and place of the headman in the system of local self-government in Ukraine, provides a comprehensive description of its formal and material criteria. The idea of allocating two stages of legislative regulation of this institute is substantiated. The first stage: February 2015 - July 2020. The second stage: July 2020 - to the present. It is emphasized that in the current municipal legislation of Ukraine there are low legal gaps that do not allow to establish a transparent procedure for selection of candidates for the post of mayor, as well as a clear procedure for approval of the mayor at the session of the council. Attention is drawn to the fact that during this period the procedure for appointment to the position of headman has changed significantly - from direct elections to local elections to approval at a session of the local council on the proposals of the relevant chairman. Some dynamics of legal regulation of social relations of the institute of headmеn is due to attempts to find the optimal format of such an institution in the system of checks and balances in the quadrangle: villagers, settlements - council - the corresponding chairman - the headman. It is noted that the headman should be a true representative of the interests of residents in relations with the relevant chairman and representative body of local government. At the same time, among the topical issues of the legal status of the head should be the definition of his place in the structure of executive bodies of local self-government (I believe that it is necessary to leave a guaranteed place in the executive committee of the local council). Attention is drawn to the need to establish a clear and transparent procedure for selecting candidates for the post of headman. Clear criteria must be developed and approved for the objective selection of candidates and their public discussion before approval. Proposals are made that qualitative and quantitative criteria for the formation of headmеn`s districts should be enshrined in the current legislation of Ukraine. It is noted that special attention should be paid to the professional and personal qualities of headman, the process of its training and retraining, advanced training of headman as an effective representative of the interests of residents. Addressing such issues will contribute to the formation of a balanced system of local self-government in the village, town and city.


We consider efficient agnostic learning of linear combinations of basis functions when the sum of absolute values of the weights of the linear combinations is bounded. With the quadratic loss function, we show that the class of linear combinations of a set of basis functions is efficiently agnostically learnable if and only if the class of basis functions is efficiently agnostically learnable. We also show that the sample complexity for learning the linear combinations grows polynomially if and only if a combinatorial property of the class of basis functions, called the fat-shattering function, grows at most polynomially. We also relate the problem to agnostic learning of f0 1g-valued function classes by showing that if a class of f0 1g-valued functions is efficiently agnostically learnable (using the same function class) with the discrete loss function, then the class of linear combinations of functions from the class is efficiently agnostically learnable with the quadratic loss function.