This study examined mistreatment of women throughout birthing process in tertiary healthcare institutions in Rivers State: Implication for quality maternity care. A descriptive survey research design was adopted with a population which comprised of 520 women attending antenatal and postnatal clinics of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital out of which 249 were selected using the convenience sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.83. Data collection was done using the direct delivery and retrieval method to ensure high return rate. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, mean and inferential statistics of chisquare. Results revealed that majority of pregnant women experience non-consented care, non confidential and non dignified care during birthing process to a significant extent. This study concluded that majority of pregnant women experience disrespectful care during childbirth. Based on the study findings, the following are hereby recommended; active participation of women in all aspects of their care including decision making, women should be provided with dignified care during childbirth and afterward and full informed consent should be sought for and obtained from women during childbirth and the principle of confidentiality should be respected at all times when caring for women during childbirth.


Soil moisture shortages adversely affecting agriculture are significantly associated with meteorological drought. Because of limited soil moisture observations with which to monitor agricultural drought, characterizing soil moisture using drought indices is of great significance. The relationship between commonly used droughtindicesand soil moisture is examinedhereusing Chinesesurfaceweatherdata andcalculatedstationbased drought indices. Outside of northeastern China, surface soil moisture is more affected by drought indices having shorter time scales while deep-layer soil moisture is more related on longer index time scales. Multiscalardroughtindicesworkbetterthandroughtindicesfromtwo-layerbucketmodels.Thestandardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) works similarly or better than the standardized precipitation index (SPI) in characterizing soil moisture at different soil layers. In most stations in China, the Z index has a higher correlation with soil moisture at 0‐5cm than the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), which in turn has a higher correlation with soil moisture at 90‐100-cm depth than the Z index. Soil bulk density and soil organic carbon density are the two main soil properties affecting the spatial variations of the soil moisture‐ drought indices relationship. The study may facilitate agriculture drought monitoring with commonly used drought indices calculated from weather station data.


ABSTRACT Lung cancer cells show both inherent and acquired resistance to chemotherapy. Epigenetics and miRNA are new mediators of response to anticancer agents. In the present study, we used an isogenic pair of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines; A549 (wild-type) and A549DOX11 (doxorubicin resistant) and two epigenetic modifiers (trichostatin A, TSA and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, 5AZA) to study the role of epigenetics and miRNA in resistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells to doxorubicin. Our results demonstrate differential expression of epigenetic markers whereby the level of HDACs 1, 2, 3 &4, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1), acetylated H2B and acetylated H3 were lower in A549DOX11 compared to A549 cells. Fourteen miRNAs were dys-regulated in A549DOX11 cells compared to A549 cells. This was associated with reduced apoptosis and higher resistance of A549DOX11cells to doxorubicin and etoposide than A549 cells. Sequential treatment with TSA/5AZA followed by doxorubicin resulted in : (i) enhanced sensitivity of A549DOX11 cells to doxorubicin more than A549 especially at low concentrations, (ii) enhanced doxorubicin-induced DNA damage in both cell lines, (iii) dysregulation of some miRNAs in A549 cells. In conclusion, A549DOX11 cells resistant to DNA damaging drugs have epigenetic profile and miRNA expression different from the sensitive cells. Moreover, epigenetic modifiers may reverse the resistance of certain NSCLC cells to DNA damaging agents by enhancing their ability to induce DNA damage. This may open the door for using epigenetic profile/miRNA expression of some cancer cells as markers for response to doxorubicin and the use of combination doxorubicin/epigenetic modifiers to reduce doxorubicin toxicity.


1.A single dose of Anordrin(10.5 mg/kg)was orally administered on day 1post coitus,laparotomy was performed on day 11 to examine the number of implanta-tion sites.The number of implantation sites in the treated group was 0.4±0.4(mean±SEM),instead of 9.7±1.6 as in the control group.2.The rabbits were fed consecutively with 3 doses of Anordrin(5 mg/kg perday)on days 7,8,9 post coitus.On day 17 post coitus,laparotomy was performed toexamine the development of embryos.The number of fetuses in the control groupwas 7.5±1.1;in the treated group,surviving and dead fetuses were respectively0.3±0.3 and 7.0±0.5.3.Plasma concentration of progesterone started to decrease on the eleventhday after mating,but the plasma concentration of estrogen was not changed.


Objective To observer the effect of prenatal stress on the spatial learning and memory of offspring rats. Methods The prenatal restrained-stress model was adopted. The dams in moderate pregnant and later stage were restrained respectively. The offspring rats from each group were examined in Morris Water Maze. Results ①The escape latency to reach the platform in prenatal stress groups offspring was longer than that in control( P 0.05). The latency in female offspring of LS was longer than that in CON female and LS male ( P 0.05). ②In spatial probe test, the staying-time of the MS and LS offspring in the quadrant of the primary platform was shorter than CON, but the result did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Prenatal stress can affect the capability of spatial learning in the offspring, especially in LS female offspring.


The effect of total single X-ray irradiation (1.5 Gy) on the course of free radical processes (FRP) in the blood and liver of red fistula (Myodes glareolus) and yellow-throated mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) was studied. It is shown that physicochemical regulation of FRP in the blood of murine rodents under total X-ray irradiation (1.5 Gy) in the early stages is carried out mainly due to catalase and reduced glutathione (GSH). This is evidenced by the stoichiometry of the CL reaction and symbat changes in the prooxidant-antioxidant ratio (PAR) and basic kinetic parameters of the CL reaction (Imax, Ifin) and antibat changes to PAR - catalase and GSH.


One of the greatest challenges for current quantum computing hardware is how to obtain reliable results from noisy devices. A recent paper [A. Kandala et al., Nature 567, 491 (2019)] described a method for injecting noise by stretching gate times, enabling the calculation of quantum expectation values as a function of the amount of noise in the IBM-Q devices. Extrapolating to zero noise led to excellent agreement with exact results. Here an alternative scheme is described that employs the intentional addition of identity pulses, pausing the device periodically in order to gradually subject the quantum computation to increased levels of noise. The scheme is implemented in a one qubit circuit on an IBM-Q device. It is determined that this is an effective method for controlled addition of noise, and further, that using noisy results to perform extrapolation can lead to improvements in the final output, provided careful attention is paid to how the extrapolation is carried out.


Abstract : A computer vision system has been developed at the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) which enables a PDP-10 computer to acquire television pictures in digital form. The television camera is mounted on a platform referred to as the pantilt assembly which can be rotated back and forth and tilted up and down. Also on the pan-tilt assembly are a remote controlled zoom lens and a range finder. Everything on the pan-tilt assembly except for the camera is interfaces to a PDP-11/40 minicomputer which can communicate with the PDP-10. (Author)


Neurotic anxiety, according to the psychodynamic model, is seen as a common constituent of all neurotic disorders.. It is considered that this form of pathological anxiety emerges due to the anticipation of possible breakthrough of forbidden instinctual drive derivatives from the drive constituted stratum of the tripartite personality structure as postulated by S.Freud. Depending on the individual's attempt to overcome this breakout of anxiety, more precisely which defense mechanisms the person is likely to mobilize, clinical picture of a specific neurotic disorder will develop. Specificity of forbidden drive derivatives within neurotically structured individuals is in their origin that dates back to the unsolved problematic of the phallic developmental stage, oedipal conflict predominantly. Those are stages of normal psychosexual development.


Houhanji was written by Yuan Hong in Eastern Jin Dynasty.A scholar points out some errors in the punctuation about this book.This article disagrees with the scholar on two issues.


There is increasing interest in the use of maintenance performance measurement (MPM) and the possibility of using the maintenance audits for benchmarking metrics. This article proposes a methodolog ...


Objective To research the stability of ferulic acid in rhizoma ligusticum chuanxiong,to find the proper processing parameters of its extracting, concentration and drying. Methods By means of RP-HPLC, comparing the peak area of ferulic acid, so deducing the stability of ferulic acid. Results The experiments have manifested that ferulic acid was not stable when treated by heat in solution. When the temperature exceeded 80 ℃, the peak of ferulic acid dropped sharply, and this tendency was proportional with heating time, while the amount of ferulic acid in the dry crude drug of rhizoma ligusticum chuanxiong kept stable. Conclusion Based on this research, we can make the conclusion that in the relative process, such as extracting, concentration and drying, the temperature should keep under 80 ℃, and the heating time should be within 12 h, for the sake of a higher yielding of ferulic acid.


Perforator flaps have been successfully used for reconstruction of pressure sores. Although V-Y advancement flaps approximate debrided wound edges, perforator-based propeller flaps allow rotation of healthy tissue into the defect. Perforator-based propeller flaps were planned in 13 patients. Seven pressure sores were over the sacrum, five over the ischial tuberosity, and one on the tip of the scapula. Three patients were paraplegic, six were bedridden, and five were ambulatory. In three patients, no perforators were found. In 10 patients, propeller flaps were transferred. In two patients, total flap necrosis occurred, which was reconstructed with local advancement flaps. In two cases, a wound dehiscence occurred and had to be revised. One hematoma required evacuation. No further complications were noted. No recurrence at the flap site occurred. Local perforator flaps allow closure of pressure sores without harvesting muscle. The propeller version has the added benefit of transferring tissue from a distant site, avoiding reapproximation of original wound edges. Twisting of the pedicle may cause torsion and venous obstruction. This can be avoided by dissecting a pedicle of at least 3 cm. Propeller flaps are a safe option for soft tissue reconstruction of pressure sores.


The present study looked at the amount of input and output in two groups of children and their normally hearing mothers: congenitally hearing-impaired children with a cochlear implant (CI) and normally hearing children (NH). The aim of the study was threefold: (a) to investigate the input provided by the two groups of mothers, (b) to investigate the output of the two groups of children, and (c) to investigate the influence of the mothers' input on children's output and on their expressive vocabulary sizes. Mothers are less influenced by their children's hearing status than children are: CI children are more talkative and slower speakers. Mothers influenced their children on most measures, but the most striking finding is that not mothers' talkativeness as such, but the number of maternal turns out to be the best predictor of children's expressive vocabulary size.


The effects of solid oxygen and gaseous one on desiliconization pretreatment efficiency and temperature drop of high phosphorus content hot metal were experimentally studied.The results showed that in desiliconization by using solid oxygen the reaction completed in just two minutes because the slag volumes were high,temperature drops were great and oxidation rates of silicon and manganese were fast whereas in desiliconization by using gaseous oxygen in partial replacement of solid oxygen the final desiliconization effects were not deteriorated and the desiliconization rate arrived at greater than 92 % even if the slag volumes were low,temperature drops less and desiliconization velocities slow Therefore the rational technology of desiliconization pretreatment for high phosphorus content hot metal is to control the amount of the solid desiliconizing agents,use appropriate amount of gaseous oxygen in replacement of solid oxygen(higher than 33 % in weight percent) and restrict to shorter treatment time(about eight minutes).


It has been traditionally suggested that the early development of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) is characterized by a predominant and progressive injury to small nerve fibres followed by large fibre impairment. We alternatively hypothesized that small and large fibre damage due to DSPN in type 1 and type 2 diabetes could develop in parallel and may not only be progressive but also reversible. Participants from the German Diabetes Study baseline cohort with recent-onset type 1/type 2 diabetes (n = 350/570) and age-matched glucose-tolerant control individuals (Control 1/Control 2: n = 114/190) were assessed by nerve conduction studies (NCS), thermal detection thresholds (TDT), vibration perception threshold (VPT), Neuropathy Symptom Score (NSS), Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS), and intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) in skin biopsies (type 1/type 2 diabetes: n = 102/226; Control 1/Control 2: n = 109/208). Subsets of participants with type 1/type 2 diabetes were followed for 5 years (n = 184/307; IENFD subset: n = 18/69). DSPN was defined by the Toronto Consensus criteria. At baseline, DSPN was present in 8.1 and 13.3% of the type 1 and type 2 diabetes groups, respectively. The most frequently abnormal tests in the lower limbs below or above the 2.5th and 97.5th centile of the controls were IENFD (13.7%) and individual NCS (up to 9.4%) in type 1 diabetes participants and IENFD (21.8%), malleolar VPT (17.5%), and individual NCS (up to 11.8%) in those with type 2 diabetes, whereas TDT abnormalities did not differ between the control and diabetes groups. After 5 years in type 2 diabetes participants, the highest progression rates from the normal to the abnormal range were found for IENFD (18.8%) by -4.1 ± 2.8 fibres/mm, malleolar VPT (18.6%) by 9.1 ± 20.2 µm, and NDS (15.0%) by 3.7 ± 1.5 points, while vice versa the highest regression rates were observed for NDS (11.2%) by -3.1 ± 1.3 points, sural nerve amplitude (9.1%) by 4.7 ± 3.0 µV, IENFD (8.7%) by 1.4 ± 1.3 fibres/mm, and NSS (8.2%) by -5.8 ± 1.6 points. In type 1 diabetes participants, no major progression was seen after 5 years, but subclinical DSPN regressed in 10.3%. These findings point to an early parallel damage to both small and large nerve fibres in well-controlled recent-onset type 2 and, to a lesser extent, type 1 diabetes. After 5 years peripheral nerve morphology and function and clinical measures progress to the abnormal range in type 2 diabetes, but initial nerve alterations are also reversible to a meaningful degree.


Manipulation—that is, inactivation and movement—of subcellular organelles in living cells is important to understand cell dynamics. We review disruption of subcellular organelles in living cells by tightly focusing femtosecond laser pulses inside the cells. Photodisruption of organelles in living cells was experimentally confirmed by restaining of organelles. Femtosecond laser based nanosurgery has the possibility to remove or manipulate organelles in living cells and may lead to elucidation of functional interactions between organelles, protein transportation, and inter-cell communication.


Paracetamol (acetaminophen-N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, PCM), a most common antipyretic & analgesic compound is widely used for the treatment of cold, cough, fever, pain including chronic pain, muscular ache, migraine, menstrual cramps, headache, backache and toothache. Acetaminophen over dosage is considered as one of the major causes of hepatic toxicity. The current study aimed to investigate the protective effect of corn silk methanolic extract (CSME) against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatic toxicity. Therefore, the present study was carried out on 40 male Wistar albino rats, which were randomly allocated into four groups (n=10). Control group; orally administered with 0.9% normal saline. CSME group, orally received CSME, 400 mg/kg BW daily for 5 weeks; APAP group , orally administered with a single dose of APAP, 2g/kg BW; APAP+ CSME group , orally administered with CSME as in CSME group, followed by a single oral dose of APAP as in APAP group. The results of this study revealed that APAP caused a significant elevation in alanine  transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities. Also, APAP caused significant increases in of  malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations compared with control group. However, pre-treatment with CSME restored all biochemical parameters toward the normal levels as the control group. In conclusion, oral administration of CSME protected rats against APAP hepatic toxicity through its antioxidant protective mechanisms.


This thesis deals with prediction of early age cracking caused by restrained temperature dilation and autogenous deformation. Traditonally, prediction of early-age cracking has been based on temper ...


Sufficient conditions are derived for global and local controllability of nonlinear time-varying systems with control appearing linearly. It is shown that the controllability of $\dot x = A(t,x)x + B(t,x)u$ can be related to the controllability of the linear system $\dot x = A(t,z)x + B(t,z)u$, where z belongs to a certain set of continuous vector functions. This result is then used to specify a class of nonlinear systems which are globally controllable.


cism, his conspicuous avoidance of the religious arguments central to many conservative reflections, and his skirting with bare mention issues such as abortion and euthanasia. His aim is to understand conservatism philosophically, meaning that he expounds its basic tenets both within the limits of reason alone and mostly apart from particular policy issues and contemporary political debates. Kekes defends conservatism on the ground that, properly set out, it provides a superior understanding of the human condition. He is arguing for a view that is not merely "conservative" but that he thinks is simply sound. How persuasive this will be depends on the degree to which readers accept that he has achieved a philosophic perspective that is politically disinterested. Of course, for those who believe there is no such perspective he will not be persuasive. He also admits that his argument must be political insofar as it is directly about our political arrangements, about the attitudes we adopt regarding the possibilities and limits of politics, and about protecting opportunities for individuals to pursue satisfactory lives in a very wide range. All things considered, Kekes goes a long way toward establishing a strong philosophic argument for conservatism. At the same time, while assenting to his arguments would make a difference in political life, it would be difficult to establish the precise manner of the difference. For liberals the difference will seem too much; for many conservatives, too little. What Kekes wants, nonetheless, is to argue the case for conservatism against liberalism, philosophically, not ideologically. His thinking resembles Michael Oakeshott's in this effort at detachment. At the heart of the argument, however, is an Aristotelian love of measure. Throughout, Kekes attempts to mediate between extremes he finds to be unsatisfactory and misleading: rationalism and fideism, absolutism and relativism, individual and society, perfectibility and corruption, optimism and despair. Human beings are capable of maintaining themselves in their lives together and of opening more or fewer avenues for self-realization. Good judgment will assess possibilities and limits, seeking neither to overestimate nor underestimate what circumstances permit. Good judgment for Kekes is advanced by the conservative commitment to pluralism, skepticism, traditionalism, and pessimism. First, pluralism acknowledges with the absolutists that there are some universal and objective moral truths with regard to the basic necessities for living a satisfactory human life. It also acknowledges with the relativists the extraordinary diversity of ways of life, social structures, and ideas of a good life. Beyond the basic needs there is an irreducible plurality. Second, skepticism is inherent to the "strongest version of conservatism" (p. 200). Like rationalists, skeptics think that we can supply reasons for and against political arrangements. Like fideists, skeptics accept that not all reasons can be grounded empirically. As we move back and forth from the universal level to the social and individual levels, we can see the valid but limited points of both the rationalist and the fideist. Third, traditionalism is the recognition that human beings enjoy limited autonomy at best. Most of the time we are dependent on, and benefit from, being situated within a tradition or overlapping traditions that give us moral identity and guidance for conduct, and the universal principles are of little direct relevance. Reliance on tradition makes it possible to avoid both rote behavior and the effort to live every day as if it were our first. Participation in traditions is central to human fulfillment. We cannot, Kekes argues, live without moral authority. And we must see that evil is real in the world. Thus, to cultivate autonomy is to weaken the sources of guidance and identity and to permit rationalizing of self-centered, destructive acts. The cultivation of autonomy, associated by Kekes with the "Enlightenment Faith," is "the illusion of an epoch which stretches from Rousseau to contemporary liberalism . . . and is a faith contrary to reason" (pp. 211-2). Finally, pessimism is the via media between optimism and fatalism, characterized by hopefulness in the face of ineluctable contingency and cross-purpose in human existence, which even science and technology can relieve only a little. One notes here that hope is a theological virtue which Kekes supports with no discernible theological principle. He seems to be buoyed (so far as he allows himself to be) by the fact that humanity has persisted despite the perils surrounding it. We cannot perfect society, but we can increase satisfaction, at least for some and possibly more than some, by relying on the rule of law, by limiting intervention in people's lives, by limiting regulatory and redistributional undertakings, and by acknowledging that our failures are not solely a matter of intellectual error. It will be necessary to admit that people often do not get what they may well deserve while also admitting that extensive efforts to ensure they do get what they deserve will run afoul of the contingencies, evils, and injustices that we cannot surmount. Kekes's case is finally an appeal to historical experience not inspired by transcendence. This will seem to different readers either its strength or its weakness.


A case of traumatic, direct, carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) associated with Ehlers — Danlos syndrome (EDS) Type IV is reported along with a review of the literature. Excluding the present case, three similar cases associated with EDS-TypeIV have already been reported by Gerard M. Debrun et Al1. Despite the risks associated with endovascular manipulation, the fistula was successfully closed by intravascular embolisation but the patient expired a few days later because of underlying disease-associated vascular and visceral complications.


OBJECT
The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent surgery for asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs).

METHODS
The authors assessed QOL in 149 patients who had undergone microsurgical clipping of asymptomatic UIAs. They surveyed these patients using universal methods such as the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for health-related QOL and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for anxiety and depression assessments.

RESULTS
The patients' mean scores for each of the eight domains of SF-36 were comparable to those of a Japanese reference population. Analysis of data from the average-QOL and low-QOL subgroups showed that the low-QOL group contained a higher number of patients with preexisting heart diseases and restricted activities of daily living. Operative procedures and complications did not affect QOL.

CONCLUSIONS
Because 86% of the patients who underwent surgery manifested a QOL similar to the reference population, the authors suggest that elective surgery for asymptomatic UIAs is a reasonable treatment, especially in patients who are troubled by the risk of rupture. Postoperative decreases in QOL are not invariably attributable to the operation or its associated complications, but may be correlated with other chronic disorders. To select the appropriate treatment for asymptomatic UIAs, neurosurgeons and patients need information on the expected postoperative QOL.


Zn(O,S) thin films were successfully deposited by reactive sputtering using Ar and O2 gas mixtures at 473 K. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the well crystallized Zn(O,S) films were deposited with increasing oxygen concentration in O2/Ar, resulting in a shift of the Zn peak of 28.5° to a higher angle, closer to the ZnO peak of 34.4°. Zn(O,S) films were composed of grains agglomerated from small particles, which grew gradually with increasing oxygen concentration. The depth profiles and energy dispersive spectroscopy results of the films indicated that the O/(O+S) ratio increased from 0.04 to 0.81, and all Zn(O,S) films were Zn rich with uniform concentrations of each component. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that, as the oxygen concentration increased to 2%, the ZnS films were transformed to Zn(O,S) films via substitution of oxygen for sulfur.


The Douzhashan granite is mainly composed of medium-to fine-grain two-mica monzonitic granite and great importance because of hosting several uranium ore deposits within the middle of the Miaoershan granitic complex in northeastern Guangxi province. Signle zircon SHRIMP U-Ph dating yields 228±11Ma,which suggests that this granite formed during Indosinian.In geochemistry,it is strongly peraluminous and characterized by enrichment of silicon,alkalis,Rb,Th,U and Ta,low CaO/Na_2O ratios,depletion of Ba, Sr and Ti.The ∑EE has the range of 30.24×10~(-6)~139.18×10.(-6),slight enrichment of LREE (LREE/HREE=4.00~6.35, (La/Yh)_N=3.24~6.74),and strong depletion of Eu (δEu=0.14~0.19).According to correlative geological data,the Douzhashan granite belongs to crust sourced type granite and was derived from partial melting of metamorphic rocks under a tectonic setting of thinning and extension of crust during the late Indosinian period.


Passes three famous expert's research,obtains is: The technique sports has the big strength to make the safeguard,to have the world shade strength to make,to have the great population source to make the base,the prominent superior item to do brightly.Am I the technique sports in have many,is mainly has the world shade strength deficient,May the sports exhibition,enhance the person technique sports.The suggestion,our country strengthens athletics sports league tournament system construction,improves the league tournament quality,completes the world first-class professional league our country's ping pong or the badminton ball professional league,enhances our country's in world league tournament influence


Food grain markets are special in the sense that farmers will, likely, be consumers of the crops they produce. This study examines smallholder market participation on the Ugandan maize market, and, furthermore, explores possible connections to rural poverty. A probit model of market participation is employed, and I work with data from a household survey conducted between 1999 and 2000. A number of variables, like literacy, hired labor, specialization, land holdings and access to storage facilities were correlated with a higher probability of market participation. Ownership of livestock was considerably more important to the poor farmers while there are also indications of asset thresholds regarding land and farming assets.


Albeit recent progress in speaker verification generates powerful models, malicious attacks in the form of spoofed speech, are generally not coped with. Recent results in ASVSpoof2015 and BTAS2016 challenges indicate that spoof-aware features are a possible solution to this problem. Most successful methods in both challenges focus on spoof-aware features, rather than focusing on a powerful classifier. In this paper we present a novel raw waveform based deep model for spoofing detection, which jointly acts as a feature extractor and classifier, thus allowing it to directly classify speech signals. This approach can be considered as an end-to-end classifier, which removes the need for any pre- or post-processing on the data, making training and evaluation a streamlined process, consuming less time than other neural-network based approaches. The experiments on the BTAS2016 dataset show that the system performance is significantly improved by the proposed raw waveform convolutional long short term neural network (CLDNN), from the previous best published 1.26% half total error rate (HTER) to the current 0.82% HTER. Moreover it shows that the proposed system also performs well under the unknown (RE-PH2-PH3,RE-LPPH2-PH3) conditions.


After the 1911 Revolution,Sun Yat-sen expounded on industrialization in his works,such as The International Development of China.His main points are as follows: China must carry out industrial development in order to become prosperous and powerful;its ultimate purpose is to boost social welfare of the people and improve the living standards of hundreds of millions of people in China;its key lies in communications and production of raw materials,particularly railway building and iron and steel production;its way is to break autarky,pursue opening-up policy,and utilize foreign capital and talent boldly on the premise of maintaining sovereign independence.Sun's thoughts on industrialization have not only left a precious spiritual legacy for later generations,but also been validated by more than thirty years of reform and opening up.They also offer important inspirations for China's future industrial development.


Forecasting of time-series data requires imposition of inductive biases to obtain predictive extrapolation, and recent works have imposed Hamiltonian/Lagrangian form to preserve structure for systems with reversible dynamics. In this work we present a novel parameterization of dissipative brackets from metriplectic dynamical systems appropriate for learning irreversible dynamics with unknown a priori model form. The process learns generalized Casimirs for energy and entropy guaranteed to be conserved and nondecreasing, respectively. Furthermore, for the case of added thermal noise, we guarantee exact preservation of a fluctuation-dissipation theorem, ensuring thermodynamic consistency. We provide benchmarks for dissipative systems demonstrating learned dynamics are more robust and generalize better than either"black-box"or penalty-based approaches.


Power limitation in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) become one of problems in Internet of Things (IoT) network. Routing protocol being one of many factors that impact power consumption in a node sensor. LEACH protocol is one of a routing protocols in WSN that focused on power consumption in a node sensor. However, Cluster Head (CH) in LEACH protocol forwarding the packet directly to the sink node, so CH which located far from sink node will running out of energy sooner than the closer one. This research develops methods to save power usage from sensor node and to eliminate long link in LEACH protocol so WSN lifetime could be extended. PEGASIS protocol chaining method are adapted to eliminate long link. This method allows CHs to establish chain connection instead of forwarding the packet to sink node directly. The packet will relay forwarded from a CH to other CH up to Leader Node (LN). In this research, LN that elected is CH with the closest distance to sink node. From the simulation results, compared between proposed method with LEACH and PEGASIS. Based on comparison, proposed method had longer lifetime than LEACH protocol. But if compared with PEGASIS, lifetime in proposed method end sooner than PEGASIS. However, unlike PEGASIS proposed method could run in network with many sensor nodes.


Manuals of technical devices are often not very helpful to the user. This study investigates the influence of spatial instructions versus conventional linear step-by-step manuals on inexperienced users' performance handling cellular phones. Results show a significant interaction between user age and manual. Middle aged users profit more from the spatial information given in the manual that contains the phone's menu tree than from the step-by-step instruction, whereas subjects older than 50 show no improvement. It is concluded that manufacturers should consider the inclusion of spatial information on the cellular phones' menu structure in their manuals, as the majority of users would benefit.


Objective: We have developed a prototype Personal Health Record (PHR) system that can replace traditional paper based ‐ personal health diary with structured clinical details for healthcare. Because numerous disparate electronic versions of medical record systems are found unable to share medical information among hospitals, pharmacies and clinicians, the proposed PHR system can be used to facilitate patient care. Methods: The PHR system has been implemented on a flash memory (USB drive) that is found to be compact, light weight, cost effective and sufficient enough to handle a large ‐ amount of clinical data. International communication standard HL7 has recommended Continuity of Care Document (CCD) that can provide complete and accurate summary of an individual health and medical history. Care documents stored in USB can also support alerts, reminders, self management, and stakeholder communication in a standardized ‐ manner. Results: The proposed PHR system consists of modules that help collect distributed patient information from multiple sources to generate individual care document (CCD) as personal health record. The preliminary experiment has demonstrated an acceptable performance. That is, the PHR is found to integrate and share various clinical data such as medications, procedures, patient demographics from admission system, test results from LIS, DICOM images from PACS, bio signals from patient monitors. Especially, the PHR system was tested by connecting to standardized monitoring device ‐ (Mediana device) to collect ECG data. The PHR system had received 3410 HL7 messages for 1 hour, then generate CCD document. (Journal of Korean Society of Medical Informatics 14-3, 245-256, 2008)


DOCUMENT RESUME EC 041 771 Weikart, David P. Early Childhood Special Education for Intellectually Subnormal and/or Culturally Different Children. High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, Mich. 71 28p. MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 Academic Achievement; Curriculum Evaluation; *Disadvantaged Youth; *Early Childhood Education; *Educable Mentally Handicapped; *Exceptional Child Research; Longitudinal Studies; *Minority Groups The paper investigates the problem of placement of minority group or low socioeconomic status children classified as mentally retarded in special classes. Summarized are four basic models outlined by Robert Hess et al. (1971) used to account for the discrepancies in intellectual attainment between minority groups and the doninant culture: the deficit model, school-as failure model, cultural difference model, and social structure model. The author presents information on outcomes of his 10 years of work in the early education of children diagnosed at age 3 years as functionally retarded and in the educable mentally retarded range. Two major issues were focused upon in the research: the long term impact of preschool education on later school performance, and relative impact of preschool education when differing educational procedures on models are employed. Results showed that the preschool experience enabled the children to better proceed through elementary school at regular grade level without retention or special classes. It was also concluded that style of curriculum had no differential effect on subsequent academic achievement. 000 L EL fro 7n O. rHIS DOCUM: ,PRODUCED EXAM._ CEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORIGINt.TING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR INTELLECTUALLY SUBNORMAL AND/OR CULTURALLY DIFFERENT CHILDREN David. P. Weikart High/Scope Educational Research Foundation Ypsilanti, Michigan Mental subnormality as a diagnostic categor is alive and well, living within the walls of academic institutions and special education classes. But these seem to be the only places these days. Spokesmen for the civil rights movement and various minority groups have stated their opposition to spec:al education for the "educable mentally retarded." As the September 20, 1971 Newsweek reports, quoting a civil-rights lawyer, "In a manner that is hard not to call cultural genocide, an inordinate number of black children are labeled 'retarded' and assigned to. . .special classe,..* As is well known, there is a high correlation between the diagnosis of mental subnormality and social-economic background, children from lower-class backgrounds, and especially black children, oc2urying a disproportionate number of seats in special education classes. This has lead to what is peitaps an inevitable conflict between practices in special education and the recognized need for general improvement of the economic, social, and educational opportunities of minority groups. The clash occurs especially in the area of diag tic testing, with its emphasis on the use of standardized intelligence tests to "screen" for mental retardation. Scores obtained with minority group children are held suspect. Again a quote from Newsweek strikes the popular tenor of the time: "Since the design of those tests strongly favors white, English-speaking children from middle-class homes, the black, Spanish-speaking and other minority group students consistently score significantly lower than the norms--and frequently below the point that demarcates retardation." The outcry against the placement of minority-group children classified as mentally retarded in special education has had great impact upon the education programs of many cities and states. For example, in Michigan, new state rules and regulations require that, to be admitted to a special education class, a ydungster must not obtain a score above the 70 IQ leve,1 on any intelligence test or sub-scale. Since very few youngsters from any group drop below 70 on standard; 1 and individually administered tests, the impact upon special education classes is imrr J ar1J_I ioUs. (One school system switched from the Stanford-Binet IQ test to the Leiter Inteinational Performance Scale in order to utilize a "culture free" instrument, which they felt would better balance the special classes. Howevcr, since lower-class preschool children tend to score about 10-15 points below their Stanford-Binet scores on the Leiter, many such youngsters did "qualify" to fill the classes, and the preponderance of lc wer-class children remained.) Prepared for the National Leadership Institute in Early Childhood Development in Washington, D.C. October 1971.


In this paper,a pure digital stabilization system of dual closed loop has been built for gyro platform,by using acceleration sensor ADXL210 for simulating image sensor in the position loop and by using Single Chip Microcomputer(SCM)80C196KC.This system is for stabilizing video camera,and thus realizing the stabilization of the platform and the tracking of the target.Also in this paper,a controller has been designed according to the basic characteristics of each sector,and experiments have been done based on the minimum system with SCM 80C196KC as the core.The result shows that the control solution is feasible and can achieve the expect purpose.


Abstract This paper continues our Monte Carlo simulation study of liquid hydrogen chloride [1]. The importance of non-additive interactions is carefully analyzed. Computed atom pair correlation functions are compared to neutron scattering experiments [2]. A difference algorithm ("Δ—algorithm") is developed, which makes non-additive Monte Carlo simulations practicable. We also report an implementation of this algorithm on a transputer network, taking advantage of the inherent parallelism of the Δ — algorithm.


1. The relationship between the stimulation of ATP receptors, the increase in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i; measured using the fluorescent indicator fura‐2), contraction and the subtypes of purinoceptors involved were investigated in the small mesenteric artery of the rat. 2. In normal physiological solution, ATP (0.001‐3 mM) caused concentration‐dependent increases in both [Ca2+]i and contraction. Both responses produced by ATP (1 mM) were inhibited by 50% in the presence of nitrendipine (1 microM) and were abolished in the presence of nitrendipine plus SK&F 96365 (30 microM). 3. In Ca(2+)‐free medium, ATP (3 mM) elicited a transient increase in both [Ca2+]i and tension which were abolished by caffeine and decreased by 65% by thapsigargin (1 microM). Moreover, ATP (1 and 3 mM) produced increases in the [3H]D‐myo‐inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate ([3H]IP3) content of vessels in a concentration‐dependent manner. 4. Treatment of the vessels with Bordetella pertussis toxin (PTX) inhibited contractions to ATP linked to the influx of calcium through nitrendipine‐sensitive mechanisms, but not those linked to the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores nor the capacity of ATP in increasing IP3 content of the vessels. 5. The order of potency of ATP and its analogues in eliciting contraction was alpha, beta‐methylene‐ATP (alpha, beta‐MeATP) > 2‐methylthio‐ATP (2‐MeSATP) > ATP = ADP. The response to ATP was inhibited by suramin. Reactive Blue 2 (up to 100 microM) did not affect the contractile response to ATP. Pyridoxal‐phosphate‐6‐azophenyl‐2',4'‐disulphonic acid 4‐sodium (PPADS) and alpha, beta‐MeATP abolished the response to low concentrations of ATP and reduced contractions elicited by high concentrations of ATP. 6. After blockade of P2X‐purinoceptors with PPADS, the order of potency of ATP and its analogues was 2‐MeSATP > ATP = ADP. UTP produced concentration‐dependent contractions which were not affected by suramin, Reactive Blue 2, PPADS or alpha, beta‐MeATP, suggesting the presence of P2U‐purinoceptors. 7. The results suggest that low concentrations of ATP activate P2X‐purinoceptors and produce an influx of calcium through both voltage‐dependent calcium channels sensitive to nitrendipine and through receptor‐operated calcium channels sensitive to SK&F 96365. High concentrations of ATP activate P2Y‐purinoceptors which promote firstly a nitrendipine‐sensitive calcium influx via a PTX‐sensitive G protein and secondly a release of Ca2+ from an internal source via the production of IP3.


More and more records or charts of historical financial data are used for technical analysis, hoping to identify patterns that can be exploited to achieve excess profits. Technical analysis has been widely used in the real stock market to forecast stock price or stock trading points. The good association of technical indicators can obtain good prediction results in stock markets. But the selection of technical indicators is also a tough problem. In this paper, we introduce a forecasting model incorporating biclustering algorithm with a new fuzzy inference method. Biclustering algorithm discover biclusters which are regarded as trading patterns. And a new fuzzy inference method is used for determining trading points. The proposed forecasting model (called BM-FM) was used for predicting three real-world stock data. The experiment is designed by comparing the profit ratio in TPP-based strategy, IPLR and IPLR-ANN with the profit ratio in our forecasting model. According to experimental results, it is indicated that our model obtains more earnings and higher profit ratio than other comparative methods.


Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in Internet access from space assisted by low earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks. In the domain of the last-mile access for the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), hybrid free-space optical (FSO)/radio-frequency (RF) communication has recently attracted worldwide research efforts. While the transmission control protocol (TCP) is the most widely deployed transport protocol on the Internet, its performance in the error-prone environment of LEO satellite-assisted hybrid FSO/RF vehicular networks is not well understood. This paper develops a comprehensive analytical model based on the cross-layer approach for TCP performance, considering the FSO and RF satellite fading channels, modeled by the Gamma-Gamma and Nakagami- $m$ distributions, respectively. The error-control solutions, including the Reed-Solomon (RS) code and Selective repeat automatic repeat request (SR-ARQ), are also employed. Numerical results quantitatively demonstrate the impact of transmission errors at last-mile links and different parameters/settings of error-control solutions on the TCP performance. The paper also supports the selection of proper TCP variants for the considered networks.


Presents highlights (and lowlights) of innovations from over 50 years of PARKING magazine. Includes historic photographs of storage devices and cooling and heating systems for customers' cars, as well as more practical ideas such as the first mechanical arm.


The times in the economic sector in fact encourage a country to try to provide regulations in accordance with global demands. One of them is done by Indonesia by using the Omnibus Law system, then regulating a new legal entity, namely an Individual Company. The application of this legal entity aims to encourage Micro and Small Businesses to be more developed, so that by turning them into legal entities, business owners will find it easier to get investment from banks and manage the company more regularly. However, in the event that the individual company bankruptcy application has not been regulated in the Cipta Kerja act or its implementing regulations, the purpose of this study is to see how the bankruptcy process of an Individual Company in Indonesia, using the normative juridical method, which looks at statue approach and conseptual approach.


Quiet consummation have And renowned be thy grave.   William Shakespeare By any reasonable account Jim Walker and I should have met much earlier than we did. We both taught high school in the Newca...


The utility model relates to a universal micro lifter. The lifter is provided with a slot-shaped pillar with opposite notches. A roller assembly is arranged in a slot, and is connected with a lifting frame outside. Top and bottom vertical movements of the lifting frame are realized through a rope pulley traction assembly. The top of the pillar is provided with a transverse beam holder, and the bottom of the pillar is provided with a gravity positioning stop member, and a front and a rear supporting legs with casters. The utility model can be shifted at any time, and can be fixed to a position at any time. The lifting frame is provided with a lifting arm and a cross supporting arm. Each arm end is provided with a rubber supporting pad. When the lifter is used singly, the lifter can be used as a fork truck for loading, unloading, and carrying cargoes, as a laid jack, and as a jack. When two lifters are assembled and butted to use, the lifter can be used as a lifter to maintain vehicles. The lifter is convenient, flexible, quick, labor saved, and safe.


AbstractThe paper deals with the spread of its own waves on the visco elastic plate with variable thickness. Basic relations of the classical theory of plates of variable thickness obtained on the basis of the principles of virtual displacements. The spectral problem, which is not self ad joint. Built for the task biorthogonality conditions, based on the Lagrange formula. The numerical solution of the spectral tasks performed on the computer software system based on the method of orthogonal shooting S.K. Godunov in combination with the method of Muller.


Objective To investigate the inhibitive effect of Matrine on corneal neovascularization after alkali burn.Methods Thirty-two Wistar rats were employed to establish corneal neovascularization model by alkali burn,which were divided into control group and three different doses of experimental groups randomly,8 cases(16 eyes) in each group.After the models were successfully established,different doses of Matrine(0.2 mg,0.4 mg,0.8 mg) were subconjunctival injected in experimental group,while saline were injected in control group.The processes of corneal neovascularization were dynamically observed by slit lamp for 21 days and growth areas of new blood vessels were calculated.The histopathology of cornea was examined in experimental group at 4 days,7 days,14 days and 21 days after modeling,and the corneal samples were collected,immunohistochemistry method was employed to measure the level of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in each group,the averaged OD value was calculated,VEGF mRNA in corneal tissue were simultaneously examined by RT-PCR in each group.Results At 4 days,7 days,14 days and 21 days after corneal neovascularization model were established,the growth areas of new blood vessels in all experimental group rats were significantly lower than that in control group rats,there were significant differences(both P0.01).At 14 days,the new vessels number in experimental groups with different dose of Matrine were 17.83±2.32,11.00±2.37 and 10.87±2.41,which were obviously lower than that in control group(21.11±2.14),there were statistical differences(both P0.05).In each time point,the averaged OD value in all experimental groups were significantly lower than that in control group,there were statistical differences(both P0.05);VEGF mRNA expression levels in all experimental groups were also obviously lower than that in control group(both P0.05).Conclusion Subconjunctival injection of Matrine has inhibitive effect on corneal neovascularization induced by alkali burn.


Artificial manipulations on dissipative soliton molecules stimulate the exploration for controllable temporal and internal assemblies. Phase-defined four regions are implemented to constitute the high-distinguishable quaternary encoding format and realizes the all-optical storage.


In this paper, an approach for representing target classes in feature space using Riemannian manifolds is explored. In a formal application of the approach, it is required that several basic assumptions used in the development of differential and Riemannian geometry are satisfied. These assumptions relate to the concepts of allowable parametric representations and allowable coordinate transformations. Developing target class representations which satisfy these assumptions has a direct consequence on the selection of a suitable feature set. Having found a suitable feature set, the approach results in a natural coordinate system in which to calculate distance metrics used in classification algorithms. In this paper, the approach is applied to a situation where an active sensor and a passive sensor are spatially separated and are simultaneously collecting data on a set of targets. It is shown that the use of the natural coordinate system offered by this approach leads to a straightforward and mathematically rigorous method for fusing the sensor data at the feature level.


Ethanol solvent of different concentrations was used for extraction of free amino acids in tobacco. The result showed that the total amount of extracted free amino acids was the highest when ethanol solvent was at concentration of 80%,and the purifying capability of cationic ion-exchange column was the best compared with those of active carbon, ether and 5% sulfogroup-salicylic acid. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and precolumn derivatization with OPA and FMOC were employed for determination of free amino acids in tobacco,and simultaneously the secondary amino acids. The contents of 15 free amino acids in Yunnan C2F 98 tobacco was determined by this method. Among them Pro was the highest,and made up about 25% of the total. Thr was the lowest,and made up about 1% of the total.


The utility model discloses a four-stroke engine lubricating device which comprises an oil tank, a crank shaft box, a gear box, a rocker chamber and an air oil filter; a crank shaft combined with a clump weight is arranged in the crank shaft box and connected with a piston arranged in an air cylinder. When the piston of the engine strokes upwards, the crank shaft box extracts the engine oil to the crank shaft box from the oil tank, the rocker chamber and the air oil filter; when the piston strokes downwards, the engine oil and the waste gas in the crank shaft box are pressed into the gear box to enable the gear box to generate the positive pressure; the engine oil and the waste gas are pressed into the oil tank and the rocker chamber; the waste gas which enters the oil tank generates the positive pressure to be guided into the air oil filter for oil gas separation; the separated gas is guided into the air cylinder for combustion; the separated engine oil is extracted into the crank shaft box in the next stroke so that the lubrication on the engine from the engine oil and the circulation are realized. When the engine is inclined or arranged reversely, the four-stroke engine lubricating device can limit the engine oil in the oil tank and avoid large quantity of engine oil from entering the combustion chamber to cause the flameout of the engine; meanwhile, the lubricating function is maintained.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the suitability of estradiol labeled with iodine I 123 at 16 alpha for imaging estrogen-receptor-positive breast carcinoma using imaging instrumentation that is widely available.

DESIGN
Single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging survey of 29 women with suspected primary or expected recurrent breast carcinoma.

SETTING
University-based referral center.

PARTICIPANTS
Twenty-nine women undergoing diagnosis for primary or recurrent breast carcinoma. Selection was voluntary.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Qualitative imaging study designed to provide tomographic data of radioligand retention and descriptive data of imaging results.

RESULTS
Single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging using 123I-estradiol at 16 alpha was performed for patients with breast carcinoma. Independent readers, without knowledge of receptor status or proven disease, interpreted the films. Scintigraphic detection was most noteworthy in patients with chest wall tumors and inflammatory breast cancer. Agreement between readers was 98% for true-negative readings and 94% for true-positive readings, but only 60% for false-positive and false-negative film readings.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicated that areas shown on imaging were also found to have estrogen-receptor activity and that radioligand accumulation can occur with low frequency in some surgically explored tissue. Radioligand imaging with 16 alpha-123I-estradiol can locate estrogen-receptor-positive breast tumors, including some that may be difficult to detect using conventional diagnostic imaging.


This paper studies the empirical relationship between various privacy protection measures and personal information invasion experience of firms and individuals using rich and heterogeneous survey data. By analyzing PSM models. we get the following results: first, the treatment group which have more technical measures and/or IS investment tends to experience more privacy invasion than the control group which have less of them. second, the reverse causality, that is firms and individuals with more experience of privacy invasion tends to take more measure for personal information protection, is found to exist. From these result, we discuss proper privacy policies implications in respects of attackers benefits and individual irrationality.


Look at the Harlequins! presents itself as the autobiography of a famed Anglo-Russian writer who suffers from bouts of insanity that are connected with his feeling that he is the inferior copy of another, much better writer. The autobiography is devoted mainly to his four great loves and to his books. Close analysis suggests that the narrator's account is false and is essentially a record of his delusive life during periods of insanity. LATH is seen as an example of those of Nabokov's novels that have schizoid narrators, such as The Eye, Despair, and Pale Fire, and is set in opposition to another group of novels (Invitation to a Beheqding, Bend Sinister, and Ada) in which the fictional worlds themselves are twinned. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol8/iss2/10 INVERTED REALITY IN NABOKOV'S LOOK AT THE HARLEQUINS! D. BARTON JOHNSON University of California at Santa Barbara Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov's last novel, Look at the Harlequins!, is cast in the form of the autobiography of the distinguised Anglo-Russian writer Vadim Vadimovich N. (b. 1899).' Composed in the aftermath of a mysterious paralytic stroke, VV's memoir is no ordinary one and is perhaps best described in the words of the narrator himself: In this memoir my wives and my books are interlaced monogrammatically like some sort of watermark or ex libris design; and in writing this oblique autobiography-oblique, because dealing mainly not with pedestrian history but with the mirages of romantic and literary matters-I consistently try to dwell as lightly as inhumanly possible on the evolution of my mental illness. Yet Dementia is one of the characters in my story. (p. 85) We shall see that Dementia is not merely "one of the characters" in the story but that she is the leading lady. The narrator's works and women (apart from the last) are solely the offspring of his Dementia, who is both Mistress and Muse. The autobiography deals quite literally with "mirages of romantic and literary matters." The narrator, Prince VV, is the putative son of an aristocratic Russian couple who abandon him to the care of relatives in consequence of the frenetic pace of their divorces, remarriages, re-divorces, and so on. Their neurasthenic, dreamy son is left in the custody of a grand-aunt, who resides on one of the family estates called Marevo, a Russian word appropriately meaning "mirage." It is this aunt (apparently fictive) who advises her morose sevenor eight-year-old charge


This paper formulates and solves control problems for nonlinear microsystems which comprise micro-electromechanical devices, micromachined transducers and microelectronics. We perform a consistent dynamic analysis and coherent designs with a minimum level of simplifications using high-fidelity mathematical models. The proposed methodology enables practical implementation for multi-input/multi-output systems due to overall conceptual consistency, design coherence, computational efficiency, algorithmic effectiveness and hardware simplicity. Various issues in nonlinear analysis and control are examined and experimentally verified substantiating design concepts for high-performance microsystems. The reported findings are demonstrated for a proof-of-concept closed-loop electrostatic microactuator.


The invention relates to a method of improving the user comfort of a temperature control device. The method comprises the steps of detecting environment temperature around a remote controller of the temperature control device through a temperature sensor arranged on the remote controller of the temperature control device, sending the detected environment temperature to a host machine of the temperature control device, detecting environment temperature around the host machine of the temperature control device through a temperature sensor arranged on the host machine of the temperature control device, controlling the air-out temperature of the host machine of the temperature control device through a microprogrammed control unit (MCU) of the host machine of the temperature control device according to the temperature difference between the set temperature of a user and the environment temperature surrounding the remote controller of the temperature control device by the host machine of the temperature control device, and reducing the temperature difference between the set temperature of the user and the environment temperature around the remote controller of the temperature control device. The method of improving the user comfort of the temperature control device automatically adjusts the air-out temperature of the host machine by judging the environment temperature surrounding the user, the environment temperature surrounding the host machine and the set temperature, and enables the environment temperature surrounding the user to be close to the set temperature as much as possible, and therefore the user comfort is effectively improved.


Cardiac FDG uptake varies in human positron emission tomography (PET) despite efforts to standardize protocols, a fact of physiologic interest since heart metabolizes fatty acids, ketone bodies (KB) as well as glucose (Gl). Brain Gl uptake uses insulin‐independent transporters.


Compositional segregation structures of Co–Cr–Ta, Co–Cr–Pt, and Co–Cr–Pt–Ta thin film media with Cr concentrations of about 15 at. % were studied using an analytical transmission electron microscope. Cr atoms in the CoCrTa specimen are extremely localized around the grain boundaries with a maximum concentration of about 23 at. % with a width of 1 nm, while that inside the grain is about a half of the average composition. The Co–Cr–Pt specimen shows Cr segregation at grain boundaries with a maximum concentration by 4 at. % greater than the average composition. The Cr concentration inside the grain is kept nearly same with the average concentration. The Co–Cr–Pt–Ta specimen shows a degree of Cr segregation between the Co–Cr–Ta and the Co–Cr–Pt systems. The Cr enrichment at bicrystal grain boundaries is broader and weaker than those at the normal grain boundaries.


Mediastinal germ cell tumors are rare malignant tumors whose current management strategy involves making a prompt diagnosis and providing an appropriate chemotherapy. However, there is as yet no consensus regarding the optimal management postchemotherapy. We encountered the case of a 23-year-old man who was diagnosed as having a mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor. We evaluated its response to induction chemotherapy by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography. We performed complete surgical excision of the residual tumor postchemotherapy. Histopathologic examination of the surgical specimen showed no viable tumor cells.


Three-port converters (TPCs) are extensively used for renewable energy systems (RES) catering to stand-alone load and/or grid. Such systems require an energy storage element (ESE) that necessitates the TPCs to operate in both single-input–double-output as well as double-input–single output modes. Furthermore, the ports connecting RES and ESE should preferably be inductively interfaced facilitating a low ripple current for enhancing the power extraction from RES, and for extending the lifetime of ESE. Single inductor-based TPCs, despite offering high power density, lack inductively interfaced ports. To address the aforesaid issue, this article proposes a single coupled inductor-based TPC in which RES and ESE are inductively interfaced. This solution is named coupled inductor based three-port converter (CIBTPC) and is derived by coupling the inductors of an existing three-switch boost TPC. The CIBTPC offers the following advantages over its uncoupled counterpart: reduced ripple current with the same core size and improvement in overall efficiency. The operation of the CIBTPC is illustrated by implementing a solar photovoltaic-based dc stand-alone and nanogrid scheme with battery backup. Validation and performance analysis of the overall system is carried out utilizing a 400 W experimental prototype.


This manual focuses on the design of effective variable message sign (VMS) messages for incident conditions and roadwork, as well as when and where to display messages. With sixteen modules that comprise the manual, the following elements are discussed: principles of VMS operations; VMS operating policy for New Jersey Department of Transportation; VMS operating fundamentals; principles of VMS message design; designing VMS message for incidents and roadwork; establishing the maximum message length; dealing with long messages; modifying messages to improve effectiveness; priorities when competing message needs arise; and, message design examples for incidents using large VMS and portable VMS.


spirituous solutions are definitely more irritating than the weak aqueous ones. Gentian violet, which is a mixture of crystal and methyl violet, has seemed to me to enjoy more success clinically than the other dyes, even when they too are made up in aqueous solutions. This may not be in accord with the findings of other workers in dermatology. A2J{ aqueous solution of gentian violet was the strength used in the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, and in Sydney I have continued the use of the same strength in all cases considered suitable for the treatment, except in paronychia, in which I use a slightly stronger solution, that is, 3%. It is of low toxicity and except in a few cases of idiosyncrasy to the dye (which may occur with the use of any chemical, however dilute), it can be used on any skin. Another factor, clinically important, is that it may be employed around the mouth area, and even in the mouth itself, so that it is safe to use on a baby's face. Even when large areas of the skin are painted with this solution there are no apparent ill-results from absorption. As it is a watery solution, and therefore very drying, it is advisable to suspend treatment over a large area every two or three days and to substitute an inunction of olive oil or vaseline to stop the tendency of the skin to crack or fissure. The vivid colour of the solution stains linen, but washes out of the cloth after it has paid several visits to the laundry, I have found a 2% aqueous solution of gentian violet of use in the following conditions: Impetigo and Impetiginized Eczema.-Here, in conjunction with starch poultices, it is of great value, particularly in young children, who so easily rub off ointments, unless they are swathed in bandages. In the eezema or dermatitis which has become secondar-ily infected with pyogenic organisms, this watery solution of gentian violet does not irritate, but seems to exercise a sedative action, while clearing up the overlying infection. Intertrigo.-In intertrigo there is usually a secondary infection of monilia or streptococci which reacts well to the dye if it is painted on once or twice daily and if the opposing surfaces are sepal'a ted by cotton wool.


In this paper we replay the definitions, constructions and results from [SIAM J. Sci. Comp., 37(3)(2015), A1248-A1269] by completing and developing some of them to inconsistent least squares problems.


The status of the Golgi complex in normal vs osteoarthrotic (OA) cartilage has not yet been studied. A monoclonal antibody, MAb 58-K-9, allowed scoring of Golgi labeling intensity. In addition, ultrastructural assessment enabled us to focus on the distribution and relation between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi membranes. The study was performed in both normal and partially menisectomized OA-induced rat cartilage 20 and 45 days after surgery. Comparing Golgi immunolabeling intensities (mean ± SEM) revealed a highly significant difference between normal (9.98 ± 1.25), 20-day (2.49 ± 0.34), and 45-day (0.82 ± 0.22) cartilage. Moreover, chondrocytes from normal cartilage displayed 71.18% of labeling intensity in contrast to OA cartilage, in which chondrocyte labeling intensities were 24.95% (20 days) and 8.11% (45 days). OA chondrocytes appeared to display an overall reduction in Golgi labeling intensity, suggesting disruption of this organelle as the OA damage progressed. Interestingly, many 20-day OA-induced chondrocytes exhibited bubble-like Golgi immunolabeling compartmentalizing the cytoplasm, concomitant with putative apoptotic nuclear changes. At the same time, OA chondrocytes with a typical ultrastructural apoptotic pattern revealed a prominent ER gathered together with Golgi vesicles and saccules, also appearing to compartmentalize chondrocyte cytoplasm. We speculate about the role of Golgi modifications and apoptosis in OA pathogenesis.


Cognitive impairment (CI) is highly prevalent in breast cancer survivors (BCS), and can be a barrier to health‐promoting behaviours. However, the ways in which CI may affect self‐regulation or motivation to perform such behaviours have not been explored. We assessed if BCS with CI report greater extrinsic self‐regulation compared to those without CI and if this relationship persists after controlling for depression.


The assessment of the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic requires the consideration of mobility networks. To this aim, we propose to augment spatio-temporal point process models with mobility network covariates. We show how the resulting model can be employed to predict contagion patterns and to help in important decisions such as the distribution of vaccines. The application of the proposed methodology to 27 European countries shows that human mobility, along with vaccine doses and government policies, are significant predictors of the number of new COVID-19 reported infections and are therefore key variables for decision-making.


The drill string system in drilling engineering has significant geometric nonlinearity. Due to the frictional torque generated by the interaction between the drill bit and the rock and soil, it is easy to cause the drill string to fall into a sticky sliding vibration state. Based on the two lumped mass torsion pendulum model of the drill string, this paper establishes an observer of the bit speed, and designs a sliding mode controller (TF-SMC) considering the bit torque to suppress the stick slip vibration of the drill string. The simulation results show that compared with PID controller and sliding mode controller, torque feed-forward sliding mode controller can achieve better control effect on drill string at low speed. When torque feedforward sliding mode controller and PID controller are used in parallel, the control effect is better than the first three controllers.


Alongside the strateges of national prosperity based on the development of science and educatiou are being implemented,the gouernment has paid more and more attentlon to highereducation.The scope of higher education is getting larger and larger and the educational funds of higher education is increased year after year.Therefore,the urgent problem of how to widen the channel of collecting and circutating funds,how to nelieue the insufficient of deuelping funds,how to increase the efficiency of the funds and how to reduce wasto of the funds must be solued effectually.Under the new circumstances and under the guidance of the theory of the scientific deuelopment,We must further study the problem of how to strengthen and improue the financial management and to meet the needs of the fast deuelopment of colleges and uniuersities in our country.


Abstract : Technology provides exciting changes to the many systems we use in the military. It has eased communicating to any part of the commanders' span of control immensely. One negative aspect that this has produced is its effect on developing future leaders. Since communications have been eased, they are used to intervene into subordinates' affairs. This practice has and will become even more of a practice. The result is a shift in the real or perceived tenet of "decentralized control." Another possible ramification of this practice is that it limits the chance for junior military officers to make independent decisions, and builds dependence. Through education this problem can be solved. A strong foundation based on a wide variety of subjects should be promoted throughout the military in order to give the individual the tools to make the right decision, no matter what the situation brings. Most of the problems of the future will be the same as in the past, requiring moral courage, broad intellect, and flexibility that is not always learned through a technologically based education and training background. If the military becomes overly infatuated with technology and its promises, the changes in culture and the weakening of leadership development could happen slowly, without warning. With an eye on the past, the future development of leaders depends on discouraging widespread intervention, while promoting the ideas of responsibility, ethical values, and moral courage.


The APMP.QM-S16 comparison was coordinated by the National Institute of Metrology, China (NIM) on behalf of the Technical Committee on Amount of Substance (TCQM) of the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) and the Organic Analysis Working Group (OAWG) of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière (CCQM) for National Measurement Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) which provide measurement services in organic analysis under the 'Comité International des Poids et Mesures' Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA). Fipronil is a broad-spectrum insecticide attributed to the phenylpyrazole family. Due to its high toxicity to invertebrates and long persistence, it has been one of the most widely used insecticides to control household and agricultural pests since its appearance in the market. Fipronil has also shown genotoxicity and cytotoxicity to many vertebrate animals, like mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and so on. Moreover, fipronil could have negative effects on the liver, kidneys and thyroid glands of humans. Its oxidation metabolite is fipronil-sulfone that could induce even higher toxicity than fipronil. In 2017, a fipronil-in-egg scandal occurred in the European Union (EU) that involved more than 15 states. The detected concentration of the sum of fipronil and fipronil-sulfone was many times higher than the EU maximum residue limit in bird egg (5 μg/kg). Besides European countries, fipronil-contaminated eggs were also found in Asian areas like China, Hong Kong and South Korea. Systematic monitoring and control of pesticide residues are necessary to safeguard public health. Fipronil-sulfone was selected to be representative of pesticide residues in this comparison. This study provides the means for assessing measurement capabilities for determination of low-polarity measurands in a procedure that requires extraction, clean-up, analytical separation, and selective detection in a food matrix. Generally, it provides a demonstration of a laboratory's capabilities in determining the medium molecular weight analytes (mass range 300-500) with low polarity (pKow < -2) at mass fraction levels of 4 to 400 μg/kg in a high fat, high protein and low carbohydrate food matrix that falls within Sector 4 of the AOAC Food-matrix Triangle. Seven NMIs/DIs participated in the APMP.QM-S16 comparison. Different methods such as liquid-liquid extraction, QuEChERS and SPE were applied in the sample pre-treatment and HPLC-MS/MS, HPLC-HRMS, and GC-MS/MS were applied for detection by the participants. Most participating laboratories applied isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) techniques with fipronil-sulfone-13C4,15N2 as internal standard, except EC-JRC-Geel which used matrix matched external calibration method. In the aspect of the traceability for the measurement results, most participants either used their own CRMs, other NMIs' CRMs or the pure materials assessed in-house to guarantee traceability to SI unit. One lab was excluded from the SCRV evaluation, as they did not meet the CIPM metrological traceability requirements. As a result, six sets of valid results were used for the estimation of the SCRV. Finally Hierarchical Bayes was considered to be the appropriate estimator to calculate SCRV, which was determined as 121.82 μg/kg with a standard uncertainty of 1.77 μg/kg. Inspection of the degree of equivalence plots for the fipronil-sulfone mass fraction assignments in APMP.QM-S16 indicated that there was excellent agreement of results. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database https://www.bipm.org/kcdb/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).


In this paper, we study the irreducibility of the monodromy action on the anti-invariant part of the vanishing cohomology on the double cover of a very general element in an ample hypersurface of a complex smooth projective variety branched at an ample divisor. As an application, we treat dominant rational maps from a double cover of a very general surface $S$ of degree$\geq 7$ in ${\mathbb P}^3$ branched at a very general quadric surface to smooth projective surfaces $Z$. Our method combines the classification theory of algebraic surfaces, deformation theory, and Hodge theory.


Background: Knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among women is essential when promoting optimal breastfeeding practices. Breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of life and continuation of breastfeeding and adequate complementary foods for up to two years of age or beyond. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. This study utilized a mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative). Results: Four socio-demographic factors were found to be influencing the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Those include child gender, level of education, marital status and parity. Two socio-demographic factors were found to influence awareness of the benefits of EBF. Those are Level of education and Occupation. Conclusions: The government should improve on the level of education of women in the area. Increase in number of educated women.


If the object of research is Neolithic ceramics, it would seem that the researcher is at a loss when it comes to illuminating certain social aspects of the manufacture of pottery. In archaeological inquiry the artisan always remain "invisible", even though their identities are crucial in the reconstruction of social relations. Thus, if we wish to identify the gender and social standing of artisans in the deeper layers of history, we must turn to ethno-archaeological and anthropological research. A number of ethno-archaeological and anthropological studies confirm the conclusion that pottery can be considered a female occupation in non-industrialized societies. However it seems that a rough, gender-based division of production to non-specialized – female and specialized – male, is too simplified. According to this point of view, women engage in pottery only when they have no other work to do – be it household chores or agricultural labor, and they produce pottery only to meet the needs of their own household. Ethno-archaeological research, however, shows that women can indeed become specialized artisans. The specialization of women can be observed in three forms: 1. in those communities where only some households engage in production of pottery, 2. in specialized communities and 3. in communities where female pottery makers belong to specific social groups. Based on anthropological research, we can assume that the adoption of pottery is directly linked to the gender based division in everyday activities. Beliefs, rituals and taboos connected to the production of pottery which have been ethnographically documented, and wherein the production of pottery is equated with the shift in the life cycle, birth and death, only serve to vouch for the identity of the artisan in the earliest ceramic communities.


A study of larval development of Glyptothorax fukiensis in the lower reaches of the Fujiang River in Chongqing, China showed that the development of G.fukiensis larvae could be divided into three stages:pro-larva, larva and juvenile, lasting for 6, 6 and 30 days, respectively,at 14.0℃~27.5℃. The individual body length ranged from 6.2 to 7.0, 7.8 to 8.6 and 15.0 to 17.0mm, at the end of the above-mentioned three stages. The pro-larvae began to show a photophobial response 2 days after hatching when they could swim, and a response of grouping emerged. Such phenomena lasted throughout their life, though they weakened to some extent for the adults. The sign of finalization of their juvenile development was the fromation of an adhesive organ on their chest.


A property $\Pi$ on a finite set $U$ is \emph{monotone} if for every $X \subseteq U$ satisfying $\Pi$, every superset $Y \subseteq U$ of $X$ also satisfies $\Pi$. Many combinatorial properties can be seen as monotone properties, and the problem of finding a minimum subset of $U$ satisfying $\Pi$ is a central problem in combinatorial optimization. Although many approximate/exact algorithms have been developed to solve this problem on numerous properties, a solution obtained by these algorithms is often unsuitable for real-world applications due to the difficulty of building mathematical models on real-world problems. A promising approach to overcome this difficulty is to \emph{enumerate} multiple small solutions rather than to \emph{find} a single small solution. To this end, given an integer $k$, we devise algorithms that \emph{approximately} enumerate all minimal subsets of $U$ with cardinality at most $k$ satisfying $\Pi$ for various monotone properties $\Pi$, where "approximate enumeration" means that algorithms may output some minimal subsets satisfying $\Pi$ whose cardinality exceeds $k$ and is at most $ck$ for some constant $c \ge 1$. These algorithms allow us to efficiently enumerate minimal vertex covers, minimal dominating sets in bounded degree graphs, minimal feedback vertex sets, minimal hitting sets in bounded rank hypergraphs, etc., with constant approximation factors.


Two methods are used to calculate the cooling time, one method deduces the cooling time and the time for sealing off the renner through rational presumption in theoretical analysis, the other method solves the time through mapping. The former method can be used to set up mathematical model for extrusion model in CAD/CAE and in theoretical analysis in the convention design of model. The latter is a simple method which is widely used in the model design of all kinds of plastic products.


The current status and future prospects of the magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) arcjet system are described. Recent research activities on the chemical rocket and electric propulsion are discussed. The characteristics of various MPD arcjet systems including the Komaba-I system developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of the Tokyo University are analyzed. The applications of the MPD arcjet system to the satellite test, lunar mission, free flyer test, space station test, and heliospheric exploration are discussed.


December 4, 1992 Dust, and more dust. Romoke leaned on the wall, feeling uncomfortable. It was late, and the chill of harmattan was snaking up her skin. Had Deolu forgotten they were to meet? She thought. It was not likely as he rarely came late to the rendezvous, especially not when he knew she would be traveling. For some minutes, she watched the sunset. The purpling sky had spread itself in front of her like a flamboyant art piece.


For a cellular system, the system throughput as well as the throughput at a cell edge are among the most important evaluation measures for the requirements on the system performance. Several inter-cell interference mitigation techniques have been proposed to meet the cell-edge users' needs in downlink. Each interference mitigation scheme has been found that they have pros and cons at the same time. In this paper, an adaptive inter-cell interference management scheme is proposed for an LDPC-coded FH-OFDMA system to combat the inter-cell interference in downlink cellular environment. Based on the knowledge on other cells that we can utilize without dynamic cooperation between cells, different decoding methods can be applied to maximize the performance for the cell-edge users. It is shown that a significant gain can be obtained, especially at the cell boundary using the proposed scheme.


Single Shot MultiBox Detector is a single shot detector (uses a single shot) for multiple categories, which is faster than the latest generation such as YOLO (You only look once) and significantly more accurate, in fact just as accurate. As well as the slower techniques, which make explicit region proposals and collection (including faster R-CNN). SSD predicts category scores and box offsets for a fixed set of default bounding boxes, using small convolutional filters applied on feature maps. Recent researches in object detection are driven by the success of convolutional neural networks (CNN). They are able to learn rich features outperforming hand-crafted features. To obtain high detection accuracy, we produce predictions of different scales from feature maps of different scales, and explicit predictions based on the aspect ratio. These design features lead to simple end-to-end training and high accuracy, even on low resolution input images, further improving speed and accuracy with precision [2]. The SSD only needs an input image and truth boxes for each object during training. Convolutely, we evaluate a small set of boxes implicit by different aspect ratios at each location, in several feature maps with different [3]. For each implicit box, we preach both shape offsets and confidences for all object categories. During training, for the first time these default boxes match the truth boxes. The SSD approach is based on a convolutional feed-forward network that produces a fixed size collection of bounding boxes and scores for the presence of object class instances in those boxes, followed by a non-maximal suppression step to produce the final detections.


Since Qing Dynasty,rules in China governing the transitions of estate have been gradually changed from country custom to modern Real Right Law.But the process of making the law a leading position is not easy.Some of country custom like"purchasing priority of relative and neighbor" and "no daughters in share of heritage" still survive and play a role in reality.Taking these customary rules as point of penetration,this paper shows an in-dept scenery of conflicts between the country custom and new laws from static texts and dynamic disputes.


Perovskite (Pb(1–3x/2)Bix)(Zr(1–3x/4)Ybx)O3 (PZ-BY) ceramics, where x = 0.01–0.10, were synthesized by conventional solid state reaction. The effect of BiYbO3 on crystal structure, phase transitions and electrical properties was studied as a function of composition. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) result indicated that the perovskite structure with orthorhombic symmetry was a major phase for all samples. The pyrochlore phase, identified as Yb0.2Zr0.8O1.9, coexists in PZ-BY ceramics. The influence of instability and a small tolerance factor (t) and the average electronegativity difference () of pure BY on phase formation of PZ-BY ceramic has been discussed. Furthermore, it was found that adding small tolerance factor BiYbO3 compound can stabilize the antiferroelectric (AFE) phase of PZ solid solutions and decreasing t of solid solution can enhance Curie temperature of PZ.


ISO-New England, in a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved settlement, recently designed the Forward Capacity Market (FCM), a unique market design that is structured to encourage investment in system capacity sufficient to meet the region's forecasted peak electric demand. The FCM encourages new capacity by providing a long-term commitment to electric supply resources affording project developers adequate time and money to construct or install resources to fulfill new obligations. The FCM has created a paradigm shift for efficiency program evaluation as peak demand savings have become a critical indicator of program success. Placing the focus on peak demand reduction requires new strategies for estimating savings, moving away from review of engineering algorithms and billing analysis toward demand metering or other direct data collection techniques. Adding to the challenge, ISONE specifies allowable methods for verifying peak demand reductions, the required precision for the portfolio, and the level of statistical analysis required. This paper provides a broad overview of the FCM process and the requirements for verifying demand savings, and discusses the planning and initial implementation of the Vermont Department of Public Service's evaluation, including the challenges and potential solutions. Four specific aspects of the evaluation planning are covered in more detail, i.e., sampling, baselines, metering issues, and policy implications.


BACKGROUND: Many physiotherapists underuse evidence-based practice guidelines or recommendations when treating patients with musculoskeletal disorders, yet synthesis of knowledge translation interventions used within the field of physiotherapy fails to offer clear conclusions to guide the implementation of clinical practice guidelines. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of various knowledge translation interventions used to implement changes in the practice of current physiotherapists treating common musculoskeletal issues. DATA SOURCES: A computerized literature search of MEDLINE, CINHAL and ProQuest of systematic reviews (from inception until May 2016) and primary research studies (from January 2010 until June 2016). STUDY SELECTION AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Eligibility criteria specified articles evaluating interventions for translating knowledge into physiotherapy practice. DATA EXTRACTION AND DATA SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts, reviewed full-text articles, performed data extraction, and performed quality assessment. Of a total of 13014 articles located and titles and abstracts screened, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria, including three overlapping publications, resulting in 31 individual studies. RESULTS: Knowledge translation interventions appear to have resulted in a positive change in physiotherapist beliefs, attitudes, skills and guideline awareness. However, no consistent improvement in clinical practice, patient and economic outcomes were observed. LIMITATIONS: The studies included had small sample sizes and low methodological quality. The heterogeneity of the studies was not conducive to pooling the data. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION OF KEY FINDINGS: The intensity and type of knowledge translation intervention seem to have an effect on practice change. More research targeting financial, organizational and regulatory knowledge translation interventions is needed La Brooy C and Kelaher M. The research-policy-deliberation nexus: a case study approach. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2017; 15(1):75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12961-017-0239-z [open access] Abstract: BACKGROUND: Decision-makers tend to make connections with researchers far too late in the game of public policy, expecting to find a retail store in which researchers are busy filling shop-front shelves with a comprehensive set of all possible relevant studies that a decision-maker might some day drop by to purchase. This linear type of relation between research and policy needs to be replaced by a more interactive model that facilitates both researchers obtaining a better understanding of policy processes and policymakers being more aware and involved in the conceptualisation and conduct of research. This paper explores the role of governance in facilitating the research-policy nexus, testing a typology of research utilisation based on Murray's (Soc Policy Society 10(4):459-70, 2011) analysis that considers various degrees of researcher-policymaker deliberation in decision-making processes. The projects were all part of various evaluation efforts carried out by the researchers to explore the use of governance in health promotion activities. METHODS: Three case studies were chosen to provide some specific examples that illustrate each level of Murray's typology. The examples involve intersectoral health promotion collaborations that combine evidence-based research in health policy initiatives with various levels of researcher involvement. For all three projects, interview data was collated in the same way, coded thematically and analysed to consider the relationship between researchers and policymakers. RESULTS: Comparing the three models and their applicability to health promotion interventions, it could be observed that all programmes demonstrated successful examples of research translation. Strong governance imperatives structuring relationships led to more successful outcomes, whereby research was successfully translated into a public policy initiative that also led to improved health outcomes. The key idea across all of these models was that strong BACKGROUND: Decision-makers tend to make connections with researchers far too late in the game of public policy, expecting to find a retail store in which researchers are busy filling shop-front shelves with a comprehensive set of all possible relevant studies that a decision-maker might some day drop by to purchase. This linear type of relation between research and policy needs to be replaced by a more interactive model that facilitates both researchers obtaining a better understanding of policy processes and policymakers being more aware and involved in the conceptualisation and conduct of research. This paper explores the role of governance in facilitating the research-policy nexus, testing a typology of research utilisation based on Murray's (Soc Policy Society 10(4):459-70, 2011) analysis that considers various degrees of researcher-policymaker deliberation in decision-making processes. The projects were all part of various evaluation efforts carried out by the researchers to explore the use of governance in health promotion activities. METHODS: Three case studies were chosen to provide some specific examples that illustrate each level of Murray's typology. The examples involve intersectoral health promotion collaborations that combine evidence-based research in health policy initiatives with various levels of researcher involvement. For all three projects, interview data was collated in the same way, coded thematically and analysed to consider the relationship between researchers and policymakers. RESULTS: Comparing the three models and their applicability to health promotion interventions, it could be observed that all programmes demonstrated successful examples of research translation. Strong governance imperatives structuring relationships led to more successful outcomes, whereby research was successfully translated into a public policy initiative that also led to improved health outcomes. The key idea across all of these models was that strong governance arrangements mitigated some of the barriers evidenced by the varying degrees of deliberation and researcher involvement in processes. CONCLUSIONS: The paper demonstrates that successful research utilisation is related to strong governance agendas and that early and ongoing involvement of relevant decision-makers and researchers in the governance processes, that is both the conceptualisation and conduct of a study, tend to be the best predictors


This paper examines the learning experience of 10 undergraduate students taking part in a US National Science Foundation funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at a Midwestern US university (National Science Foundation, 2014). The curricular design of each REU programme is created by the primary investigators and is unique to each programme. The programme discussed in this paper engaged students in eight weeks of computer modelling and simulation research in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematical and/or statistical research. In this paper the theoretical perspective of complexity is used to explore the students' learning as they engaged in research and the relationship between complex learning episodes and the environments in which those experiences occur.