An experimental investigation was conducted to study supersonic jets from convergent divergent nozzles with rectangular cross section. The flow regimes and shock structure in the plume was characterized for jets in quiescent atmosphere at over-expanded conditions. Schlieren pictures of the jets are presented to show the shock structure and jet spread rate at different nozzle pressure ratios. LDV measurements are presented for the jet flow field and the centerline velocity decay. The results indicate that the rectangular supersonic jet spread rate is greater along the minor axis and increases with the nozzle pressure ratio. The individual shock cell length, as well a, the total number of shock cells within the jet plume were found to increase with nozzle pressure ratio. In two-phase rectangular jets of gas and dispersed solid particles the shock strength was found to attenuate with increased particle loading. Introduction Recent interest in rectangular supersonic jets is motivated by the need to reduce plume length and acoustically excited structural loads in the exhaust systems of high performance aircrafts. Semi-periodic _____ *Doctoral student †Professor, Fellow AIAA ‡Member AIAA shock structures form in the jet plumes of these vehicles during low speed flight when the convergent divergent nozzles operate at off design conditions. These shock cells affect the jet velocity and temperature decay as well as the jet spread rate and its acoustic field. A number of studies presented experimental results for the centerline jet velocity decay and spread rate of subsonic rectangular jets. Sfier [1] studied air jets issuing from rectangular channels and slots in quiescent atmosphere. The results demonstrated that the jet growth rate in terms of the 50% velocity spread was greater in the direction of the minor axis. Sfier also presented experimental results for the axial variation of the mean velocity, longitudinal and lateral turbulence intensity and turbulence shear stress profiles and compared them to twodimensional jets. Lazanova and Shanov [2] conducted an experimental investigation to study the effect of rectangular jet aspect ratio on subsonic jet velocity and turbulence intensity. Experimental data obtained from 50 m/sec jets for aspect ratios between three and ten indicated that jet spreading rate in higher in the direction of the minor axis and that the crossover point of the jet half width moved downstream with increased aspect ratio. They also presented the axial variations in jet entrainment, axial jet momentum, and centerline turbulence intensity. By computing separately the mass flow in four triangular sections from the center to each of the four rectangular jet sides, Lazanova and Shanov determined that the entrainment in the quadrants containing the long sides were double that in the quadrant containing the short side which confirms the more intensive spread of the jet in the minor plane. They also investigated the turbulence intensity patterns and the establishment of similarity velocity after distances greater than forty times the hydraulic diameter from the nozzle exit plane. Krothapalli et al. [3] studied the mixing of incompressible rectangular jets for aspect ratios between 5.5 and 16.7 up to axial distances 115 times the jet exit width (small nozzle dimension). Their results demonstrated similarity in both the mean velocity and shear stress profile in the plane along the minor axis beyond 30 times the width. Experimental investigations of rectangular high-speed jets also indicated higher jet spread rate in the plane of the minor axis. Von Glahn's experimental studies [4,5,6,7] of rectangular and circular high-speed subsonic jets in quiescent surroundings confirmed that the spread rate of rectangular jets in the direction of the minor axis is greater than in circular jets with the same area equivalent diameter. Von Glahn [6] developed correlations for the plume centerline velocity decay and 50% velocity spread variation with the axial distance in terms of the jet aspect ratio (AR), jet Mach number, and jet to ambient temperature ratio. The correlations were compared to the data for AR 6 rectangular jets at 0.784 Mach number and for a heated Mach 1.045 jet. He gave a different set of correlations in each of the three jet regions, namely, the initial mixing region, the transitional region, and the fully mixed region. He also included flight effects in the correlations based on velocity measurements of jets from rectangular nozzles in secondary streams. Seiner [8] compared the measured centerline velocity decay and acoustic efficiency of unheated jets for circular and rectangular nozzles with the same area equivalent diameter. The results for these Mach 0.857 shock free jets demonstrated the high mixing capability and beneficial noise reduction of rectangular nozzle exit geometry. A drastic reduction in the potential core length of the rectangular jet was reported compared to the equivalent circular jet. Seiner [8] reported a less drastic reduction in the core length of a Mach 1.52 fully expanded elliptic jet to 5.2 equivalent diameters, as compared to a 7.8 round jet [9]. Seiner [8] also presented phaseaveraged Schlieren photos of supersonic elliptic jets at fully expanded and overexpanded conditions. While the Mach 1.52 fully expanded elliptic jet mixing layers experienced similar growth rate along the major and minor axes, the shock structure in the jet plume greatly enhanced the jet spreading rate along the minor axis in the case of the over-expanded elliptic jet. Several experimental and analytical studies of under-expanded jets have been reported in the literature. Adamson and Nicholls [10] proposed a simple one-dimensional model to calculate the boundaries and distance of the first shock disk from the nozzle exit. They reported good agreement between the computed results and existing experimental data [11,12]. Pao and Abdolhamid [13] computed the flow fields of supersonic under-expanded circular and elliptic jets using different turbulence models and compared the computed first shock cell length with the experimental results for Mach 2 circular jet [14]. Grenville et al. [15] used a laser-based imaging method in a wall-adaptive wind tunnel to define the outer edges of supersonic jets. They also presented computed results that predicted reductions in the jet core length in underexpanded and over-expanded jets with increased and decreased nozzle exit static pressure respectively. Krothapalli et al. [16], Gutmark et al. [17] and Zaman [18] conducted experimental studies of under expanded jets of symmetric and asymmetric cross sections. Their results indicate that the presence of shocks in the jet core further increased the spread rate along the minor axis compared to subsonic jets. Zaman [18] instantaneous schlieren pictures demonstrated that tabs spanning the narrow edges of the AR 3 rectangular nozzle weakened the shock/expansion structure, increased jet spreading along the minor axis, and reduced it along the major axis. Gutmark et al. [17] demonstrated transition to flapping mode at the minor axis plane for circular, elliptic, and AR 3 rectangular jets. The presented jet spread rate in the Mach 1-2.4 range demonstrated that the transition to the flapping mode with increased Mach number is abrupt in rectangular jets and more gradual in elliptic and circular jets. Tam [19] developed a linear shock cell model in which the mixing layer was approximated by a vortex sheet. Tam demonstrated that his linear model predictions of shock cell spacing agree with the experimental results of Powell [20] and Hammitt [21] for under expanded rectangular jets with aspect ratios greater than 4. His predications of screech tone frequencies based on the weakest link hypothesis [22] were in agreement with the experimental results of Krothapalli [16] and Powell [23]. A number of experimental and numerical studies were conducted to Investigate under-expanded circular jets of gas particle flows. Both Lewis et al. [24] and Sommerfeld [25] observed a forward shift in the Mach disk with increased particle loading. However, computational studies either predicted a rearward shift in the Mach disk location [26,27,28], or under predicted [25] the forward shift. Hamed et al. [29,30] conducted numerical simulations of gas-particle flows to determine the effect of particle loading in supersonic 2DCD nozzles. The computed results at over-expanded conditions with internal shocks in the nozzle [29], indicated that both shock strength and shock induced flow separation region are reduced with increased particle loading. Subsequently, the effects of particle sublimation and interphase energy exchange were included in the numerical simulations of CO2 pellet-blasting nozzles [30]. The purpose of the present investigation is to characterize the shock structures in overexpanded rectangular jets plumes. Schlieren photographs are presented for overexpanded rectangular jets in quiescent atmosphere to show the effect of nozzle pressure ratio on the shock structure and jet mixing. The results indicate that the mixing rate is high along the jet's minor axis at the higher nozzle pressure ratios, but decreases as the nozzle pressure ratio is reduced. In over-expanded rectangular particle-laden jets, the shock strength was found to decrease as the nozzle pressure ratio was reduced. Experimental Method Experiments were carried out in a blow down facility with the jet discharging in the quiescent laboratory air. The air supplied by a compressor that pressurizes the ambient air up to 200 psig was filtered, dried and stored in a high-pressure reservoir consisting of 7 tanks with a total volume of 102 m. The total temperature was equal to that of the surrounding, and the total inlet pressure to the nozzle was controlled and maintained constant during the testing by a pressure regulator. A particle feeder was designed and manufactured to provide stea


Abstract Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye Co., Nevada, is a small oasis in the northern Mojave Desert. Changes in use of land through irrigated agriculture and associated pumping of groundwater, as well as mining peat moss, altered the environment prior to its designation as a refuge in 1984. We evaluated relationships between land use, land cover, and groundwater in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge from 1948 to 2004. Recovery of land cover was documented following cessation of agricultural activities and pumping of groundwater. Land-use activities from 1948 to 1980 reduced land cover by 1,141 ha, while later changes in land-use activities allowed recovery of 935 ha of land cover. Limited change in groundwater might have aided in recovery of land cover, although no relationship was established between depth-to-groundwater and land cover.


Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death globally with excessive levels of blood cholesterol being a major risk factor. A dietary approach towards reducing this health risk is the intake of foods enriched with indigestible proteins that bind cholesterol to minimize reabsorption from the gastrointestinal tract. However, the level of indigestible proteins in regular foods is low and normal dietary intake may not provide sufficient cholesterol-lowering effect. Therefore, the aim of this work was to utilize various processing techniques to enhance resistance of food proteins to proteolysis and facilitate recovery of large amounts of indigestible proteins, which was then incorporated into the diet of Sprague-Dawley rats. Various legume seed protein isolates were subjected to the following pretreatments: dry heat, wet heat, autoclave, gelation, and freeze-thaw (3 cycles). The pretreated isolates were digested with pepsin followed by pancreatin to obtain insoluble residue as the indigestible product, which was tested for in vitro bile acid-binding ability. Results showed that the indigestible proteins from gelled cowpea protein isolate (ICP) was most abundant (68% yield) and had strong bile acid-binding ability. The rats were fed high fat diets and divided into 4 groups of 6 each (3 males + 3 females): group 1 was 20% casein diet while groups 2, 3 and 4 consumed same diets but casein was partially substituted with 1% ICP, 5% ICP, and 5% undigested cowpea protein isolate (CPI), respectively. After feeding for 6 weeks, rats that consumed the diet containing 5% ICP had the lowest increase in plasma total cholesterol of 1.8 mmol/L when compared to increases of 9.34 and 4.15 mmol/L for CPI and casein only diets, respectively. Analysis of the fecal matter by gel electrophoresis confirmed the presence of a high molecular proteins in the ICP-containing diets but absent in the casein only and CPI diets.


An assessment was made of the ability of 2 genetically diverse cultivars of lucerne (Trifecta and Sceptre) to nodulate and form effective symbioses with the strains of Sinorhizobium meliloti naturalised in 50 soils. Soils were collected from 42 dryland lucerne pastures and 8 irrigated multiple-use lucerne stands in the south-east of South Australia. The density of lucerne in the paddock, age of the lucerne stand and rhizobial inoculation practice were recorded at sampling. The lucerne swards were on average 5.6 years old (range 1–28) and had a mean plant density of 25 plants/m2 (range 3–66). The lucerne in 39 of the paddocks had been inoculated with rhizobia at sowing. The most probable number of rhizobia (S. meliloti) able to nodulate lucerne was determined for each soil. The most probable number of lucerne rhizobia exceeded 1.0 × 103/g in 23 of the soils. The most probable number of rhizobia in the soil was significantly correlated (r = 0.64) with soil pH. All 13 soils that contained less than 1.0 × 102 rhizobia/g had a pH of less than 6.3. The effectiveness at nitrogen fixation of each population of soil rhizobia was determined in a glasshouse experiment. There was no significant interaction between lucerne cultivar and soil inoculant. Generally, the soil rhizobia were highly effective, with 35 of the 50 soil inoculants producing more than 70% of the shoot dry weight associated with an effective inoculant strain (WSM826). Decreased lucerne shoot dry weights resulting from the remaining soil inoculants were associated with a lower most probable number of rhizobia in the soil, rather than poor symbiotic effectiveness of those rhizobia. This study highlighted the ability of both Trifecta and Sceptre lucernes to form an effective symbiosis with the rhizobia that have naturalised in the soils across a 25 000 km2 region of South Australia. It also showed that soil acidity is detrimental to rhizobial survival even in a perennial legume system and suggests that rhizobia that persist and form nodules in acidic soils should be a focus in the selection of new inoculant strains for lucerne.


In the industrial production of concentrated fructose syrup from h yd rolysis of haliantus tuber, the effect of acidity has been researched. The opt imum technology conditions are obtained by studying the relation of hydrolytic d egree with acidity. They are: 2.2% (v/v) of H2SO4 at 70 ℃ for 60min in 10% haliantus tuber solution.


Looking for a copy of your divorce decree, a probate record, or a civil or criminal case file? Did the legal action happen in Wyoming? If so, perhaps we can help.


Proton-responsive half-sandwich Cp*Ir(III) complexes possessing a bipyridine ligand with two hydroxy groups at the 3,3′-, 4,4′-, 5,5′-, or 6,6′-positions (3DHBP, 4DHBP, 5DHBP, or 6DHBP) were systematically investigated. UV–vis titration data provided average pKa values of the hydroxy groups on the ligands. Both hydroxy groups were found to deprotonate in the pH 4.6–5.6 range for the 4–6DHBP complexes. One of the hydroxy groups of the 3DHBP complex exhibited a low pKa value of <0.4 because the deprotonation is facilitated by the strong intramolecular hydrogen bond formed between the generated oxyanion and the remaining hydroxy group, which in turn leads to an elevated pKa value of ∼13.6 for the second deprotonation step. The crystal structures of the 4- and 6DHBP complexes obtained from basic aqueous solutions revealed their deprotonated forms. The intramolecular hydrogen bond in the 3DHBP complex was also observed in the crystal structures. The catalytic activities of these complexes in aqueous phase reac...


Objective To analyze the influence of proton-pump inhibitors(PPIs) or histamine 2-receptor antagonists(H2RAs) on diagnosis efficiency based on serum pepsinogens(PGs,PGI PGII) and gastrin-17(G-17).Methods The serum PGs and G-17 levels were measured in 190 patients(102 in the gastric cancer group,30 in the precancerous lesion group,and 58 in the control group) by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay and ELISA,respectively.Values of PGR(PGI/PGII) and GPR(G-17/PGI) were calculated.Results The median levels of PGs and G-17 were significantly(P0.05) increased among patients who used PPIs but not H2RAs,compared to non-users.PGR and GPR values were similar between PPI users and non-users.Use of H2RAs did not cause significant changes in these values.Gastric cancer patients had significantly lower PGR and higher GPR than those in the other two groups(P0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that AUC for PGR and GPR were 0.836 and 0.720,respectively.The best cutoff values of PGR and GPR for detecting gastric cancer calculated by ROC curve were 5.9 and 90,respectively,with moderate diagnostic sensitivity(76.5% and 60.8%,respectively) and specificity(70.5%).Conclusion PPIs,but not H2RAs,markedly increased the fasting levels of serum pepsinogens and G-17,independent of gastric mucosa changes. Also,PGR and GPR values could remain stable with the use of acid-inhibitory drugs.PGR and GPR can be used for gastric cancer diagnosis in populations with interference from acid-inhibitory drugs.


The prevalent believe that Information Systems (IS) research and practice is strongly influenced by fashions, was recently circumstantiated by empirical studies. In our contribution we want to explore the causes that underlie the phenomenon of "fashion imitation". Some authors indeed mention several potential influencing factors; however, a substantiated analysis of the causal relationship in research processes is lacking in literature. Stimulated by Baskerville and Myers' recommendation for a more "agile research" we subsequently provide a solid analysis of the problem itself and examine the transferability of the agile concept to the research process. Afterwards we deduce suggestions to optimize the cognitive process in the field of information systems. Schlagworte/


It has been extensively shown in past literature that Bayesian Game Theory and Quantum Non-locality have strong ties between them. Pure Entangled States have been used, in both common and conflict interest games, to gain advantageous payoffs, both at the individual and social level. In this paper we construct a game for a Mixed Entangled State such that this state gives higher payoffs than classically possible, both at the individual level and the social level. Also, we use the I-3322 inequality so that states that aren't helpful as advice for Bell-CHSH inequality can also be used. Finally, the measurement setting we use is a Restricted Social Welfare Strategy (given this particular state).


Carbon microfibers having an extremely high cohesive force and forming aggregates are uniformly dispersed and defibrated in an organic solvent, resulting in the disclosed stable dispersion state carbon microfiber dispersion liquid. The carbon microfiber dispersion liquid in which carbon microfibers are dispersed in an organic solvent contains a polymer dispersant represented by formula (1), and the size of aggregates of the carbon microfibers contained in said dispersion liquid is 5[mu]m or less.


A converter (10) comprises a plurality of input lines (11) and one or more output lines (12a, 12b, 12c). Each input line (11) is connected to a group (13) of supply circuits (14) and the supply circuits (14) of each group (13) are connected to different output lines (12a, 12b, 12c), respectively. The electric generator (30) comprises a stator (31) and a rotor (32). The stator (31) has a plurality of windings (33). Each winding (33) has a plurality of phases (34). Each phase (34) comprises bars (35) which are connected in series. The layers (34) having a first connection (36) at one end, a second connection (37) at the other end and a third connection (38) at an intermediate position between the first and the second connection (36, 37).


Purpose – This paper aims to examine the challenges of volunteer‐driven college campus sustainability projects through a case study of the development of an urban native plant species garden on the College of Charleston campus in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.Design/methodology/approach – The research used participant observation as the primary data‐gathering technique. The primary author coordinated this volunteer‐driven sustainability project, and recorded observations throughout the process. The authors used content analysis to examine garden volunteer interview data and campus/community documents. These methods allow the reader to view this case first‐hand, providing a unique look at undertaking projects of this nature.Findings – The paper provides specific guidance for creating sustainable sustainability projects in similar communities and college campuses, identifies challenges specific to this case study that are easily generalized to other volunteer‐driven sustainability projects, and provides s...


We jointly re-specify the relative purchasing power parity (RPPP) and uncovered interest rate parity (UIP) conditions as the (log) ratio of stochastic discount factors by inverting the market price of risk formula. Our empirical model provides new insights, which show that violations to UIP and RPPP both stem from the existence of a risk premium in exchange rates and from observed market return differentials being a noisy statistic of the markets' expected return differentials in our re-specified model. Using an integrated macro-microstructure framework for expected market return differentials improves our model fit and the validity of UIP and RPPP.


To study acoustic propagation in shallow water without the idealization of conventional theory or the many unknowns in field trials, a model with known realistic parameters is used. A water layer 0.5 to 2 cm deep overlies a 2‐in. slab of Hycar rubber with greater density and sound speed. With frequencies from 55 to 600 kc, a small probe in the water allows measurements of phase and group velocities, vertical pressure distributions, mode interferences, and attenuation coefficients. Theoretical predictions about the effects of compressional absorption and shear waves in the bottom, and of sloping bottoms, are supported. An analysis of the additional attenuation caused by rough surfaces is made by spreading small metal spheres on the bottom. This attenuation is proportional to area density of the spheres, the free‐field scattering cross section of a sphere, and the acoustic intensity at the depth of the spheres. An additional factor is the fraction g of scattered power actually lost; g correlates empirically...


Objective: To investigate the effect of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and taxane chemotherapy on the lipid profile in Iraqi patients with breast cancer. Method: This cohort prospective study was carried out at the Biochemistry Department, Baghdad College of Medical Sciences, and at the Oncology Clinic, Oncology Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from May 2019 to October 2019. It included 56 women with regular menstrual cycle (25-45 years) classified into 3 groups: GI: 29 women with primary breast cancer (before starting chemotherapy), GII: the same 29 women of GI who were finished 4 cycles of anthracycline chemotherapy (course 1) and GIII: which involved another 27 women who had finished both courses of chemotherapy, (course 1) and 4 cycles of taxanes (course 2). Serum cholesterol, LDL, HDL and TG were measured using colorimetric method. Results: The results of the present study showed that the (mean±SEM) of the serum cholesterol was decreased significantly (p<0.05) in GIII compared to GI and highly significantly (p<0.01) compared to GII. While, the serum HDL level was significantly (p<0.05) lower in GIII compared to GI. Concerning the serum LDL level, it was increased significantly (p<0.05) in GII compared to both GI and GIII. While; the serum TG level shows no significant difference between all groups. Conclusion: Iraqi women with breast cancer had an abnormal state of dyslipidemia that become worsened after chemotherapy.


The acoustic characteristics under P&S wave velocity of 56 samples from Low Youshashan Formation in Wunan Oilfield were tested by SCMS-E high temperature and high pressure core multi parameter test instrument, the measured velocity ratio of P wave and S wave is 1.32-1.67 and the conversion between the P and S wave velocity of rock sample was established. The corresponding dynamic elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio were obtained on the base of the elastic wave propagation theory formula. So, according to the transformation relationship between static and dynamic mechanical parameters, rock brittleness index is calculated and average value is only equal to 38. Therefore, it is difficult to form a fully developed network model during the hydraulic fracturing. These achievements provide a guiding significance for fracturing development at Low Youshashan Formation in Wunan Oilfield.


In this paper the analytical and quantitative tools for the ana- lysis of investments profitability, as well as the principles of their application are specified. To illustrate these methods, data derived from the paper published in the previous issue of Inżynieria Biomedyczna quarterly vol. 16 (2) was used. Presented results have an illustratory character, only.


The Borg (yes, the ones from the Star Trek series) are an alien species with a unique peculiarity: every "individual" is connected to any other through a high speed communication network, thus any knowledge acquired by any member of the community is instantly spread/shared and taken advantage of. This mechanism makes The Borg very knowledgeable and adaptive, they are virtually invincible in battle and wherever they go they assimilate other cultures. This article argues that The Borg architecture and capability is a close metaphor of FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software) paradigm... with some differences of course, luckily. FLOSS has some limitations but also some advantages over the fictional Star Trek alien civilization. First of all, FLOSS is not Evil. Authors will use, as an example, a system (codenamed NetLAMPS) they recently built (based entirely on FLOSS) to gather road/traffic status information. This software is enough complex (involves many technologies: mail, cell phones, gps, webcams, network, etc.) to represent a reasonable example and at the same time enough manageable (less than 3k LOC Lines of Code) to be almost entirely explained in this article.


In this paper a numerical model for the viscous flow past a cylinder in a rotating frame is discussed when both the Rossby number Ro and Ekman number E are small. The results of this model are analysed and compared to an inviscid study by Page (1987) applicable in the limit E → 0 with Ro = O(E½). The detailed structure of the separated flow is also examined and compared to the proposals for the higher-order flow in E¼ layers in Page (1987) which were based, in part, on the theory of Smith (1979, 1985) for the non-rotating flow past bluff bodies. Some discrepancies between this theory and the numerical results are noted.


A 40-YR-OLD diabetic, normotensive man presented with weight loss and epigastric discomfort for 6 months. Chest x-ray was normal. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed bilateral adrenal masses (Fig. 1A). The second patient, a 58-yr-old hypertensive, nondiabetic man, presented with anorexia and weight loss for 5 months. Chest x-ray revealed mediastinal widening. CT scan showed aortic dissection without mediastinal lymphadenopathy and incidental bilateral adrenal masses (Fig. 1B). Both patients had no history of tuberculosis; their HIV serology was negative. The 250g cosyntropin stimulation test was abnormal in the first patient (peak serum cortisol, 116 nmol/liter); he was commenced on hydrocortisone replacement. Urinary free catecholamine and metanephrine levels were normal in both. CT-guided fine needle aspiration cytology from the adrenal gland (Fig. 2) revealed features of histoplasma species in both; culture confirmed histoplasma capsulatum. They were treated with oral itraconazole (200 mg daily), the first patient for 15 months and the second for 6 months. Follow-up CT scans showed resolution of the adrenal masses in the first patient 5 yr later; he continues to have normal adrenal function at 9 yr. The adrenal masses have reduced in size in the second patient, but remain enlarged in the absence of any clinical disease at 18 months. CT features of adrenal histoplasmosis vary depending on the stage of the disease. Typically, it includes bilateral adrenal masses with peripheral enhancement and central hypodensities, with calcification seen in the healing phase. Similar features might be seen in adrenal neoplasms, subacute adrenal hemorrhage, and other disseminated infections, such as tuberculosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, and blastomycosis (1–5).


In this work, we formulate the fixed-length distribution matching as a Bayesian inference problem. Our proposed solution is inspired from the compressed sensing paradigm and the sparse superposition (SS) codes. First, we introduce sparsity in the binary source via position modulation (PM). We then present a simple and exact matcher based on Gaussian signal quantization. At the receiver, the dematcher exploits the sparsity in the source and performs low-complexity dematching based on generalized approximate message-passing (GAMP). We show that GAMP dematcher and spatial coupling lead to an asymptotically optimal performance, in the sense that the rate tends to the entropy of the target distribution with vanishing reconstruction error in a proper limit. Furthermore, we assess the performance of the dematcher on practical Hadamard-based operators. A remarkable inherent feature of our proposed solution is the possibility to: $i$) perform matching at the symbol level (nonbinary); ii) perform joint channel coding and matching.


This paper presents a process for dry-reagent storage and handling for a microfluidic lab-on-a-card platform for point-of-care applications to identify enteric bacterial pathogens in patients presenting with acute diarrhea, with special reference to infections that might be encountered in developing countries. Three different reagents are studied: i) antibody-coated magnetic beads for pathogen capture, ii) lysis buffer for extraction of nucleic acids from the pathogens, and iii) DNA amplification of the nucleic acids by polymerase chain reaction. This presentation will report on the process of dry reagent storage, resuspension and its functionality


No one disputes the success of optical networking in the long haul business anymore and optical solutions for the metropolitan network are starting to take shape. The next frontier is the access network where new solutions are needed to bring the vast bandwidth now available in the transport network to the end user in an economical and flexible way that enhances existing applications and allows new service offerings. Emerging optical access technologies are poised to enable these solutions.


Abstract : The Memorial Park archeological site (36 CN 164) preserves an unbroken sequence of complex prehistoric occupations in stratified floodplain-terrace deposits of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania (Figure 1- 1). The presebt report is an effort to merge the records of site occupation and preservation within the broader context of the Susquehanna's floodplain history over the past 10,000-i2,000 years. Interpretations are the product of a carefully designed program of field work and laboratory analysis. The program's objectives were to supplement and integrate the results of nearly 15 years of previous research at the site and its immediate vicinity. The geoarcheological approach of this study reflects the convictions of the contractor, that the rich but varied archeological occupations registered in the flooplain of Memorial Park are best understood through systematic reconstruction of the Holocene landscape history of this portion of the Susquehanna drainage basin.


Online meetings have become increasingly common following the COVID-19 pandemic, and several meeting places are now often connected remotely. This study proposes a digital signal processing method for controlling the sound localization of speech delivered from remote sites. To enable the control of simultaneous speech, our proposal introduces a blind source separation algorithm called the Degenerate Unmixing Estimation Technique (DUET), which takes stereo recordings obtained through a two-channel microphone as its input. During the process of DUET, we estimate the azimuth angles of the speakers using the amplitude attenuation and delay between the stereo recordings, and multiply the estimated binary mask and corresponding Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) by the estimated azimuth angle (i.e., HRTF mask). Speaker localization tests verify that the HRTF mask can separate speech in the desired positions when two or three speakers are talking at the same time.


The resistive wall amplifier (RWA) has been shown to be theoretically capable of very high gains. However, properties of the materials necessary to support the practical resistive medium significantly reduce the effective gain of the device. This work investigates a metamaterial-enhanced RWA. We demonstrate theoretically that the use of metamaterials in RWAs enables very high, near-theoretical gains.


In a recent article, Stephen Carl Arch has challenged the continu ing critical and pedagogical limitations on what constitutes the Ameri can novel, despite the attention given to transatlantic concerns within the discipline of early American studies. Classes on the novel, he claims, cling tightly to "the old critical chestnut" that the first American novel is William Hill Brown's 1789 Power of Sympathy, while they ignore the work Arch holds up to our attention, Frances Brooke's The History of Emily Mon tague (1769), a novel that includes significant scenes set in North America. In Arch's understanding, that text accentuates the trope of the interreg num, a situating between various states and lands, and is a particularly trenchant figure for a work that imagines both sides of the Atlantic. Even if, in the end, the main male character, Col. Ed Rivers, "brings into existence a fantasy of domestic, sensible resemblance in the English countryside," the critic argues that Emily Montague "deserves to be part of a restored, trans atlantic tradition of the novel" (Arch 465, 478, 481).* Although since Arch's article appeared there has been increased critical interest in transatlanti cism, what follows takes its cue from Arch's important act of restoration by asking questions about classification through consideration of another, contemporary text to Brooke's, The Adventures ofEmmera.


We study the evolution of a supernova core from the beginning of the gravitational collapse of a 15 M☉ star up to 1 s after core bounce. We present results of spherically symmetric simulations of core-collapse supernovae by solving general relativistic ν-radiation hydrodynamics in the implicit time differencing. We aim to explore the evolution of shock waves in the long term and investigate the formation of proto-neutron stars together with supernova neutrino signatures. These studies are done to examine the influence of the equation of state (EOS) on the postbounce evolution of shock waves in the late phase and the resulting thermal evolution of proto-neutron stars. We compare two sets of EOSs, namely, those by Lattimer and Swesty (LS-EOS) and by Shen et al. (SH-EOS). We found that, for both EOSs, the core does not explode and the shock wave stalls similarly in the first 100 ms after bounce. A revival of the shock wave does not occur even after a long period in either case. However, the recession of the shock wave appears different beyond 200 ms after bounce, having different thermal evolution of the central core. A more compact proto-neutron star is found for LS-EOS than SH-EOS with a difference in the central density by a factor of ~2 and a difference of ~10 MeV in the peak temperature. The resulting spectra of supernova neutrinos are different to an extent that may be detectable by terrestrial neutrino detectors.


In recent years the applications for artificial ventilation after surgery have broadened improved diagnostic and therapeutic tools, and better understandings in pathophysiology of adult respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). This report includes fifteen cases of ARDS complicated after various kinds of abdominal surgery, which are compatible to 2.2% among total numbers of the patients(681) who operated the department of general surgery of Seoul National University Hospital during six months from October, 1975 to March, 1976. The following results were obtained; 1) Male to female ratio is 11 : 4. 2) Average age of ARDS after abdominal surgery in SNUH is 51.4 years of age with 53.5% of mortality rate, which reveals no differences in sex. 3) More frequent incidence and higher mortality rate of ARDS after abdominal surgery noted below 6.0gm% of total serum protein and 2.9gm% of serum albumin. 4) Average durations of artificial ventilation are 35.6 hours in survived group and 44.5 hours in dead group. 5) Preoperative ventilatory values(minute volume, frequency and vital capacity) and arterial
blood gases reveal no differences between survived and dead groups except larger vital capacity in survived group than in dead group. 6) Six cases among fifteen cases of ARDS transfused more than 1O pints units of acidcitrate-dextrose stored blood. 7) Possible occurring date of ARDS were after abdominal surgery is any time during postoperative periods.


In this paper, efficient power allocation strategies for ARQ protocols operating in wireless environments are studied. Power is optimally adapted by the transmitter based on channel state information (CSI) obtained through feedback, while guaranteeing quality-of-service (QOS) constraints such as average throughput or average delay. The power policies adopted for basic ARQ protocols, such as Stop-and-Wait or Go-Back-N, is characterized and a comparison of their relative performances is studied. Numerical results are presented for a Gaussian channel.


Background: The need for evidence-based decision-making scaled up the need for monitoring and evaluation systems in Africa. The education sector has received increasing scrutiny, owing to its centrality in promoting the national agenda of countries. The higher education sub-sector has expanded in its drive to increase accessibility, albeit with numerous challenges and doubts, especially about the quality of education. Numerous evaluations in this sub-sector in Uganda have been carried out, but their results have not been used for effective decision-making. In this regard, the non-utilisation trend of evaluation findings is attributable to the design of the institutions where these evaluations are carried out. Objectives: The study examined the relationship between institutional design (procedural rules, evaluation processes and institutional capacity) and utilisation of evaluation results at Kyambogo University. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey involving a sample of 118 respondents whose views were obtained through the use of questionnaires and key informant interviews triangulated with documentary analysis. Results: The study found that procedural rules, evaluation processes and evaluation capacity had a positive (0.459, 0.486 and 0.765, respectively) and a statistically significant (sig. = 0.000) effect on utilisation of evaluation results. This means that the dimensions of institutional design were important predictors of utilisation of evaluation results by a public sector agency. Conclusion: Strengthening of the evaluation competences and capacity of the university by empowering the Directorate of Planning and Development to coordinate and harmonise all evaluations and be charged with the follow-up of utilisation of the results is an emerging recommendation from this study.


Despite having the raw ability to pursue careers in science and engineering, gifted girls often shy away from such careers. Here, the authors explore two explanations for this puzzling phenomenon. Specifically, they argue that exposure to (a) negative stereotypes about women's intellectual abilities and (b) stereotypes about scientists as "nerdy," eccentric loners may undermine gifted girls' confidence in their ability to succeed in science and engineering, their sense of belonging in these fields, and—ultimately—their interest. The authors also suggest evidence-based strategies for inoculating girls against these stereotypes and boosting their interest in science and engineering.


The interatomic cohesive energy,as a function of contents of Si and Ni elements,of the martensite matrix of the high-carbon alloy steels DM8,DM8A,DM8' and DM8A',was calculated by the quantum chemistry ab initio(QCAB)calculation method,density functional theory with ultrasoft pseudopotential method,and semi-empirical interatomic pair potential.The method of segregation cell combination is chosen in the calculation,based on the calculation of segregation structure crystal cell.The results show that:① The interatomic cohesive energy of DM8,DM8A,DM8' and DM8A' steels is strengthened gradually with increasing the content of C,Si and Ni element;② The effect of the Si element content change on the strength of martensite matrix is higher than that of the Ni element content;③ When the content of Si or Ni is 0.2%~0.6%,the effect of Ni element content on interatomic cohesive energy is higher than that of Si element,but when the content of Si or Ni is 0.6%~0.8%,the effect of Si element content on interatomic cohesive energy is higher than that of Ni element.These results can apply for alloy steel design.


The types of college students' associations in the new era are analyzed and the importance and ways to strengthen the construction of college students' associations in the new situation are presented.


The thermodynamic and kinetic instabilities of many biochemical molecules suggest a need for sources of free energy in preserving or replacing such unstable structures in cells. Alternatively, biological adaptations conceivably might circumvent the instabilities inherent in these materials. For instance, organization of the sensitive elements, especially the macromolecules, into structured particles or compartmentation of any other sort could protect them from attack by degradative enzymes. In addition, the simultaneous occurrence of high energies of activation should help eliminate or diminish energy losses by processes like spontaneous hydrolysis. One or a combination of these factors could improve the effective kinetic stabilities, especially of macromolecules in biological systems. However, the soluble, diffusible molecules ought to be continuously susceptible to enzymatic attack and, to the extent that such compounds are essential to viability, require replacement. Any free energy thus necessary might be available directly from either endogenous or exogenous materials. Since the environment may be devoid temporarily of useful free energy, evolution should have favored development of species capable both of storing reserve energy and of utilizing it for the preservation or replacement of essential cellular components. Thus, the direct source of the free energy for this purpose probably is endogenous without allowing for the possibility of an uncoupling mechanism permitting the direct utilization of suitable exogenous compounds when available. Mandelstam ( 1962 ) discusses this type of uncoupling process in enzyme biosynthesis which, though of undoubted importance, cannot be universal to endogenous metabolism, for Clifton (1962) among others shows that endogenous substrates continue to be oxidized when cells metabolize exogenous glucose. As a corollary to the presumption that energy is used to preserve the integrity of the cell, it must be assumed further that any endogenous reserves used are replaced whenever the nutritional and physiological states permit. In discussing these problems, it is customary to describe endogenous metabolism as those processes occurring when the organism is deprived of exogenous energy sources. As will be shown in later papers of this monograph (e.g., Ribbons and Dawes, 1962), these processes change qualitatively or quantitatively as starvation proceeds. Some steps in endogenous metabolism may be essential to the vitality of the organism. Others may occur simply because the substrates and enzymes are present and in contact. In either case, metabolism of exogenous energy sources replaces the


The application of dome on mosque buildings is rationally based on the need for recognizable identity (Fithri, Athaillah, and Karsono, 2016). In modern time, mosques in Indonesia look to emphasize the character of domes by variation of curves, details, motives and colors. One of the most popular technologies now to allow the variations is Galvalum Panel, the dome arranged by modular panels made of metal containing zinc and aluminum. It is also stainless and light weight. The modular panels arranged on pipes hollow structures. The challenge for applying the technology is its unaffordable price, especially for mosque developers in villages. This research is aimed to formulate efficiency for applying the technology related to its dimension and budget, especially for people in village. The research method is started from interviewing some suppliers about dimension and unit price standards; then analyzing efficiency of main room area as basis structure for the dome; then calculating surface area of domes in many variations of diameter and height; and the last is multiplying each number of areas by unit price. The result is the most efficient diameter of dome applied in village areas is not more than 5 meters based on analyzed minimum capacity in the main room to accommodate minimum Friday worshipers. Meanwhile the efficient surface area is ranging from 9.48m2 to 57.84m2.


The exigencies of recent crises and travails in the Russian economy have placed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) issues low down on the order of priority for post-Soviet leaders. The first contribution to the present issue of Problems of Economic Transition returns to this theme, providing us with a sampling of views from several Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian political figures. From the Russian side, former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, speaker of the Duma Gennady Seleznev, and Federal Assembly Chairman Egor Stroev highlight a rather disparate set of issues concerning the Russian elite. While Stroev is concerned with the CIS in light of developments in the international system--reflecting a fondness for the multipolar argument made by former Prime Minister Evgenii Primakov-Stepashin focuses much more on the need for development of domestic state structures that can assure economic growth. Yet all Russian participants to the roundtable join with their Ukrainian and Belarusian counterparts in making what amounts to a general call for the tightening of economic relations among the CIS members. A.N. Tkachenko's views are particularly striking on this score, reflecting lingering bitterness that the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the unfortunate rupture of integrative ties. While this is a significant change in perspective compared to Ukraine of a decade ago, none of the participants proposes any clear strategy for putting the post-Soviet genie into the bottle. The next four articles examine different aspects of the industrial setting in the Russian Federation. While all contributors reflect that reform and financial crisis have affected the industrial environment, they are also able to report some modestly positive features as well. A.V. Sokolov examines the Russian defense industry and is quick to observe that this sector has been much harder hit by the past decade of reform than has the civilian economy. Russia's failure to provide even the promised level of state support to the military sector, its collapsing competitiveness relative to other global suppliers of arms, and a failure to carry out institutional reform within the military have all contrib-


Two recent CO2-He potential surfaces are tested with respect to their abilities to predict the temperature dependence of the interaction second virial coefficient and the transport properties, including binary diffusion, shear viscosity, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusion, including their abilities to predict bulk relaxation phenomena, including rotational relaxation, field effects on transport properties, and collision-broadening of the rotational Raman and depolarized Rayleigh lines at room temperature. Fully converged classical trajectory calculations are employed for the determination of these phenomena. Such calculations can be expected to be precise to within ± 0·1% for most of the cross sections that determine the transport coefficients, to ± 1% for the relaxation cross sections, and to within ± 5% for certain of the cross sections that determine the effects of external fields on the transport phenomena. Both potential surfaces fare quite well with respect to the transport properties, with...


This work deals with trust management in open and decentralized agent-based environments. Analysis and solutions are geared towards peer to peer networks, intended not just as a technology, but above all as a web of trust relationships, where parties interoperate directly, without reliance on any centralized directory or authority.


I study a game in which two firms create independent divisions, then they choosewhether to do R&D so as to reduce their divisions' marginal costs, and then the divisions compete in the market. I provide necessary and sufficient conditions under which the game has an equilibrium in pure strategies, and I show that the game has an equilibrium only if each firm threatens that if the rival creates more divisions it will use R&D to foreclose the market. The case we find the literature, in which firms flood the market with their divisions, should happen only in industries with low returns to R&D.


This paper tries to explain the earnings attainment of Korean immigrants in the Chicago area by combining insights provided by different perspectives, each of which emphasizes a distinct factor: human capital, acculturation, or positions in the labor market. Among others, it is argued that these factors are interactive and therefore the impact of one factor cannot be properly assessed without considering other factors simultaneously. More specifically, while the rates of returns on the investments in human capital and acculturation are positive in the primary labor market, the same is not true in the secondary labor market or in the self-employed segment.


PURPOSE: A floor structure of a building using a Tesla coil device and a construction method of a floor of a building are provided to remove internal humidity from a building through transverse waves generated from a Tesla coil layer. CONSTITUTION: A floor structure of a building using a Tesla coil device comprises a concrete slab layer(310), an insulation layer(320), a Tesla coil layer(330), a finishing material layer(340), a current cutoff film, and a shock absorbing layer. The concrete slab layer has a 180-250mm thickness. The insulation layer is placed on the top of the concrete slab layer. The Tesla coil layer is composed of an anode current coil, a cathode current coil, an anode current switch(336), a cathode current switch(338), and a decompressor. The anode and cathode current coils generate minute energy through transverse waves. The anode and cathode current switches supply currents to the anode and cathode current coils. The finishing material layer is placed on the top of the Tesla coil layer. The current cutoff film is attached between the Tesla coil layer and the finishing material layer. The shock absorbing layer is formed on the top of the Tesla coil layer.


Breuer's Whitney Museum of Art is located on the island of Manhattan, New York, close to several very important museums: the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum, Franz Lloyd Wright's best-known work. The origin of the project was influenced by the characteristics of the site, the geometry of the plot, the metaphors concomitant with the facade of the former Whitney Museum, the emulation of the aerial volatility of the Guggenheim Museum and the well-oiled layout of the functional programme, condensed into a main section that sinks below the earth line and seeks the roots of the design there. The original ground plan separates different architectures with respect to the programme, the structure and the morphology: transparency of the lower part of the facade against the opacity and massiveness of the volumes that advance towards the outside. The Mediterranean courtyard underlies the layout of the floor plan and the complex English courtyard provides the generating section and literally shapes the facades, which are contained by an abstract envelope and have encrypted content.


new necessary and sufficient conditions of global controllability of eigenvalue spectrum have been obtained for stationary bilinear control systems, in particular, for systems with an incomplete feedback.


The present paper characterizes the distribution of sediments and geo-forms in a tidal channel within the Guadiana River Mouth using Side Scan Sonar techniques. This work presents a map of bed distribution in terms of sedimentary lithology and geomorphological features. From a lithological point of view clean sands, muddy sands and sandy muds can be distinguished. From a dynamic perspective, each lithological type can present accumulative or erosional features. The dominant flow regime in the sandy beds can be deduced from the morphology and asymmetry of bedforms.


THE METHOD USED TO FORM A SILICON MELT A SOLID 10 SILICON IS TO PROVIDE Perce BORE IN WHICH WILL BE INSERTED ELECTRODES 13, 24, 25. THE PADS ARE ALSO PREFERABLY IN SILICON AND CURRENT POWER GOES THROUGH ELECTRODE 24, 25 TO FORM THAT CAUSES ARC MELTING BODY IN DEEPENING INSIDE THE SAME CAVITY CONTAINING THE MELT. THE MELT IS USED TO PULL BARS SILICON, SILICON COVER FORM OF STEAM RESULTING FROM THE MELT OR SUBSTRATE PLACE IN A ROOM VACUUM.


Severe late dysphagia is common after chemoradiotherapy for cancers of the larynx and oropharynx. Options for reduction of severe late dysphagia are limited for human papillomavirus (HPV)‐negative patients. In this study, the role of feeding tube choice in severe late dysphagia is investigated.


Analysis of comorbid conditions in elderly and senile patients with COVID-19 and acute intestinal infection (AII) caused by representatives of opportunistic flora, conducted on 71 patients of the infectious disease department, including 42 women (59.15%) and 29 (40.85%) men. In patients, acute intestinal infection was caused by enteropathogenic bacilli ‒ 38 (53.52%) patients, bacteria of the genus Pseudomonacea ‒ 10 (14.09%), and St. aureus ‒ 23 (32.39%). The average age of the patients was 71.48±7.53 years. Analysis of comorbid conditions and prediction of disease progression was performed according to the severity of the disease and using the Charlson comorbidity index, the ABCD scoring system, the COVID-19 severity index, and the NEWS questionnaire. It was established that the examined patients have a high propensity for a severe course of diseases with their comorbid burden. A reliable lack of relationship between the comorbidity index and the degree of severity of AKI has been proven. Patients with AII had a low to moderate risk of developing infectious complications and also required continuous supplemental oxygen support and intensive care. According to the results of a survey on the NEWS system, patients who have a constant supply of oxygen have a higher probability of the formation of severe AII (OR=7.50; CI (1.28‒43.84); p=0.02), and a lower probability in relation to the average degree of severity (OR=0.13; CI (0.02‒0.78); p=0.02). Predicting the degree of severity of an acute intestinal infection that has developed against the background of COVID-19 affects the choice of treatment methods, in particular oxygen therapy, accelerates decision-making and the effectiveness of therapy.

Keywords: acute intestinal infection, coronavirus disease COVID-19, dysbiosis, comorbid pathology, infectious complications, intestinal microbiocenosis.


Platelike BaMnAl11O19-α particles were grown in a Ce-TZP matrix by the solid-state reaction of Ce-TZP, BaCO3, MnCO3 and α-Al2O3 powders. The addition of Mn was found to be effective in lowering the formation temperature of single-phase barium hexaaluminate (BaMnAl11O19-α) by 400°C. The Ce-TZP/20 mass% BaMnAl11O19-α composites sintered above 1500°C had a homogeneous microstructure dispersed with BaMnAl11O19-α platelet crystals. BaAl12O19 crystals were found to form by the preferential diffusion of Ba2+ ions in the Ce-TZP matrix. The bending strength of Ce-TZP/20 mass% BaMnAl11O19-α composites sintered at above 1500°C was 575MPa which is slightly higher than that of Ce-TZP ceramics (500MPa).


Hungary today has about 4.2–4.5 million hectares under arable crop production; at the same time there are hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable land where profitable production of the traditional arable crops can only be achieved with difficulty, even under the current scheme. On these fields of low productive capacity, however, woody and herbaceous energy crops (in waterlogged areas, the willows; in areas with low water tables, the poplar, the acacia, Miscanthus (Chinese reed); and in dry areas, energy grass, the Italian reed (Arundo D.) and giant Silphium perfoliatum (Silphium)) can be profitably grown. In addition to the traditional field crops in the less productive soil areas it is thus worth planting woody and herbaceous energy crops. However, the plants' energetic production cycle is longer than that of arable crops, but is advantageous in the sense that due to long-term supply contracts, energy crops can be a predictable and stable source of finance, which, given the ever-changing market conditions, inclement weather and the expected decline in EU agricultural assistance will become increasingly important for farmers. In my material, in addition to traditional arable crops I compare herbaceous energy crops in terms of economy over a 12-year period.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐induced COVID‐19 is a complicated disease. Clinicians are continuously facing difficulties to treat infected patients using the principle of repurposing of drugs as no specific drugs are available to treat COVID‐19. To minimize the severity and mortality, global vaccination is the only hope as a potential preventive measure. After a year‐long global research and clinical struggle, 165 vaccine candidates have been developed and some are currently still in the pipeline. A total of 28 candidate vaccines have been approved for use and the remainder are in different phases of clinical trials. In this comprehensive report, the authors aim to demonstrate, classify and provide up‐to‐date clinical trial status of all the vaccines discovered to date and specifically focus on the approved candidates. Finally, the authors specifically focused on the vaccination of different types of medically distinct populations.


1 . 1 . Let A be a W*-algebra of o p e r a t o r s i n a H i l b e r t apaoe Hj 9 a normal f a i t h f u l s t a t e on Aj S the space of s e l f a d j o i n t o p e r a t o r s a f f i l i a t e d t o A; Pro;) A the l a t t i c e of a l l p r o j e c t i o n s i n A. I n non-commutative p r o b a b i l i t y A, 9 , S and P r o j A are t r e a t e d a s g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s of a space of complex and bounded random v a r i a b l e s L°° (£5,F,P), a mean value E « ^ » d P , the space of r e a l random v a r i a b l e s and , the l a t t i c e of i n d i c a t o r s of random even t s from P ( r e s p e c t i v e l y ) £2] . 1 . 2 . The fo l lowing d e f i n i t i o n g e n e r a l i z e s the no t i on of convergence in p r o b a b i l i t y . D e f i n i t i o n . For any l i n e a r o p e r a t o r s x n , x e S , x n t ends to x " i n 9" i f , f o r any e > 0 , t h e r e e x i s t p r o j e c t i o n s p _ € P r o j A such t h a t p H c i (1 D_ ( the i n t e r s e c t i o n of doa a x n * mains) , x Q p n , xpQ are bounded, and || (xQ -x) pn || — 0 , 9(1-Pn) — 0. R e m a r k . For any pn e P r o j A, the c o n d i t i o n 9( 1 -P n ) — 0 i s e q u i v a l e n t t o the s t r o n g convergence, pfl —»1. Thus the no t ion of convergence " i n ? " does not depend on 9 . 1 . 3 . Any sequence x_ e A* = AflS has a t most one l i m i t h h " i n ^ " belonging t o A . Namely, l e t x , x e A , p n , p n e P r o j A and 9 (1 -P n ) — 0 , ? (1~P n ) — 0 , | | ( x n x ) p n | | — 0 , || (xQ-x)pn]| — 0 , and thus || P n (x n -x ) Pn || — 0 , | | P n (* n -* ) Pn || — 0 . S u b t r a c t i n g the l a s t two fo rmulae , one o b t a i n s || p n (x -x ) pQ |]—>~0. This n o t i c e a b l e t r i c k i s due t o Bat ty ( c f . [ 1 ] ) . I t seems t h a t i f x , x e S were unbounded, then the i n e q u a l i t y x 4 x would be


Theory suggests that tax status should influence the capital structure policies of firms. Empirical tests, however, have not conclusively validated the theory. Recent research suggests that even if firms optimize their operations to take advantage of the deductibility of interest on debt, other steps taken previously or concurrently with leverage changes may obscure the effect that tax status has on capital structure. By conducting tests on a sample of younger firms with recent initial public offerings, we investigate the effect of tax status on capital structure. Evidence from this sample provides support for the tax-incentive hypothesis.


27Al solid-state NMR is a powerful tool for elucidating local geometries at Al sites in molecular and solid-state systems because they are typically associated with specific NMR signatures, namely, isotropic chemical shift (δiso) and quadrupolar coupling constant (CQ). Assignment is however mostly empirical; hence, obtaining a detailed understanding of the origins of the NMR parameters would be a valuable step toward a structure–property/reactivity relationship. Here, we investigate the origin of the 27Al NMR signatures in aluminosilicates using DFT calculations on cluster models complemented by natural chemical shift (NCS) analysis. In particular, NCS analysis shows that the chemical shift of Al is mostly associated with the coupling Al–O σ and σ* orbitals for σ11 leading to deshielding as the coordination number of Al decreases, allowing the distinction between tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexacoordinated sites. In contrast, CQ can take a broad range of values (between 8.0 and 23.6 MHz) independently of th...


In this work, we demonstrate how harmonized optical and SAR satellite imagery can be utilized for robust identification of open water surfaces at a global scale. We train an image segmentation architecture based convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract the most salient features from the input data and generate a per-pixel water/not-water classification. We find that combining optical and radar imagery helps reduce false positive and false negative inferences, illustrating the effectiveness of this harmonization. The resulting model is able to classify water surfaces at the resolution of the SAR sensor (12.5 meters) with a validation set precision and recall of 0.74 and 0.81 respectively. We also demonstrate that the trained model is capable of generating inferences beyond the geographic bounds of the training data.


We have investigated feasibility and limitations of 850nm VCSELs for 100GbE applications based on 4×25.78GBd signaling. We showed traditional FFE/DFE based equalizer could overcome optical as well as electrical impairments.


Original scientific paper In the present work, duralumin aircraft spar fatigue life is evaluated by extended finite element method (XFEM) under cyclic loading condition. The effect of the crack growth on the fatigue life of aircraft spar is discussed in detail. The values of stress intensity factors (SIFs) are extracted from the XFEM solution. Standard Paris fatigue crack growth law (currently, the only one incorporated in Abaqus) is used for the fatigue life estimation. Obtained results are compared with previously obtained experimental results.


Who and what makes history? This essay describes how physician-activist Tolbert Small (b. 1942) has been collecting, preserving, and recording his own history, as well as of those around him. Small has been practicing medicine in California's San Francisco Bay Area since 1968, serving a diversity of patients: from thousands of community members to revolutionaries such as Angela Davis and George Jackson. A physician for the Black Panther Party from 1970 to 1974, Small joined the party's 1972 delegation to China, where he witnessed acupuncture. He then integrated the practice into his medical toolkit upon returning home. Small's personal archives document an important chapter of American social and medical history. His stories, along with those of the revolutionaries who introduced acupuncture into New York City's Lincoln Detox Center during the 1970s, ask us to revisit conventional historical narratives as well as the way in which acupuncture history is made.


A major problem in the use of visual displays is the efficient transmission of information during critical periods of time. Recent studies examining display configurations have investigated increasing information transmission (e.g., vertical separation) through modification of display presentation formats. However, the results have been equivocal. The present investigation attempted to evaluate a simulated air traffic format using multi-dimensionally coded target situations. The relevant dimensions were color and alphanumeric characters. Search performance of a near miss situation of two aircraft as a function of type of code (chromatic/achromatic), density (high/low) and practice was investigated. The required response was the identification of the quadrant containing the near miss situation. Search performance was measured by the time required to locate the near miss situation and the number of correct responses. Differences in performance between coding conditions were found for the number of correct responses. A significant effect was observed for the response time as a function of display density. Results are discussed in reference to current research utilizing dynamic displays and multidimensional coding.


Irrigated processing snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production in Wisconsin, mostly in the central sands region, ranks first in both yield and harvested hectarage in the U.S. However, there is little information assessing N need across processing snap bean varieties under different irrigation strategies on sandy soils. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of N rate and irrigation on yield, pod quality, and other agronomic traits across different varieties with known differences in nodulation. Results indicated that nodulating varieties such as DMC04-95 consistently produced higher yields than the non-nodulating variety Huntington by 3.5 to 4.3 Mg ha–¹. Yield and pod quality responses to in-season supplemental N fertilizer at the rates of 0 to 135 kg ha–¹ varied across varieties. In each year, Huntington responded the most to N fertilizer, and had the lowest harvest index and the poorest pod quality. Reduced irrigation on sandy soils did not significantly reduce yield and pod quality when applied in minimal quantities sufficient to avoid permanent drought stress during blossom and pod set. Across years, the optimal in-season N rate was 90 kg N ha–¹. This, together with the 22 kg N ha–¹ applied as starter fertilizer, suggests 112 kg N ha–¹ is the optimal N rate for irrigated snap beans on sandy soils in the central sands region of Wisconsin. This rate is greater than recommended from previous studies conducted in other soil types, and may be warranted only when high yielding varieties are grown.


The corrosion mechanism of concrete and the protective mechanism of organosilicone coatings are summarized.In accordance with the different composition forms,organosilicone protective coatings may be divided into water-based,solvent-based and emulsion-based coatings.Their action principles,advantages and disadvantages are described respectively.The research status,existing products in the market and the normative standards of performance tests of organosilicone protective coatings are also introduced.As an effective anti-corrosion method,organosilicone protective coatings have been widely used in engineering.


Here we discuss our synthesis of highly crystalline pure boron nitride (BN) and BN–carbon (BN–C) sheets by using graphene sheets as templates via a carbon-substitution reaction. Typically, these sheets are several micrometers wide and have a few layers. The composition ratios of BN–C sheets can be controlled by the post-treatment (remove carbon by oxidation) temperature. We also observed pure BN and BN–C nanoribbons. We characterized the BN–C sheets via Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The results reveal that BN–C sheets with an armchair C–BN chain, and embedded C2 or C6 units in BN-dominated regions energetically are the most favorable.


Work by Andrew Kotting features in this book documenting Iain Sinclair's 70x70 film season (his selection of 70 films to mark his 70th year).

On turning 70 years old on 11th June 2013, writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair made his choice of 70 films that related to, and are oft interwoven across his entire writing career. This was a chance to have these films shown in a variety of venues across London. Sinclair spoke at many of the events.

He was aided by old friends, including fellow writers Alan Moore and Robert Macfarlane, film-making co-conspirators Andrew Kotting (Swandown) and Chris Petit (London Orbital), along with film academics Colin MacCabe and Gareth Evans. All seventy of the events were documented.


The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours (538-594) was one of the most important historical works appearing in the early medieval Europe. According to its basic structure of writing, the main objects of this book were the Franks and the Catholic Church in the Frankish Gaul. However, the Arianism, which was almost non-existent in the Frankish Gaul at that time, was frequently embedded by Gregory into his narrative structure, and was denounced by him from various levels such as the overall imagery, doctrines, conversion, and roles of bishops. With a synthetic analysis of the writing path of this book one could conclude that the Arianism was chosen just as a contrast so that the "orthodox" Catholic Church could be boosted to a greater degree.


We have investigated the molecular orientation in the films of polyamic acid (PAA) with azobenzene units in the backbone structure. Anisotropic molecular orientation was induced by irradiation of linearly polarized ultraviolet light (LPUVL). The change in the molecular orientation caused by subsequent thermal imidization was also investigated. The orientation of the PAA and polyimide backbone structures was determined by measuring the polarized infrared absorption spectra of the films. When the PAA film was exposed to LPUVL of wavelength 365 to 400 nm at normal incidence, permanent orientational change of the PAA backbone structure occurred through repeated photoisomerization reactions of the azobenzene unit. The PAA backbone structure rotated toward the plane perpendicular to the polarization direction of LPUVL. In subsequent thermal imidization the molecular order increased significantly around the direction perpendicular to both the polarization direction of LPUVL and the surface normal. This enhanceme...


The leadership style is an important factor that influences and determines the governance capacity of the Chinese Communist Party. Focusing on improving its governance capability, this paper analyzes the challenge and dilemma the CCP is facing in its style of leadership at present, and puts forward the direction of improvement and some specific suggestions.


This research is focused on B2B e-services, which we define as a company's portfolio of service offerings available to its business customers through the Internet channel. This channel acts to virtually connect B2B trading partners with each other. We coin the term B2B e-service capability, which we operationally define as a multidimensional construct that captures a generic set of abilities required for a company to deliver B2B services effectively. This research develops and tests a model for describing the antecedents of e-service capability, and in turn, its influence on performance. The conceptual idea behind our model is that the more service-oriented the firm, the better it will be able to translate this orientation to its B2B channel. The model is empirically tested using data gathered through a web-based survey from 181 companies that have deployed B2B e-services. Our results show that e-service capability is a second-order factor that is reflected by the company's capabilities of e-service recov...


Background: The evidence-based quantification of the relation between changes in movement quality and functionality can assist clinicians in achieving more effective structuring or adaptations of therapy. Facilitating this quantification through computational tools can also result in the generation of large-scale data sets that can inform automated assessment of rehabilitation. Interpretable automated assessment can leave more time for clinicians to focus on treatment and allow for remotely supervised therapy at the home. Methods: In our first experiment, we developed a rating process and accompanying computational tool to assist clinicians in following a standardized movement assessment process relating functionality to movement quality. We conducted three studies with three different versions of the computational rating tool. Clinicians rated task, segment, and movement feature performance for 440 videos in which stroke survivors executed standardized upper extremity therapy tasks related to functional activities. In our second experiment, we used the 440 rated videos, in addition to 140 videos of unimpaired subjects performing the same tasks, to improve our previously developed automated assessment ensemble model that automatically generates segmentation times and task ratings across the impaired and unimpaired movement. The automated assessment ensemble integrates expert knowledge constraints into data-driven training through a combination of HMM, transformer, MSTCN++, and decision tree computational modules. In our third experiment, we used the therapist and automated ratings to develop a four-layer Hierarchical Bayesian Model (HBM) for computing the statistical relation of movement quality changes to functionality. We first calculated conditional layer probabilities using clinician ratings of task, segment, and movement features. We increased the granularity of observation of the HBM by formulating {Delta}HBM, a correlation graph between kinematics and movement composite features. Finally, we used k-means clustering on the {Delta}HBM to identify three clusters of features among the 16 movement composite and 20 kinematic features and used the centroid of these clusters as the weights of the input data to our computational assessment ensemble. Results: We evaluated the efficacy of our rating interface in terms of inter-rater reliability (IRR) across tasks, segments, and movement features. The third version of the interface produced an average IRR of 67%, while the time per session (TPS) was the lowest of the three studies. By analyzing the ratings, we were able to identify a small number of movement features that have the highest probability of predicting functional improvement. We evaluated the performance of our automated assessment model using 60% impaired and 40% unimpaired movement data and achieved a frame-wise segmentation accuracy of 87.85{+/-}0.58 and a block-segmentation accuracy of 98.46{+/-}1.6. We also demonstrated the performance of our proposed HBM in correlation to clinician ratings with a correlation of over 90%. The HBM also generates a correlation graph, {Delta}HBM that relates 16 composite movement features to the 20 kinematic features. We can thus integrate the HBM into the computational assessment ensemble to perform automated and integrated movement quality and functionality assessment that is driven by computationally extracted kinematics. Conclusions: Combining standardized clinician ratings of videos with knowledge based and data-driven computational analysis of rehabilitation movement allows the expression of an HBM that increases the observability of the relation of movement quality to functionality and enables the training of computational algorithms for automated assessment of rehabilitation movement. While our work primarily focuses on the upper extremity of stroke survivors, the models can be adopted to many other neurorehabilitation contexts.


Zhang Mo,a renowned Taiwan poet,along with other Taiwan poets of former generations,has constituted the "poetry personality" and "poetry spirit" through efforts of over half a century,which has become an important resource and tradition of Chinese poetry worthy of reference.Zhang Mo,who always regards the 'poem' as the verb",is fond of and has unique insights in writing "travel poems",as is evident in his newly released poem collection—Fishing Alone in a Hazy State—which is composed of three sections: poems on his tours in Taiwan,around the mainland,and on foreign land,i.e."the homeland","the native country",and "other or distant places".His collection of poems has not only constituted a distinctive trait of travel poems but also endowed "travel poems" with "cultural significance" and elevated them to a new height.


Six out of seven severely depressed patients improved rapidly on very high doses of imipramine. Clinical improvement correlated well with drug blood levels, which varied greatly from patient to patient and were characteristic of individual patients rather than of dose. Three out of five of the same patients receiving a combination of presumptive inhibitors of drug-metabolizing enzymes and imipramine had drug blood levels comparable to those of two patients receiving high doses of imipramine alone. Further study is underway to clarify the human pharmacology of these two therapies.


Alkali activated binders are emerging sustainable binders in the construction sector due to their higher strength and superior resistance against aggressive environments than cement concrete. Steatite powder is obtained as a by-product from soapstone processing and disposed of as waste in large quantities. Studies on the reuse of steatite powder in alkali-activated concrete are highly narrow. Hence, the current research majors on the influence of ultra-fine steatite powder on the mechanical as well as durability properties of slag and fly ash-based alkali-activated concrete. Six replacement levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60%) of slag and fly ash with steatite powder were adopted and activated using sodium-based activator. Heat curing and ambient curing were performed for fly ash-steatite concrete and slag-steatite concrete, respectively. From the test results, 30% steatite powder is optimum in slag and fly ash-based alkali-activated concretes. Lesser water absorption and higher resistance against acid exposure are observed for steatite used alkali-activated concrete specimens.


The Internet is growing so rapidly that it should become increasingly helpful for collection development. As more libraries put their catalogs online and as technology improves, it should become easier to compare the holdings of two libraries or to search only for items not in your own library. Yet with the development of new technologies, the possibilities of innovative interlibrary cooperation projects emerge: libraries combining their efforts through various consortia are trying to get access to electronic information sources more economically. The intent of this paper is to provide guidance in using the Internet to extend the techniques to use in the area of collection development.


Klaus Vieweg's seminal new book Das Denken der Freiheit, on Hegel's political philosophy, is an immensely rich and rewarding book that develops complex arguments in a manner adequate to Hegel's standards of argumentation. My aim in what follows is to show that there is room for debate about the nature of philosophical method within the community of scholars who aspire to live up to Hegel's standards of rational argument but are unhappy with his conclusions. Put as a question: What does it mean to argue with Hegel rather than against him or, as Klaus Vieweg does, to argue with Hegel against Hegel? In so doing, I will focus on Vieweg's argument against Hegel's notion of hereditary monarchy, as presented in the Philosophy of Right §§275–86.


e14578 Background: Emerging evidence of adverse events from erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) led FDA to add a black box warning to ESA labeling in March 2007, after which ESA use declined. ...


There has been considerable debate among marketing researchers about the optimality of popularly used advertising policies. In particular, the ratio rule has aroused much interest. This paper analyses its optimality under the expected profit maximization criterion for a general class of models. The optimality of the ratio rule extends to the stochastic case provided that the conditions which ensure its optimality for the deterministic case are enlarged by an additional restriction. This additional restriction has the effect of transforming the stochastic evolution of goodwill and sales to log-normal processes. Advertising dynamics, the nature of the response function and unexplained error variance all interact to determine whether the ratio rule is exactly optimal, approximately optimal or not optimal at all.


A facile aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) reaction in recyclable [Omim]Br under relatively mild conditions has been described. An electrophile–nucleophile dual activation by [Omim]Br is also discovered based on control experiments, 1H NMR and IR spectroscopies. This chemistry provides an efficient and metal-free approach for the generation of Caryl–X (XS, N, O) bonds, many of which are significant synthetic intermediates or drugs, making this methodology attractive to both synthetic and medicinal chemistry.


One of the important questions when discussing next-generation near-Earth mmWave and terahertz (THz) band satellite communications as an integral part of the 5G-Advanced and 6G landscape is the potential interference-related issues when deploying such systems. While the space-to-ground and ground-to-space interference has been explored in multiple works already, the interference at mmWave and THz cross-links, the links between the satellites themselves, have not been extensively studied yet. However, severe cross-link interference may both challenge the reliability of the data exchange within the constellation, as well as compromise the efficient co-existence of multiple satellite constellations (i.e., by different providers) covering the same or neighboring areas. In this paper, both relevant mathematical models and extensive simulation studies are presented for cross-link mmWave and THz satellite communications. Our results indicate that the cross-link interference in the considered setups is a non-negligible factor that must be further explored and accounted for in the design and deployment of next-general mmWave and THz satellite communication systems.


suited them. This might, perhaps, give a permanent or semi-permanent 'twist' to future representations—Snow-White will possibly never be the same again after Mr. Disney's treatment of it—but Vian is inclined to over-argue the continuity and homogeneity of the development. With a natural enthusiasm for his subject, he is also inclined to find the influence of the Gigantomachy all-pervading. Particularly is this so in the case of the 'ritual battle', associated with entry upon manhood or womanhood and often connected with Athena. That, in consequence, the Panathenaea really constituted a commemoration of the victory of the Gods over the Giants— rites a"adolescence in" honour of Athena—is more dubious. That they honoured Athena as protectress of the city is clear enough: and any patriotic festival, from the Ludi Saeculares to the Quatorze Juillet, emphasizes the nation's youth or martial vigour or both. Gigantophony was one of Athena's great exploits, and so found a natural place in the Panathenaea and among Pheidias' metopes on the Parthenon. It is, I feel, hard to argue beyond these limits. The real significance lies with Athena, not with the Gigantomachy. This work being also a doctoral thesis, the consequent restrictions on its length compelled Vian to confine his study to the archaic and classical periods. It is greatly to be hoped that he will now have the opportunity to carry it on to Hellenistic and Roman times, and, by investigating the snake-legged variety of Giant, to analyse the Great Altar of Pergamum and the reliefs from Leptis Magna in the light of what he has already achieved.


Personal Versus Political Affairs in Churchill's This is a Chair There are plenty of issues in the world to petition and fight for, yet each individual also has "battles" at home to contend with. Which is of more importance? We often separate the two indefinitely. In studying Caryl Churchill's work This Is a Chair, however, I would suggest the personal and political to be intimately related and possibly each even a causation of the other. To take care of one may be eliminating the problem of the other as well. Might political problems stem from petty, personal qualms? Even more specifically might jeopardizing moral norms affect the greater social order? If so, this would be a revelation and fresh pursuit in solving many of the monumental political issues which are faced today.


THE FOLLOWING genetical and cytological studies were made in conj unction with investigations in relative growth and morphogenesis (Delisle, 1938) in two species of Aster, A. novae-angliae L., A. multiflorus Ait.2 and their hybrid. Certain aspects of this work appear significant when considered in relation to the polymorphy of these species and possibly have a bearing on the recognized polymorphy in the genus. A. novae-angliae is tall, hairy, stout, and relatively unbranched in the young stages, becoming corymbed only at the summit later. It has numerous large, soft, minutely pubescent, lanceolate, acute, entire leaves which are provided with marked auriculations at the base. The bracts of the involucre are loose, erect, nearly equal, glandular-viscid and linear; the heads are characteristically solitary on individual branchlets; the rays of the type species are violet-purple and those of the forms roseus (Desf.) Britton and geneseensis House are rose and white, respectively. This species flowers from August to October, with the bulk of the plants blooming in September. A. multiflorus is a somewhat shorter, very much more branched (Delisle, 1937) and bushy, shortpubescent plant with crowded heads on the spreading, racemose branches. The leaves are crowded, linear, entire, sessile, non-auriculate, spreading, and rigid, with rough or ciliate margins, passing above into the spatulate, obtuse, ciliate bracts of


................................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................ 4 1.2 Aim of the Research ................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 The objectives ............................................................................................................................ 4 1.4 Structure of the research ............................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 6 2 Chapter Two: Review of the Literature .............................................................................................. 7 2.1 Project Management Offices (PMOs) ......................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Definition of Project Management Offices (PMOs)............................................................... 7 2.1.2 Roles of Project Management Offices (PMOs) .................................................................... 8 2.1.3 Types of Project Management Offices (PMOs) .................................................................... 9 2.1.4 Responsibilities of Project Management Offices (PMOs) ..................................................... 9 2.1.5 Relationship between Project Management Office and Project Performance ...................... 9 2.1.6 Relationship between PMOs and Project Management Maturity ....................................... 10 2.2 Background of Project Management Maturity Models ............................................................... 12 2.2.1 Definition of Project Management Maturity Models ............................................................ 13 2.2.2 Elements of Maturity Models: ............................................................................................ 13 2.3 Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) ....................................... 14 2.4 Prince 2 maturity model ............................................................................................................ 15 2.5 The Berkeley Project Management Processes Maturity Model ................................................. 16 2.6 Project management process maturity (PM)2 model ................................................................ 18 2.7 Capability Maturity Model (CMM) ............................................................................................. 19 2.7.1 Background of CMMs ........................................................................................................ 19 2.8 CMMI ....................................................................................................................................... 20 2.8.1 Background of CMMI ......................................................................................................... 20 2.8.2 Structure of CMMI Product Suite ....................................................................................... 21 2.8.3 Types of CMMI appraisals ................................................................................................. 23 2.9 Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) ................................................... 23 2.9.1 History of Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3) ............................. 23 2.9.2 What is Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3) ................................ 24 2.9.3 Elements of Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3) ......................... 25 2.9.4 Structure of Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3) ......................... 26 2.9.5 Types of Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3) assessments ........ 26 2.10 Applying a mixture of Maturity Models (OPM3 and CMMI) ....................................................... 28 The implementation of maturity models in the UAE MSc Project Management Dissertation 60049 Page III 2.11 Comparison between OPM3 and CMMI ................................................................................... 28 2.12 Case Study Background (Dubai Municipality) ........................................................................... 31 2.12.1 Background about Dubai Municipality ............................................................................... 31 2.12.2 Background about Information Technology Department .................................................... 31 2.12.3 Background about Project Management in ITD ................................................................. 32 2.12.4 Background about ITD – PMO .......................................................................................... 32 2.12.5 Reflection of Maturity Models in light of ITD – PMO........................................................... 38 2.13 Summary of Chapter ................................................................................................................ 40 3 Chapter Three: Research Methodology ........................................................................................... 42 3.


Based on the 522 copies of effective questionnaire from the Chinese Enterprises Product Innovation Survey received nation wide in 2006,the environment,strategy,organization and process of the product innovation of the Chinese enterprises are stated.By comparison,some gaps are identified in the product innovation.In this paper,the competition-oriented product innovation and customer-oriented innovation are defined and compared.It is argued that,with the maturing of market economy,the Chinese enterprises will face the challenge of transition from competition orientation to customer orientation,which requires a comprehensive improvement in strategy,process,organization and methodology.


In this paper a architecture of real-time remote life monitoring system based on the GPS is presented. The system architecture consists of ARM, vital signs monitoring module, GPS and GSM wireless communication module; it can be applied to long-distance medical treatment, exploring trends of potential chronic diseases and communicate illness, and urgent situations informing for sudden diseases.


A semi-empirical model is presented that describes the distribution of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) on the cosmic web. It populates dark-matter haloes in N-body simulations (MultiDark) with galaxy stellar masses using empirical relations based on abundance matching techniques, and then paints accretion events on these galaxies using state-of-the-art measurements of the AGN occupation of galaxies. The explicit assumption is that the large-scale distribution of AGN is independent of the physics of black hole fuelling. The model is shown to be consistent with current measurements of the two-point correlation function of AGN samples. It is then used to make inferences on the halo occupation of the AGN population. Mock AGNs are found in haloes with a broad distribution of masses with a mode of |${\approx } 10^{12}\, h^{-1} \, M_{\odot }$| and a tail extending to cluster-size haloes. The clustering properties of the model AGN depend only weakly on accretion luminosity and redshift. The fraction of satellite AGN in the model increases steeply toward more massive haloes, in contrast with some recent observational results. This discrepancy, if confirmed, could point to a dependence of the halo occupation of AGN on the physics of black hole fuelling.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra-observer repeatability of some animal-related variables which could be used in welfare-assessment protocols at farm level. Recordings were performed on seven dairy farms (four for cattle and three for buffaloes). The animals were observed on three occasions at three-week intervals. The variables collected for each animal were behaviour during milking (stepping and kicking), avoidance distance, lameness, and cleanliness. For each farm and each variable, intra-observer repeatability was computed using the Kendall coefficient of concordance (W). A ratio between the variance of the animal and the sum of the latter with the error variance was also calculated using a model of analysis of variance with one factor (animal), to give a further measure of repeatability. These two methods yielded similar results. In particular, in dairy cattle, a high repeatability for avoidance distance, stepping, lameness and cleanliness was observed, whereas for buffaloes avoidance distance and stepping were the repeatable variables.


Hervé Basin is one of the most prolific and consistent of modern French novelists. Since the succès de scandale of Vipère au poing (1948), which dealt with a boy's rebellion against an unnaturally cruel mother, he has published ten more novels, many short stories, and several collections of poems. Now in his late sixties and the doyen of the Académie Goncourt, Bazin continues to prove that his creative powers remain undimmed. His twelfth novel, Un Feu dévore un autre feu (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1978), is eloquent testimony to his variegated talent and the freshness of his imagination.


Th e paper focuses on the features of emotional perception of screen-displayed videos and images, when the neural response of the viewer is included into the subject fi eld of neuroaesthetics—an interdisciplinary sphere of knowledge at the intersection of art studies, philosophy, psychology of perception, and neuroscience. Th e study describes innovative methods of neuroscientifi c research for studying the reception of a "screen product." One of such methods is determining the algorithm of evoking certain impressions in the mind of the viewer— "consumer" of the screen culture. Further ways of development of dialectical ties between neuroscience and screen studies are formulated as a research hypothesis. Practical signifi cance of the study is determining the parameters of regulatory/manipulative infl uence of the audiovisual stimuli on the viewer's behavior in the contemporary situation when objective and subjective realities are gradually substituted by the virtual reality.