The default ALWAYS caching scheme(caching everything everywhere)in CCN results in the low storage utilization.the large content access latency and the inefficient caching perle'rmance as wel1.This paper proposed a colaborative caching algorithm based on node similarity(CCANS).The interest packet is forwarded to the most similar node to increase the hit rate for correlate requests.Curbing the same duplication between colaborative nodes,the algo— rithm reduces the redundancy while increasing the diversity.The simulation results show that,compared with the exisring algorithm,the proposed algorithm decreases the route hops,reduces the request latency and achieves higher cache hit ratio.


Although American librarians have devised perhaps the most extensive systems of cataloging and library-based bibliographical control in the world, they are not generally noted for their attention to cataloging theory. Americans have regularly acknowledged this deficiency, arguing with some validity that workable systems do evolve from practice and have the distinct advantage of getting the job done while the theory is being discerned. Until the 1970s, Americans were generally content to focus attention upon the handling of large quantities of library materials with the aim of reducing the number of times each item had to be cataloged anew in individual institutions, while leaving the theory to others to develop. Thus it was expected that the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) might serve as a useful forum for theorizing, but few were hopeful that it could provide practical solutions to national bibliographic problems. Under the leadership of Dorothy Anderson, director of IFLA's Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC) Office, the cataloging activities of the organization have been both practical and theoretical. The materials here reviewed offer something in both directions. The Verona study clearly attempts to further the theory associated with the concept of "corporate authorship" (as Americans commonly cite it, although Verona prefers to deal with "corpo-


Basing on the features of high compressibility and easy flow\|and\|deformation of soft clay in Shanghai district, the author introduces main construction techniques adopted in the construction of the deep pit ditch of the Shanghai subway station Ⅰ and Ⅱ. The construction methods to control stratum shift and protect environment are also introduced in this article.


In this article, the author makes a case for the metaphor of "Sea Mind" as seen through the lens of pedagogy and describes the importance of his perspective for teaching and teacher education. As a teacher educator who has engaged both educational and contemplative work, his essay introduces the concept of a Sea Mind's relationship to contemplative teaching and explores the challenge of maintaining healthy selves in a raging river of highstakes testing and test preparation and the rough waters of public school reform. Children without dental care are more likely to have toothaches; untreated cavities are nearly three times as prevalent among poor as among middle-class children. Although not every dental cavity leads to a toothache, some do. Children with toothaches, even minor ones, pay less attention in class and are distracted more during tests, on average, than children with healthy teeth. (Rothstein, 2004, p. 39) More than 40 dentists and other dental professionals, many of them volunteers like Dr. Van Dam, are providing free dental care at several sites on the reservation during Rosebud Dental Days this week. In the first two days, 131 patients received dental care valued about $32,000. (Rapid City, SD Journal, July 26, 2013) Unfortunately, there's been too little honest conversation and too little democracy in the development of the Common Core. We see consultants and corporate entrepreneurs where there should be parents and teachers, and more high-stakes testing where there should be none. Until that happens, it will be hard to distinguish the "next big thing" from the last one. (Rethinking Schools Editorial, 2013, Summer, 27, 4) 1 Keiser: The Common Core of a Toothache: Envisioning A Pedagogy of Renewal Published by PDXScholar, 2013 67 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education Introduction: The Common Core of a Toothache For anyone who has had serious dental pain, what counts as "the next big thing" is irrelevant. The shooting or throbbing sensation easily recalled by survivors of dental procedures is singular and makes a powerful symbol of how socioeconomic issues can affect schooling. As Rothstein (2004) states above, dental care provides a sad aperture into school achievement, as toothaches can well impede student health and success, including attending class and taking tests. While dental care, per se, is only one of many variables that affect student attendance and achievement, the universal viscerality of tooth pain makes it a salient entrée into our brief discussion of the common core. Not the Common Core State Standards only, but the common core that both unites and lies fallow—shared humanity, kindness, universal sacrifice and suffering, and breath. For the first two decades of the 21 Century, Federal education policy in the United States might be encapsulated by a dozen words, or three four word phrases: No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and the Common Core State Standards. No Child Left Behind is perhaps the most inaptly titled, appropriated from the Children's Defense Fund's Leave No Child Behind Mission. Race to the Top used financial leverage to reform teacher evaluations, and now, the third lexical quartet, the Common Core State Standards looms as a Leviathan to which all teachers and students must submit. Also in the early 21 Century, American Indian communities such as the Rosebud and Oglala Lakota Reservations in South Dakota have significantly fewer opportunities and rarer dental care than most of the country. In the above example, virtually all of the Rosebud patients accepted free extractions; and the average 'free' dental care was $244 per person. On the reservation and at the market in Wanblee, South Dakota, one observes ample need for residents' dental preservation as well as the unfortunate eventuality of extraction. Tooth pain and bone pain cut to the core. They can test one's physical limits and also empower one's sense of self and possibility. Yet these experiences in life, and one's ability to get along with others, arguably matter more than performance and mastery of material easily tested. A recent book by Paul Tough (2013) speaks to this need. He argues in How 2 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 11, Iss. 2 [2013], Art. 4 https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/nwjte/vol11/iss2/4 DOI: 10.15760/nwjte.2013.11.2.4 Fall 2013, Volume 11, Number 2 68 Children Succeed, that grit, curiosity, and character matter more than innate cognitive ability. Unsurprisingly, these attributes are harder to ascertain than static test scores. Yet the words Common Core are instructive both for their brevity and their misleading yet pithy evocation. What are truly common to our core are viscera, breath, tendons, and blood. Oceans and seas surround us and the language we use is insufficient to convey the complexities of life. Still, what is common cosmically connects us and is not static knowledge or any specific cultural literacy. The power of place is to locate, to situate oneself, to find again. Much like the fisherwoman plying a pole or a fisherman witnessing the ebbing of the tide, sea mind locates oneself at the edge of possibility, the risky space fraught with potential and promise as well as humility. The purpose of this essay is to argue for a return to expansiveness in education; not ease, but expansiveness. This essay will posit that the quality of sea mind—expansive, open, transcendent, and inclusive—transcends discipline and grade level and current school reform or "next big thing." Deep under the gloss of school reform movements and next big things lie incredible untapped potential and much of this is unseen, even ineffable. As infinite possibilities loom at the sea's horizon, so too can educators create universes of inspiration and possibility. Conversely, the "consultants and corporate entrepreneurs" do not seem to believe that all children are teachable or that educational opportunities are infinite. In fact, the scarcity model in education—that the best public education is for some students, not all—is now both operationalized and unquestioned. Caring for Sea Mind: Envisioning a Pedagogy of Renewal and Contemplation The sea hath fish for every man. (William Camden, 1605) The sense of infinite provision offered by the English historian William Camden simply encapsulates a sense of possibility, an absolute belief in the ability of the sea to feed all. Two additional citations help shape this cosmic possibility. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and 3 Keiser: The Common Core of a Toothache: Envisioning A Pedagogy of Renewal Published by PDXScholar, 2013 69 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10) The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, and choiceless as a beach waiting for a gift from the sea. (Anne Morrow Lindbergh) Let us refer to an expansive and nonjudgmental attitude as Sea Mind—the sense of limitless possibilities and spontaneous flexibility that naturally occurs when we humans let go of ourselves as masters of the universe or apex predators of the earth and skies. Sea Mind represents an opening, a sense of expansiveness and clarity and wonder about the world. Facing the sea's shore, many experience a sense of safe overwhelming—the expanse and depth can both intimidate and nurture, make both secure and insecure—at the enormity before us. There is also danger and a need for constant vigilance. The popular book and movie The Life of Pi, for example, evoked both real and imagined magic of the open water; for the protagonist Pi, the sea was both sustenance and depletion, both friend and adversary. Let us maintain as well that Sea Mind is a trait or a state rather than a place—there is no sea to go to, per se—that is accessible to all, even those landlocked or otherwise water-averse people. It is both a state, as in the expansive sense one feels while at the beach or shore, and a trait, as in those who seem able to access this sense as a normal or typical or regular feeling. In teaching and teacher preparation, such a perspective cannot be assumed. In the brief essay that follows, I will make a case for the metaphor of Sea Mind seen through the apertures of pedagogy; that is, I will describe the importance of this perspective for teaching and teacher education. I am a teacher educator at a large public university who has long engaged with both educational and contemplative work, and this essay is one encapsulation of my wake from the burgeoning tide of contemplative teaching. The essay is structured by an introduction to the concept of Sea Mind and its relationship to contemplative teaching, followed by field and classroom explorations and anecdotes. The 4 Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 11, Iss. 2 [2013], Art. 4 https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/nwjte/vol11/iss2/4 DOI: 10.15760/nwjte.2013.11.2.4 Fall 2013, Volume 11, Number 2 70 discussion and conclusion frame the paper in a larger academic and pedagogical context; specifically, the challenge of maintaining healthy selves in a raging river of high-stakes testing and test preparation and the rough waters of public school reform. Seeing What Is Not Yet Visible: Imagining Different Pedagogical Waves Educational philosopher Maxine Greene has long argued that we cannot achieve what we cannot imagine; that is, we unnecessarily delimit our human possibilities by forgoing or truncating our imagination. Said another way, we can program ourselves from regimented living and learning rather than succumb: When habit swathes everything, one day follows another identical day and predictability swallows any hint of an opening possibility. Only when the given or the taken-for-granted is subject to questioning, only when we take various, sometimes unfamiliar perspect


My work will be devoted to the semantic analysis of a selected group of English adjectives, namely those that relate to magnitude (large, big) in 2-D and 3-D magnitudial systems. The analysis will be carried out with special regard to those semantic properties of the given adjectives that manifest themselves at a collocational level.


N-succinyl chitosan oligosaccharide(NSCOS) and N-phthaloyl chitosan oligosaccharide(NSCOS) with the same substituting degree(0.25) were synthesized by N - acylation of chitosan oligosaccharide.The structures were characterized by FTIR spectra Their antioxidant activities including the scavenging of hydroxyl radical(?OH),1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical(DPPH ?) and reducing power were evaluated.The results showed that the scavenging activity of hydroxyl radical ? OH of NPCOS was close to COS,the NSCOS showed the lowest scavenging effect on hydroxyl radical ? OH;the orders of COS,NPCOS and NSCOS's scavenging effect on DPPH ? and reducing power were COSNPCOSNSCOS.The results may be attributed to the fact that the amino group was substituted and the properties of the substituting groups.


The theoretical consolidation curve based on Terzaghi's theory has been successfully represented by a simple explicit algebraic equation. The use of this equation has been extended by obtaining an expression for consolidation-coefficient involving selected three oedometer test data. This method, unlike the existing one, does not require the use of graphs or charts and it can be effectively used on a digital computer.


Explanation generation is an important and useful problem in automated reasoning. This thesis deals with the theoretical and practical issues involved in computing explanations in graphical models. Specifically, it deals with the problem of generating the Maximum a Posteriori Hypothesis (MAP), and a specialization of MAP known as the Most Probable Explanation (MPE). From a theoretical viewpoint, we analyze the complexity of producing explanations. For some classes it turns out to be very difficult. This hardness remains, even for classes of very simple models for which other inference tasks are tractable. Thus algorithms capable of producing good (though sometimes suboptimal) solutions efficiently are important. We give novel algorithms for approximating both MAP and MPE. While they provide no guarantee on the solution quality, in practice the performance seems to be quite good, and outperforms other previous algorithms. While approximations are useful, it is sometimes important to produce the optimal solution. We present a new MAP algorithm that is typically many orders of magnitude more efficient than previous techniques, and is the first algorithm capable of generating exact solutions for large real world models. We also introduce new theoretical and algorithmic results, which form the core of some of the approximation methods, but also have wider application. Specifically, we show how to extract additional information from jointree algorithms (the main class of algorithms for probabilistic inference), allowing them to directly answer more queries. We also introduce a novel jointree algorithm that improves the efficiency of computing such queries.


Considering the integrated optimization of transit operation plan with stochastic OD demands,a stochastic expected value model based on a 3-D time-space network was formulated to capture the coordination of transit service schedule and bus use plan.The objectives considered here involved in the trade-off of passengers' and operator's benefit.A heuristic solution was provided to realize the cooperation of transit service frequency and bus assignment.Experimental test with actual data from one Beijing bus line was done.Sensitive relations among the bus scale,route changing and operator's benefit were shown.The results demonstrate that the effectiveness of the above model and solution with stochastic demand distributions realistically represents the actual situation.


Abstract Conventional HPLC can be simply, conveniently, and inexpensively interfaced to the electron capture detector within any GC. Various parameters have been evaluated to determine the suitability of this approach for the selective trace analysis of aliphatic and aromatic nitro derivatives.


The existing research findings as to the differences in the personal structures of professional and amateur musicians are related mainly to the motivational aspects of the personality including social motives, selfexpression and self-achievement. The personality traits has less been studied. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the differences between the professional and amateur musicians in global personality traits as well as the impact on their psychological well-being and adaptivity. On a sample of a 122 participants split into two non-equivalent sub-groups of professional and amateur musicians in quasi-experimental fashion differences between the global personality traits and their impact on the individuals` adaptivity and well-being were assessed with Mann-whitney U-test. Dispositional traits were assessed with four psychodiagnostic methods including Five-Factor Inventory (MacCrae&Costa), the Scales of Psychological Well-Being, Multi- Factory Personal Questionnaire Adaptivity and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales. It has been found out that professional musicians differ from amateur in higher levels of neuroticism, anxiety, asthenic features and overall level of psychological well-being. It is worth while mentioning in particular that despite high level of neuroticism and anxiety the professional musicians enjoy an overall high level of psychological well-being which has signified the therapeutic and harmonizing role of musical activity on the human-being.


The process and method of simulation for the Model Reference Fuzzy Adaptive control (MRFAC) System is introduced in detail in this paper, which based on MATLAB(SIMULINK). The simulating results show the powerful capacity of the SIMULINK toolbox in the dynamic simulation of control system obviously, and the proposed method by using MATLAB is more convenience and effective than any other simulating methods.


The problem of coding with state information (CCSI) is a new interference cancellation technique for both data transmission and data compression. It concerns all the situations where the transmitter knows a part of the interference in the channel (via a feedback loop, for example). The goal is then to use this knowledge about the channel in order to conceive an efficient coding scheme. One potentially promising application, at the cross-road of both data transmission and data compression, is information embedding. The embedding of information poses many challenges in a variety of reseach areas. This involves information theory for assessing the theoretic limits of performance, signal processing for implementation issues and communication theory for code design. In this thesis, we consider the problem of information embedding in its three aspects. The work can be structured into four parts. In the first part, information embedding is mathematically formalized as a joint source-channel coding problem. For instance, we show that the problem of CCSI available at the transmitter is basically a joint source-channel coding probelem. Next, we use nested lattices for the design of good low-complexity algebraic-based codes. In the second part, we consider the problem of multiple user information embedding (recognized as a multi-user communication problem) and conceive structured codebooks and appropriate coding strategies that closely approache the theoretic limits. The third part concerns channel sensitivity to little perturbations of the state information. We evaluate the loss in performance due to a weak additive contaminating state information and show that, under certain circumstances, the transmitter must adapt to the available knowledge about the channel, by (eventually) changing its coding strategy. The fourth part determines the performance of CCSI over an AWGN channel with jitter (AWGN\&J) in a game theory context.


The computational drawbacks of existing numerical methods have forced researchers to rely on heuristic algorithms. Heuristic methods are powerful in obtaining the solution of optimization problems. Although these methods are approximate methods (i.e. their solutions are good, but probably not optimal), they do not require the derivatives of the objective function and constraints. Also, the heuristics use probabilistic transition rules instead of deterministic rules. Here, an evolutionary algorithm based on the hybrid Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), denoted by HGAPSO, is developed. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a very popular optimization technique, but it suffers from a major drawback of a possible premature convergence i.e. convergence to a local optimum and not to the global optimum. This paper attempts to improve on the reliability of PSO by addressing the drawback. This modified method would free PSO from local optimum solutions; enable it to progress towards the global optimum searching over wider area. So the probability, of not getting trapped into local optima gets enhanced which gives better assurance to the achieved solution. Experiments shows that the proposed method will provide better solution.


Abstract An exceptional exposure of the San Gregorio Fault provides the opportunity for detailed observations of structural fabrics within an active fault zone. Where it is exposed in the intertidal zone in Moss Beach, California, the San Gregorio Fault juxtaposes different sedimentary lithologies within the Pliocene Purisima Fm. An approximately 10 meter-wide zone of clay-rich foliated gouge marks the fault. The damage zone is approximately 100 meters wide, and the distribution of deformation is heterogeneous across the fault zone. Structural fabrics in the northeast fault block include breccias and both microscopic and outcrop-scale shear zones; these record the effects of cataclasis on porous sandstones and conglomerates. Deformation in the mudstones of the southwest fault block is accommodated by an incipient scaly foliation as well as by numerous fractures and faults. Microstructural analyses indicate that the San Gregorio accommodates dextral strike-slip offset as well as a component of west-side up reverse motion. Evidence for the role of fluids in this fault zone includes field relations and geochemical data. Anomolous hydrocarbon content within the foliated fault gouge indicate that the fault is a migration conduit. Fluctuations in fluid pressure within this fault zone may help elucidate the mechanics and seismogenic potential of the San Gregorio Fault.


An MPI method is proposed to make the ternary optical computer(TOC)node cooperate with other general compute nodes in a cluster supercomputer in an MPI program.The TOC nodes work as servers,running a process to wait for connections.Any MPI process running on CPU works as a client side,using a series of expand instructions with the prefix of SHDX to contact the TOC node.After the TOC node gets contact with the MPI process on the CPU nodes,MPI process sends an operation request and data to the TOC in a connection.Then,TOC exerts the advantages of its reconfigurable processor and high data-bit-width to process the data and sends the results back to the MPI process.This method realizes using TOC on the instruction level.At present,there can be at most 10 TOC nodes in a supercomputer system,and each TOC node opens 8ports.Future versions may break these restrictions.Experimental results show feasibility and practicality of the method.


Based on the background of valves to be applied on petrochemical project in China,for this paper,first,the situation of fugitive emission of valves shall be presented.Then,some standards and technical parameters about fugitive emission of valves in worldwide shall be introduced.As final,some comments to prevent against fugitive emission of valves will be given.


The family Scheloribatidae includes the pterogasterine mites. Members of this family were previously placed unper family Oribatulidae by most authors (Baker and Wharton, 1952; Woolley, 1961; Balogh, 1961, 1965, 1972; Hammer, 1971, 1973). Balogh (1972) in his book "'The Oribatid genera of the world" included 59 genera, induding genus Scheloribates under Oribatulidae. Grandjean (1933, 1954) mentioned that Scheloribatidae and Oribatulidae are to be separated on the basis mainly of presence of only one anal setae in the larval stages of Oribatulidae and absence of any anal seta in the larva of Scheloribatidae. Grandjean (1954) included six genera viz., Scheloribates, Hemileius, Dometorina, Siculobata, Liebstadia and Eporibatula under Scheloribatidae. Most workers, however, considered that Scheloribates and other related genera belong to the family Oribatulidae.


Abstract The title compounds were prepared and their crystal structures determined from low temperature single crystal X-ray data. The structures contain the anions SbCl6- and AlCL4-and the novel interhalogen cations I3Cl2+ and I3Br2+ . Anions and cations are linked to infinite chains by weak covalent bonds.


The essay makes a detailed explanation on the concept,the connotation meaning of the general knowledge and the way to get general knowledge from different aspects, including ontology, epistemology philosophy and axiology. It also provides a basic frame to understand and implement general knowledge.


Abstract Allioniellopsis nom. nov. is proposed to replace the monotypic Allioniella Broth., 1911, non Rydberg, 1902. Andoa nom. nov. has to replace Allorgea Ando, 1973, non Allorgeia L. Gauthier-Lievre, 1958. Muscoherzogia nom. nov. is proposed as a new name for Valdiviella Herz., non Karsten, 1907. The following three new combinations are made: Allioniellopsis cryphaeoides (Broth.) Ochyra, Andoa berthelotiana (Mont.) Ochyra and Muscoherzogia pauperculata (Herz.) Ochyra.


Abstract Uncontrolled environmental conditions often impact manufacturing processes and lead to product quality fluctuations. For machine tools, thermal influences are a major limitation to the volumetric performance. Climate controls for the shop floor, and machines, or thermally stable structural designs are economically not feasible, promoting control-based compensation as a possible solution. Since the relationship between disturbing quantities and effects are complex and specific to each machine, appropriate modelling is a critical requirement. The authors describe an approach for developing hybrid models, superposing white-box model knowledge, and machine learning. The overall effort can be optimized by combining and balancing different modelling methods, like designing the physical model part and training intelligent algorithms. A general model structure allows a continuous integration of different white-box and black-box model components. The authors integrate self-developed smart sensors into a demonstrator machine tool to test and validate the performance of the approach.


INTRODUCTIONChina's economy has gone through a major transformation for the last 30 years. Its total GDP has bypassed Japan and became the second largest in the world. Central to the economic success is the market reforms and corporatizations of enterprises in China. Developing effective corporate governance i.e., establish modem ownership forms, clarify ownership and control rights, separate government from enterprise management, and establish effective oversight mechanism for enterprise owners, is part of the reform goals China is pursuing (Yang, 2008). The original Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOE) have restructured over the years and some are considered among the largest in the world. SOEs and entities controlled by SOEs account for roughly 40% of the Chinese non-agricultural GDP (Szamosszegi and Kyle, 2011). This means that about 60% of the economy has moved into the private sector since the late 1970s. Many researchers have paid close attention to the relationships between the firm success and its driving factors. Some of the studies focus on firm performance and corporate governance. Often times, they study the impact of firm performance on corporate governance. For instance, some researchers find that corporate performance affects CEO compensation and even determine the top management turnover. However, very few study the impact of corporate governance on the firm's actual operating performance. One can ask whether management reward will influence the performance of the company and whether it will encourage companies to be more aggressive in the merger and acquisition (M&A) market.Today, many Chinese firms are listed on the stock exchanges of Shanghai and Shenzhen or even overseas. These companies can raise capital from the markets to finance their operations and growth. As Chinese companies continue to utilize the capital markets, a relevant question that needs to be explored is the role of corporate ownership structure in the success of Chinese firms. What is the impact of ownership (i.e., private, institutional, and state ownership) on firm performance? Do founders' shares and state shares affect firm performance? For historical reasons, the state's share is a unique phenomenon in China, which is one of the major part of the total shares of the listed Chinese companies (in our study, it is greater than 22%).For the last decade, the scale and scope of horizontal M&As among enterprises in China have been expanding. For example, the household appliance industry started its opening of M&As in 2003, the tobacco industry stepped into a brand integration phase in 2004, and the steel industry accelerated its integrating and restructuring activities in 2008. At the same time, the Chinese enterprises are more and more involved in M&A strategies in the global stage. The overseas M&As of Chinese enterprises had a surge in 2009 (Cao, 2009), and the year of 2009 was even called "China's M&A Year". These M&As, occurring in different industries and having unique characteristics of trade as well as industrial influences, have been playing a crucial role in the formation of China's new industry structure and China's integration with global economy in the world.The latest data from the Chinese M&A Annual Report (Zero2IPO Research Center, 2011) shows (see Figure 1) that under China's strong economic development and industry consolidation accelerated environment, 2011 M&A market in China achieved a hot growth trend. M&A activity and M&A amount hit a record high of six years.Both the theory of mergers (i.e., differential efficiency & financial synergy) and the economies of scale theory provide a solid argument for horizontal M&As. Our research question adds to this literature by examining how corporate ownership structure affects Chinese firms' M&A moves. Specifically, we want to see if shares held by institutional investors will have an impact on the firms' M&A activities. …


In order to develop a better computer simulation program that can predict a shaved form of a work gear after plunge cut shaving, the authors applied an estimation of a transmission error of the gear to be shaved in the process. In the present paper, the transmission error is calculated from forces acts on tooth flanks of the shaved gear and the shaving cutter. The forces are estimated from contact stresses which are calculated with the equation for circular contact in Hertzian contact theory. As a result, calculated shaved forms show better agreement with measured one.


O T O L /n e u R O T O L Outcome Objectives: (1) Identify learning opportunities associated with the derangements in airway that occur after tracheotomy and laryngectomy. (2) Explain 3 simulationbased models and share preferred methods for posttracheotomy and postlaryngectomy care training. (3) Describe and demonstrate opportunities and approaches for learners to implement these techniques at their own institutions.


This paper discusses the use of may and might in 19 th century Irish English and English English. It builds on Van Hattum (2012a), which found that in 18 th and 19 th century Irish English might Vinf was used in contexts requiring may/might have Ven in present-day English. This paper aims to find out if this development is due to regional or diachronic variation via a corpus-based study of these modals in 19 th century Irish English and English English. The data shows no change in objective possibility contexts, but in subjective possibility contexts might loses the ability to signal past time. Though the data show some small differences between Irish English and English English, generally it seems that the change identified in Van Hattum (2012a) is due to diachronic variation.


This presentation addresses topics of relevance to scanning electron microscopy, including SEM basics, electron guns, electron optics, beam-specimen interactions, signal detection, sample prep and cleanliness, low-voltage imaging, nonconductive imaging, voltage contrast, stage biasing, electron channeling contrast imaging, magnetic contrast imaging, STEM-in-SEM, 3D imaging and analytics, image post-processing, and automation.


Synchytrium borreriae Lacy, whose thalli grow in the inter-cellular spaces of the host, causing lysis of their adjoining host cell walls, contain starch grains and their walls give cellulose reacti...


Nursing faculty shortages are a crisis at both the state and national levels. In celebration of the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we share the successes of Action Now!, a movement spearheaded by the Washington Center for Nursing; the Washington Board Of Nursing; and the Council on Nursing Education in Washington State. Securing sustainable financing for nursing programs was the top goal set by the Action Now! coalition. In addition, three major nursing unions assisted with legislative advocacy, helping to secure significant funding from the state legislature to increase nursing educator salaries. We offer background information about how a diverse coalition of nursing organizations joined forces with key stakeholders to address this crisis in nursing education. The article describes vision and implementation for Action Now!, our successes and lessons learned, and the effort to move forward with ongoing challenges to identify and address barriers in nursing education.


A square ring shaped planar slot antenna for dual-polarised applications is presented and experimentally investigated. Each arm of the slot has a stepped rectangular section. Two of the adjacent arms are excited using microstrip feed lines printed on the other side of the substrate. To improve the isolation, a kite shaped slot stub is placed at the centre of the ring and is connected to one of its corners. The antenna has an impedance bandwidth from 3.0 to 12.0 GHz while the isolation is better than 20 dB. The dual polarisation is demonstrated by means of an aperture electric field plot. The antenna has a peak gain varying from 4 to 6 dBi. To check the diversity performance, the envelope correlation coefficient is calculated and found to be within the threshold limit. The antenna will be useful for applications requiring dual polarisation over the ultra-wide bandwidth with good isolation.


We present method of moments estimators for parameters of stationary reciprocal gamma and Student diffusion processes. We prove their consistency and asymptotic normality and discuss the calculation of explicit forms of corresponding limiting covariance matrices.


The 4G network is popular and the 5G network is now promoted globally. Short videos have a high utilization rate due to fragmented time, various forms, strong interactivity, and fast transmission speed. Owing to the network and videos, mobile internet users quickly learn about travel destinations. Sharing travel experiences, short video apps are created with travel themes to vigorously tap potential users and promote travel consumption. Considering such a situation, this study was carried out to explore the impact of short video applications on tourists' behavioral intentions. The Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used to construct the evaluation system in this study. The result helps tourism practitioners promote and disseminate tourist attractions on Ancient Post Road in Southern Guangdong effectively which is an example travel site in this study. At the same time, grassroots management and decision-making departments were helped to make targeted short video release decisions for tourist attractions. There is an enhanced willingness for tourism behavior and tourism favorability, and the tourism development and economic improvement of towns along Ancient Post Road in Southern Guangdong could be enabled based on the research result.


Objective
To explore the effect and mechanism of the extension of double-J tube in vivo retention time with sodium potassium citrate.

Methods
From March 2015 to July 2017, a total of 86 cases who underwent postoperative indwelling double-J tube for long time were selected. All patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, the experimental group with oral sodium potassium citrate postoperatively and the control group without special treatment. The differences of urinary scale and calculus of double-J tube were observed in 2, 4 and 6 months after catheterization, and the difficulty of tube extraction was determined.

Results
Indwelling double-J tube for 2 months, the double-J tube incidence rate of pulling out hard in the experimental group was 2.5%, the incidence rate in the control group was 2.2%, there was no statistical significant difference (P>0.05). Indwelling tube for 4 months, the incidence rate was 5.0% in the experimental group, and 9.1% for the control group.Indwelling tubes for six months, the incidence rate was 10.0% in the experimental group and 15.9% for the control group.The difference had statistical significance (P<0.01). The incidence rate of double-J tube wall stones was 80% in the experimental group, and 89.1% in the control group. The difference was statistically significant. Calcium oxalate and phosphate stones were the main components of the wall stones.

Conclusions
The difficulty to pull out of the double-J tube is positively correlated with the retention time in the body. Potassium sodium hydrogen citrate can significantly reduce the formation of calcium oxalate and phosphate stones in double-J tube wall, thus prolonging the retention time of double-J tube in vivo and reducing the difficulty of extubation.

Key words:
Catheters, Indwelling; Sildenafil Citrate


Stability against piping for excavations in cohessionless soils is usually predicted using Terzaghi and Peck's method. This paper uses VGFlow, a two- and three-dimensional finite element software for analysis of water flow through soils to predict the water pressure around excavations, and then uses the calculated water pressure to evaluate the safety factor against piping. Two case histories of piping were analyzed. The three-dimensional shape of excavations made the water pressure higher than that of Terzaghi and Peck's method. Consequently, the excavations in cohessionless soils should be on the dangerous side if the three-dimensional effect was not considered in design.


Interactions between system components, both in the optical domain and in the electrical domain, become a major concern in a dense optical interconnectenvironment.1 In addition to the thermal noise, signals from different channels can interfere with each other either through parasitic capacitance between adjacent channels or through the sharing of a common power supply. Optical receiver design for such an environment thus requires minimizing the combined thermal noise and coupling noise.


Epidemiological data document that regular exercise protects against the morbidity and mortality associated with ischemic heart disease. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that daily exercise (DE) increases the ventricular arrhythmia threshold (VAT), induced by coronary artery occlusion, and alters the expression of calcium regulatory proteins. The VAT was defined as the time from coronary occlusion to sustained ventricular tachycardia resulting in a reduction in arterial pressure. To test this hypothesis, we recorded the VAT in conscious sedentary normotensive, sedentary hypertensive and DE hypertensive rats and associated these thresholds with the protein expression of the L-type calcium channel, Na + /Ca 2+ exchanger, phospholamban, and SERCA2a. Results document a significantly reduced time to ventricular arrhythmias (sedentary hypertensive; 3.7 ± 0.3 min vs. sedentary normotensive; 4.8 ± 0.3 min), an increased Na + /Ca 2+ exchanger protein expression (47%), and a decreased phospholamban protein expression (-34%) in conscious hypertensive rats. DE increased the VAT (5.9 ± 0.2 min), decreased the protein expression of the Na + /Ca 2+ exchanger and normalized the protein expression of phospholamban in the hypertensive rats. Thus, DE may be a primary prevention approach for reducing the incidence of arrhythmias by altering calcium regulatory proteins in hypertensive rats.


The changing structure of European order poses, for any student of international relations, some fundamental questions about the evolution of world politics. Concepts of European order and of the European state system are, after all, central to accepted ideas of international relations. Out of the series of conflicts and negotiations—religious wars, coalitions to resist first the Hapsburg and then the Bourbon attempt at European hegemony—developed ideas and practices which still structure the contemporary global state system: the equality of states; international law as regulating relations among sovereign and equal states; domestic sovereignty as exclusive, without external oversight of the rules of domestic order. The 'modern' state system, modern scholars now agree, did not spring fully-clothed from the Treaty of Westphalia at the close of the Thirty Years' War; it evolved through a succession of treaties and conferences, from 1555 to 1714. It remains acceptable, nevertheless, to describe the European state order as built around the Westphalian system.


The issue of the formation of ecological pedagogical education environment and its role in improving the quality of education is discussed. A historic analysis of the organismenvironment evolution is presented. A system of ecological management is substantiated and described as a basic component of ecological educational environment.


Auditing standards require auditors to evaluate the reasonableness of reported fair value estimates, but audit regulators frequently cite auditors for deficiencies in these estimates. Specific to goodwill, auditors must evaluate the probability that recorded goodwill is impaired. Based on small sample frames and availability theories, we predict that experiencing a recorded impairment at an unrelated client increases auditors' internal perceived probability of downside risk. As a result, we expect more impairments at subsequent clients with economic indicators of impairment. Using a sample of 7,500 client-years from 2004-2014 with potential goodwill impairments, we find evidence consistent with our expectation at the audit office level. We also find evidence at the metropolitan statistical area and non-Big 4 audit firm levels; however, consistent with our expectation that the closer the auditor is to the prior impairment the stronger the effect, the audit office level effect is stronger than the other two levels and is especially strong in audit offices below the median size. Our study suggests that enhancing knowledge sharing around experienced goodwill impairments could help improve auditor difficulties in auditing uncertain fair value estimates and increase recognition of goodwill impairments.


In empirical process-oriented translation research with different kinds of introspection, two important questions are raised repeatedly: 1. Does concurrent verbalization, like Think-aloud, have an influence on the translation process and 2. What do we actually learn from introspective methods like think-aloud and retrospection? Based on ideas from modern psychology and brain research, it is argued that think-aloud must have an impact on the translation process. Furthermore, it is suggested that it is not only spontaneous, unmodified thoughts about the actual task that are verbalized, but also memories, reflections, justifications, explanations, emotions and experiences.


Slope failure has been one of the most serious geotechnical disasters caused by earthquakes that produced substantial economic loss and killed a great number of people. Yet, its mechanism is not well understood; in particular the catastrophic liquefaction-induced failure behavior of natural and artificial slopes of sandy deposits and the consequent development of extremely large ground deformation is only poorly understood. Soil elements within the sloped ground are subjected to an initial static shear stress on the horizontal plane or an assumed failure plane. During earthquake shaking, these elements are subjected to additional cyclic shear stress due to shear waves propagating vertically upward from the bedrock. The superimposition of static and cyclic shear stresses can have major effects on the response of soil, leading to liquefaction-induced failure of natural and artificial slopes of sandy deposits and the consequent development of extremely large ground deformation. As far as the authors have investigated in the literature, there exists no previous study on the role of initial static shear stress on the undrained cyclic behavior of saturated sand in which the strain level could exceed more than 20 %. In previous studies, in the case of simple shear tests or torsional shear tests, the shear strain level was limited to 10 % due mainly to mechanical limitation of the employed apparatus; as well, in the case of triaxial tests, due to larger extents of non-uniform deformation of the specimen at higher strain levels, the axial strain level could not exceed 20 %. With the intention of investigating the effects of initial shear stress on the large deformation properties of loose sand with initial static shear, a series of undrained cyclic torsional shear tests were performed on saturated loose Toyoura sand specimens up to single amplitude of shear strain of about 50 % under various combinations of static and subsequent cyclic shear stresses. From the study of failure mechanisms, based on the difference in the effective stress path and the modes of development of shear strain during both monotonic and cyclic undrained torsional shear loading, the observed types of failure could be distinguished into three types: cyclic liquefaction (LQ), rapid flow liquefaction (RF) and residual II deformation (RD) failures. It was found that the failure behavior is a consequence of the degree of reversal loading. In fact, in case of stress reversal and intermediate loadings, failure could be associated with full liquefaction, followed by extremely large deformation in the post-liquefaction process (i.e., LQ and RF failure behaviors). On the other hand, in the case of non-reversal loading, the residual deformation brought the specimen to failure (i.e., formation of spiral shear band) although liquefaction did not occur. The test results showed that the presence of initial static shear does not always lead to an increase in the resistance to liquefaction and strain accumulation; in fact, both can either increase or decrease by increasing the static shear depending on the extent of stress reversal and the failure behavior. However, in this study it was found that the two-phase change in liquefaction resistance (i.e., strictly speaking resistance against strain accumulation) can be associated with a two-phase change in the failure behavior from LQ to RF and from RF to RD. The mode of development of residual deformation exceeding 50% was also investigated. It was found that large deformation could be developed in different ways according with the type of failure that sand experienced. To simulate the behavior of saturated sand under undrained cyclic loading which leads to liquefaction and large cyclic shear strain development, an elasto-plastic constitutive model which can describe both monotonic and cyclic torsional shear behaviors of saturated sand under drained or undrained condition was developed at IIS (Institute of Industrial Science), University of Tokyo. It is noteworthy that the motivation of the current study comes from the successful attempts as above described in simulating the liquefaction behavior of sand as well the cyclic large deformation behavior. However, no attempt has been made so far to model the undrained behavior of sand by considering the effect of static shear. With the aim of simulating the behavior of saturated sand with initial static shear undergoing undrained cyclic loading which leads to liquefaction and large cyclic shear strain development, an elasto-plastic constitutive model which can describe both monotonic and cyclic torsional shear behaviors of saturated sand with initial static shear under drained or undrained condition was presented in this study. The proposed model could simulate the behavior of loose saturated sand subjected to III undrained torsional shear loading, under general conditions of stress reversal, intermediate and non-reversal loadings by varying the initial static shear and the amplitude of the subsequent cyclic shear stresses (i.e., varying the degree of reversal stress). The liquefaction behavior of sand, described in terms of effective stress path, could be qualitatively modeled until the specimen enters into a full liquefaction state (p'=0), as well as during the cyclic mobility process. The stress-strain relationship could be qualitatively simulated up to a strain level of 8% until the specimens enter into a steady state. The simulation results of both monotonic and cyclic undrained behavior could be employed to evaluate the failure behavior of sand. Therefore, cyclic liquefaction (LQ), rapid flow liquefaction (RF) and residual deformation (RD) failures were simulated. As well, by conducting additional numerical simulations, the behavior called as no-liquefaction and no-failure (NN), in which either liquefaction or failure did not take place even after applying several tens of cycles, could be defined. Simulation results confirmed that the resistance against strain accumulation can either increase or decrease depending on the extent of reversal stress and the type of failure; in addition, it was confirmed by numerical simulations that the mode of development of residual deformation depends on the type of failure of sand. Soils that are susceptible to liquefaction consist substantially of saturated uniform grain size distributions deposited in loose states. However, the fact that a soil is susceptible to liquefaction does not guarantee that liquefaction will be actually initiated during an earthquake event. It is also recognized that the stress conditions (confining pressure, cyclic shear and initial static shear stresses) play an important role in the liquefaction behavior of soil, the type of failure mechanism and the mode of development of soil deformation, especially in the case of slopes of sandy deposits. Many studies on the liquefaction of sand, including the current one, show that under non-reversal stress conditions saturated loose sand most likely will not experience liquefaction. However, this does not mean that sand is very resistant against seismic loading; in fact, a significant magnitude of combined static and cyclic shear stresses may cause failure of soil even though liquefaction does not take place. For these reasons, it is definitely important not only to have a clear understanding of the liquefaction mechanisms, but also to carry out in IV depth investigation on the effects of static shear on the failure modes of saturated sandy soil during undrained shearing. With the scope of gaining a better understanding of the failure mechanisms of saturated sand, a method used to assess the failure behavior of sand specimens with initial static shear under undrained cyclic torsional shear loading was presented. The proposed method is defined by means of three parameters namely: (i) static stress ratio SSR=τstatic / p0', (ii) cyclic stress ratio CSR =τcyclic / p0', and (iii) undrained monotonic peak stress ratio MPSR =τpeak / p0'; where: τstatic = the initial static shear stress; τcyclic = the single amplitude cyclic shear stress; τpeak = the shear stress at peak state during the undrained monotonic loading ; and p0' = the initial effective confining pressure. The SSR corresponds to the driving shear force induced by the inclination of slopes; the CSR represents the inertial force exerted by earthquakes; while the MPSR takes into account the strength of soil which depends on the soil properties (e.g., relative density, etc) and the stress conditions. By this method, called the "Four-zone CSR/MPSR vs. SSR/MPSR method", the initial static shear stress and the cyclic shear stress, measured in terms of SSR/MPSR and CSR/MPSR, respectively, were compared with the stress reversal line (i.e., SSR/MPSR = CSR/MPSR) and the undrained peak strength line (i.e., SSR/MPSR + CSR/MPSR =1). In accordance with the failure zone that these stress conditions correspond, the type of failure behavior of sand (i.e., LQ, RF, RD or NN) could be established. Its applicability was investigated on a wide range of combinations of static and cyclic shear stresses on very loose, loose and dense sand by referring to: (i) the results of undrained cyclic torsional shear tests; and (ii) a number of single-element numerical simulations by employing the elasto-plastic constitutive model presented in this study. On the basis of field data investigations from case histories of liquefaction-induced failure of sandy slopes during past earthquakes, the proposed method was used to compare the sand failure characteristics observed in the laboratory with the failure of slopes on site.


2 I t is simple in construction having only five moving parts. 3 It is versatile. It will deliver tidal volumes from 5Oml to over 1 litre; the inspiratory and expiratory ratio are fully adjustable and, by simple operation of the controls, it can be used in a Mapleson A circuit for a spontaneously respiring patient 7. 4 It is safe. Under normal operating conditions it cannot jam and the Bosun audible warning device will function with this ventilator in use. 5 It can be easily cleaned and sterilised by washing, boiling or other conventional methods. 6 It has a very small dead space and so is useful for paediatric anaesthesia. 7 Optional blow-off valve venting at 35cm H20. which will operate from any continuous flow anaesthetic machine.


Example A wireless power transmission control method and control apparatus, relates to a technical field of wireless charging present invention. The method comprising: receiving an optical signal from the wireless power receiving terminal apparatus; according to the orientation of the optical signal, determining the wireless energy transmitting wireless energy transfer device and the end of the program corresponding to the azimuth. The method and apparatus of the various embodiments of the present invention is to quickly determine the corresponding wireless energy transfer scheme by the orientation of the optical signal from the sink apparatus.


A detoxicating capsule for treating cold is prepared from 6 Chinese-medicinal materials including honeysuckle flower, forsyhthia fruit, scutellaria root, isatis root, etc. Its advantages are high curative effect and no toxic by-effect.


An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a multi-channel signal which describes the electrical activity in the brain via voltages measured in a variety of locations on the scalp. EEG recordings can be interpreted using montages, which redefine channels as the difference of channel voltages. EEG recordings are most commonly stored as raw signals in the European Data Format (EDF). Existing EEG visualization tools, such as EDF Browser [1] and EEGLab [2], do not allow users to annotate directly over their signal displays. Furthermore, it is not possible to easily add new visualizations to these tools. Our tool displays annotations in a time-aligned format, and allows the direct creation and manipulation of these annotations. We provide an extensible framework that allows for the creation of new visualizations or analytics based on user needs. In addition to the conventional multi-waveform viewing capability to which neurologists are accustomed, we provide a spectrogram and/or energy visualizations. These visualizations are becoming increasingly popular with clinicians as an efficient way to review continuous EEGs [3] (cEEG). In this presentation, we will introduce a software tool that facilitates annotation of EEG signals.


Doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs) are one of the most common wind turbine generators. In this paper, it is shown that evaluating DFIG alternatives like rotor-tied DFIGs and brushless doubly fed machines (BDFMs) without proper power factor considerations, can lead to inaccurate power density estimations. Finite element analysis (FEA) models of selected DFIG alternatives designed in available literature sources, are simulated as grid connected machines. The significant variations of power output with grid side power factor of these machine are highlighted. This denotes the need for more nuanced evaluation of the power density of these machines, especially when considering grid code requirements. It is therefore proposed that the power densities of DFIG alternatives be obtained at conditions within permissible grid code conditions.


The"2+2"innovation mode of slime water flow was introduced:the two stage dehydration of cleaned slime water,two-stage inspissation and two stage water recycle of sailings flow,the lectotype and effect of the process and instruments.


PurposeSustainable management has become a strategic and popular requirement for stakeholders, as the ability to create competitive advantages in the current dynamic business environment and the pressures of digital transformation need to be increased attention in achieving the highest level of sustainable performance. The main objective of this paper is to explore the direct effects of the industrial Internet of things and supply chain visibility on sustainable performance (economic performance, environmental performance and social performance), in addition to evaluating the indirect effects that supply chain visibility plays in these relationships.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the purposes and objectives of this work, a conceptual model was developed by referring to the current works in the literature, and the theoretical model was developed, and then data were collected through the questionnaire and by the snowball sampling method, as 380 questionnaires were used. In the data analysis, the multivariate analysis technique was used via Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM), as hypothesized relationships were evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and then the hypotheses were tested through a structural model.FindingsThe results reached the acceptance of all hypotheses, and this means that all hypothesized relationships were positive, as the impact of the industrial Internet of things was positive on each of the supply chain visibility and economic performance, environmental performance and social performance, and also the supply chain visibility mediated the relationship between each of the industrial Internet of things and economic performance, environmental performance and social performance.Originality/valueThe current paper reported a range of theoretical and practical contributions, as this study is the first to examine these hypothesized relationships together in this way and thus helped this study to develop new perceptions about Industry 4.0 technologies and their potential impacts on supply chain and sustainable performance. Also, this study had a variety of management recommendations that allow managers of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies operating in Jordan to develop their technological capabilities and use them to enhance sustainable performance.


Radiation emission from a product with an AC power cord can be larger than from a product without an AC power cord between 30 and 200 MHz. This indirect RF current induced from a RF source of another outer antenna is different for AC power cord arrangements and earthing methods. This paper reports sample data and assumed cause of power cord effects.<<ETX>>


Microwave scattering based REMPI is used to detect NO, CO, Xe, and Ar in pure form and in atmospheric air. The spectra, dynamics, and the detection limits of trace species in air are studied.


The momentum and energy relaxation times of a two‐valley semiconductor are calculated as functions of the electron temperatures in different valleys. From the expression for the small signal microwave current under hot electron conditions, the upper frequency limit of the bulk‐microwave devices is estimated.


Six Sigma (SS) is an emerging powerful management framework tool increasingly utilized for process, quality, inventory control etc. in diverse industrial and business sectors across the globe. It can also be utilized to analyze and provide best possible solution for a complicated task in the process. It facilitates in identifying the causes for defects and errors in manufacturing and business processes by utilizing various input tools like engineering, management, statistical, infrastructural, manpower,marketing and quality to name a few.Six Sigma basically aims to deliver breakthrough performance improvement from the existing levels to enhance performance in user-defined tasks of organisation. In a power plant, lack-of-control in inventory severely affects the performance of power production that eventually may lead to various breakdowns and maintenance schedules. In the present study, it is proposed to collect all relevant data of input raw materials required for one-year continuous running period (as per plant shut-down schedule) and will be analyzed by applying SS to finally provide output solution accordingly. Another aspect that will be implemented for SS analysis is to provide significant measures for reducing DM (De-mineralize) water consumption in power plant


Molecular Imprinting is a method to synthesize materials with biomimetic properties that can be used in sensor systems or assays replacing their biological equivalents like antibodies or cells. Due to the self assembly step and polymerization chemistry, MIPs bear the drawback of low fabrication reproducibility of 20 – 50%, a reason for MIPs being less used in applications. Proto-MIP is aimed to a spatially separated self-assembly process during generation of an imprinted layer of anchor groups around an immobilized template, like bacteria or molecules. This is followed by merging this anchor group layer with an UV-curable resin to generate a full MIP layer within seconds. Yielding an imprinted layer resembling shape, size and complementary chemical information of the template, which is exhibiting an affinity of high sensitivity and specificity towards the respective antigen or analyte. The adaption of MIP fabrication to UV-NIL processes enables improved batch fabrication and reduction of fabrication time and costs.


Background There is an urgent need for mental health promotion strategies in non-clinical contexts. Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) are being widely implemented, but evidence is weak with scattered small trials. High-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses are lacking. We conducted one to assess the effectiveness of non-clinical MBPs for promoting mental health among community adults compared with no or other interventions. Methods Thirteen databases were searched using keywords and controlled vocabulary in January 2020 for randomised controlled trials examining in-person, expert-defined non-clinical MBPs (PROSPERO CRD42018105213). Primary outcomes were psychological distress, anxiety, depression and mental wellbeing at 1–6 months after programme completion. Secondary outcomes, meta-regression and sensitivity analyses were pre-defined. Two researchers independently selected, extracted and quality-appraised trials using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool 2.0. Pairwise random-effects meta-analyses were used. Multiple testing was corrected using p=0.0125 for significance. Results 10,703 records were identified, 1,372 required full-text screening, and 137 trials were included (29 countries, mean sample size=85). Preliminary main outcome results suggest that compared to no intervention, MBPs improve wellbeing (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.21 [95%CI 0.07,0.35], p-value=0.003, I2=27%) and may improve distress (SMD -0.40 [95%CI-0.55,-0.24], p-value Conclusion Preliminary results suggest that implementing MBPs for non-clinical populations improve wellbeing; other effects depend on contextual factors to be explored further. We found evidence of MBPs' specific effects on depression only, and no indication of MBPs' superiority to similar interventions. Low trial quality limits evidence strength.


The present specification relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, discloses allocation of power in a wireless communication system.


abstractThis study begins with an understanding that Korean press has no legitimate safeguard to protect itself from libel suits caused by false news reports about 'public persons'. It goes on to examine how the Korean press has tried to construct the 'public person' as a legal shield against libel actions.


Closer scrutiny of healthcare providers and more investigations could be prompted by a list of triggers being developed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).


The understanding of non-covalent binding interactions of graphene oxide toward transition metal surfaces (Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) was observed by ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, hydrodynamic size, and zeta potential studies through titration experiments. These interactions mainly occur through C=C double bonds of graphene oxide. Iron and cobalt nanoparticles interact strongly as compared to nickel and copper nanoparticles. The obtained Stern–Volmer plots are curved indicating that static and dynamic quenching occur simultaneously in these systems. The curves obtained for size titration graphs indicated the saturation end point for these titrations, which were then compared with binding constants obtained from linear Stern–Volmer plots. Interestingly, with lower binding constants, a higher concentration of nanoparticles was required for titration end points. These two complimentary techniques stood well quantitatively toward each other. Upon titrating the nanoparticles with graphene oxide, the zeta potential always lowered close to the value of graphene oxide, indicating that hybrids are more stable than the nanoparticles.


As more money is invested in the redevelopment of Soweto, a black urban residential area in South Africa there has been a growth in the number of small businesses starting up in the area. This increase in small businesses has seen an increase in competition amongst businesses. Advertising has been seen as a means to aid these small businesses to differentiate them from the competition. Results from this investigation revealed new ways in which small businesses operating in changing the Soweto business environment can advertise and which advertising mediums are most effective.


As more and more real Wireless Sensor Network's (WSN)applications have been tested and deployed over the last five years, the research community of WSN realises that several issues need to be revisited from practical angles, such as reliability and security. In this paper, we address the reliability issue by designing a general energy-efficient, load balanced, fault-tolerant and scalable routing protocol. We first abstract four fundamental requirements of any practical routing protocol based on the intrinsic nature of WSN and argue that none of previous proposed routing protocols satisfies all of them at the same time. A novel general routing protocol called WEAR is then proposed to fill the gap by taking into consideration four factors that affect the routing policy, namely the distance to the destination, the energy level of the sensor, the global location information and the local hole information. Furthermore, to handle holes, which are a large space without active sensors caused by fault sensors, we propose a scalable, hole size-oblivious hole identification and maintenance protocol. Finally, our comprehensive simulation shows that WEAR performs much better in comparing with GEAR and GPSR in terms of eight proposed performance metrics; especially, it extends the Lifetime of the Sensor Network (LSN) about 15% longer than that of GPSR.


This paper provides an overview of housing affordability in the real estate markets of different countries. It also presents a literature review based on the results of foreign studies and analysis of housing affordability in foreign property markets. The authors selected numerical values of housing affordability indices from 50 countries from various sources. A comparative analysis of ranked indicators was conducted. In addition, a dataset on housing affordability was collected through sampling, taking into account the possibilities of obtaining mortgage loans in 86 countries. In order to conduct a comparative analysis, all countries studied were divided into three groups, depending on the level of economic development of each country. In order to substantiate the results of the study, an additional analysis of housing costs in the real estate markets of 26 countries is carried out, recording the highest prices for one square metre of total living space.


The utility model relates to a GIS terminal for 110 KV to 220 KV cross-linked cable, comprising an epoxy sleeve, a stress cone, a metal electrode, an IEC60859 interface electrode, a connecting hardware for cable conductor, a lower metal coupling flange, a spring mechanism, and a tail pipe. The utility model is characterized in that: the cable GIS terminal adopts dry structure; the IEC60859 interface electrode and the connecting surface of the connecting hardware for cable conductor adopts the conical surface form; the connecting hardware for cable conductor is fixed through a locked nut and a bulged step; when the GIS terminal of 220KV cross-linked cable is adopted, the metal electrode comprises three parts of an upper connecting electrode, a shielding pipe, and a lower connecting electrode. The utility model has the advantages of capability of horizontal collocation for the cable terminal in use, easier installation, easy control, effective reduced the damager caused by incorrect installation, improved operating reliability, no up and down movement for cable locking location, effective saved raw materials, reduced weight, and decreased difficulties for installation technology and manufacture technique.


In this paper, interpolated variational iteration method (IVIM) is applied to investigate the vibration period and steady-state response for the motion of rigid rod rocking back and forth on a circular surface without slipping. The problem can be considered as a strongly nonlinear oscillator. In this solution procedure, analytical variational iteration technique is utilized by evaluating the integrals numerically. The approximate analytical results produced by the presented method are compared with the other existing solutions available in the literature. The advantage of using numerical evaluation of integrals, the method becomes fast convergent and a highly accurate solution can be obtained within seconds. The authors believe that the presented technique has potentially wide application in the other nonlinear oscillation problems. Cite this article as: C oşkun S B , Ş entürk E , A tay M T . Analysis of the motion of a rigid rod on a circular surface using interpolated variational iteration method. Sigma J Eng Nat Sci 2022;40(3): 577 – 584 .


The equations of a laser with injected signal have attracted interest not only in optics but also from the community of nonlinear dynamics physicists. After the pioneering works of Ref. [1] and [2] where the proper set of Maxwell-Bloch equations has been derived and integrated numerically, interesting dynamical effects ranging from the coexistence of conservative and dissipative behaviours [3] to the existence of codimension two bifurcations (CTB) [4] have been analysed. In Ref. [4], for example, a CTB was recognised to be responsible of the appearance of frequency pushed solutions which are counter-intuitive in a problem majorly related to locking phenomena. Recently, partial attempts of characterizing the degenerate nature of the CTB have been published [5]. However a complete unfolding of the CTB capable of showing analytically all the dynamical behaviours of the solutions is presently lacking.


This paper considers the problems of estimating the stability region (domain of attraction) and controller design for uncertain linear continuous-time systems with input saturation when linear quadratic (LQ) optimal controller is used. By exploiting the structure of the LQ controller and the property of saturation functions, it is established that the estimation of stability region can be obtained by solving linear matrix inequality (LMI) problems. Moreover, an iterative LMI (ILMI) algorithm is presented to design an LQ controller such that the largest estimated stability region can be obtained. Two examples are given to compare our results with existing ones.


Three polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and employed to examine paternity patterns in two natural populations of live‐bearing mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki. Each locus displayed four to five alleles per population in samples of presumably unrelated adults. Nearly 900 embryos from a total of 50 pregnant females were assayed individually, and paternal alleles in each embryo were identified. Counts of paternal alleles, Mendelian segregation patterns, multilocus allelic associations and genetic relatedness coefficients were employed to estimate the minimum and effective numbers of fathers per brood. At least 90% of the assayed broods were shown to have been fathered by multiple males, a figure substantially higher than previous estimates based on less polymorphic genetic loci. However, the genetic data yield a face‐value estimate of only about 2.2 fathers per brood, a number that seems perhaps surprisingly low based on frequencies of attempted copulations by males. Both biological and sampling factors that might bias mean sire counts downward are considered. Although higher sire counts per brood might be obtained from loci with even greater numbers of alleles, little statistical room remains for higher frequency estimates of multiple paternity in Gambusia.


This article examines the changing face of the curriculum and argues that with the advent of online learning and the widespread use of discussion forums, there is an opportunity for faculty to encourage students to collaboratively reflect on their own teaching experience in their own unique contexts. Moreover, this shift towards greater student participation has become vital so that the range of views and values from an increasingly diverse student population is reflected. In this way it is suggested the traditional notions of curriculum are augmented by the grounded experience of student teacher practice.


In this Comment, the author examines the final step-sentencing-in the adjudication of rape by examining the current status of sentencing schemes across jurisdictions within the rape context. The author ultimately advocates mandatory sentencing guidelines as partial remedy for lax sentencing. The author provides an abbreviated history of the development of rape in the social and legal contexts exploring social attitudes towards the crime of rape, popular myths surrounding rape victims, its development in the common law, and more recent rape law reforms. While significant advances in victims' rights have been made within the last three decades, the author's review of the current statistics reveals that injustice in the judicial system continues to exist when sentencing convicted rapists. The author argues that current sentencing schemes across jurisdictions allow too much judicial discretion and often result in inadequate and lax sentences for convicted rapists. The author concludes with an argument for mandatory sentencing guidelines as one means of ensuring an effective approach for adequately sentencing convicted rapists.


A benchmarking of different quantum chemical methodologies for the splitting of multiply bonded systems is presented, with an emphasis on quantitative reproduction of experimentally determined dissociation energies. New benchmark full configuration interaction (FCI) calculations are presented for nitrogen and acetylene, and comparisons are made between various methods with both the FCI results and with experiment in an effort to understand qualitatively and quantitatively how well these different methods cope with the bond‐breaking process. It is found that the multireference methods fare well, but are sometimes slowly convergent with respect to the size of the basis set, and in particular the angular momenta of the polarization functions. Single‐reference (SR) wavefunction‐based methods perform poorly against full CI, while CCSD(T) is reasonably accurate for comparison with experiment. Density functional theory with hybrid functionals have very quick basis‐set convergence, and offer reliable estimates of bond dissociation energies. Spin‐restricted SR wavefunctions are found to be poor for such systems, while unrestricted wavefunctions give reasonably good energies, but with severe spin contamination. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Abstract Teaching intervention decision is the key to realizing accurate teaching intervention based on big data. This paper portrays students' English listening learning status and characteristics based on the analysis of students' behavioral performance data and accordingly provides English listening teaching interventions for different students at the appropriate time. The paper also addresses the problem that the existing big data-based precise teaching interventions are not dynamic enough, introduces reinforcement learning into the teaching intervention decision, and builds a reinforcement learning-based teaching intervention decision model. The mean score of students in the experimental class was 36.31 with a standard deviation of 11.03 on the pre-test and 39.79 with a standard deviation of 6.14 on the post-test, and the mean score of students in the control class was 36.5 with a standard deviation of 10.15 on the pre-test and 36.13 with a standard deviation of 6.14 on the post-test. The difference between the experimental and control classes' mean scores was only 0.18 on the pre-test and 3.66 on the post-test. Therefore, the precision teaching intervention framework based on big data constructed in this paper has achieved better results in English listening teaching and has strong applicability.


Haiti: Trapped in the Outer Periphery. By Robert Fatton Jr. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2014. ISBN 9781626370364. 227pp. $55 hardcover.Review by Patrick SylvainThe two aspects of a functioning state in political theory involve, on the one hand, the institutional exercise of power set in a central political cadre within the bureaucratic state; and on the other hand, the well-defined or demarcated spaces where the state utilizes its power on behalf of the governed. The utilization or exercise of power on behalf of the governed is always a challenge for the supposed democratic and autonomous state. For social scientists considering the case of Haiti, the legal or normative functions of the state are especially challenging, since it functions within the dysfunctional zone that Robert Fatton Jr. identifies as a place of entrapment within the extreme margin. He refers to this as "the Outer Periphery," and argues that that this is where Haiti is trapped.Haiti: Trapped in the Outer Periphery presents a detailed analysis of the country's problems before, during, and after the January 12, 2010, earthquake-exposing Haiti's tragic past, the myriad roadblocks to development, its governmental contradictions, corruption, banditry, unproductive civil society, and politics that ravage the very existence of responsible citizenship. Fatton's work focuses on the catastrophic neoliberal agenda in Haiti and how the world economic system has contributed to encaging the country within a hyper-marginal zone. The outer periphery where Haiti is trapped has become a problem-laden region of the uttermost failure due largely to the Haitian political class's incessant fight for power, and the profound negative impact of "imperialism in the age of globalization," that has exacerbated acute poverty, and grotesque inequalities "brought about by neoliberalism," which qualitatively transformed the "world system whereby the periphery itself has fragmented and spawned an outer periphery" (25). Additionally, Fatton remarks, "Haiti's growing dependence on the Dominican Republic has all the characteristics of the typical economic relationship between peripheral and core countries" (69).Fatton's book is a must-read, particularly for the bleeding-heart liberals who might make matters worse by operating additional nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the country. Staunch conservatives would benefit from a reading of Fatton as well, because of their refusal to accept blame for policies under "the pretense of a universal defense of human rights [that] masks the realities of the core's imperial drive" (44). The book's blatant truth and solid analysis disclose the battered Haitian sociopolitical landscape that causes the state to be dysfunctional and extremely vulnerable to varied interests that arrest the autonomous development of the state, thus rendering it a "virtual trusteeship" (14). In relation to the new imperialistic global sphere of influence, Fatton writes, "the center wants the benefits of empire without the costs" (44). However, the cost of the empire's desire to control without physically occupying is still devastating for the state that is controlled or meddled with by the influential, self-centered core. Haiti: Trapped in the Outer Periphery bears witness to the falseness of nation building. Fatton further argues that it "is a mimicry of an imaginary liberal world for the liberal world, as it really exists, is full of contradictions between rhetoric and reality, between the egalitarian universalism it preaches and the global calamities it unleashes" (45).The book is, above all, a quintessential reminder of the vulnerability of deprived human beings who inhabit political and economic spaces where social justice is absent. The catastrophe of the January 12,2010, earthquake became a visually shocking malignancy added to the illnesses that had plagued the country for centuries. "In Haiti, unproductive capitalism has transformed proximity to state power into the prime site of acquiring wealth for those not born into the elite class," Fatton asserts (5). …


AimIn view of one phase neutral wire fault of low voltage power supply system, the faults which harm electrical equipments and human beings are analyzed and how the faults are prevented and protected are expounded.MethodsFrom electrical reason of human happening in accordance with electrical principle, adopt method of material handle on quality;hightening pvotected equipment function; change in state of system.ResultsIn view of fault of low voltage power supply system may raise to a great extent.CondusionsImprovement of using electricity in safety, convenient and comfovtable way.


This article re-examines early US China policy arguing that it grew out of a bitter rivalry with Britain over access to and control of markets in East Asia in the early 19th century.


A trend in automation is the increasing connectivity of devices and applications in order to provide new types of functionality. To combine functionality, it is necessary that devices can communicate with each other. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of a special type of software, called middleware, that aims at inter-application communication. Middleware typically achieves this by providing application interfaces that make communication transparent to the application processes. In this paper we present ActiveLink: a middleware solution for embedded systems that provides cross-platform communication between applications, is lightweight, easily portable, and supports many communication protocols. ActiveLink has been developed by CMG, supported with research from the Eindhoven University of Technology. We illustrate features that distinguish ActiveLink from mainstream middleware by listing some of the main requirements for deployment in the area of embedded systems and explain how these requirements influenced the architecture and design of ActiveLink.


Geographically Weighted Regression Kriging (GWRK) is a special case of Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, which is modeling with the effect of spatial autocorrelation on the GWR model error. The purpose of this research is to obtain a GWRK model between the factors that affect stunting density for each site viewed from the district center point in East Java Province and to make a prediction map based on the GWRK modeling. The data used was obtained from Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) and the East Java Health Profile Book for 2021. The units of observation in this study were 38 districts in East Java.. Based on the GWR modeling results, it was found that the GWR model error contained spatial autocorrelation so that GWR model can be formed. From the GWRK modeling using stunting prevalence data in East Java in 2021, it was found that the GWR model was better than the global regression. Through prediction and prediction mapping formed from the GWR-Kriging modeling, it could be seen that stunting in regencies in East Java was evenly distributed . The interpolation map showed that the stunting forecasting values using the Kriging GWR interpolation ranged from 27% to 46%.


In this paper, k-regular functions (the solutions of the equation ~kW~k=0) is studied. We discuss Cauchy theorem, Morera theorem and extension theorem relative to the functions. By virtue of these properties, we study the Riemann boundary value problem and its inverse problem.


Study and utilization of Tephrosia vogelii Tephrosia candida resources were summarized briefly in the environmental ecosystem rehabilitations and protection,soil improvement,insecticidal activity and stability of plant community.The existent questions during study and utilization of Tephrosia vogelii Tephrosia candida resources were analysed,moreover,the definite settling approaches was brought forward.


ONE: 'THE MAKING OF ENGLAND'S JANE' i 'Everybody's dear Jane' ii Janeites in the trenches iii R. W. Chapman restores civilization iv Territorial acts TWO: PERSONAL OBSCURITY AND THE BIOGRAPHER'S BAGGAGE i Ground rules? ii Cassandra's legacies, or the family management of Jane Austen's life iii Two texts iv Secrets and lies, or managing the family v Coda: portraits THREE: MANUSCRIPTS AND THE ACTS OF WRITING i Dead ends and false starts ii The Watsons: Jane Austen's other Bath novel iii Persuasion: from manuscript to print iv Sanditon FOUR: TEXTUAL IDENTITIES: 1 i 'Print settles it' ii Professional writer: Jane Austen's other identity iii 'The Steventon Edition' iv Continuations: Anna Lefroy's Sanditon and Catherine Hubback's The Younger Sister FIVE: SPEAKING COMMAS i 'A total inattention to stops, and a very frequent ignorance of grammar' ii 'To an editor nothing is a trifle by which his author is obscured' iii 'For this book is the talking voice that runs on' SIX: TEXTUAL IDENTITIES: 2 i 'The grammar of literary investigation': or, a brief history of textual criticism in the twentieth century ii Film as textual future


The aim of this paper is to introduce how to combine physics teaching with cultivating the students' ability to understand the educational significance,basic demand and essential ways of the views on dialectical materialism,so as to develop the methods of thinking over science and research.


Biomass gasification appears to be an effective strategy not only to avert an impending future energy crisis but also reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Gasification is a technology that has great potential in terms of efficiency of conversion of biomass into both thermal and electric power generation. It is in this context that a comprehensive overview of the biomass technologies available, its potential applications and economic analysis with different design solutions, are discussed in the present communication.


A REPORT ON GEORGE GREKOFF'S COLLECTION OF CHIMARIKO (AND OTHER) MATERIALS ESTHER Wooo AND LEANNE I-IINTON University of California at Berkeley George Grekoff was a graduate student at UC Berkeley in the '50's and early 60's, who did research primarily on the Chimariko language. He died in 1999, and willed his enormous collection of materials to the Survey of California and Other Indian languages. Chimariko had ceased to be spoken before Grekoff began his research, and his work was based mainly on the field notes of Edward Sapir and J. P. Harrington. Included in his collection are xerox copies of Sapir's, Dixon's, and Han'ington's field notes, but the bulk of the materials are his reorganized notes, lexical lists, and analyses—enough to fill two large double—door storage cabinets altogether. We are grateful to Mr. Grekoffs daughter Christine Grekoff of Seattle for facilitating the gift of the collection to the Survey, and especially to his close friend Jerry Hand who stored the collection for several months after Grekoffs death, and painstakingly boxed it and mailed it to Berkeley. The boxes filled a sizeable portion of the Survey archive room for several months until we managed to get it in enough order to put in cabinets. To quote a I995 article by Margaret Langdon and William Jacobsen, Many believe that Chimariko is very important for the understanding of Hokan; in particular, Oswalt presented results of the method he has been developing for measuring similarities between pairs of Hokan languages. Pairings of Chimariko with Yuman languages and with Proto-Westem Pomoan are among the most promising. (Langdon and Jacobsen i995: I29) They also point out Howard Berman has organized the Chimariko field notes of Sapir for inclusion in a forthcoming volume of the Collected Works of Edward Sapir, the Harrington material of Chimarko remains to be organized and analyzed." (ibid., p. I29) Grekoffs materials go a long way toward alleviating this problem. This valuable collection was in the process of creation for decades, virtually without the awareness of the linguistic community. To understand how this happened, we will give a brief summary of Grekofi' s life. 1. A SKETCH or THE LIFE or GEORGE GREKOFF. George Grekoff was born in Flushing, New York, on Sept 16, 1923, to Russian immigrant parents. Growing up bilingual, he lived in New York, all way through high school and did part of his undergraduate work at Queens' College. He and brother signed up together for the army at the tail end of World War II, and he was shipped over to Gennany during occupation, where he met his wife-to-be, Charlotte. He was called back to the Army Reserves during the Korean War, and was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where their daughter Christine was born in 1951. A few weeks after her birth, Grekoff was discharged and the family moved to California, and he eventually came to Berkeley to study linguistics. He worked for Mary Haas on a Thai project, and she subsequently set him to work on the Chimariko language. In 1962, before he finished his dissertation, he was hired at the University of Washington in Seattle to teach linguistics and Russian. But as so many people have found when taking a position before finishing the dissertation, he was unable to complete his degree, and after some years was tenninated as a result. After that, he worked for American Can Company as a quality control inspector for close to 10 years, until they closed their Seattle plant in the early '70's. Then Charlotte died of pneumonia, and Grekoff went into a depression for several years. Eventually he found a position using one of the other skills he had developed during his varied life —drafting. He worked for a couple of different engineering firms from then until his retirement. One of his closest friends was Jerry Hand, an engineer at Grekoffs lastjob.


Sternberg and his co‐workers developed a new taxonomy of conflict management styles that ignores an earlier, related model proposed by Blake and Mouton, Thomas, and Rahim. Following a critical review of Sternberg's taxonomy, the present paper presents a reanalysis of some of Sternberg's data that attempts to integrate the two taxonomies. The results confirm Thomas's identification of integrative and distributive dimensions underlying the typology of conflict styles. Sternberg's style of involving outsiders is interpreted as a "Pyrrhic victory," which loads low on the integrative dimension and high on the distributive dimension. The study is interpreted as providing evidence for the need to replace the concept of conflict style as a specific form of behavioral tendency by treating style as a broad pattern of behavioral tendencies.


In the present work it is indicated that the entropy of the information is the most appropriate tool to analyze the behavior of the flow of prices in the financial market. For this, the following points are mentioned: general concepts of chaos theory applied to the financial market, concept of dynamic systems applied to the flow of prices, time series of prices and the entropy of information applied to the flow of prices in the financial market.


The Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris 11 chromosome encodes a periplasmic b-lactamase of 30 kDa. Gene replacement and complementation confirmed the presence of this enzyme. Its deduced amino acid sequence shows identity and conserved domains between it and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia L2 and other Ambler class A/Bush group 2 b-lactamases. Southern hybridization detected a single homologous fragment in each of 12 other Xanthomonas strains, indicating that the presence of a b-lactamase gene is common among xanthomonads.


A power supply includes: a first switch arranged between an input power supplier and a load; a driving power supplier to receive input power through the first switch and to supply the input power to the load when a current mode of the load is a normal mode; and a power-saving power supplier connected to a power line branched from between the input power supplier and the first switch, the power-saving power supplier generating standby power when the current mode is a standby mode, and including a second switch connected to the power line, a charger to charge power transmitted through the second switch and to output the charged power as the standby power, a voltage detector to detect the voltage of the charged power, and a first controller to receive driving power from the charger and to control operation of the second switch according to the detected voltage..


The magnitude of the subprime crisis effects caused recessions in several economies, giving rise to the global financial crisis. The scale of this major shock and the different recovery profiles of European economies motivated this paper. The main objective is to look for evidence of contagion between the North American financial market (S&P500) and the financial markets of Portugal (PSI20), Spain (IBEX35), Greece (ATHEX) and Italy (FTSEMIB), in the South of Europe, and the financial markets of Sweden (OMXS30), Denmark (OMX2C0), Finland (OMXH25) and Norway (OsloOBX), in the North of Europe. Considering the period from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2013, the ARMA-GARCH models were estimated to remove the autoregressive and conditional heteroscedastic effects from the time series of the daily returns. Then, the copula models were used to estimate the dependence relationships between the European stock indexes and the North American stock index, from the pre-crisis subperiod to the crisis subperiod. The results indicate financial contagion of the subprime crisis for all analyzed European countries. The North European markets intensified the relations of financial integration (both in negative and positive shocks) with the North American market, apart from the Danish against the Portuguese. In addition to the contribution made by the joint application of the ARMA-GARCH models, the findings are useful to identify channels of financial contagion between markets and to warn about the effects of possible new crisis, which will require different levels of adaptation by the companies' financial managers and intervention by the authorities.


Different compositions of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and Ammonium bromide (NH4Br) were employed to synthesize the proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membranes by Solution casting method, which have potential applications in proton (H+) ion batteries and fuel cells. Structural, vibrational and electrical properties of the synthesized polymer electrolyte membrane were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis and results were reported. The semi-crystalline nature of the prepared polymer was confirmed by XRD analysis. FTIR spectroscopy revealed the vibrational spectra of the prepared polymer membrane. The Nyquist plot drawn from the AC Impedance analysis was a straight line, confirming the dielectric nature of the prepared membrane.


The light curve of the Crab Nebula Pulsar has been studied in the near infrared (.9 {micro}m - 2.4 {micro}m) and found to be similar to the optical light curve except for a shoulder after each main peak. A search for infrared pulsations from other promising candidates was negative, with typical upper limits 3 - 5 magnitudes fainter than the Crab.