In this paper, we further investigate the consistency problem for the qualitative temporal calculus INDU introduced by A. K. Pujari et al. (1999). We prove the intractability of the consistency problem for the subset of preconvex relations. On the other hand, we show the tractability of strongly preconvex relations. Furthermore, we also define another interesting set of relations for which the consistency problem can be decided by a method similar to the usual path-consistency method.


Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) possess unique properties such as renewable, biodegradable and low cost which suitable in various applications. However, the alkaline treatment used to isolate CNF contribute several drawbacks such as swollen/shrinkage the fiber, high agglomeration, disrupting the structure and prevent separation of excess non-structural carbohydrates. Thus to overcome this issues, optimization need to be conducted in terms of concentration, isolation time and temperature. In this present work, the oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) biomass was pre-treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) to remove non-cellulosic component such as lignin and hemicellulose. The treated OPEFB fiber was then isolated using alkaline treatment varied by three parameters such as concentration of NaOH, time and temperature. The CNF was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The optimum condition for isolation of CNF was at 0.5 M NaOH, 55 oC and 2 hours which has been determined based on the percentage yield obtained. From the FTIR spectra, the absence of band at 1700 cm-1 and 1200 cm-1 indicate efficient removal of hemicellulose and lignin respectively during pre-treatment. Whereas, band at 897 cm-1 confirm no rupture of β-glycosidic linkage occurs during isolation of CNF using alkaline treatment process. The optical transparency analysis using UV-Vis shows higher percentage transmittance above 90% indicating CNF obtained smaller diameter in size. TGA analysis displayed three phase CNF degradation curve indicating water loss followed by pyrolysis of lignin, depolymerization and char oxidation. The onset decomposition temperature of CNF isolated using 1 M NaOH at 55 oC show the initial degradation start at 250.07 °C while the CNF isolated using 0.5 M NaOH at 55 oC has slightly lower onset decomposition temperature that is 231.70 °C indication that it has low thermal stability. International Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Plantation, Vol. 5 (June) ISSN 2462-1757 2017 46


With the development of new technology,more and more embedded system are adopted by complex control,such as industrial control,digital image processing,network devices and information appliance.However,the embedded system couldn′t qualify the increasing demands lack of operating system.This article introduces an another kind of CPUSE3208 Which is different from ARM and an approach how to set up the environment of development,port μCLinux OS to Jupiter developed by ADC form Korea,develop multitask application based on Jupiter.


Mausoleums that were created for commemoration of dead peoples are amongst the oldest buildings in the history of human civilization. During the Islamic architecture of Iran, Mausoleums are the most important buildings after mosques and their existence is related with Zoroastrian traditions or Islamic believes. An important point about these buildings is its continuity in the Islamic period of Iran. However, in Safavid period and after that, construction of politic Mausoleums obsolete and instead construction of saint Mausoleums replaced. Ardebil province as one of the most important regions of Iran and origin of Safavids kings and Shia religion has had an important role in the development of Mausoleum making tradition. Burial complexes of Sheikh Safialdin Ardebili and Kalkhoran are two most important examples of Ardebil Mausoleums. These complexes were first built as the burial ground of a famous religious figure and through the time, other buildings were added. The fundamental role of these complexes in the development of architecture in Islamic era necessitates research into the fundamental beliefs, which influenced their emergence and development. Regards to important role of Ardebil province in the evolution of Mausoleum making tradition, in this paper I have tried to survey the architecture style of these Mausoleums. Due to the key role of mysticism, especially the mystic views of Abusaid Abilkheir, a great Sufi scholar of the 4th and 5th centuries (of hijrah), in the development of burial complexes in Iran, different aspects of the relationship between mysticism and the emergence of this form of architecture has also been touched upon..


Snakebite is one of the world's oldest and biggest killers. Yet, despite a shot in the arm five years ago, tackling the burden seems further away than ever. Robert Fortner reports on what happened—and why it epitomises the ownership issue plaguing the global health lobby


Multilevel converters are suitable for high voltage and high power applications. Among them H-bridge ones have encountered good success due to their simpler layout and the reduced number of components over the counterparts. H-bridge multilevel converters used as active rectifiers represent an attractive solution in traction systems due to the possibility to reduce the AC filter size and to boost the DC voltage. Moreover they can feed many DC loads at the price of considerable difficulties in ensuring stability of the overall system. The passivity based theory seems suitable to address and solve such a kind of problem. The main idea is to design a nonlinear controller whose function is to shape systems energy aiming to obtain the desired behavior. A comparison is made between a control technique using classical PI controllers and a passivity based control.


This book argues that a philosophical community emerged in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century India that crafted an intellectual life on the basis of intellectual and emotional responses to novelty in Sanskrit logic (nyāya-śāstra). As the book demonstrates, novelty was a primary concept used by Sanskrit logicians during this period to mark the boundaries of a philosophical community in both intellectual and emotional terms. This concept was expressed in their texts through the use of terms such as "old" and "new" when discussing certain philosophical opinions, signaling that periodization was a major component of their philosophy. By retaining space for emotion when studying intellectual thought, this book recovers not only what it means to "think" novelty but also what it means to "feel" novelty. Studying little-known essays by Sanskrit logicians in early modernity, the book explores the contours of what is termed "intellectual novelty" and "affective novelty" in Sanskrit logic—expressions of novelty in which is contained both cognitive and emotional content that, taken together, constitute intellectual life. As these expressions ultimately collapse into each other, the book argues that what emerges is an imaginative process that brings into being a new philosophical community.


Forensic sciences are facing radical changes. Cognitive technologies are one of the main efforts in forming these changes which can fulfill cognitive procedures that were once exclusively the scope of forensic experts. However, the acquisition of a cognitive structure that makes experts more effectual, can also lead them to erroneous identifications. Therefore, one must fully examine and interpret how information transfer occurs between two cognitive beings. Our focus in this paper is to lay the basis and to inspire further research on the development of Forensic Cognitive Infocommunications.


A fuze test system based on MCU and LabVIEW is introduced for testing the fuze's working state. This system consist of the central controlling system based on C8051F020 and the host computer procedure based on LabVIEW. It can be used to test the static parameter and the dynamic signal of fuze. In condition, self-check and calibration are available. The host computer procedure can realize the automatic control, uploading, printing and saving. Both parts are connected by serial port. It has been proved that the system works correctly.


The invention relates to an edge positioning device for tool edge radius detecting under an atomic force microscope, belongs to the field of tool edge detecting, and aims to solve the problems that the prior art is difficult in edge positioning, large in detecting difficulty and low in efficiency. The edge positioning device comprises a tool edge positioning mechanism, an light transmitting mechanism and a light receiving mechanism, wherein the tool edge positioning mechanism comprises a positioning benchmark mechanism, a theta shaft, a positioning mounting rack, a tension spring and a pressure spring. The positioning benchmark mechanism comprises a diamond alignment tool bit, a positioning handle, a positioning seat, a support and a transition plate. The light transmitting mechanism and the light receiving mechanism are located on one side of the tool edge positioning mechanism. The laser of the light transmitting mechanism irradiates to a tool face and is reflected, and the light receiving mechanism receives the light reflected by the tool face, detects reflecting energy, and judges the position of a tool edge according to the detected reflecting energy so as to achieve accurate edge positioning.


The Inca Empire - the greatest pre-Colu mbian empire on the A merican continent - extended fro m Ecuador to central Chile for mo re than five thousand miles. Its capital was Cu zco established in the high Peruvian Andes. This highly advanced civ ilization developed a counting system used to run the emp ire - in particular, to build the 14,000 mile road structure and monumental architecture. So me of the algorith ms believed to be used by the Inca to do co mputations using a yupana, an ancient calculating device, will be presented, as well as classroom activ ities for the course "Mathemat ics in Non -European Cu ltures" for non Mathematics and Science majors offered at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.


This research was performed to develop seminal propagation method of Saururus chinensis (Lour.) Baill. by conducting a rigorous germination study. Well-selected seeds were dry-stored at 4 ± 1.0°C during the experiment. To study dormancy type, non-stored seeds were analyzed by embryo observation, germination test and detecting for any difficulties in seed coat to absorb moisture. Then to improve germination, seeds were submerged for 24 hours in a solution of varying concentrations containing one of plant growth regulators and minerals. According to research, fleshly matured seeds had an undifferentiated embryo and had a low germination rate below 5%. In addition, water submersion led to moisture absorption, embryo in the seeds grew and germinated so it was deemed morphophysiological dormant seeds. Percent germination (PG) and germination energy (GE) was greatly improved by soaking in plant growth regulators and minerals for 24 hours. Especially, 500 mg/L GA3 treatment resulted in the highest GE as 46.1%. KNO3 meaningfully improved PG (54.3∼57.7%) at 10∼20 mM but effect of minerals on germination acceleration as GE were negatively impacted in all concentrations.


The peripheral functionalization of 10-azacorroles has been almost unexplored compared to the flourishing development of the functionalization of corroles. Here we explored the functionalization of 10-azacorroles through the study of...


E-commerce present different prospect to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) andprovides benefits to SMEs. At this stage, there are a number of studies focused on SMEs indeveloped countries. For developing countries, the situation is quite different. Furthermore, thereis still limited number of researches on e-commerce adoption by SMEs in Indonesia. SMEs playa vital role in reducing the rate of poverty and unemployment in Indonesian economy. In 2009,micro, small and medium enterprises in Indonesia consist of 52.7 million units or 99.99% of thetotal business enterprises, and employ 96.21 million people or 97% of the total labor forces. SMEsin Indonesia faced internal and external problems. This study explores various factors influencinge-commerce adoption by SMEs in several countries and projecting it to Indonesia. Results showsthat there are a number of perceived opportunities presented by e-commerce adoption inIndonesia, i.e. extending market-reach and even global, increasing customer personalizeservices, and improving its competitiveness. Furthermore, this study also proposes six potentialfactors influenced the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in Indonesia, i.e. perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use, relative advantage, perceived risk, perceived trust, and compatibility.


Objective To investigate the changes of neural cell adhesion molecule L1(LICAM) mRNA expression in different segments of colon in patients with Hirschsprung's disease.Methods Smooth muscle tissues from the diseased and normal segments of 16 patients with Hirschsprung's disease were isolated respectively and preserved in-80℃ refrigerator.RNA of each segment was isolated.The DNA of LICAM and a house keeper gene (β-actin) were amplified by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) technique.Results With 28 cycles of PCR reaction,significant expression of LICAM were observed in the normal segments in all 16 patients,whereas in the diseased segments in all 16 patients,no expression of LICAM mRNA was detectable.Conclusion The cause of the lack of LICAM which results in achalasia of the diseased segments is the lack of expression of LICAM mRNA rather than the defect of translation or LICAM itself.


A restrained $k$-rainbow dominating function (R$k$RDF) of a graph $G$ is a function $f$ from the vertex set $V(G)$ to the set of all subsets of the set $\{1,2,\ldots,k\}$ such that for any vertex $v \in V (G)$ with $f(v) = \emptyset$ the conditions $\bigcup_{u \in N(v)} f(u)=\{1,2,\ldots,k\}$ and $|N(v)\cap \{u\in V\mid f(u)=\emptyset\}|\ge 1$ are fulfilled, where $N(v)$ is the open neighborhood of $v$. The weight of a restrained $k$-rainbow dominating function is the value $w(f)=\sum_{v\in V}|f (v)|$. The minimum weight of a restrained $k$-rainbow dominating function of $G$ is called the restrained $k$-rainbow domination number of $G$, denoted by $\gamma_{rrk}(G)$. The restrained $k$-rainbow bondage number $b_{rrk}(G)$ of a graph $G$ with maximum degree at least two is the minimum cardinality of all sets $F \subseteq E(G)$ for which $\gamma_{rrk}(G-F) > \gamma_{rrk}(G)$. In this paper, we initiate the study of the restrained $k$-rainbow bondage number in graphs and we present some sharp bounds for $b_{rr2}(G)$. In addition, we determine the restrained 2-rainbow bondage number of some classes of graphs.


The use of elective cardiac arrest in combination with a pump oxygenator makes possible better surgical exposure of the internal structure of the heart than has ever before been achieved. Melrose' and associates in 1955 reported a simple technique for stopping the heart by the use of potassium citrate solution in laboratory animals. Work in our laboratory2 confirmed that a mixture of twenty-five per cent potassium citrate solution, diluted one part to ten with blood, would produce complete asystole when injected into the coronary circulation. The heart is isolated from the systemic circulation by occlusion of the vena cavae, and clamping the ascending aorta, after establishing the usual cannulations for maintenance of the circulation with a pump oxygenator. The potassium solution is injected into the root of the aorta proximal to the clamp, so that it rapidly perfuses the coronary circulation. Complete asystole, with a soft, flaccid heart, occurs as soon as total perfusion of the coronary artery bed has been accomplished. The heart remains in asystole until the aortic clamp is removed, permitting the potassium solution to be washed out of the coronary circulation by arterialized blood from the pump oxygenator. Adequate perfusion of the coronary arteries with arterialized blood, under essentially normothermic conditions, results in a prompt return of normal heart rhythm. Achievement of adequate surgical exposure for as long as 60 minutes


The article examines the authorship of two a cappella Masses, both of which have been attributed to the Venetian musician Giovanni Rovetta (c.1596–1668). One Mass, it is concluded, might be the work of Rovetta; the other setting is identified as by Clément Janequin. Given that Rovetta was maestro of San Marco, Venice, relevant aspects of this church's performance and liturgical practices are discussed.


[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] In some situations, a limited number of subgroups and large measurement variation makes the application of statistical process control very difficult. In particular, the use of statistical process..


Small cell lung cancers express neuroendocrine (NE) cell features, while most non-SCLC tumors lack these features. We studied the cytogenetic and genetic alterations in cell lines derived from three unusual subtypes of lung cancer: including carcinoids, non-small cell lung cancers expressing NE properties (NSCLC-NE) and extrapulmonary small cell cancers (ExPuSC) and compared them with those of SCLC and NSCLC lines. Our studies included: cytogenetic studies, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses with 8 probes spanning commonly deleted loci on chromosomes 3p, 13q and 17p, retinoblastoma gene product (RB) expression, and mutations in the ras and p53 genes. We also summarize previously published data on in vitro chemosensitivity patterns and MDRl gene expression. Our studies demonstrate that all three of the NE cell subtypes have their own distinctive genotypes and phenotypes, each having some similarities and dissimilarities with SCLC and NSCLC.


The application area of pulsed power technology has been expanding into biological and medical fields. In particular, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) could directly act on intercellular components without destruction of cell membrane. Clarification of biological effect of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response by nsPEFs would suggest new methods of prevention or therapy of disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. Activation of ER stress response with nsPEFs was investigated in vitro and in vivo experiments. Skeletal muscle of mice was exposed to nsPEFs in vivo experiment. The cell solutions of HEK293, HeLa and C2C12 were exposed to nsPEFs in vitro experiments. Blumlein-type pulse forming network (B-PFN) was used to apply nsPEFs, whose pulse-width was 80 ns, on them. Phosphorylation of eIF2α was investigated by western blot analysis and RT-quantitative PCR analysis to confirm activation of ER stress response. In vivo experiment, Phosphorylation of eIF2α was confirmed, but it was not strong. In vitro experiment, activation of HeLa cell was confirmed by applying nsPEFs. Therefore it is considered that activation of ER stress response by nsPEFs depends on the type of cells.


INTERNATIONAL RADIOLOGY. THE Congress of Radiology in London last week may be considered to mark the coming of age of radiology as a special department of medicine. It is true that it is thirty years since Roentgen made his discovery bringing to the point of utilitv a series of researches which had been prosecuted in a rather desultory way by physicists in this and other countries. But some few years elapsed before it was realized how great were the services the discovery might render to various arts; to none have they been so great as to medicine. The conference was not summoned as an International Congress, but it was attended by representatives of the specialty in many countries, who quickly voted with unanimity that it should be recognized as the first International Congress of Radiology. If the Congress marked the coming of age of radiology, it was Sir Berkeley Moynihan who made the birthday speech in his Mackenzie Davidson Memorial Lecture, which is published in full in the opening pages of this issue. That the lecture should have been delivered during the first International Congress of Radiologv was most appropriate, for Davidson, then at Aberdeen, was one of the first to take up the new method seriously, to equip himself with the best apparatus available, and to be satisfied with nothing but the best results then possible to be obtained. Afterwards he removed to London, and, by his ingenuity in devising apparatus, his energy in trying new methods, and the enthusiasm with which he preached the new doctrine, did in the early days more, perhaps, than anvone in this country to establish its practice on sound lines. The choice of the orator also was fortunate. Sir Berkeley Moynihan's powers of lucid exposition are unrivalled, and no surgeon of the future will be in quite so good a position to describe the greater accuracy of diagnosis which is owed to radiology, for he has watched its development and himself experienced the steady increase in the value of the information it can afford. Emphasis must be laid on the word " can," for, as he insists more than once, the radiologist must be allowed time enough for his study of the case if the full advantage of all that he can do for the surgeon is to be obtained. It will not do merely to direct that an x-ray examination must be made; the surgeon-or, for thht matter, the physician, whether doomed to be a surgeon or not -should consult with the radiologist. If this were always done it would prevent misunderstandings and would incidentally reduce the activities of the nonmiedical radiologist, a reform for which there is need. Emergencies apart, what the surgeon ought to say to the radiologist is: " Examine this case thoroughlv, using all the methods at your disposal, and then tell


Abstract : A study was undertaken to examine the issues involved in establishing instruction set architecture (ISA) standards for computers used in embedded spaceborne applications on Air Force Space Division projects. The specific areas addressed were (a) Space Division requirements and ISA tradeoffs, (b) comparisons of military standard and commercial spaceborne ISAs, (c) an LSI implementation study and (d) an LSI cost study. The bottom line of the study is that the MIL-STD-1750A ISA addresses the onboard processing needs of all present and near term Space Division projects as well as many of those on far term projects. In addition, the development of space qualified 1750A computers should be a low risk project with relatively modest costs once the efforts currently sponsored by other agencies are successfully completed. (Author)


To counteract TIV's influence on the Internet delay space models,an Internet delay space embedding algo-rithm based space repairing S-Vivaldi(scaling-Vivaldi) was proposed.S-Vivaldi firstly applied an exponent transforma-tion on the delay matrix D,retrieved a matrix D' almost without TIV,and then embedded D' by the Vivaldi algorithm.The delay between any two nodes could be computed by a series of inverse transformation.Experimental results show that S-Vivaldi could improve the prediction accuracy apparently in the most case.


Previous studies have demonstrated that acculturation is associated with negative birth outcomes among mothers in numerous immigrant populations, including Latinas. This study used structural equation models to reanalyze data employed in the 1989 Scribner and Dwyer study on the effect of acculturation (measured through the Cuellar scale) on mothers' low-birthweight status. Data revealed that language components dominate the effects of acculturation on low-birthweight status. Acculturuation appears to affect low-birthweight status indirectly through smoking and dietary intake but not through parity. Acculturation has a persistent direct effect on low-birthweight status, suggesting that other intervening variables are operant.


The main objective of this study is to investigate and analyze the Trends and Consequences of the Variation in Fuel Prices in the Transportation Sector in Ciudad del Este. During recent years, fuel prices have suffered variations and increases that have disadvantaged to society in general. This research focuses on the transportation sector in Ciudad del Este. The methodology used is research under the Quantitative approach, with a descriptive scope, data collection was carried out through a survey.The results have shown that for transporters, the rise in fuel prices has had a negative impact in recent years. To counteract this phenomenon, they resort to strategies to confront its negative effects.As a result of the investigation, it has been determined that transporters have adapted to counteract the negative aspects of the rise in fuel prices.


Abstract This paper introduces a plan to detect turbulence profiles at Dome A with a Single Star Scidar (SSS), to enhance our understanding of the characteristics of the site. The development of a portable monitor for profiling vertical atmospheric optical turbulence and wind speed is presented. By analyzing the spatial auto and cross-correlation functions of very short exposure images of single star scintillation patterns, the SSS can provide the vertical profiles of turbulence intensity C2n(h) and wind speed V(h). A SSS prototype is already operational at Ali in Tibet which will be improved in order to become fully robotic and adapted to extreme weather conditions that prevail at Dome A in Antarctica.


Abstract BEFORE one considers the relationships between responses to exogenous ACTH or glucocorticoid administration and responses to environmental stimuli, it is important to consider whether birds from varying genetic backgrounds respond similarly to these exogenous materials. Thiessen and Nealy (1962), using eosinophil count and adrenal weight as response criteria to handling stress, reported that the pattern of response for one of five inbred strains of mice could not be used to predict the pattern for the others. Highly significant differences in changes of plasma corticosterone levels resulting from electric shock treatments were found among four inbred mouse strains by Levine and Treiman (1964). Genetic differences in thiouracil-induced hypothyroidism (El-Ibiary and Shaffner, 1951; Shaklee and Shaffner, 1955), and in assay sensitivity to gonadotropins (Siegel and Siegel, 1964a, b) have been observed; however, little has been reported concerning genetic influences upon the response of the avian pituitary-adrenal cortical system to exogenous hormone stimulation… .


The influence of large classes in the English language teaching-learning process in Ecuadorian high schools is the topic of this study. The intention of this investigation is to know about the instructional, social, and psychological implications that large classes have on the teaching-learning process. For this purpose, a population sample composed by 175 students was selected from ninth and tenth grades of one high school located in Zaruma, El Oro province. The data was gathered by administering one questionnaire to the students, then, the answers were tabulated. A qualitative and quantitative analysis was applied in this research through charts and statistical graphs which represented the results obtained from the students questionnaires, according to the indicators such as very satisfactory, satisfactory, somewhat satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. The results of this study allowed to draw the conclusion that the size of a class has great effects on the learning and teaching process of the English language in Ecuadorian high-schools because learners of numerous classes do not have an adequate provision for language instructional material and social and psychological support, therefore, they suffer a lot learning the four skills in the English language.


The human's innovational history of science and technology indicates that culture,an independent variable,plays an active role in innovation,and the cultural environment has a direct effect on the achievement of innovation of science and technology.At present times,there are such cultural factors hindering China's innovation of science and technology as the inertia of Chinese traditional culture based on natural economy and Feudalistic Society,the cultural values currently existing most in our modern innovational system of science and technology,the educational and cultural problems raised by talents' selection(management) for scientific innovation.Aiming at solving the problems mentioned above,we should,therefore,strive for the establishment of cultural environment in favor of the nation's innovation of science and technology.


Conventional beamforming is a common method to localize sound sources with a microphone array. The method, which is based on the delay-and-sum beamforming, provides an estimate value for the source strength at a given spatial position. It suffers from low spatial resolution at low frequencies, high side lobe levels and requires the user to initialize a two dimensional scan area at a certain distance from the array which can trouble source identification. In this work we use the global optimization method Differential Evolution to efficiently search for source locations. The source locations maximizes the agreement between the modelled signal and measurement. This method also allows for inclusion of more unknowns, such as environmental parameters or a search in three dimensions. Using simulated data, results show that the acoustic source can be identified very accurately with good spatial resolution.


ABSTRACT – The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the pattern of calcification of dental plaque — either intracellularly or extracellularly — is dependent on the type of microorganisms present. Two strains of Bacterionema matruchotii. Strain 13 (Richardson) and Strain 14266 ATCC, were grown in an in vitro system and their calcification studied by transmission electron microscopy. Mineral crystals appeared in the specimens in scattered areas after 2 weeks of incubation, but consistently and in significant amounts after 4 weeks. In Strain 13 the crystals occurred only intracellularly, while in Strain 14266 the crystals were seen both within and around the bacteria. In the Strain 14266 specimens the extracellular crystals were often related to trilaminar vesicles and cell remnants. Differences in potential of calcification between closely related bacterial strains may partly explain the differences observed between calculus formers and non-formers.


Ribbert (Bonn).—Regeneration of the Parenchyma of the Thyroid Gland. " Archiv fur Physiologie," 1889, 219 pp. AFTER parts of the thyroid glands have been removed in dogs and rabbits in all new growths of the connective tissue can be detected, and within a few days a new formation of colloid substance takes place. If the portion removed be not too great new normal gland tissue rapidly forms. Michael.


Abstract Electron microprobe analysis of amphiboles from Pargas, Finland, shows up to 2.42 Ca apfu (atoms per formula unit), far in excess of the usual maximum value of 2.00 Ca apfu observed in amphiboles. The most Ca-rich composition is (K0.12Naa0.35Ca0.52)(Ca1.92- Mn2+0.05Fe2+0.03)(Mg3.73Fe2+0.43Ti0.02Al0.82)(Si5.63Al2.37)O22[(OH)0.46F1.54]. Fluor-cannilloite, ideally CaCa2(Mg4Al)(Si5Al3)O22F2, is a new amphibole species in which Ca is dominant at the A site. Fluor-cannilloite occurs as isolated anhedral grains and small granular aggregates in a marble together with calcite, muscovite, anorthite, aluminous diopside, pyrope, and fluorite. It is grayish green with a grayish white streak, brittle, H = 6, Dmeas = 3.05 g/cm3, and shows perfect {110} cleavage. In plane-polarized light, it is pale greenish gray to almost colorless, rather cloudy and mottled in appearance, and is not pleochroic. Fluor-cannilloite is biaxial positive, α = 1.611(2), β = 1.616(2), γ = 1.633(2), 2V = 49(2)°, dispersion weak r > ν . It is monoclinic, space group C2/m, a = 9.826(4), b = 17.906(9), c = 5.301(3) Å, β = 105.41(4)°, V = 899.2 Å3, Z = 2. The ten strongest X-ray diffraction lines in the powder pattern [d in Å(I)(hkl)] are 8.936(4)(020), 8.355(3)(110), 3.366(4)(131), 3.107(7)(310), 2.686(10)(151), 2.578(10)(061), 2.328(4)(3̄ 51), 2.165(6)(171), 2.036(5)(202), 1.435(9)( 4̄ .10.1). The structures of fluor-cannilloite and another Ca-rich amphibole from Madagascar were refined to R indices of ~1.5% using reflection intensities collected with MoKα X radiation. Site populations were assigned from the refined site-scattering values, considerations of mean bond lengths, and the unit formulas calculated from the electron microprobe analyses. Both the electron microprobe data and the site-scattering refinements show significant Ca (up to 0.52 apfu) together with Na and K at the A site. Both A2 and Am sites are occupied, with the A2 site having the higher electron density. Local bond-valence considerations indicate that Ca is equally partitioned between the A2 and Am sites, whereas K occupies Am and Na occupies A2.


Objectives To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of geriatric depression in rural areas of Anhui province,so as to provide scientific basis for making preventive measures of geriatric depression.Methods Cluster sampling was used in the study and descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine the correlation between the geriatric depression and relevant factors.Results (1) The AGECAT identified 95 cases of the geriatric depression and its prevalence was 5.9%(2) Multinomial regression showed that the major risk factors of the geriatric depression were being female,self-perceived poor health,self-perceived poor economy,living with non-lineal family members,having adverse or horrific experience etc,and communicating with friends occasionally or frequently may decrease the prevalence of geriatric depression.


A coaxial version of the wide-band stripIine magic T described by E. M. T. Jones in the March, 1960 issue of these Transactions was developed jointly at the Mullard Research Laboratories and the Laboratories of the General Electric Company, England, some years ago. It has proved a powerful component in the design of broad-band receiver circuits and has the advantage of small size and geometrical symmetry in addition to wide frequency coverage.


The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications networks, in order to solve problems of the prior art can not be realized in the terminal station uplink MIMO communication, a multiple input multiple output uplink MIMO transmissions or uplink closed loop transmit diversity receive and transmit transmissions method and apparatus for controlling a precoding information indication PCI. Wherein the method comprises the base station transmits feedback channel in a base station carrying a code sequence representative of precoding control indication information. Advantageous effects of the present invention is: PCI feedback information, the block length can be made after the introduction of the uplink MIMO, the terminal support to maximize the existing channel conditions, and improve the uplink transmission rate.


attacks lasted for about five minutes, and ocicurred several times during the course of a day. The patient's pulse rate was then 37 a minute, and the attacks were evidently an instance of the Stokes-Adams syndrome. As a result of prolonged rest gradual improvement took place in hiis general health, and the attacks became muclh less frequent and finially ceased. During the whole period, however, the pulse rate gradually slowed down to about 25. The previous medical history reveals no illnesses. The patient's general health is now good, but a double senile cataract prevents him from walking muclh out of doors. In regard to his cardio-vascular system the pulse rate is 25 per minute at the radial artery and at tlle apex, and tlhe pulse is quite regular. The arteries are extremely calcareous. Thle apex beat is in the fiftlh space, I-inch outside the nipple line. lThere is no enlargement of the heart to the riglht. Harslh systolic murmiurs are hleard at tlhe apex and the base of tlle heart. There is no oedema. 'The other systems show no evident abnormality. We hiave been unable to have a polygraIphic tracing taken, but we consider the case to be one of lieart block.


We examine two "producer-oriented" audio distribution platforms, SoundCloud and Bandcamp, which have been important repositories for the hopes of musicians, commentators, and audiences that digital technologies and cultural platforms might promote democratization of the cultural industries, and we compare their achievements and limitations in this respect. We show that the emancipatory elements enshrined in SoundCloud's bottom-up abundance are compromised by two elements that underpin the platform: the problematic "culture of connectivity" of the social media systems to which it must remain integrally linked and the systems of intellectual property that the firm has been increasingly compelled to enforce. By contrast, it seems that Bandcamp has been relatively stable in financial terms while being at odds with some key aspects of "platformization," and we explore the possibility that some of the platform's apparent success may derive from how its key features makes it attractive to indie musicians and fans drawn to an independent ethos. Nevertheless, we argue that even while in some respects Bandcamp acts more effectively as a cultural alternative than does SoundCloud, Bandcamp is also congruent economically and discursively with how platforms capitalize on the activity of self-managing, self-auditing, specialist, worker-users.


. Polypyrrole (PPy) is a conductive polymer and widely applied in different applications owing to its broadband absorption in the UV-visible, near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave-infrared (SWIR) spectrum, excellent conductivity and strong photothermal effect. In this work, we explored for the first time the photothermal effect of polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPy-NPs) in a photothermal-induced detector structure, and developed a new type of air-stable hybrid PPy-NPs/Pt photodetector (PD) with NIR/SWIR sensitivity. By combining PPy-NPs with a platinum (Pt) resistive pattern, we fabricated PPy-NPs/Pt PDs that are sensitive to illumination in the wavelength range from 800 nm to 2000 nm. Under the illumination of  = 1.5 µm, the maximum photoresponsivity was measured to be ~ 1.3 A/W with a 131 µs photoresponse rise time. Owing to the material stability from both PPy-NPs and the Pt pattern, the current photodetectors show long-term stable photoresponsivity when they were stored in air without encapsulation. The results suggest that the PPy-NPs/Pt hybrid


The invention discloses a method, a device and a system for releasing a session, relating to the technical field of mobile communication. The invention is invented for solving the problem of complicated process for releasing all IP-CAN sessions in the prior art. The method for releasing the session provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises the steps: a policy and charging rule functionentity receives a request message of a policy and charging executive function entity, the message includes a request for releasing all IP connective access network IP-CAN sessions of a mobile station(MS), and the MS is provided with at least two IP-CAN sessions; and the policy and charging rule function entity releases all the IP-CAN sessions related to the MS according to the message. The invention is applied to releasing the IP-CAN sessions of users in the mobile communication.


This paper explores the role of folklore in the promotion of indigenous environmental conservation in Kenya. The paper illuminates the relationship between folklore, conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development. The paper concludes by recommending, among other things, that communities should be encouraged and facilitated to preserve and share traditional environmental knowledge, not only for the conservation of environment, but also for cross-fertilization of folklores, cultural tolerance, peaceful coexistence and parallel economic growth.


The agricultural holdings generate a very strong impact on the environment andthey also have numerous implications for the economic and social life of rural areas. Theimprovements of the agricultural holdings' economic, ecological and social effects are themain directions which can contribute to initiating or intensifying their sustainability. Thispaper highlights some possibilities to optimize the use of agricultural resources allocated to asustainable development, with a special attention for the elements of the natural capital. Thepresented models can substantiate the agro-technical decisions within the framework of eco-efficiency actions aimed to achieve sustainability at the farming microeconomic level.


Waste materials discharged from any industries without any treatment may cause serious environmental problems which may consequently affect public health. Present study design to screen the proliferation of microorganisms in different waste and environmental samples near industrial areas along with the assessment of the presence of antibacterial substances. The existence of the total viable bacteria and fungi was estimated up to 10 7 cfu/g and 10 4 cfu/g, respectively, in solid wastes. For liquid wastes, the total viable bacteria were recovered up to 10 7 cfu/mL and fungi were observed up to 10 5 cfu/mL. Both types of samples were found to be contaminated with an array of pathogenic bacteria including Klebsiella spp ., Staphylococcus spp ., and Vibrio spp . Conversely, some medical and pharmaceutical waste samples were found to inhibit the growth of laboratory isolates tested which indicate the presence of antibiotics residues. Finally, the huge microbial load and the possible presence of antibiotic or other antimicrobial residues render the samples a major public health concern.


An active wavelength demodulation approach with high- resolution for fiber Bragg grating sensor is proposed and demonstrated for multiplexed temperature measurement in this paper. A tunable fiber laser controlled by computer is used as the scanning light source. And the computer synchronously performs data gathering and processing. Here Gaussian-Newton curve fitting approach is used to determine the Bragg wavelength of the grating sensors. A resolution approximately +/- 0.1 pm, corresponding to approximately +/- 0.01 degree(s)C has been demonstrated using this approach.


When I had been working at the Franciscan Institute only a few weeks, Father Gedeon Gai came into my office with a box of manuscript photographs. Knowing my interest in commentaries on Aristotle's Categories , he offered me the opportunity to edit the Defensorium Ockham , an anonymous Ockhamist treatment of the categories. He had already transcribed the first eight chapters, easing the paleographical difficulties inherent in dealing with a unique manuscript, and helped me to transcribe the rest of the text. I would like to offer a first glimpse of this work, which I plan to publish in its entirety at some future date. I here offer a brief rundown of the work, with a more detailed analysis of Chapter 15, which is edited as an appendix. I am grateful for having been introduced to this anonymous author; and I appreciate having the opportunity to learn from such a gifted scholar as Father Gedeon.


We investigate equilibrium properties of a bidding strategy in a situation in which bidders attempt to purchase a given amount of a divisible resource by bidding on multiple auctions. Each seller uses the Progressive Second-Price auction. A domain of application is the next-generation of wireless networks, in which multiple, competing network providers sell bandwidth to multiple users able to aggregate their purchased bandwidth shares. Every bidder needs to coordinate his bids to maximise the utility derived from all auction. In order to deal with aggregation and coordination of bids, we introduce the notion of an aggregate market, which is an artificial construct that each bidder uses to distribute his demand among the auctions. Furthermore, the aggregate market helps to understand convergence of the bidding process occurring at each individual auction. We show that by using an incentive-compatible, efficient mechanism at each single auction bidders have incentives to truthfully reveal their demand to the aggregate market.


The time-dependent neutron spectra from the surface of an externally pulsed finite block (156 mm diameter, 160 mm high) of ice were measured at 86, 35, 26 and 16 K over an energy range of 0.0006∼0.02 eV and for durations of time extending from 100 to beyond 600 μS following fast neutron injection. It was found that, at 86 and 38 K, asymptotic equilibrium distribution was established already around 400μs after neutron pulse injection, whereas at 26 K, even after 800 μs, the average neutron energy of the measured spectrum was still slightly higher than that of Maxwellian distribution corresponding to the moderator temperature, and further at 16 K, 900 μs after neutron pulses, the difference between the averages of measured and Maxwellian distribution remained at about 50%. These results should usefully serve test in neutron scattering kernels, as well as studies for improving methods of calculation.


Differential dispersal of plant and microbial propagules may result in the geographical disassociation of plant populations from their local abiotic conditions and microbial communities, especially in the face of species introductions and changing climates. To assess the potential consequences of disrupting historical relationships between plant populations, microbial communities and soil conditions, we grew Carpinus caroliniana seedlings from populations across the species range in combinations of sterilized soils and soil microbial communities, in soils collected from sites with or without conspecific trees. This controlled environment study simulated the consequences for seedling growth of independently or jointly disrupting the historical plant population–soil match, plant population–microbial community match and microbial community–soil match. Seedlings grown in soils from areas without conspecifics had lower biomass, but benefited from inoculation with their historical microbial communities. For conspecific‐cultured soils, growth was optimized when seedlings grew with novel microbial communities, but only when microbial communities were local with respect to abiotic soil conditions. Correlative evidence suggests that this may stem from alignment of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities to abiotic soil conditions. Synthesis. Maintaining historical plant–microbial community relationships may benefit plant species spreading into new areas; however, for movement within current ranges, maintaining the historical relationship between microbial communities and the abiotic aspects of soils may have more important consequences for early growth.


In 2010, There were more than forty million doctor visits of people with lower joints complaints, including more than one million surgeries involving total or partial hip, knee, and ankle replacement in the US. Generally, these procedures require some level of post-op physical therapy (PT), to recover most of the walking capabilities. Therefore, it is important to have a method to assess the walking capabilities of the patients in order to track their improvement over time. This paper presents a smartphone-based system to perform the Functional Gait Analysis test to assess the balance and fall risk of patients with walking difficulties. The paper addresses most of the shortcomings of current systems for the same purpose, including: 1) low cost, as it uses one off-the-shelf smartphone and the sensors embedded in it; 2) self-care, as it does not need of a specialist or physician; 3) mobile; 4) accurate, as it eliminates the ambiguities incurred by specialists; 5) information-based, as it enhances the diagnostic including other metrics that assess the gait of individual limbs and provides historical data to assess the evolution of the patient over time; and 6) easy to use and unobtrusive.


This paper proposes a simple IP routing solution on A 1M network using IETF RFC 1577 "Classical IP and ARP over A1M", named the LIS(Logical IP Subnetwork) Information Protocol(LIP).Originally, RFC 1577 have been specified for an application of classical IP and ARP in A 1M network environment configured as an LIS. Therefore, different routing protocols are required to provide an appropriate path between LISs. Currently, the NHRP(Next Hop Resolution Protocol) or the MPOA(Multi-Protocol Over A1M) are considered as candidates. However, those protocols are too heavy or complicate to implement. LIP has been devised as an alternative, which is so easy to implement because the basic concept and procedures are identical with RFC 1577. LIP includes Serverbase and PVC-base routing solutions in a Large Cloud. We introduce essential function entities and routing procedures for each case. In addition, we also describe how the IP multicast services be supported between several LISs using the LIP protocol.


[Objective] To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine combined with urokinase on acute cerebral infarction.[Methods] Based on the enrolled criteria 100 patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into the Chinese traditional medicine group and the control groups.Two groups of patients all with conventional treatment,Chinese traditional medicine group was treated with Huatan Tongluo Chinese traditional medicine moreover.To assess the efficiency of two groups respectively,record the NIHSS scores of two groups of patients before and after treatment,and followed up to 90 days after treatment.The NIHSS,Barthel Index(BI) and modified Rankin Scale(mRS) were analyzed for all subjects.[Results] The effective rate of Chinese traditional medicine group was 92%,which was higher than that of the control group(82%).The improvement of NIHSS scores,Barthel index scores and Rankin index evaluation were better than that of the control group(P0.05),especially the Rankin index evaluation.[Conclusion] The Huatan Tongluo method combined with urokinase can improve the neural function and the living quality of the patients with cerebral infarction.


Newborn ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.) are reared in isolation of individuals belonging to other litters. At or near weaning, they broaden their social interactions to encompass conspecifics other than littermates. In laboratory studies, juvenile ground squirrels commonly discriminate littermates from non-littermates, but few studies have examined whether behavioural discrimination at that level persists under natural circumstances. Previous studies have also all but ignored the possibility of alternative levels of social discrimination augmenting or replacing the discrimination of littermates from non-littermates. To examine those possibilities, I staged interactions in a neutral arena between littermate, neighbour and non-neighbour (stranger) pairs of otherwise free-living juvenile Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii).

Littermates interacted more frequently than other pair types and showed the highest proportion of cohesive behaviour and the least agonism. Strangers interacted less frequently than all other pair types, showed the fewest recognitive contacts, and were the least cohesive and most agonistic. Neighbours interacted less than littermates, but more than strangers, and showed intermediate levels of cohesion and agonism. Neighbours also engaged in more recognitive contacts than strangers, but did not have fewer recognitive contacts than littermates. Defecation rates also differed among interactant types: littermates left the fewest scats in the arena, neighbours deposited an intermediate number and strangers defecated the most. My results substantiate those of earlier laboratory studies suggesting that the discrimination of littermates from neighbouring juveniles persists in the natural context. These data also extend those earlier findings by demonstrating that juveniles come to discriminate neighbours from strangers. Comparisons of the behaviour of related vs. unrelated neighbours reveal that neighbour/stranger discrimination is contingent upon differential familiarity. Simultaneous social discrimination at the levels documented could promote kin-biased behaviour and cooperation among both related and unrelated neighbours.


The advantages of anthropomorphic robotics include the ability to work in a human-oriented environment and the performance of complex tasks that usually only a person can cope with. One of the most important tasks in this area is the development of powerful anthropomorphic grippers. For several reasons anthropomorphic grippers with group drives are promising, in which movement from several joints is performed from one drive. The purpose of the article is a kinematic analysis of one of the possible design of such a gripper. In the article solved the direct and inverse problems of kinematics in an analytical form using the geometric method. The dependences of the Cartesian coordinates of the joints of the fingers on the joint coordinate describing the motion of a group drive were obtained for the solving the direct kinematic problem. The dependences between the joint coordinate of a group drive and desired position of the finger joints or the orientation of its links were obtained for solving the inverse problem of kinematics. The obtained results can be used further for performing dynamic analysis, parametric synthesis of the design and synthesis a control system for an anthropomorphic gripper with group drive.


Abstract:  Hypertension is common following renal transplantation and adversely affects graft and patient survival. However, strategies for antihypertensive drug therapy and target blood pressure have not been clearly defined.


The projected method explains about the problems occurred in the combination of the MEMS switches and the complete scheme plan is resolved through choosing the finest devise limits for the plan. The devise limits, namely, length of beam, width of beam, torsion arm length, switch thickness, holes and gap were measured. At this point, the finest value of the devise limit is forecast by the aid of artificial neural network (ANN). Furthermore, the method contains the optimization method of Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) to optimize the input signal and so dropping the Mean Square Error (MSE). The complete scheme is executed in the operational platform of MATLAB and the outcomes were examined.


This paper presents the findings of a two -month study on the state of human rights education (HRE) in the Philippines.It is based ona survey,a series of focused group discussions , interviews with key stakeholders and review of documents. Among the major findings of the study are the following: HRE has a powerful enabling policy framework at the national an d international levels; the operational framework to conduct HRE is in place; HRE has been implemented at the mostly at the appreciation level; there are good and best practice for HRE at various levels; and the leading role and support of the CHR in HRE h as been recognized.


Elemental carbon in the lower mantle might be a metallic liquid. If present in sufficient concentrations, this substance might promote the ascent of heat and matter from the deep mantle by locally increasing thermal conductivity and reducing viscosity. We propose that such carbon in the lower mantle induces mantle plumes.


Several analysts have explained the end of the postwar political system in Italy as an effect of the end of the Cold War. Deprived of the anti-communist glue, Italians were, so the story goes, finally free to replace the corrupted regime. The present article argues instead that the recent changes should be seen as the effect of transnational and societal dynamics on modern welfare states that have upset the consociational/clientelistic bargain on which Italy's domestic political economy rested. The success of the judiciary campaign mani pulite ('clean hands') has been triggered by the concomitant financial crisis of the state, its parties and principal Italian industries which undermined the major actors' ability to uphold their clientelistic systems. Such a thesis presupposes a methodological shift away from simple 'outside-in' explanations. It focuses instead on the interaction between different transnational and/or societal self-sustaining networks whose borders need not necessarily coincide with state borders. In the present context of rampant globalization, the inner development and linkage between the party system, the welfare state, organized crime and the Italian version of capitalism are analysed as the main articulations of the overt/covert order upon which the Italian postwar social contract rested. As long as the basic problems of this contract remain unsolved, as for instance the insufficient distinction between the political and economic sphere or the systematic application of double standards, it seems premature to talk about a Second Italian Republic.


This paper describes FEM simulations and experiments of the hydroforming process, which were carried out using test stand and ABAQUS/CAE software. The application of simulation methods to the development of the hydroformed parts was illustrated. The influence of the forming conditions, such as the loading path of the hydraulic pressure and the axial feeding, on the hydroforming of Y-shapes was investigated. These estimated conditions were improved in FEM simulations and then verified with hydroforming experiment. A tube made of stainless and unalloyed steels were taken into consideration both in a numerical and experimental study. The experimental investigation shows considerable influence of the mechanical properties of the examined steel grades on the metal flow and final shape, especially the thickness distributions and the branch height. The results from the experiment and FEM simulation, e.g. loading path, thickness distributions or branch height were in good agreement. This means that numerical simulation is a good way to evaluate the part formability.


Perez-Lamarque et al. present a throughout study that tackle most (if not all) common problems when assessing phylogenetic signal in species interactions. They did so by nicely comparing the performance of two commonly used methods (Mantel test and PBLM) on simulated benchmarks. A theoretically more advanced method was also evaluated (PGLMM). The authors considered different scenarios including interaction sign and strength, phylogenetic signal in generalism and sampling asymmetry. Moreover, they developed an interesting procedure to test for phylogenetic signal across different clades. Finally, based on obtained insights, they explored an empirical dataset of orchid-mycorrhizal fungus interactions and aimed at providing general guidelines when measuring phylogenetic signal in ecological interactions. Overall, they found that PBLM (and PGLMM) are more prone to type I errors than Mantel test. simulations congruent nevertheless, Mantel test my suggestions are in that direction.


We report a planar few-mode supported optical waveguide with a multilayer length-dependent gain-loss profile to host a dynamical encirclement scheme around a fourth-order exceptional point (EP4) and explore a chirality-driven higher-order asymmetric mode conversion scheme.


Aim: To clinically compare the effectiveness of sodium fluoride and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) in reducing postoperative sensitivity associated with in-office vital tooth bleaching. Materials and Methods: In-office vital tooth bleaching was performed on 45 patients using 40% hydrogen peroxide gel in a single visit. After the procedure, the patients were randomly divided into three study groups based on the use of desensitizing agent: Group 1 - experimental gel without desensitizing agent (n = 15), Group 2 - cream with 1.1% sodium fluoride (n = 15), and Group 3 - cream with 10% CPP-ACP (n = 15). Gel or cream assigned for each patient was applied directly on the labial surfaces of teeth and left undisturbed for 3 min. Furthermore, the patients were asked to apply the agent given to them for 3 min twice daily after brushing for 14 days. Follow-up was done on 3rd, 7th, and 14th day, at which time tooth shade changes was assessed using a value-oriented Vita classic shade guide. The incidence, duration, and intensity of tooth sensitivity experienced were self-assessed on a daily basis for the 14-day study period using a visual analog scale. Results: Significant higher incidence and intensity of tooth sensitivity was found in experimental gel without desensitizing agent in comparison to sodium fluoride and CPP-ACP groups. Significant decrease in Vita classic tab values was seen in experimental gel group after 14 days; however, in sodium fluoride group, tab change was not significant. Conclusion: Sodium fluoride and CPP-ACP both reduced incidence and intensity of tooth sensitivity after tooth bleaching. Sodium fluoride showed better shade stability than CPP-ACP; however, the difference was not significant.


In this artist's book by Ho Tam, images from the mass media of television are juxtaposed with those from labels from Chinese food products.


Along with the enterprise electronic office in-depth,modern OA e-mail system has become an essential tool.Characteristics in the electric power enterprise OA mailbox has a real name system and high activity rate from the Internet mail,so by the internal staff is widely accepted and used,its security requirements and related legal liability will be highlighted.Therefore,to provide security and provide for a variety of legal rules and regulations basis is urgently needed for the mailbox to design a set of scientific and reasonable audit system.


To remove NO in flue gas, complex solution denitration is one of the most effective methods at room temperature. NO removal efficiency is related to the concentration of metal ions and ligands in the absorption solution. The experiments to remove NO in simulated flue gas were carried out by using iron complexation with EDTA disodium salt and sodium citrate as ligands. The NO removal efficiency was determined by mixing ammonium ferrous sulfate, disodium EDTA, and sodium citrate in various ratios. The experimental results revealed a 1:1:1 ratio as optimum for NO removal efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the process. By reducing and regenerating the absorption solution with zinc particles, the regeneration efficiency of Fe(II)L (L represents an amino carboxylic acid ligand) is above 70%, and the NO absorbed by the iron complex is reduced to form nitrogen and ammonium salt. The effects of different factors on the NO removal efficiency during the spraying process were investigated. The optimum conditions of...


The project Sixth Sense postulates that the users body language is different at "good" and "bad" decisions. Therefore, in Sixth Sense we are looking for patterns or hidden data signs that allow us to detect moments of bad and good decisions that could be incorporated in an automated system in order to detect and eventually predict the next actions of a user. In our case the user is an Air Traffic Controller (ATCO). Specifically, we intend to analyse the correlation between the change in the ATCO's behaviour expressed through his body language and the quality of his/her decision. For that, an experiment was set up to collect, explore and analyse data about the user behaviour. The results of our work may be used for early warnings for upcoming"bad" situations or decision aids for ATCOs.


T growing burden of non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular (CV) diseases, constitutes a public health threat for the whole world. Effective preventive measures, especially combating lifestyle and CV risk factors, have the capacity to reduce the CV events by 40-80% depending on the population studied.[1,2] As emphasized in all treatment guidelines, patients' active role in treatment and clinical decision making and awareness of the CV risk factors are extremely important in control of risk factors and reducing CV events.[1,2] Moreover, patients' specific knowledge of their own CV status and risk level correlate with the adherence to drug treatment and adoption to heart healthy lifestyle.[3,4] However, awareness of CV disease and its risk factors is still low both in primary and secondary prevention patients.


apply an extractor with hydrocyclones for the extraction of penicillin. The apparatus, which was developed in the M. Vo Lomonosov Institute for Fine Chemical Technology [3], has three contact stages with the separation of phases after each stage in a hydrocyclone. This hydrocyclone extractor is significantly more simple in construction than centrifugal apparatus, has a lower energy requirement, and also provides a short-term contact of phases. An outline of the hydrocyclone extractor and the experimental installation is shown in Fig. I. The apparatus consists of a cylindrical body (i) with three mixing units. The latter consist of two intake sections (5) and (6), a mixing chamber (4), and a turbine stirrer (3) fixed on a hollow shaft (2). Sections and chamber are isolated from one another by circular partitions (7). The light phase (organic solvent) goes into the lower section (6), and the heavy (water) phase into the upper intake section (5) and through opening (8) along the hollow shaft (separated inside with partitions, which are not shown) falling onto the blades of the stirrer. The resulting emulsion passes tangentially along the feed pipe to the hydrocyclone (i0) where it acquires an intense circular motion and separates into two streams under the action of centrifugal force. The heavy phase is thrown to the wall of the hydrocyclone forming the outer stream and moves downwards along a spiral through the conical base to the outflow. The light phase, comprising the inner stream, is raised upwards and is led through an outlet located coaxially in the upper lid to the upper discharge. In the hydrocyclone extractor stages the liquids move counter-current as they do generally in the apparatus. The needle valve (18) on the refinate outflow from the apparatus serves to regulate the main level of separation of the phases. To vary the process of mixing phases the rate of rotation of the shaft was changed with


Dengue fever is caused by infections with dengue virus, the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral pathogen in humans. There are no drugs available to treat dengue virus infection. Here, we discuss the strategies and challenges to develop dengue drugs. Treating the disease pathology is hindered by a lack of understanding of the disease progression and the causes of disease symptoms such as vascular leakage. Most drug-discovery efforts have concentrated on viral targets, which have their own particular challenges. Despite various challenges, great progresses have been made towards the development of dengue therapy. Ultimately, the only way to know whether a direct-acting antiviral will be a viable approach for treating dengue patients is to test safe compounds with demonstrated antiviral activity in human trials.


Firstly,this paper derived analytically and gave VMI control model about demand submits to constant of perishable goods which gives an account of one supplier and multiple retailers in the situation of allow out-of-stock.Secondly,with example and Matlab6.5 optimal solution and ordering cycle was obtained.And discussed how the variation of qualitative change rate parameters and service level parameters influenced ordering cycle and various kinds of inventory cost by sensitivity analysis.Finally,the study was summarized and the significance of the study was stated.


In an era of disruptive technologies, digital transformation is critical to an organization's ability to compete. New roles like Chief Digital Officers who orchestrate this transformation, and budgets for digital initiatives are on the rise. For enacting digital transformation, C-suite managers and their committees need novel management instruments. We propose a collection of concrete methods and tools, structured by constructs from activity theory and method engineering. Recent bestselling publications authored by academics use specific rather new designs such as visual, colorful, haptic hands-on books or card sets, and still are research grounded. Design patterns like these and user-research will provide requirements in creating two artifacts along Design Science Research: the "book" as content artifact, and a method-artifact for establishing an online authoring community.


Purpose

Co-branding is popular with partnerships between well-known and new brands. In a laboratory study, this paper aims to examine the effects of a single ally and multiple allies on quality perception of a brand. The results suggest that the quality perception of the new brand depends on the co-branding strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

For dual-brand alliances, a single-factor design was used, with secondary brand quality level (high, medium and low) as the independent variable. Three advertisements were created by manipulating quality levels of the single partner. For multiple-brand alliances, a 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial design was used in the experiment. The two factors were diversification (homogeneous vs heterogeneous) and quality levels of the alliance (high-end, mixed and low-end).

Findings

The results suggest that the number of brand partners significantly affected the perceived quality of the primary brand. For both dual- and multi-brand alliances, the quality level of the secondary brand positively influenced the perceived quality of the primary brand. For multiple-brand alliances, even though the highest quality perceptions of the primary brand are in the heterogeneous conditions, the heterogeneity of partners (partners across different product categories) did not affect the quality perception of the primary brand.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation of the current study is that it only addresses one type of brand alliance: co-promotion. The generalization of these findings to other forms of brand alliances (e.g. ingredient branding: Intel with IBM, Dell and HP) merits further investigation. Also, in this study, respondents processed the information in a relatively low-involvement condition (note that the target ad was presented along with filler ads). They were more likely to use brand names as heuristic cues to form their judgments. Because an alliance partner also assumes risks, future research should consider the effect of the alliances on the secondary brand.

Practical implications

Understanding brand alliances (especially multiple-brand alliances) is critical for new product managers and marketers. Introducing a new brand has higher risk and failure rates. Companies may lower these risks by co-branding with established brands. However, they should carefully consider the diversification and quality level of the partners. If brand managers position their product as "high quality (luxury)" or "low quality (budget)", they should choose high- (or low-) quality partners from different product categories (heterogeneous high-end or low-end alliances) because diversification strengthens the primary brand. For a single-partner alliance, the secondary brand should be of high quality.

Originality/value

This paper extends the brand alliance literature beyond single-partner to multiple-partner alliances. With multiple partners, one can explore several critical aspects of an alliance, e.g. quality variance and product class diversity across the partners.


The discovery of oxygen was one of the greatest triumphs of modern science. With it came the recognition that air is a mixture of gases, of which about 20% is oxygen and 80% is nitrogen. This seemingly mundane fact has altered our lives in a fundamental way and has had a huge influence on the development of the Industrial Revolution. The motor car and lorry, the aeroplane, engine powered ships, rockets, central heating systems, gas cookers and high explosives none of these would have been possible without knowledge of the composition of air. To these we can add the Bunsen burner, found in school chemistry laboratories. Our world has been radically changed by all these inventions. This is because, through our knowledge of the composition of air, we have been able to optimise the burning of fuels and exploit them very efficiently in combustion engines. In view of this profound effect that the discovery of oxygen has had, we would expect its mention to be accorded an appropriate emphasis and status in the chemistry teaching syllabuses in our schools. So let us examine a typical quote from a modern textbook to see how this most important discovery is presented to young people: A new gas was discovered by the British chemist, Joseph Priestley [1733-1804], on 1 st August 1786. Heating mercury in air he found that it combined with part of the air to form a solid which he called 'red calx of mercury'. When Priestley heated 'red calx of mercury', he obtained mercury and a new gas, which when he breathed it produced a 'light and easy sensation in his chest'. The gas was oxygen [1]. How might a young student of chemistry respond to such a statement? Another person might imagine something like this: Priestley was probably some sort of boffin who had a load of chemicals and apparatus, and he mixed the chemicals together to see what would happen. One day he did this experiment, which involved heating mercury and got some sort of gas. Maybe he bubbled it through water? 'Wow!!' he thought to himself, 'That's so cool! Maybe I've discovered something new?' That night, he was so excited about his new gas that he probably had a dream and so the next day he did some more experiments with some even more complicated apparatus. This time he got some of the gas in a jar, and smelt it. Then he got it to relight a glowing splint, and Bingo! He had discovered oxygen. He was so excited about his discovery that he went and told all his friends about it and so he became famous. Easy stuff, anyone can do it! The truth however, is far more complicated and far more subtle. In the 1660s the brilliant Irish natural philosopher Robert Boyle [1627-1691] had developed a great interest


The purpose of this study is to determine the implementation of functions and management of public relations (PR) performed by Directorate of Media, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the socialization of the acts about Public Information. This study also determines the method and the factors that support as well as hinder the socialization. Based on this study, Directorate of Media has conducted functions and management of PR to socialize the Freedom of Information Law. PR functions used in this study is publicity through the media, writing activity with a theme related news format Freedom of Information Law, website development and web interface, media relations to expand the reach of socialization, and PR function as communication technician. PR Management related to socialization through stages fact finding, planning the socialization mechanisms, action and communication or the realization the plan, and evaluation.


A review of the concepts of type, error coefficient, and steady-state error is presented from the point of view of usefulness in applications and relevance in an introductory control systems course. The approach employed makes a clear distinction between system error and loop error. It is shown that categorizing feedback control systems as unity or nonunity is of limited practical value. Error constants are seen to be valid for both nonunity and unity feedback but are useful only in "simple" systems. A system classification scheme based on this definition of "simplicity" is suggested. >


This research project presents an analysis regarding the reasons behind our research question which mainly discusses why the Graduation process students are unable to reach an advanced-mid level of English oral proficiency at the end of the major of Licenciatura en Ingles opcion Ensenanza at the University of El Salvador. This project includes the three levels of English oral proficiency found among students, Intermediate-Low, Intermediate-High and Advanced-Low, who are currently carrying out the Graduation process at the Foreign Language Department at the University of El Salvador, providing the research team with the necessary information to draw conclusions on what factors interfere with students' achievement of an Advanced-Mid level of English oral proficiency.


Allopatric populations of the pseudomyine rodents Pseudomys albocinereus, P. delicatulus, the P. nanus-P. gracilicaudatus complex, Zyzomys argurus and Mesembriomys gouldi were surveyed for electrophoretic variability of 14-17 red cell and plasma proteins. Few or no electrophoretic differences were found to parallel the chromosomal differences between populations of P. delicatulus, Z. argurus, and M. gouldi. Populations of the P. nanus-P. gracilicaudatus complex, however, fell into two groups defined both chromosomally and electrophoretically. The western form (P. nanus) extends from Western Australia into the Northern Territory whilst the eastern form (P. gracilicaudatus) occurs only along the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales. The biochemical differentiation between South Australian, Western Australian mainland and Bernier Island P. albocinereus parallels the chromosomal, morphological and breeding data, all of which indicate that the Western Australian mainland and Bernier Island forms belong to one species (P. albocinereus), whilst the South Australian form represents a distinct biological species (P. apodemoides).


Abstract A new equation for description of the RM values obtained by adsorption TLC with ternary mobile phase is examined for naphthalene isomers in tetrachloride carbonchloroform-methanol and tetrachloride carbon-chloroformacetone solvents mixtures on silica gel at 24°C. This equation creates a possibility to calculate the RM values for a given substance in ternary solvent mixture by means of the RM values for this substance in the single solvents and so-called heterogeneity parameter m.


Starting the design of the complete data support system with focus on the data paths has helped in the comprehension of the system. It also naturally divided the continued work into subprojects one of which has been the design of the message system presented here. The message system has made it easier for the design group to discuss the structure of the VME based subsystems and the time measurements give us hope that although simple it will be adequate for our purpose. Modula-2 was just the answer to the problem of making systems programing easy and correct.


This paper presents a 143GHz power amplifier using eight-path power combiner in a 65nm CMOS. The Over neutralization technique is proposed to boost the gain of a differential pair without extra penalty on power consumption. A four-stage PA achieves a maximum gain of 17.3dB at 143GHz with a 3dB bandwidth of 4GHz. Based on the eight-path power combining technology, it delivers up to 13.2dBm saturated output power and obtains a peak PAE better than 5.6% at 143GHz, the P1dB is better than 8.6dBm. The whole circuit consumes 336mw of power from a 1.4V supply.


With the improvement of living standards, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is increasing, leading to diabetes-related expenditures reaching billions of dollars. Finding a simple, convenient, effective, and long-lasting drug for the treatment of diabetes is urgent. Bitter melon has a history of thousands of years of consumption and medicinal use in China, with numerous health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of diabetes, promotion of appetite, improvement of eyesight, aid in digestion, detoxification, and diuretic effects, earning it the title of "medicinal vegetable." Momordica charantia polysaccharide (MCP) is a type of heteropolysaccharide extracted from bitter melon fruit, which is an important component of bitter melon and has multiple biological functions, particularly in the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This article summarizes the research results on the use of MCP in the treatment of diabetes over the past 20 years, using data from various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, ACS, and CNKI, as well as doctoral and master's theses. The article discusses the most commonly used methods and techniques for extracting, isolating, and purifying MCP. It also explores the extraction methods, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and structural characteristics of MCP and provides a detailed account of the hypoglycemic effects of MCP in cell models, animal models, and human experiments. This review lays the foundation for the further development and application of MCP.


Abstract : Phenomena which occur at solid surfaces during ion implantation and the short term property changes which result during this exposure may be studied by sending surface acoustic waves across the implant region. Quartz and lithium niobate have been exposed to 100 keV Argon(+) ions; later these implanted regions have been studied while being exposed to intense light from an argon laser. The strength of the received surface acoustic waves is attenuated (by over 20 dB in lithium niobate) during an extended exposure to the ion beam. Upon ceasing ion bombardment there is a fast but incomplete recovery of the received acoustic signal with a time constant of the order of ten seconds. Laser light of comparable or greater intensity produces a rapid rise in attenuation of only a few dB, with a rise time of about three seconds. Upon ceasing illumination, recovery is similarly rapid but complete. From the different results produced by ion and light beams of comparable intensity, we conclude that the changes in material properties which are being observed are produced by mechanisms not entirely thermal in origin. (Author)


A family of optimistic concurrency control protocols for real-time persistent systems with critical performance requirements and very tight deadlines is proposed. Under assumptions that almost all transactions are extremely short and read-only and the entire database resides in main memory (which are realistic for this type of applications), we propose distributed concurrency control protocols which exploit the virtual memory management for concurrency control. Virtual memory management is required anyway, so the additional overhead is extremely low, especially for most frequent read-only transactions. Two variations of the proposed protocol are described and compared with alternative approaches.


This study aims to find out how students' tutorial activities with homeroom teachers. To find out how much influence homeroom teacher tutoring on student motivation in Madrasah Tsanawiyah Arrisalah. This type of research used in this study is quantitative research. The subject of this study were all VII-IX in Madrasah Tsanawiyah Arrisalah, graders consisting of 8 classes with a total of 139 students. The research method used is the method of data collection using questionnaires, interviews and documentation. While the analysis using the SPSS 17 application to determine the resulteof the data that has been done. The result of this study can be concluded that the activities of tutoring with the homeroom teacher proved effective in helping students increase student motivation enthusiasm for learning. This is based on data processing which states that there is a significant influence between the tutor classroom tutoring activities on student learning motivation in Madrasah Tsanawiyah Arrisalah school year of 2018/2019 with influence of 35,5% while 64,5% student motivation is influenced by other factors hot mentioned and has not been revealed in this study.


In order to demonstrate the feasibility of a metal hydride heat sink for EVA spacesuit,a heat and mass transfer model is established.The numerical calculations show that a metal hydride pump system with comparable size as water sublimator and less mass loss can satisfy the cooling requirement of the astronaut during EVA process,and the temperature can be regulated by controlling the pressure of the hydride bed.The calculations also show that the system can be regenerated within 30 minutes by regulating the flow of cooling water and pressure ratio.


The study of the philosophical doctrine of Vishishtadvaita uncovers some logical difficulties of this system. Particularly, the concept of God and his relationships with the world and souls cannot be rationally explained and systemized in a non-contradictory way (as we can see for example in Advaita-Vedanta system). The basic word-combination which is used by Ramanuja to name such a relationship between God and the World is "sharira-shariri-bhava sambandha". This metaphorical description presents three different ontological entities (God-world-soul) as the inseparable unity (aprthaksiddhi). The metaphysical core of this philosophical doctrine is closely connected with the religious images and patterns, developed in Vaishnava religious tradition. The theological doctrines of Pancaratra and the poetical hymns of alvars can help us to put an order on the history and structure of the ontological doctrine of Vishishtadvaita. The paper deals with the reception of the cosmological model of the famous hymn "Purusha-sukta" ("Rigveda", X, 190) by the philosophical system of Vishishtadvaita. Our assertion is that a creation myth provides a philosophical system with a matrix of its theological and cosmological doctrines. The above mentioned explanation of the God-world-soul relationship in Vishishtadvaita is rooted in "Purusha-sukta", but it is accepted not through the smrti-texts, but through the ritualistic tradition of Pancaratra. The other issue which it is planned to clear up is the historical relationship of Vishishtadvaita and Pancaratra. Keywords—myth; philosophy; Purusha-sukta; Ramanuja; Vishishtadvaita; Vedanta; Pancaratra


An artist of Chinese and Aboriginal heritage, Jason Wing meditates on the rise of consumerism and its effects on the traditional way of life in a community in northern China.


In this article I investigate how teaching and the teacher's role in elementary and secondary school writing classes have been conceptualized by leading writing workshop advocates. Using Bakhtins writing on Dostoevsky, I develop the metaphor of the writing teacher as a novelist who creates a classroom-novel and takes up relations with student-characters. This metaphor enables me to explore and criticize important aspects of workshop theory and practice, including teacher-student relations, the freedom granted students in workshops, and teacher authority and power. Even as I affirm certain elements of writing workshop approaches, I argue that workshop visions of teaching and the teacher's role tend to mystify meaning-making, ignore the workings of power, and underestimate teacher responsibility in the workshop.


This work investigates a sound field reproduction method based on the sound field statistics. The covariance among recorded multi‐channel signals might represent the relative relationship and the mutual magnitude characteristics between each point in the sound field that time invariant. The author Y. Takahashi et al. proposed a reproduction method minimizing the difference in the spatial covariance between the original and reproduced sound fields [19th ICA, RBA15‐012]. We call the method "SOund field Reproduction method based on the sPAtial Covariance (SORPAC)". However it has not been clarified that the theoretical background and the characteristics in listening. The SORPAC doesn't require the information of sound source locations and transfer functions. In this work, we described the reproduction theory of SORPAC in frequency domain. And we showed the relationship between SORPAC and the general wave surface control. Then we confirmed that the SORPAC is able to reproduce the sound source direction withou...


The Kelvin and the Rossby-gravity waves (RGWs) packets with periods of few days are extracted in some simulations done for CMIP5. The analysis shows that the models differ very substantially in simulating these dominant modes of the synoptic scale variability in the lower stratosphere. The differences are in part due to the filtering of the waves by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. For instance, the RGWs are better represented in models with a QBO, simply because these waves propagate better when the zonal mean zonal wind is positive in the low stratosphere, a situation that is never reached in the models without a QBO we have analyzed. Also, and between the models with a QBO, the properties of the RGWs can be quite different. As an illustration and in one model, the RGWs packets travel over 180 of longitude during their life cycle, whereas in a second one they essentially stays at the same place. For the Kelvin waves, the contrast between the models is less pronounced, at least concerning the qualitative behavior of their life-cycle. Their amplitude nevertheless largely varies from one model to the other and is often overestimated, when compared to reanalysis for instance. These results tell that the lower equatorial stratosphere is place where the day to day variability is not well represented in models.


In the quest to minimize the occurrence of spinal cord injury (SCI) secondary to resection of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA), we have undertaken a reevaluation of the anatomy and physiology of the circulation to the spinal cord. To this end, we have performed descriptive and morphometric anatomic studies in pigs, both in the native state and at various times after extensive segmental artery (SA) ligation.1,2 We have also monitored the pressure in the distal stump of lumbar arteries after extensive SA resection using various experimental protocols in pigs, and have monitored distal lumbar artery pressure in patients during and after extensive TAAA resection.3,4

These anatomic and physiologic studies have shown unequivocally the existence of an extensive collateral network of vessels that supply the spinal cord, as well as the adjacent paraspinous muscles. This network has been revealed as a dynamic entity that adapts to the elimination of direct SA input—resulting from simulated experimental or clinical aneurysm resection—by a process of remodeling to maintain spinal cord viability and to guard against the development of subsequent SCI. We have termed this new understanding of the spinal cord blood supply and its adaptations the Collateral Network Concept.


Under such conditions as no oxygen enrichment,slag rate of 410~430 kg,blast temperature of about 1020 ℃,volatility of bituminous coal of about 30 %, the bituminous coal rate has been increased to 75 % and for a volatility of mixed pulverized coal of 24 %~30 %,the coal rate reached 140 kg/t on Xuanhua steel's 1260 m3 BF,by careful preparation,implementation of all safety measures and stable BF operation


Carbamoyl phosphonate derivatives of methacrylic acid and α-methyl styrene were synthesized in good yield by reacting dimethyl and diethylphosphite with isocyanato ethylmethacrylate (IEM) or with meta-isopropenyl-α,α-dimethylbenzylisocyanate (m-TMI). The IEM derivatives yield soluble homopolymers with common radical initiators. The m-TMI carbamoyl phosphonates were copolymerized with styrene and with acrylates yielding soluble materials with better than 50 mol % incorporation of the phosphonate monomer. The side chain carbamoyl phosphonate group drastically lowers the T g relative to those of the parent polymers. The NHC(O)-P(O)(OR) 2 bond was suggested to be stable to about 225°C


This paper describes a high voltage pulsed power system for a plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) experiment. The pulsed power supply consists of a high voltage pulse generator that uses a hard tube switch. The reason for using this type of circuit category in the PIII facility rather than a previously used pulse-forming network (PFN) circuit configuration is stated. The experimental results of the application of this device to a glow discharge PIII are also discussed. In order to assess these results, a simple electrical model describes the plasma as a resistive load in parallel. With a capacitance taking into account the pulse rise-time distortion caused by a long coaxial feeding cable. Plasma parameters for PIII processing, such as implantation ion average current and plasma sheath thickness, are calculated from the experimental results.


Invading species often are close relatives, and therefore share many characteristics as a consequence of their common ancestry. This tends to confound studies of invasions, since many irrelevant characteristics are likely to be correlated with a speciesi geographic origin (alien or native). We address this problem by using phylogenetically independent comparisons to investigate the habitat characteristics of plants of the Central Plains Experimental Range (Colorado, U.S.A.). We initially show that exotic species are more likely than natives to occur in riparian zones, roadsides, and disturbed sites, and less likely to occur in grassland. The relationship between exotic origins and disturbed sites disappears when phylogenetic dependence is removed from the analyses; in contrast, the other associations persist following phylogenetic detrending, indicating that aliens and their native relatives consistently differ in their ability to exploit riparian, roadside, and grassland habitats. Our results indicate that disturbed sites currently are dominated by only a few groups of related exotic ruderals, while the ability to exploit roadsides and riparian zones has been and may continue to be important for the success of many taxa of invaders.


Discerning the nuclear proliferation intentions of nation-states is a challenge faced by strategic policy decision makers worldwide. Typical nuclear proliferation discourses revolve around the intentions and capabilities of nation-states, as also the events and conditions furthering the cause of nuclear proliferation. Various international relations theories try to explain a state's motivations for proliferation. However, policy makers are often confronted with strategic decision-making situations that are complex, nonlinear and evolving. In order to provide them with any meaningful support under such circumstances, a Decision Support System (DSS) model is required that can provide a complex, emergent insight into the proliferation intentions of nation-states. This paper presents such a computationally intelligent model (Discerning Nuclear Intentions or DiNI) based on the sociobiological phenomenon of altruism. A hypothetical case study is used to demonstrate the model. The results show the potential of this model as a strategic nuclear policy DSS for containing nuclear proliferation. Further research directions are discussed.


With improved prediction combination using weights based on their training performance and stacking and multilayer perceptrons to build deeper prediction models, RTMs become the 3rd system in general at the sentence-level prediction of translation scores and achieve the lowest RMSE in English to German NMT QET results. For the document-level task, we compare document-level RTM models with sentence-level RTM models obtained with the concatenation of document sentences and obtain similar results.


In 1983, the Northwest Power Planning Council (Council) issued Model Conservation Standards (MCS) designed to improve the efficiency of electrically heated buildings. Since then, the standards have been adopted by numerous local governments and utilities. The Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville) has played an active role in marketing residential energy efficiency improvements through the Super Good Cents Program (SGCP) and encouraging the adoption and implementation of the MCS as local codes through the Early Adopter Program (EAP). Since the inception of the MCS, however, questions have arisen about the effect of the code and programs on the selection of heating fuels for new homes. Recently, Bonneville has proposed a gradual reduction in the incentive levels under these two programs prior to 1995 based on several assumptions about the market for MCS homes: builder costs will decline as builders gain experience building them; buyers will seek out MCS homes as their appreciation for their lower energy costs and greater comfort increases; and the resale market will increasingly reflect the greater quality of MCS homes. The growing availability of data from several jurisdictions where the MCS have been implemented has recently made it possible to begin assessing the effect of the MCS programsmore » on residential fuel choice and evaluating assumptions underlying the programs and Bonneville's plans to revise them. This study is the first such assessment conducted for Bonneville.« less