Type 2 fuzzy systems have been under investigation for a while and the projection of type 2 understanding for uncertainty management onto the connectionist models -i.e. neural networks- seems an interesting field of research. This paper considers neurons having multiple bias values defining a new structure that resembles the uncertainty handling capability of type 2 fuzzy models. Such a neuron provides many activation levels that are combined to obtain the neuron response. A neural network with this new model is presented. Several simulation results are shown and the universal approximation property is emphasized.


The necessity of determining a coordinated system of institutional support for the protection of the rights, freedoms and legally protected interests of the participants of personal non-property and property relations is substantiated. The substantiation of the national model of organization of execution of decisions of courts and other bodies as an integral part of the institutional mechanism of protection of property interests of private law was further developed.
The classification of various systems of organization of execution of court decisions on various criteria is given: on a way of the organization of a profession of the executor, on a place of bodies and officials of execution, depending on whether bodies of execution are uniform structure, or there are some independent organizations, depending on bodies are empowered to enforce decisions.
Based on the analysis of the existing model of organization of execution of court decisions, the need for clear definition of the status of enforcement bodies, separation of their participation from other authorized bodies (persons) that ensure the implementation of court decisions and other bodies, as well as increasing the status of state executor the subject of execution, and not the body of the state executive service. There are arguments that the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, as a regulator, cannot act as a subject of execution at the same time, as in this way an obvious conflict of interests can be traced.
It is concluded that the process of creating an effective and efficient institutional structure for the implementation of decisions of courts and other bodies is not completed, the modern mixed model of enforcement should be considered transitional with the need to develop a capable organizational structure of enforcement bodies.
Keywords: enforcement of judicial decisions, organization of enforcement of a decision, enforcement proceedings, state enforcement service, state executor.


Aims. Broad absorption-line quasars (BALQSOs) are key objects for studying the structure and emission/absorption properties of AGN. However, despite their fundamental importance, the properties of BALQSOs remain poorly understood. To investigate the X-ray nature of these sources, as well as the correlations between X-ray and rest-frame UV properties, we compile a large sample of BALQSOs observed by XMM-Newton. Methods. We collect information for 88 sources from the literature and existing catalogues, creating the largest BALQSO sample analysed optically and in X-ray to date. We performed a full X-ray spectral analysis (using unabsorbed and both neutral and ionized absorption models) on a sample of 39 sources with higher X-ray spectral quality, and an approximate hardness-ratio analysis on the remaining sources. Using available optical spectra, we calculate the BALnicity index and investigate the dependence of this optical parameter on different X-ray properties. Results. Using the neutral absorption model, we find that 36% of our BALQSOs have N n H 0 might be explained by different physical conditions of the outflow and/or inclination effects. The absorption properties also suggest that LoBALs may be physically different objects from HiBALs. In addition, we report on a correlation between the ionized absorption column density and BAL parameters. There is evidence (at the 98% level) that the amount of X-ray absorption is correlated with the strength of high-ionization UV absorption. Not previously reported, this correlation can be naturally understood in virtually all BALQSO models, as being driven by the total amount of gas mass flowing towards the observer. We also find a hint of a correlation between the BI and the ionization level detected in X-rays.


Interconnected conducting porous graphene as supercapacitive material as well as current collector for integrated metal-free microsupercapacitor (MSC) having ultra-long cycle life and outstanding capacitive performance.


This paper studies the beamforming design for sum secrecy rate (SSR) maximization in the Gaussian multiple-input single-output multi-receiver wiretap channel (MISO-MRWC). The optimization problem of finding the optimal beamforming algorithm is non-convex and intractable to solve using low-complexity methods. Motivated by the thinking of zero-forcing (ZF) and signal-to-leakage-plus-noise ratio (SLNR), we propose three low-complexity beamforming algorithms for finding a local SSR optimum. The simulation results show that the SLNR-based beamforming algorithm outperforms the other two algorithms with ZF preprocessing.


This paper focuses on suitable solar–thermal collectors for use in a combined heat and power system targeted at the UK market, based on an organic Rankine cycle. Concentrating and non-concentrating collector products are compared by way of annual energy and exergy analyses using London climate data. It is found that non-concentrating collectors show a wide range of annual power outputs, up to a highest of 67 kWh m−2 yr−1 attained by the best collector (or an average power of 115 W for a 15-m2 rooftop array, representing 30% of the electrical demand in a typical UK household). The maximum exergy delivered from a parabolic trough collector is 70 kWh m−2 yr−1. The choice of mains (municipal) water or air as the cooling medium makes only a small difference to the annual power output. Importantly, the optimal flow rates for the evacuated tube collectors are far lower than those recommended by the manufacturers, indicating that their application to power generation represents a significant departure from their design and intended mode of operation. New and improved designs would be a key development in this area. The importance of using high-resolution, non-aggregated climate data for predicting total annual work output is also demonstrated.


Abstract – Nowadays TOEFL score is often used as a  requirement by universities that have an international curriculum base in the process of admitting new students and requires all students to understand English as a communication tool in the learning process. A large number of prospective students as examinees and the use of written examinations often results in loss and damage to exam data, plus a process of correction of exam results that takes a long time, causing information from various data to be obtained longer. To overcome this problem, a TOEFL exam system software needs to be made. The flow and stages made in software engineering include requirements planning, software design, and software implementation. The use of PHP and My SQL based on framework C odeIgniter on the TOEFL exam has provided convenience to an institution or agency, the positive results in its application took the form of time savings of 3,440 minutes or around 92.5% and reduced stages in the test from 9 stages to only 2 stages. So that the resources, infrastructure, and costs needed in the examination process are reduced .


We construct the general supersymmetry algebra via the adjoint action on a semi-Hopf algebra which has a more general structure than a Hopf algebra. As a result we have an extended supersymmetry theory with quantum gauge group, i.e., quantised enveloping algebra of a simple Lie algebra. For the example, we construct the N =1 and generalized N =2 supersymmetry theory which leads to the Seiberg-Witten theory.


Light cigarette (LC) exposure is supposed to be less hazardous with a decreased incidence of cancer and tobacco‐associated diseases. C57BL/6 mouse groups were subjected to smoke from 3, 6 or 12 LC for 60 days and compared with mice exposed to ambient air (EAA) in order to study lung injury by morphometrical and biochemical methods. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis and histology and stereology were performed. Tissue from the right lung was used for measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and Western blot analysis. One way anova was performed followed by the Student–Newman Keuls post‐test (P < 0.05). The cellular content of BAL was 95% alveolar macrophages in all groups except in mice exposed to 3 LC, where 23% neutrophils were observed. Emphysema was not observed in three and 6 LC, but it was found in 12 LC parallel to increased volume density (Vv) of airspaces from 61.0 ± 0.6 (EAA) to 80.9 ± 1.0 (12 LC) and decreased Vv of elastic fibres from 17.8 ± 0.9 (EAA) to 11.8 ± 0.6 (12 LC). All exposed groups to LC showed low TBARS levels compared with mice EAA. Lung tissue from animals exposed to 12 LC showed decreased tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease‐2 and increased matrix metalloprotease‐12 detection, which suggests an imbalance in extracellular matrix (ECM). Increased tumour necrosis factor‐α and nuclear factor‐κB detection were observed in exposed groups to LC when compared with mice EAA. The data suggest that LC is so dangerous to lungs as full‐flavour cigarettes inducing ECM imbalance and emphysema.


These spaces represent 40% of the national territory, 12% of the population and 15 of GDP. The desert is of extreme aridity and its main economical richness is in mining. These factors influence the human occupation, where 80% live in few urban centers, localized mainly in littoral areas and independent of the climatic, hydrological and geomorphological difficulties. In relation to population structure, adults and men reflect these characteristics. The semidesert, has precipitations up to 200 mm that allow agricultural activities and with mining they constitute its economic base. As in the desert, the sea is a source of economical richness. Rural and urban population are disperse en numerous entities. The rivers organize the occupation and the majority of the cities are along their valleys.


This paper provides a more detailed discussion of the current conditions and challenges posed by China in Mexico's electronics value-added chain and specifically in the personal computer segment in Jalisco. Firm-level interviews have been carried out since 1994, but more specifically since 2007. The analysis includes the performance and characteristics of the electronics industry in its "glocal" context and its development since the 1990s. Considering that electronics were one of the most successful cases of export-oriented industrialization in Mexico since the late 1980s, the core of Jalisco's initial activities have practically disappeared since 2007. This process has been a result of global restructuring in electronics and the crisis in this sector during 2001-2003, but in particular it is due to increasing competition with Asia and China. Today, China supplies more than 50 % of US imports and PC production in Jalisco is practically zero. The few firms left in the electronics cluster had to reinvent themselves through massive changes in their internal organization, training and new intrafirm and interfirm relationships. From this perspective, the lessons of Jalisco's experience in PC and electronics reflect the great challenge that China has posed to Mexico's specialization patterns in the last decades and the need for a long-term strategy which might allow for cooperation in some cases.


Introduction: Malignant gliomas (GBM) are the most common primary malignant brain tumors. Clinical presentation is variable, being headache the most common symptom. Diagnosis is usually suspected by magnetic resonance (MRI) and in most of cases the treatment consists in neurosurgery followed by co-adjuvant radiotherapy and temozolomide. Case presentation: A 57-year-old male presented to the Emergency Department with a 48-hour history of progressive holocraneal headache, vomiting, gait instability and bilateral hearing loss. He underwent brain Computed Tomography (CT) scan and MRI, with results compatible with GBM. Complete mass excision was performed without complications and he was discharged with co-adjuvant treatment with radiotherapy and temozolomide. Conclusion: Despite optimal treatment and important advances in our understanding of molecular pathogenesis, GBM are still associated with high morbidity and mortality.


Abstract The Streetwork project is a practical exercise in carrying out a qualitative study of people‐ in‐place. It forms the core of our teaching in cultural geography at University College London (UCL). Forming part of a second year course, the project develops the initial exposure to qualitative fieldwork experienced during a first year field course. The nature and implementation of the project is described and the skills training involved in the course is outlined. The project has been taught in a number of different settings and student reaction indicates that it is a valuable exercise. However, a variety of problems have been raised in the course of teaching the project and the paper concludes with a discussion of these issues.


PT Makassar Tene is a factory that produces refined sugar from raw sugar. But in the sorting of auxiliary materials such as sacks is still done manually. The process of sorting sacks at PT Makassar Tene uses female workers over the age of 40 years. The conditions of work attitude carried out by some female workers are still many that are not ergonomic. The wok attitude is sitting, standing, hunchback and lifting weights more than a maximum burden that is tolerated by a woman's body which is 10 kg if done continuously. Pain complaints have been felt by workers due to inappropriate work postures, in the form of pain in the hips, waist, knees, shoulders and upper arms. The existing problems need to be evaluated on physical factors in sack sorting activities by identifying and analyzing the overall work posture. The methods used are OWAS and REBA. Both of these methods are able to define the movement of all parts of the worker's body so that it can improve overall body movement. Therefore, this study carried out observations to determine the level of risk caused by work posture when carrying out sack sorting activities by comparing the OWAS and REBA methods in female workers PT Makassar Tene. Based on the results of the study, it is known that there are several identified sorting activities of sacks at risk for musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs) in female workers. The activity are the process of lifting sacks to a pallet with a level of risk from slightly dangerous to very dangerous in the OWAS method and from medium to high in the REBA method. And the process of arranging sacks with a level of risk is very dangerous in the OWAS method and medium to high in the REBA method. So that it is necessary to improve the posture of the worker as soon as possible, especially in the activities of lifting and arranging sacks.


Abstract : The purpose of this study is to analyze an inventory, maintenance system for recoverable items, that is, items which are subject to repair when they fail. The repair of items is performed by a maintenance facility which has a fixed number of service stations or channels which are also subject to failure. When an item fails, a demand is immediately placed for a like replacement from a spare pool. The failed part is sent to the repair facility to be serviced on a first-come, first-served basis. The spare pool is replenished when repair on the item is completed. When a service station fails, repair is initiated immediately and the failed server is replaced by an operative spare server if one is available. This analysis is limited to a single-echelon system with no outside sources of supply or repair. The objective of this study is to model the system described in order to observe the relationship of system performance to spare stock levels and service unit backorders given an investment constraint on the number of spare items, service channels and spare servers in the system. For long range planning purposes, this is accomplished for a system with demands which are stochastic and stationary in nature. An extension is provided, to consider the case where demands are non-stationary and/or the time dependent behavior of the system needs to be described.


In this paper, an analytical method for management of optimum group velocity dispersion (GVD) for compensation of chromatic dispersion in optical fibers is proposed. The proposed method mathematically is based on the Volterra series as alternative method for solution of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLS). Based on analytical solution of the nonlinear equation in pulse propagation, we propose a differential equation including optimum GVD for complete dispersion compensation for given dispersion coefficient and fiber length. The obtained integro-differential equation is solved for special cases and it is shown that the obtained results are so better than traditional dispersion compensation cases. Also, the proposed technique can be applied to fiber design to introduce an especial GVD profile for dispersion less transmission.


This paper proposes a photo composition classification method based on fuzzy logic. For many image-based applications and processing, such as image enhancement, image segmentation, image retrial, and aesthetic evaluation, all need to meet a variety of photo compositions. The performance of the processing will be better than assumes all photos with the same photo composition for the same treatment. We develop a classification method that can be applied in some fields based on characteristics of the photo composition. The proposed Mamdani fuzzy system combines with the image features and a set of fuzzy rules. The classification result for a photo will provide the numerical information to identify the most likely photo composition. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively classify the photo composition as the test result by the human experience.


The compaction process which transforms an explosive powder into a quasi-compact material is studied to determine the resulting microscopic field of void volume fraction. We have performed quasi-static isostatic compaction with a pressing tool developed especially for this application. The behavior is simulated with a hollow sphere model using an elastic viscoplastic power law for the solid fraction. The resulting constitutive law has been implemented in the finite element code ABAQUS which is used to simulate the forming process


Intellectual disability (ID) has been defined as a significant limitation in both intellectual functioning (IQ<70) and concurrent limitations in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills, manifesting before the age of 18. The details about known genetic aetiologies associated with ID are discussed in chapter 1. Indonesia ranks fourth on the list of countries with the largest population in the world, indicating that also the ID population must be large. However, only a partial genetic diagnostic work-up of the ID population in Indonesia has been performed. This study aimed at recording an aetiological diagnosis of ID as well as trying to determine the prevalence of cytogenetic and some molecular diagnoses, performing phenotype-genotype correlation studies, and defining a diagnostic protocol for ID which is applicable in the Indonesian context. In chapter 2 we determined the frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities in a cohort of Indonesian individuals with ID using conventional cytogenetic analysis confirmed by some stand-alone molecular tests. In chapter 3 we determined the frequency of Fragile X syndrome (FXS) in males and females, and documented their relatives with a similar disorder. In chapter 4 we determined the frequency of subtelomeric deletions and duplications using MLPA in a cohort of Indonesian individuals with ID who had a normal karyotype and who were FXS negative. In chapter 5 we investigated a subset of ID individuals suspected of having a specific syndrome. A case with Mowat-Wilson syndrome and the results of sequencing of several genes involved in autosomal recessive primary microcephaly are described. In chapter 6, the implication of this work including the establishment of a diagnostic protocol for the Indonesian setting is described. In addition, a general discussion and future directions towards a better genetic diagnostic workup in Indonesia having limited laboratory facilities are also provided.


A colorimetric method was used to analyse the influence of procyanidin structure on colour changes of malvidin 3-O-glucoside (oenin) solution resulting from copigmentation. The study was performed in hydroalcoholic citrate/phosphate buffer solution (120 g L−1) at pH 3.6 and ionic strength 0.2 mol L−1. Chromatic L*, a* and b* coordinates (CIELAB, D65/10° illuminant/observer condition) obtained from spectral curves recorded between 360 and 830 nm allowed the calculation of lightness L*, chroma C* and hue angle hab. In general, addition of copigment induced colour enhancement (loss of lightness and increased chroma). The prevailing parameters affecting colour changes were lightness and chroma for monomers and lightness and hue for procyanidins B5 and B8 (C4–C6 dimers). A small blueing effect was observed only for catechin monomer-copigmented solutions. For procyanidin copigments, as the structural complexity of the copigment increased, the hue angle moved to yellower values. The ester gallate of dimer B2 produced the strongest modification of colour attributes of oenin solution. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry


ABS>Changes in lymphatic tissue are described which were observed in lethally irradiated mice following the injection of isologous and homologous spleen homogenates. The tissue changes described indicate the transplantation of the immune mechanism. (C.H.)


In this paper, we propose an optimal segmentation method for vascular forest structure based on graph cuts framework, which has widely been used in recent years because of its global optimal object segmentation property. However, shrinking bias, a classical issue of the graph cuts methods, sets up a barrier for the use of these methods on elongated structures such as blood vessels, especially the complex vascular tree and forest structures. To deal with this problem, a new graph construction method and a new energy function are proposed in this paper. The global optimal segmentation of vascular forest structure can be obtained more efficiently, while the shrinking bias can be overcome by the proposed method. The method is compared with a classical graph cuts method [1] and two methods [2, 3] for vascular tree structure segmentation, and is demonstrated to be more accurate on both the synthetic and clinical images, especially on noisy images. Different from many other tree structure segmentation methods, the proposed method does not have to consider the bifurcations explicitly.


Based on the topographic map of Maokui mountain in Dandong city(a scale from one to ten thousand),the DEM of the hill was built with ArcGIS.Besides,the texture information of tridimensional surface of the hill was gotten from the orthophotomap of QuickBird got from remote sensing satellite with a high spatial resolution.With ERDAS IMAGINE,the stereoscopic display of tridimensional topography of the hill was realized.


1. Project Overview In order to drive safely and efficiently, autonomous vehicles need to understand the behavior of others, predict their future motions and plan desirable motions which are safe and human-like to execute. In this project, we tackled motion prediction and planning together as a motion generation problem to achieve accurate comprehension of others, as well as safe and human-like behavior generation for autonomous vehicles.


It relates to a switched mode power supply and a bias voltage generating method of the present invention. In accordance with the invention to generate a bias voltage using a current source coupled to the primary side of the initial start-up transformer, to a second point in time after a predetermined delay time from the bias voltage is a reference voltage, the operating voltage of the PWM controller first time to block the generation of the bias voltage through the current source. On the other hand, after the first point, and the main switch operation hayeoteumeuro bias voltage exceeds the operating voltage, whereby the bias voltage is generated through the secondary side of the transformer along. SMPS, PWM, the bias voltage, the reference voltage


Compressive creep behaviour of two composites with magnesium alloy AS21 matrix reinforced by short fibres and short fibres&coarse SiC particles was investigated with the aim to show the influence of the orientation of stress axis to the planar distribution of fibres in the composites. Experiments were performed at 523 K. Strong dependence of time to rupture and minimum creep rate on this orientation were observed in both composites. Stress sensitivity parameters of the minimum creep rate and the time to rupture do not probably depend on the orientation of acting stress to planar fibre distribution in the composites. A specific form of the creep rupture pattern of specimens was observed and is briefly discussed.


The glacier regions were extracted from remote sensing of 1972,1989,2000,2011a in southern Altai Mountains by using automatic extraction of computer and manual interpretation.Glacier properties were updated refer to World Glacier Inventory(WGI),based on which we completed the part of glacier inventory in Mongolia,analyzed the glacier,temperature and precipitation information in different times.The results show that the glaciers in southern Altai decreased by 304.88 km2 or 48.1%(1.2%/a) from 1972 to 2011;Small-scale glaciers are more sensitive to the climate change;Glaciers on S,NE,E,N aspects retreated faster than those on the W,SW,SE,NW aspects;Analysis of monthly global gridded high resolution station data from University of Delaware indicates that air temperature in Southern Altai has increased significantly;The variation of precipitation showed a significant increase from 1972 to 1987,after which the precipitation fluctuations tended to be stable.Combination of water and heat in the study area is the main factor of the glacier retreating.


Education is a set of processes designed to transmit knowledge, skills and values to develop individual mental ability. In this regard, it is viewed as the gateway to social and economic advancement. As a strategy to achieve this social and economic development, the Kenyan government introduced the free primary education that saw the primary and secondary schools flooding with students. As a result, form four leavers who can neither be admitted in the public universities nor afford to privately sponsor themselves in either private or public universities have been on the increase. This scenario has prompted them to join affordable middle level colleges. With the ever increasing number of high school leavers, entrepreneurs have set to invest in the education sector by establishing numerous colleges across the country and Eldoret town is no exception.  Uncontrolled increase in the number of middle level colleges and a shortage of qualified lecturers is undermining the quality of higher education in Kenya. As a result, this study aims at investigating the impact of these colleges on the quality of education. As a concern, the government through its various bodies in charge of education should take swift measures to ensure that; while it provides adequate education for its citizens, this trend does not compromise the quality of education offered. Therefore, throughout the process of educational development and technology, the major element that should be considered is the quality of education standards. Keywords: Eldoret, Hospitality, Training, Tourism, Quality


A 37 year old Indian man, resident in England for 11 years, gave a four year history of intermittent cough, wheeze, and breathlessness. At the onset of his illness asthma had been diagnosed and bronchodilators prescribed. He had never smoked. Referral to a chest clinic was prompted by worsening symptoms for four months, accompanied by sweating and weight loss of 6-5 kg. On examination he looked well but he had a persistent dry cough. There was diminished chest expansion, and auscultation revealed generalised expiratory wheeze as well as many late inspiratory bilateral basal and mid zone crackles. Detailed questioning established that his symptoms had originally started one month after a holiday in north west India. The chest radiograph showed 2-4 mm nodules in the mid and lower zones superimposed on a background of hazy shadowing (fig 1). Simple spirometry indicated a restrictive ventilatory defect: FEV, was 1-1 litres (37% of predicted), forced vital capacity (FVC) 1-35 1(34% of predicted) and FEV,/FVC ratio 81 %. Total lung capacity (TLC) was reduced at 2-3 1 (41% of predicted) and gas transfer was impaired (TLCO = 16-7 ml min-' mm Hg-' (5.6 mmol min-' kPa-'); 56% of predicted). The total peripheral white blood count was 11-8 x 109 1, with 66% eosinophils. The filarial fluorescent antibody titre was very high at 1/512. Total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) was considerably raised at 5700 U/ml (mean normal 122 U/ ml). Stool examinations for parasites and blood film examinations for filariae (including nocturnal samples) gave negative results. Skinprick tests for common allergens, including Aspergillus fumigatus, all gave negative results; and precipitins against Aspergillus were not detected in the serum. After these investigations tropical pulmonary eosinophilia was diagnosed and diethylcarbamazine (total dose 11-4 g over 25 days) was added to the patient's preexisting regimen of salbutamol and beclomethasone inhaled from pressurised aerosols. Within a week of starting this treatment his cough and breathlessness had improved and his peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) rose simultaneously (fig 2). Oral aminophylline (225 mg twice daily) was added to his treatment in an attempt to minimise early morning dips in PEFR. The chest radiograph had cleared by eight weeks. Repeat lung function tests at this time showed appreciable improvement: FEV, was 2-0 1 (67% of predicted), FVC 2-4 1 (60% of predicted), TLC 3-3 1 (59% of predicted), and Thco 23-2 ml min' mmHg-1(7-8 mmol min' kPa'; 78% of predicted). The absolute eosinophil count fell to


Cereal head blight, caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a major disease problem. The pathogen is able to spread spores across large distances within crops. For plot experiments in the field with artificial inoculation, it has to be considered whether individual treatments can be efficiently separated from each other by isolation strips. In a 2-years field experiment with wheat performed in south Germany, strips of different width (2, 4, 8 m) were planted with tall-growing winter rape cultivars. They separated wheat plots artificially inoculated with F. graminearum-infected oat grains from non-inoculated wheat test plots. Disease incidence (% infected ears) and severity (infected spikelets per infected ear) were investigated on the basis of plot scores and detailed observations of individual ears. The positive correlation between disease incidence and severity was only moderate. Thus, both traits supply supplemental information about the infection level. The assessment of cereal Fusarium infections can be seriously obstructed by similar visual symptoms due to contemporary infections with other diseases. The isolation strips did significantly reduce the infection on test plots. The isolation effect improved slightly with increasing strip width, but infection was not completely eliminated even with 8 m wide strips. In conclusion, adequate field experiments need a properly randomized design and a sufficient number of replicates.


The present work focuses on the electrochemical behaviour of Al6061 alloy and Al6061-TiB2 in-situ metal matrix composites. Al6061-TiB2 in-situ Composites were synthesized by a stir casting route at a temperature of 860°C using potassium hexafluorotitanate (K2TiF6) and potassium tetrafluoroborate (KBF4) halide salts. Percentage of TiB2 was kept at 0 wt% and 10wt%. The cast Al6061 alloy and Al6061-TiB2 composites (0wt% &10wt %) were subjected to open die hot forging process at a temperature of 500°C. Both cast and forged Al6061 alloy and its composites were subjected to micro-structural and electrochemical characterization. Corrosion behaviour of alloy and composites in both cast and forged conditions were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the results were backed up by a potentiodynamic polarization test. Results indicate that addition of TiB2 particles increases the corrosion rate and reduces the polarization resistance of aluminium alloy in both cast and forged condition owing to galvanic coupling between the reinforcements and base metal. Further, when compared with cast alloy and its composites, forged alloy and its composites exhibited poor corrosion resistance under identical test conditions.


Athens International Airport, which is a modern facility that opened in 2001, will face a monumental challenge in August and September 2004, when it must service the arriving and departing crowds for the Olympic and Paralympic Games being held in Athens. Every aspect of the airport's operation and infrastructure was designed to meet the demands of modern aviation. The airport offers 100% hold baggage screening, access to 24-hour operation using two independent runways allowing parallel takeoffs and landings, and efficient transfers. Planning for the Olympics is focused primarily on the capability of the airport's services to accommodate the expected demand during peak periods. In view of the projected increase in passenger volumes, terminal facility projects were undertaken to speed the check-in process, provide dynamic and enriched flight information, and create new spaces within the terminal. Up to 70 additional aircraft parking positions will be made available to allow optimum use of the airport's apron capacity during scheduled traffic peaks. A dedicated general aviation terminal has been designed to allow general aviation visitors privacy and security. Specifically for the Olympic Games, the capacity of security services, both in terms of staff and equipment, has been increased. Olympic visitors will also benefit from the airport's state-of-the-art technology, increased cargo handling facilities (including for Olympic horses), access to the terminal railway station, and new retail facilities. Adjustments to the physical facilities and staff training will be put into place to accommodate the needs of visitors to the Paralympic Games.


Electrical activity of the esophageal muscle in dog was studied with a view in elucidating the nature of nervous innervation.In resting phase esophageal muscle was kept quiescent and no muscle activity could be recorded. To obtain action potential by direct stimulation more intensive stimulus was required than the other skeretal muscles in the neck. The muscle responses induced by stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve had variable time delay ranged from 2 to 10 msec. These results might be the consequence of either variable fiber size contained in the efferent nerve or mode of distribution of the endplate in the muscles.A reflex response in the esophageal muscle was evoked by stimulation of the internal superior laryngeal nerve. A response was a asynchronous type with a latency of about 20 msec.A relatively long latency and the repetitive nature of the discharge indicated that a response should be a polysynaptic reflex.Sometimes stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve evoked, besides a direct response from the muscle, a secondary response of considerably lower amplitude after an interval of about 20 msec.The origin and nature of a secondary response were discussed.


A carbon fiber reinforced structure and method of construction, technical field belongs seismic reinforcement, including the original masonry walls, floor and prefabricated circular carbon fiber sheet member, the carbon fiber sheet member includes an intermediate carbon fiber rods and expand Vera and pasting regions across the region. Wherein after forming the carbon fiber bar with CFRP Vera roll dipped after curing, by drilling masonry wall on the original carbon fiber or the ring beam through rod Villa, which is exposed to both sides of the expanded region and pasting regions are attached to the wiping angle Expand bevel region and a lower circular prefabricated floor surface, through a long carbon fiber and paste in the paste Weigai Bu carbon fiber sheet area to ensure that a solid paste. The present invention because of its strong tensile strength carbon fiber, attached to the concrete surface technology is mature and reliable, construction, inspection regulations to follow, and construction features simple and quick, and low cost technology has contributed to the broad application prospects.


Parabolic trough power plant technology is one of the most demonstrated solar power options commercially available. While trough power plants are the least expensive solar option, cost of electricity still exceeds that needed to directly compete with conventional fossil-fired large-scale central power technologies. Several evaluations have been done that identify a series of mechanisms for significant cost reduction over the next decade. One of the opportunities for improving the economics of parabolic trough plants is the development of lower cost and more efficient thermal energy storage (TES) technologies. This paper focuses on several of the TES technologies currently under development, namely: the use of an indirect molten-salt storage system, the use of molten-salt as a heat transfer fluid in the solar field and thermal energy storage system, and the development of new types of storage fluids. The assessment compares the cost and performance of these candidate thermal energy storage technologies by evaluating their impact on the levelized cost of electricity from the plant. This analysis is updated based on work conducted on these technologies during the last year.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of nonlinear disutility of travel delays on route guidance, both from the standpoint of assessing the social benefits of successful route guidance to avoid traffic delays, and from the standpoint of traffic management strategies for traffic diversion from confirmed incidents.


The development of robust non-invasive laboratory screening methods for early diagnosis on the out-patient basis seems quite relevant for practical medicine. It is known, that platelet is an original biosensor, a detector of early changes in hemostasis condition. The aim of this study was to assess a potential of the quantitative phase imaging (QPI) technique for real time evaluation the influence of low-molecular weight and unfractionated heparin on platelets in patients with the end-stage of chronic renal failure, who were treated with program hemodialysis (PHD). The main group consisted of 21 patients who were administered a low-molecular weight heparin for hypocoagulation during the procedure of hemodialysis. The control group (15 patients) received unfractionated heparin. Morphodensitometric state of living platelets we evaluated by QPI using computer phase-interference microscope MIM (Moscow, Russia). We analyzed the optical–geometrical parameters and the morphological features of living platelets which reflected the degree of their activation at the beginning of PHD (before administration of heparin), in 15 minutes after it and at the end of the procedure. The results allow us to conclude that the use of low-molecular weight heparin provides better ratio of efficacy/safety and causes a reduction of the platelet activation during the hemodialysis procedure. Practical implementation of QPI for clinical monitoring of platelets makes it possible to obtain important information on hemostasis cell. It opens new opportunities to assess the efficacy of treatment, as well as for early diagnosis of complications for disease.


A White House document browser is designed and implemented using a hypertext markup language, HTML, that allows the application to be viewed with a World Wide Web document browser. An extension to the standard HTML specification that supports multiple pages within a document node, as well as the logic control of text elements, is implemented by modifying NCSA Mosaic, a WWW browser. The new features provide a powerful means for extending the static and sequential view of a document, enabling the Mosaic browser to support highly interactive documents such as adaptive survey forms. This capability is especially useful in distributing survey forms targeted at a wide range of users in which the user's response to previous questions are used to determine the presentation of subsequent questions. This effort represents an attempt to achieve higher user interaction within the traditional document model. Thesis Supervisor: Professor Randall Davis Title: Associate Director, MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory


Sleep plays a vital role in good health, growth and wellbeing. Sleep disorders manifest with disturbance in quantity and quality of sleep. The American Academy for Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep every day, while recommending 810 hours for adolescents aged 13-18 years, 9-12 hours for children aged 6-12 years, 10-13 hours for preschoolers aged 3-5 years, 11-14 hours for toddlers aged 1-2 years. Other standard recommendations for adequate quantity of sleep duration have been recommended by National sleep foundation of the United States and by the 24 hour Movement guidelines of Canada. The World Health Organization (WHO) has given recommendations on adequate duration of sleep as 10-13 hours between 3-5 years of age.


We present the generalization of the method of zeta function regularization for operators with continuous spectra where one cannot interchange the order of integration and limit processes. A sample calculation is presented.


Abstract : The purpose of the present research was to inform training developers of the instructional approaches that are most effective in achieving cognitive skill proficiency for problem-based, decision-making/analyzing tasks. Prototype training modules were developed and used in experiments to determine the effects of three different instructional approaches [inquiry-based learning (IBL), direct instruction (DI), and the Invention Framework (IF)] on student outcomes. However, due to the small sample sizes across the three experiments, the results of this research should be considered a pilot effort. Therefore, the contribution of the research is best reflected in the reporting of the instructional design and methodology of each approach as well as an indication of the advantages and disadvantages of using these approaches for US Army training. Further research is needed to determine the validity of the approaches for training a range of tasks under various training and transfer conditions. Future research should draw from the training presented here and develop additional exemplars of each approach that can be further demonstrated and evaluated. The software for the IF approach and full slide packets for the DI and IBL approaches are freely available by contacting the first author of this report at the above address.


The first total synthesis of (+)-13-hydroxy-8 (14)-abietene was accomplished in 20.1%yield via a strategy of AC→ABC, in which the reduction of compound 5 with Li/NH3 gave the key intermediate 6 and the title compound was then obtained by the reaction of compound 6 with Grignard reagent.


The invention relates to a water-based hyperbranched polymer for inhibiting hexavalent chromium in leather to generate a chrome tanning agent and a synthetic method thereof, and particularly relates to a water-based hyperbranched polymer with good coordination ability on trivalent chromium, and a preparation method thereof. Aiming at the problem that the requirements on total hexavalent chromium content in product leather in the leather industry at present is increasingly harsh while the level of the existing related technique is limited, the invention provides a water-based hyperbranched polymer which is good in coordination ability and contains a lot of functional end groups. Free chromium in the leather is greatly reduced by efficient coordination with trivalent chromic ions, so that formation of the hexavalent chromium in the leather is prevented fundamentally. The water-based hyperbranched polymer is synthetized by using a polyfunctional monomer through melt polymerization or solution polymerization, has the advantages of low in cost, and simple and convenient in method, and is very easy to achieve industrial production, and raw materials are easily available.


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the tensile strength of  Poly methyl methacrylate denture base material before and after addition of various concentrations of Nano- Zirconia. Study design: Experimental study, Laboratory based. Materials and Methods: 60 Dumb bell shaped specimens were prepared from heat polymerized acrylic resins and were divided into six groups. (n=10). Zirconia nanoparticles size and shape was observed under TEM. Zirconia nanoparticles surfaces were treated with silane coupling agent and was observed under Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy FTIR. Nano Zirconia particles were not added in the control group while test groups were reinforced with 1%,3%,7%,10%,12% Nano Zirconia. Tensile strength test was applied with the help of Tensile testing machine.  With the help of Scanning electron microscopy fractured specimens were observed. 1-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis and paired sample t-test for multiple comparison was applied using IBM-SPSS 20 (p<--0.05). Results: Groups in which zirconium oxide nanoparticles are added exhibited an increase in tensile strength i.e 1%NZ, 3%NZ, 7%NZ, 10%NZ and 12%NZ by 45.67MPa, 51.59MPa, 55.77MPa, 59.69MPa and 67.70MPa compared with that of control group 49,67MPa respectively. Conclusion: Zirconium oxide nanoparticles that are added  to PMMA denture base material increases its tensile forte.


In this paper the problem of the selection of independent variables in regression model was considered. The stepwise procedure which is probably the most popular of variable selection methods and has been implemented in all the major statistical software packages, was analyzed. As the illustration of the stepwise regression there were used real agro-economic data related to the most relevant factors of the social agriculture of Serbia. The obtained results confirmed the use of stepwise regression as the variable selection procedure. In this paper it was also pointed at the advantages and the defaults of the stepwise procedure.


Much attention has been paid to leftover children's education.The survey shows that leftover children in mountain areas in southwest of Zhejiang province are lack of,instructions in studies,counseling in psychology,assistances in lives,caring and comforts from parents.Influencing factors mainly include the parents' thoughts,vacuum of efforts from schools and society,and raising ways of grandparents.The research group raises countermeasures,i.e.to help rural schools play an arterial role on leftover children's education;to strengthen care consciousness and education responsibilities of the leftover children families,to establish education and guardianship systems for leftover children in rural communities,and to strengthen government's responsibilities on public education.


the build of "Rural Library" is a major project of the construction of China's public cultural services.Public libraries,as the knowledge and information centers and an important part of public cultural services,should make full use of their own resources and actively cooperate with the press and publication departments,so that building "Farm Library" more reasonable and making better service for building a new socialist countryside.This article describes the development of Tongren public libraries and the "Rural Library",expounds on some problems from the build of "Rural Library" as well as the necessity and important role public libraries play in participating in the build of "Rural Library".


The historic Stonewall Inn, the very place where the spirit of LGBTQ Pride was born, is launching The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative on June 1st. The event will feature remarks by special guest Chelsea Clinton and a performance by out country music star Ty Herndon.


ABSTRACT The expansion of health insurance in emerging countries raises concerns about the unintended negative effects of health insurance on labour supply. This article examines the labour supply effects of the Health Care Fund for the Poor (HCFP) in Vietnam in terms of the number of work hours per month and labour force participation (the probability of employment). Employing various matching methods combined with a Difference-in-Differences approach on the Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys 2002–2006, we show that the HCFP, which aims to provide poor people and disadvantaged minority groups with free health insurance, has a negative effect on labour supply. This is manifested in both the average number of hours worked per month and the probability of employment, suggesting the income effect of the HCFP. Interestingly, the effects are mainly driven by the non-poor recipients living in rural areas, raising the question of the targeting strategy of the programme.


A ventilation method of down-supply up-return has grown popular in large space in recent years for comfort ventilation with low thermal load, especially in China, including gymnasium, factory space, and exhibition hall, etc. The undisturbed flow pattern in the space gives a gradient in temperature, and the vertical thermal stratification appears markedly in large space. The object for this paper is to understand the behaviour of an under floor air distribution system in a ventilated space. The thermal stratification characteristics in a real UFAD experimental space were measured. The effects of different supply conditions on the thermal stratification characteristics are investigated based on the experimental results. The relations between space air stratification and the control parameter is predicted. It can be indicated that there are 4 zones composing the vertical thermal stratification. And different zone has different control parameter.


In 1909, five years after Emile Galle's death and five years before Europe embarked on its bloodiest war ever, the town of Nancy then only forty kilometres away from the border with Germany hosted what was to prove an amazingly successful international exhibition: L'Exposition Internationale de l'Est de la France. This was to demonstrate to the world that the region had recovered from the painful loss of Alsace and Eastern Lorraine in 1870 and could now take pride, through the flourishing of both Industry and Art, in its booming economy and sophisticated culture. This paper will examine how the exhibition came to be held and what were its objectives and main exhibits, commenting particularly on the style of the main pavilions, the debâcle surrounding the Ecole de Nancy pavilion and the relationship between art and industry. It will go on to highlight, through an examination of the ideological and allegorical discourse and the iconography surrounding the exhibition, the particular place occupied by Lorraine in the nation's self-representation. _________________________________________________________________________ Between May and October 1909, the city of Nancy lived through six months of extraordinary activity and constant celebration. L'Exposition Internationale de l'Est de la France (The International Exhibition of Eastern France) was a stupendous event for a provincial town the size of Nancy. This event came at the peak of a unique period of expansion and prosperity for the region of Lorraine, and for Nancy, a period of unique cultural achievement. After a very protracted and uncertain period of planning, the Exhibition proved a resounding success, attracting some two thousand exhibitors and well in excess of two million visitors. Its achievements were much praised at the time, before being forgotten in the bloodbath that was to follow only five years later. The Exhibition's ambitious intention was to demonstrate to the world that the region had fully recovered from the trauma of 1870 and could pride itself in its industry as much as its intellectual and artistic achievements, indeed perhaps, be an example of national regeneration, both moral and economic. One of the closing speeches presented it as 'a work of peace and culture' and 'a symbol of collaboration between Science, Art and Industry'.


The article considers intercultural interaction as the order of modern communities, and the goal of the professional educational space to develop highly efficient tools and techniques that contribute to their development is relevant and in demand. The role of the foreign language as a means of intercultural communication is undeniable. But it is not sufficient to have just speaking skills on household topics in foreign language for successful communication on professional issues. The key point in the preparation of a professional is the formation of vocabulary system in a certain area in the target language. The article covers the widespread ways of automating the development and use of terminological dictionaries in future engineers foreign language teaching. Creating automated electronic dictionaries and terminology data banks allows you to receive the necessary information about the terms and concepts referred to them with the help of computers, in other words certain specific areas or activities are displayed in a systematic form that helps extracting accurate and adequate information from comprehension of the actual information through the reading of original texts in the professional field. The analysis of literature on the creation of educational terminological dictionaries has identified features which could have pedagogical value in the future engineers foreign language teaching, for example, dictionary creator's collective activity, the aim and the result (training trilingual glossary of terms), and it can be used as a means of students' reading skills verification.


A robot for walking assistance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an upper support supporting a part ranging from a users arm to his/her armpit; a lower support disposed below the upper support, having a semicircular shape to surround a part of the users upper body, and supporting the users upper body; a linear joint made up of at least three shafts, a pressure sensor measuring the pressure applied to each of the shafts and a buffer mitigating an impact attributable to the pressure applied to each of the shafts being provided for each of the at least three shafts; and a control unit analyzing the users ambulatory state by using a pressure measurement value of the pressure sensor and controlling the lifting and lowering of the buffer based on the result of the ambulatory state analysis.


This study aims to ascertain the level of livelihood diversification and examines the socio-economic contexts of livelihood diversification in rural India. Employing data from India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II), 2011-12, an Inverse Herfindhal-Harschman Diversity Index (IHHDI) was calculated incorporating eleven income sources (livelihood strategies). In addition, the contribution of each strategy in households' total income has been calculated. Furthermore, binary logistic regression was applied to predict the households' engagement in each livelihood strategy and the likelihood of high IHHDI. Results indicate that the higher livelihood diversifications were found among the households with large size, high dependency, lower social groups, low educated, landless, marginal and small farming, and economically poor. This study also highlights the significance of diversification strategies in raising households' income. It is suggested that broadened policy support is required to promote diversification for economic development in rural India.


As useful and ubiquitous as computers have become in human activity and as innovative as people have been in inventing new uses for computers, it is not easy to think in principled ways about how new computer systems can be made more useful for human purposes. Much is left to the marketplace, user adaptations, and the fiowering of ad hoc bright ideas. Analyses of how computer systems may be integrated into acdvity are often found wandng, and when sophisdcated ethnographic or sociocultural analyses of user pracdces are available, they are not easily integrated into design thought and practice. The original essays published in Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction offer activity theory (AT) as a principled and coherent yet flexible and growing set of analytic tools to aid human-computer interaction (HCI) designers in their task of bringing machines and humans together in humanly meaningful acdvity. Traditionally, HCI has defined a sharp boundary between human and computer, a boundary marked by the interface, which has therefore become the focus of design challenges. Humans, for some task or problem, turn to the computer. Input is put in at the interface. The computer carries out its tasks, and the output is put out at the interface. Computation is calculadve and occurs within the tool between input and output. Some things may be said about the relation of human and computer thought, insofar as computation emulates apparent human processes of cognition or carries out tasks similar to those accomplished by humans; however, only in the minimal sense could you say humans and machines interact or think together, or even that the machine extends humans' ability to think. Even less might you say that machines have consciousness, despite their incorporating many self-monitoring calculations. Similarly, under traditional models of cognidon, the computer operates within its own box, oblivious to context, as long as the right temperature and humidity are maintained. Context is just another input or another representadon contained in the database. It is not a fiuid and complex unfolding that the machine reacts to and helps reconstruct dialectically through its contributions. But AT dissolves the boundary between the agent and the tool, making both a part of a consciousness that extends beyond the boundaries of a single mind and is realized in emergent socially and culturally located activity. The interface is a mediator within acdvity and not a boundary. This volume begins to explore what AT might offer to the design of computer systems. These essays point to limitations of existing approaches to HCI design; considers how these limitations


I read with great interest the E-Video publication by Silva et al., "Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle injection of alcohol for ablation of an insulinoma: a well-documented successful procedure," published in the March issue of Endoscopy [1]. The authors describe a successful endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)guided alcohol ablation of a functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) with excellent results. No adverse events occurred and glucose levels returned to normal only 2 weeks post treatment. It was therefore stated that this technique is safe and efficacious. Although we certainly share the authors' enthusiasm about this particular case, several important remarks have to be made regarding this statement. The therapeutic use of alcohol in biliopancreatic disorders has been associated with various adverse events, such as pancreatitis and secondary sclerosing cholangitis, both of which are caused by local caustic effects. In EUS-guided alcohol ablation specifically, significant rates of treatment-related pancreatitis have been reported, varying from 6% to 12.5% [2, 3]. A randomized controlled trial in 2017 compared an alcohol-free protocol with an alcohol-containing ablation protocol in EUS-guided chemotherapeutic ablation of pancreatic mucinous neoplasms. This study revealed that omitting alcohol from the ablation protocol, resulted in a significant reduction in adverse events, as all episodes of pancreatitis occurred in the alcohol-containing protocol (in 6% of patients vs. none in the alcohol-free protocol) [3]. Although one could argue that this may have negative effects on efficacy, the same trial showed that omitting alcohol from the ablation protocol did not lead to reduced complete ablation rates when used in the context of chemotherapeutic ablation. In regard to safety, it therefore seems that patients would benefit from an alcohol-free technique. Efficacy is another important problem concerning alcohol ablation of pancreatic lesions. In 2016, the largest follow-up of pNETs treated with EUS-guided alcohol ablation was published. This study, containing 11 pNETs as well as 33 serous cystic neoplasms and 9 intraductal pancreatic mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), showed that only little over half of patients with pNETs had a radiological response [4]. Despite multiple sessions in three patients, efficacy rose only discretely from 53.8% to 61.5%. Although efficacy was significantly higher amongst patients with pNETs compared to IPMNs (11%, P <0.001), a more efficient technique is desperately needed. EUS-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) might provide such effectiveness, as only very recently promising results of a prospective multicenter study were published, with 86% of treated pNETs showing resolution after 1 year of follow-up [5]. In conclusion, EUS-guided ablation of pNETs provides an important alternative to surgery. However, the suboptimal safety profile, together with relatively low complete ablation rates for alcoholcontaining protocols, suggest that alternative ablation techniques, such as EUSguided RFA, should be considered.


Recently, boron is being added to high-strength steels for boilers and turbines in order to raise creep strength. However, there are various points that are not yet fully understood with regard to the creep-strengthening mechanism of boron addition. In order to investigate the influence of boron addition on creep strength, varying the amounts of boron and nitrogen were added in 9Cr-3W-3Co-V-Nb steels tempered two different conditions and investigated. Although creep strengths of all materials converged to become similar in the low-stress region, the materials tempering at 780°C with boron addition which exhibited the lowest strength on the high-stress region is seen to have slightly greater strength on the low-stress region. In analysis of the precipitates and grain boundary of creepruptured material conducted using TEM-EDS and Auger diffraction analysis equipment, the presence of boron could not be detected.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


Objectives: To establish prevalence rates for hepatitis C antibodies in a cohort of injecting drug users and to study factors influencing positivity. To record current injecting practices. To identify the entry of hepatitis C into the cohort. To investigate the association between HCV positivity and PCR status. Design: (i) Questionnaire covering demographic data, injecting behaviour, number of sexual partners, awareness of risk behaviour, awareness of serological status and subsequent behaviour change. (ii) Second questionnaire on recent drug use and injecting practices with a strong focus on frequency of sharing paraphernalia. (iii) PCR testing on HCV positive. (iv) Retrospective testing of subgroup to determine entry of hepatitis C into the cohort. Setting: Recruitment in a large general practice in North West Edinburgh. Participants: The main study group consisted of a large cohort (619) of past or present illegal drug injectors. The first, n=95, received the questionnaire (i). If they had injected in the past month they also completed the second questionnaire (n=26). PCR testing was carried out on a subset of the group of 95, selected because they had had a recent blood test (n=33). A random group of 20 of the main cohort of 619 who had hepatitis C antibody positive tests were selected for retrospective testing. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of HCV antibodies, perceived and actual risk-taking behaviour. Antibody status of randomly selected early stored specimens. HCV PCR status. Results: Positivity was associated with age, year of first use, sharing of injecting paraphernalia, year of most sharing, as well as length of use of injected drugs. Awareness of HCV as a risk was found to be later than either HBV or HIV. No significant difference was found in numbers of sexual partners between those who were HCV positive and negative. Women and younger drug users were found to engage in more sharing of injecting paraphernalia, with women having more sharing partners. The entry of HCV into the cohort predated the early stored blood samples. No correlation was identified between length of drug use and PCR status. Conclusions: HCV is acquired early in drug injecting careers. Whether or not this is changing is unclear but attempts to educate and support need to be directed towards younger drug users and women, who are at risk. Knowledge of risks from sharing injecting paraphernalia is poor. The impact of the hepatitis C epidemic is likely to continue to escalate with cases progressing to advanced clinical stages. PCR tests could be employed to select cases for referral or treatment. The harm reduction message needs to be clarified and re-emphasised.


Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially fatal autoimmune mucocutaneous disease associated with production of IgG autoantibodies to desmoglein 3, a 130 kDa epidermal protein. To further characterize the epitope(s) of Pemphigus vulgaris antigen we established two humanhuman hybridomas by fusion of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a human and mouse heterohybridoma. These hybridomas designated as Mab Dsg3:06 and Mab Dsg-3:10 are stable in culture and demonstrated yields of monoclonal antibodies specific for Pemphigus vulgaris. Immunofluorescence, immunoblot, ELISA assays demonstrated that both the monoclonal antibodies bind to the intercellular cement substance and to 130 kDa protein present in the skin and specifically binds to recombinant desmoglein 3 protein, but not to desmoglein1 protein. The epitope mapping experiment using 12 peptides spanning the extracellular domain of Pemphigus vulgaris antigen demonstrated that both the antibodies recognized the Bos 6 peptide and are of IgG1 subclass in nature. Both the antibodies were non-pathogenic as demonstrated in vitro by their inability to produce acantholysis in normal human skin in organ culture orin vivo by the induction of disease in neonatal BALB/c mice. The relevance and value of these monoclonal antibodies in the pathogenesis of Pemphigus vulgaris is discussed.


High-frequency asymptotic electromagnetic field solution is described for a resonant antenna formed by two perfectly conducting circular disks. The double-disk resonator is excited by a vertical electric dipole located at the center of the cylindrical space between the two horizontal disks. The solution is valid for comparatively large disks (at least few wavelengths in diameter). At the same time, the separation of the disks can be arbitrary. The proposed analysis is similar to the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction and provides asymptotic formulas describing the radiated field in both the far- and near-field zones. However, the method is novel since it is based on the canonical problem of diffraction on an open end of a parallel-plate waveguide and therefore takes into account the presence of higher order guided modes travelling between the disks. The method allows calculation of the total radiated power, which has maxima at frequencies equal to real parts of resonator's complex eigenfrequencies. Obtained theoretical directivity patterns in a broad frequency range show good agreement with full-wave numerical simulation.


Effective parents show love by spending time with their young teen, showing a genuine interest in them. This 2-page Family Album Radio transcript was written by Suzanna Smith and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, July 2012.


Bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis (BDCPA) or the Glenn shunt was introduced by Azzolina et al. and is a commonly performed palliative procedure contemplated in complex cyanotic congenital heart disease of varying etiology.[1] BDCPA is characterized by an anastomosis between the superior vena cava (SVC) and the right pulmonary artery, thereby augmenting the pulmonary blood flow (PBF) without increasing the ventricular volume overload. The ongoing technical advancements and improved surgical expertise have resulted in a substantial number of BDCPA being performed on an off‐pump basis.


This chapter examines one of the last days accounted for in Hesiod's catalogue of days, the so-called triseinas (Works and Days 814–18), the correct understanding of which has been debated already in antiquity. The lack of clarity concerning the meaning of the term triseinas and the poet's comment on the frequent errors in the designation of the day are manifestations of a problem that runs throughout both poems: the distinction between truth (ἀληθέα, ἐτήτυμα) and lies/falsehoods (ψεύδεα). Besides being yet another riddle, the brief entry of the triseinas-day is intimately connected to questions of truth and naming and thus leads us back to the beginning of both the Theogony (27–8) and the Works and Days (10). Therefore, beginning with a discussion of Op. 814–18 the chapter moves into a question that is central for the understanding of Hesiod's project, namely the truth status of his poetry.


The official statistics of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has recorded that in 2017 the number of cases of human trafficking from Ukraine increased threefold (342 cases versus 115 in 2016). Such a sharp growth of the aforementioned crime was last observed in 2005 to 2006. Today, there are no administrative and territorial districts in Ukraine from which future victims of human traffickers would not be recruited. According to criminal proceedings, about 70% of human trafficking victims are residents of large Ukrainian cities. The aim of this research is to investigate current trends of human trafficking phenomenon from Ukrainian cities and villages and to present the ways how the victims fall into slavery. The revealed trends of the human trafficking from Ukraine allow us to affirm that whereas similarity of social and demographic, moral and physiological characteristics of urban and rural residents, the second ones have a higher level of risk to become a victim of human trafficking. The results obtained allow us to develop evidence-based recommendations for the human trafficking from Ukraine decreasing as from the hole country, as rural locals, in particular. The new feature in human trafficking is a negative trend that Ukraine is changing from the country in which human trafficking victims originate into the destination country for human trafficking.


Synthesis and characteristic properties of polymers P-1−P-3 are described containing the 2,3,5,6-tetraarylated pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione unit in the main chain. P-1 is prepared from 2,5-bis(4-t-butylphenyl)-3,6-bis(4′-bromophenyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (DPP1) and 9,9-di-n-hexylfluorene-2,7′-bispinacolato-boronester 3, P-2 from 2,5-bis(4′-bromo-phenyl)-3,6-bis(4-t-butylphenyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (DPP2) and 3, and P-3 from DPP1, 3, and 2,5-bis(n-hexyloxybenzene)-1,4-bispinacolatoboronester 4 via Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling. Molecular weights of the polymers are about 8000−10 000 Da. All polymers are soluble in common organic solvents such as toluene, chloroform, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and exhibit a strong fluorescence with Stokes shift up to 56 nm (P-3) and quantum yield up to 81% (P-1). Although P-1 and P-2 are isomers, their optical and electrochemical properties are very different. P-1 with a polyconjugated carbon backbone exhibi...


The present invention, biotechnology, namely for the production of pluripotent stem cells. The method umbilical - include the introduction of RNA into cells of the placenta complex, wherein, RNA has at least one sequence resulting in migration of cells into a pluripotent state. The method pluripotent cells, umbilical cord has not acquired somatic mutations still - from the cells of the placenta complex make it possible to efficiently produce, thereby tumorigenesis and reprogrammed other negative chemical formula to reduce the results of probability.


A design of multi-rate transceiver based on RS485/RS422 was presented.The transceiver contains three selectable slew rates,which correspond to different distances.The transceiver incorporates all necessary functions such as true fail-safe,over temperature protection,hot oscillator protection,hysteresis comparator,slew-rate limitating,short-circuit current limitating,communication decode correction,EMI effects were prevented effectively and up to 256 transceivers on the bus were allowed.According to the test,the rise time are 33,663 and 2580 ns respectively at 10 Mb/s,500 kb/s,and 115 kb/s.The slew-rate fulfils the RS485/RS422.This transceiver is in large batch production now,which enlarge the application of chip RS485/RS422.


In this study, the researcher attempts to explore the influences of the environment on the major character Olive Penderghast in the Easy A movie. The objective of the study is to analyze Olive Penderghast in Easy A movie based on the structural element and to analyze the major character behavior based on the psychological approach, especially behaviorist perspective.
In analyzing Olive Penderghast the writer uses behaviorist approach and qualitative method. The object of the research is the behavior of the major character derived from Easy A movie published in 2010, directed by Will Gluck and was shot at Screen Gems studios. The data are literary data that consist of primary and secondary data. Easy A movie itself, meanwhile the secondary one includes references and materials related to the study picking up from the books or internet. The methods used for collecting data are library research and documentation. The technique of data analysis is descriptive analysis.
The result of the study reveals the life of Olive Penderghast who gets some influences from her new environment after she lied about losing her virginity to her friends. Easy A represents Will Gluck's response to the role of environment in influencing and shaping someone's behavior.


The study of vibration spectra of the triple molybdates TlM0.5Zr0.5(MoO4)2 and Tl5M0.5Zr1.5(MoO4)6 (M=Co, Mn, Ni, Mg, Zn, Cd) has found the essential difference in spectra depending on structure type of crystals. Interpretation of vibration spectra was carried out, coming from the idea of local symmetry of MoO42ion position in crystalline lattice of the studied compounds.


Beyond our Sun are many other suns within telescopic range. This essay deals with our original dual-star solar system and the Oort Cloud. It also shows how to view Stella, a star that drifted out of our dust cloud of origin. It discusses 2D vision vs. 3D vision, and more.


Abstract Televideoconferences utilize satellite broadcast technology and telephone lines to present interactive educational programs. Washington State University, in cooperation with University of Idaho, Utah State University, and Oregon State University, has produced a series of televised interactive dairy programs since fall 1988. Advantages of satellite programs over traditional efforts include the ability to reach remote clientele and to present a single program to an audience dispersed over a broad geographical area. Telephones provide direct access to speakers, thereby exposing large audiences to expertise that may not usually be available. A valuable by-product is a videotape record of the program, which further increases availability of educational programs through secondary viewing. Finally, cost of producing the program is substantially reduced on a per registrant basis over a live conference. Disadvantages include diminished and limited audience-speaker interaction, limited availability of satellite transmission receiving facilities, increased planning and program preparation efforts compared with traditional programs by increased use of high level technology, and multiple locations of remote viewing audiences. Moreover, although cost per participant is reduced, costs are substantial, and funding is difficult to raise through user fees. Motivating individuals to view teleconference programs live is a major challenge. Based on registration numbers from 1988 to 1990 in Washington, viewership declines once the novelty wears off, Potential for this program presentation method is great, and further experience is necessary to refine productions to benefit clientele further and to make maximal use of the technology.


BACKGROUND
Coronary artery bypass grafting for atherosclerotic heart disease is commonly performed throughout the world. Complications of coronary artery bypass grafting include saphenous neuralgia due to injury to the saphenous nerve during harvest of the saphenous vein. Dermatologic complications of coronary revascularization are infrequently reported and include an eruption overlying the vein donor-site scar.

OBSERVATIONS
We describe two cases of saphenous vein donor site dermatitis associated with sensory peripheral neuropathy in the distribution of the dermatitis. Histopathologic studies revealed a subacute spongiotic dermatitis. The course of the eruption was characterized by exacerbations and remissions with gradual resolution of both the dermatitis and neuropathy over a 1- to 2-year period.

CONCLUSIONS
Our cases are unique because the dermatitis developed in the area of the neurologic changes. We propose that the dermatitis may be a trophic change secondary to saphenous neuralgia.


In Weinberg's asymptotic safety approach, a finite dimensional critical surface for a UV stable fixed point generates a theory of quantum gravity with a finite number of physical parameters. We argue that, in an extension of Feynman's original formulation of the theory, we recover this fixed-point UV behavior from an exact re-arrangement of the respective perturbative series. Our results are consistent with the exact field space Wilsonian renormalization group results of Reuter {\it et al.} and with recent Hopf- algebraic Dyson-Schwinger renormalization theory results of Kreimer. We obtain the first "first principles" predictions of the dimensionless gravitational and cosmological constants and our results support the Planck scale cosmology of Bonanno and Reuter. We conclude with an estimate for the currently observed value of the cosmological constant.


Acanthasterplanci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs, by C. Birkeland andJ. S. Lucas, 385 Acidic Deposition and Aquatic Ecosystems: Regional Case Studies, ed. by D. F. Charles, 382 Adams, R. L. P., DNA Replication, 354 Affinity Membranes: Their Chemistry and Performance in Adsorptive Separation Processes, by E. Klein, 356 Agenbroad, L. D., et al. (eds.), Megafauna & Man: Discovery of America's Heartland, 405 Ahmed, F. E. (ed.), Seafood Safety, 411 Alerstam, T., Bird Migration (transl. by D. A. Christie), 404 Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History, by A. Schwartz and R. W. Henderson, 380 Anderson, W. J., Continuous-Time Markov Chains: An Applications-Oriented Approach, 419 Animal Cells, ed. by A. Doyle et al., 359 Animal Cytogenetics, by L. Christidis, Vol. 4 (Chordata 3: B. Aves), 365 Animal Models in Psychiatry, I and II, ed. by A. A. Boulton et al., 405 Applications of Cryogenic Technology, ed. by J. P. Kelley, Vol. 10, 418 Arabian Mammals: A Natural History, byJ. Kingdon, 376 Atlas of Sponge Morphology, by L. De Vos et al., 386 Axum, by L. E. Edlefsen et al., Version 1.2, software, 425


The war in Syria has entered the seventh year, with no sign of resolution. It is often referred as "the greatest human tragedy" since World War 2. Because of limited health facilities, we propose telepsychiatric interventions for the provision of mental healthcare services in Syria and in refugee camps to treat post-trauma patients.


Objective: A high number of proteins has been described in saliva. Scarce evidence allows to speculate about the variations on protein content associated with aging. The aim was to determine if there is a difference in total protein concentration between adults and older adults. Methods: Samples were collected from unstimulated and stimulated saliva of individuals from two age groups, adults (A) (n=30) (mean age 25 years) and older adults (OA) (n=30)


The fully distributed robust formation control of unmanned helicopters (UHs) with external disturbances and model uncertainty capability is investigated. In the position loop and the attitude loop, continuous fast robust controllers are proposed, and an integral filter is introduced between two loop. The stability of the whole closed-loop system is guaranteed through Lyapunov theory and input-to-state stability (ISS). Compared to the previous related works, our main contribution is that the proposed adaptive control strategy is fully distributed and scalable, which is independent any global information of the network graph and is independent of the UHs's scale and we proved the stability of the closed-loop. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the designed strategy are demonstrated by numerical simulations.


This study investigates the managerial issues and practices that are associated with IT outsourcing in the context of the Sri Lankan Financial Services Industry. This study seeks to explore the manner in which financial institutions mitigate the risks inherent in outsourcing IT functions. It attempts to understand the approaches taken by banks in particular, to circumvent such risks, as well as the problems that face those who have opted to outsource IT activities despite the risk. The contribution of this study to the research literature pertaining to risk management is the conceptual framework that is presented. This framework seeks to understand the reasons behind the decision to engage in sourcing and how such decisions are influenced by contingency variables and risk factors as well as identifying the role played by decision sponsors in deciding the scope of sourcing strategies. The research methodology was based on empirical research. Questionnaires were sent out to several financial institutions based in Sri Lanka and overseas. In the case of overseas institutions, their subsidiary institutions based in Sri Lanka were included as part of the study. The respondents needed to have enough stature to answer strategic and IT management related questions. Interviews were held with those involved in the decision making process regarding sourcing decisions. This study revealed that certain practices have hedged the risk accruing from IT outsourcing to a significant degree. This has been achieved through careful contracting, retaining skilled in-house staff, and post contract management of the vendor as well as total in sourcing or selective outsourcing of noncore periphery IT activities under short term contracts. A perusal of the data gathered revealed that the degree of risk depended on contingency variables to a significant degree. Keywords: Financial Services Industry, Insuring, Risk Management, Selective Outsourcing, Service-level Agreements For full Paper: email@example.com


Power efficiency of multi-source integrated energy harvesting (EH), storage, and delivery is a fundamental requirement of emerging energy autonomous internet-of-thing (IoT) and internet-of-everything (IoE) devices. To make these energy autonomous devices practical, an enhanced, universal power management integrated circuit (PMIC) needs to be developed for efficiently controlling power on-chip. Currently, there exists no universal power manager (UPM) that seamlessly interfaces to DC and/or AC EH sources. The state of the art viable PMICs delivered by industry rely primarily on the following approach: for an unregulated DC source a DC/DC power manager is adopted whereas for an AC source, a front-end rectifier is inserted. This reduces efficiency and enhances distortion, requiring additional filtering.


This study was undertaken through a review of the British and international research evidence on the social impacts of gambling and casinos. It also analysed fresh data from the 1999 Prevalence Survey of gambling in Great Britain to investigate patterns of gambling behaviour in Scotland.


Objective: To study the repair outcome of chitosan nerve conduits immobilized with NGF by genipin crosslinking.Methods: Chitosan nerve conduits immobilized with NGF were used to bridge 10-mm sciatic nerve defects in rats(experiment group,n=5) and a non-grafted group as the negative control(gap group,n=5).Six months after the surgery,electrophysiological assessments and morphological analyses were performed on both the regenerated nerves and the target muscles.Results: Six months after the surgery,compound muscle action potentials(CMAPs) were detected in all the animals of the experimental group but not in the gap group.Immunohistochemistry of NF-200 protein staining showed that regenerated nerve fibers were densely distributed in the mid-conduit in the experimental group.Masson trichrome staining revealed that the gastrocnemius muscle showed no remarkable atrophy and no obvious hyperplasia of collagen fibers in the experimental group in contrast to typical atrophy and hyperplasia of collagen fibers in the gap group.Conclusion: Six months after the surgery,the 10-mm sciatic nerve defect was well repaired by chitosan nerve conduits immobilized with NGF by genipin crosslinking.


IκB kinase-1 and IκB kinase-2 (IKK1 and IKK2; also called IKKα and IKKβ, respectively) are part of the signal complex that regulates NF-κB activity in many cell types, including fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). We determined which of these two kinases is responsible for cytokine-induced NF-κB activation in synoviocytes and assessed the functional consequences of IKK1 or IKK2 overexpression and inhibition. FLS were infected with adenovirus constructs encoding either wild-type (wt) IKK1 or IKK2, the dominant negative (dn) mutant of both kinases, or a control construct encoding green fluorescence protein. Analysis of the NF-κB pathway revealed that cytokine-induced IKK activation, IκB degradation, and NF-κB activation was prevented in cells expressing the IKK2 dn mutant, whereas baseline NF-κB activity was increased by IKK2 wt. In addition, synthesis of IL-6 and IL-8, as well as expression of ICAM-1 and collagenase, was only increased by IKK2 wt, and their cytokine-induced production was abrogated by IKK2 dn mutant. However, the IKK1 dn mutant did not inhibit cytokine-mediated activation of NF-κB or any of the functional assays. These data indicate that IKK2 is the key convergence pathway for cytokine-induced NF-κB activation. Furthermore, IKK2 regulates adhesion molecule, matrix metalloproteinase, and cytokine production in FLS.


Objective: To evaluate the efficacy safety and toxicity of penehyclidime hydrochloride in treatment of organic phosphorus poisoning. Methods: 17 cases patients with acute organic phosphorus poisoning were treated with penehyclidime hydrochloride in doses of 1-21 mg. Results: A total effective rate 100%was obtained with a tolerable side effect. The cure time was 18 hours~18 days, average 4.1 days. Conclusion: It is suggested by the result that Penehyclidime hydrochloride is a safe, highly effective, low toxicity anticholines agent in treatment of organic phosphorus poisoning.


This Internet book aims to help school media specialists, teachers, parents and home-schoolers get children learning online. It teaches educators how to navigate the Net - and provides sample lesson plans that will enable children to learn too. It also contains a guide to the best educational and recreational Internet resources for kids, including information on: setting up international pen pal programmes; finding out about children's book authors and illustrators and even writing to them online; making virtual field trips to museums; using Net information (demographics, geography, etc.) to design and develop maps; and sharing interests (like chess, music, or reading) with peers through discussion groups. The book assumes no prior technical knowledge, and walks readers through many details of teaching children how to connect with the Internet. Screen captures of actual online sessions that can be copied for use in classroom presentations complete this guide that is useful for anyone with an Internet connection who works with children.


The layered LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode material for Li-ion batteries was synthesized by high temperature solid-state method. XRD,ICP,SEM and electrochemical measurements were used to characterize the structure,composition,appearance and electrochemical performances of the product. The XRD result showed that the as-prepared LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 could be indexed by a hexagonal α-NaFeO2 layered structure. The SEM images showed that the particle size was about 500 nm with narrow particle size distribution. The initial discharge capacity was 170 mAh·g-1 at a current density of 20 mA·g-1 between 2.8~4.4 V and the discharge capacity retention was 85.3% after 40 cycles. When graphite was further added into the conductive agent,the discharge capacity reached 179 mAh·g-1 and the capacity retention reached 89.6% after 50 cycles. The capacity degradation mainly occurred during the initial 10 cycles. XRD and SEM results showed that the capacity degradation was caused by the co-effect of structure change and interface reaction.


After exploring the exquisite ideas and 35 projects showcased in this one of a kind jewelry collection, you'll never look at found items the same way again.


It has long been recognized that the detection and avoidance of Clear Air Turbulence can benefit both military and civilian airfleet operations in terms of passenger safety and comfort, as well as economic and mission performance. Among a variety of lidar systems under development, we are currently constructing a 2 μm Q-switched Tm,Ho:YLF laser transmitter/coherent receiver system specifically designed for CAT detection. Within this program, goal detection ranges are up to 20 km with real-time data update rates. This leads to a performance specification for the 2-μm laser system of 5 mJ at a repetition rate of 200 Hz with a 200 ns pulse duration. Towards this goal, we have recently demonstrated efficient operation of a Tm,Ho:YLF laser pumped by a 20-W fiber coupled CW laser diode array. We have obtained ~6 mJ of Q-switched pulse energy at repetition rates of 50 - 200 Hz and over 3 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate. In CW operation we have obtained over 4.5 W of power. In all cases the lasing mode was TEM00.


This paper presents an experimental investigation of flexural behavior of hybrid composite beams with glass fiber reinforced plastics box skins, a polyurethane foam core, a bamboo layer, and lattice ribs. The bamboo layer was placed on the top of a wrapped polyurethane foam core. The lattice ribs were distributed along the longitudinal direction of the beam. Four beams, involving a control specimen, were loaded in four-point bending to validate the effectiveness of the bamboo layer and lattice ribs for increasing the ultimate bending strength of the hybrid composite beams. Compared to the control specimen, a maximum of an approximately 85% increase in the ultimate bending strength can be achieved. The beam with bamboo layer reinforcement and without lattice ribs exhibits the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio, while the beam with both bamboo layer and lattice ribs exhibits the highest strength-to-weight ratio. Meanwhile, various failure modes were summarized, including compressive and crushing failures. Finally, an analytical model to predict the bending stiffness and ultimate bending strength of the hybrid composite beams was proposed. Furthermore, the analytical results were agreed well with test results.


79 One of the more controversial issues within the world of physician assistant (PA) education over the past several years has been the "degree issue"—the question of the appropriate academic degree to be awarded by entry-level PA programs. Debate on whether or not the master's degree is the optimal academic credential for completion of a PA educational program has dominated discussion at recent PA meetings. In 1998, APAP formed a task force to study the issue. This group's final report in 2001, recommending that PA program award the master's degree, was a landmark determination in the history of PA education.1 While controversy initially surrounded the report, the issue now seems to be largely resolved, with at least half of the now 134 accredited PA programs awarding the master's and many others either planning to or providing an option for it. The effect this will have on PA education remains to be seen. What we are left with is a great deal of variability in PA program characteristics, not only in the type of degree awarded, but in a wide range of other attributes such as type of sponsoring institution, program length, and program size. Questions have been raised as to which types of program characteristics may be regarded as optimal. It is very difficult to compare PA educational programs and their performance efficiency because comparative studies have not been done and the programs are always adjusting the curriculum to meet the changing nature of medicine. However, one measure that has become common to all is the performance of graduates on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). While this index is troublesome to some, the PANCE has become a primary de facto measure of PA program effectiveness. PANCE scores are now used to assess the general overall effectiveness of a PA program, and reporting of PANCE scores is required for application to the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of Physician Assistants and on federal grant applications. PA educational programs in promotional literature often tout the percentage of their graduates who passed the PANCE examination. With the emergence of the PANCE as a form of universal yardstick of PA program performance, the question is legitimately posed as to whether or not master's-prepared PA graduates perform differently than non-master's–prepared graduates on this examination. In this issue of Perspective, Hooker, Hess, and Cipher argue that they do not. In a carefully analyzed set of data looking at variability factors among PANCE scores from all first-time examinees who took the test between 1997 and 2001, they found that the type of degree awarded (master's versus non-master's), as well as a variety of other PA program attributes—including type of institution, class size, program duration, and program tuition—appears not to correlate with PANCE scores. This study was performed with input from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and examined more than 18,000 PANCE scores, employing sophisticated statistical methods to sensitively detect factors that might explained the variability of examinee PANCE performance. Their study makes an important contribution to our growing understanding of PA educational program effectiveness.2 The current study is an important milestone because research up to this time had suggested that there might be program-level factors related to better graduate performance on the PANCE. Oakes and colleagues compared student attributes and PANCE scores and found that higher scores in the first and third trimester of a military PA program predicted higher PANCE scores.3 McDowell and colleagues found that PA graduates with master's degrees had higher-than-average pass rates core scores, primary care scores, and clinical skill scores on the PANCE. They also found that students educated by PA programs where the accreditation status had been granted for the maximum period (signaling no concerns by the accreditation agency) performed significantly higher on the clinical skills portion of the PANCE.4 One interest in the Hooker study was the absolute difference in the mean PANCE test scores when the data were stratified according to institutional Ed i to r i a l


In the field of topic detection and tracking,since topics develop dynamically,topic excursion problem may appear in the tracking process.To overcome this problem and the shortcomings of current adaptive methods,we propose a new adaptive method based on feedback learning.Based on the idea of increment learning,the paper presents a new algorithm for the adaptive learning mechanism in the task of topic tracking.This algorithm can solve the problem of topic excursion,and remedy the deficiency of current adaptive methods.Time sequence of topic tracking task is also considered in the algorithm,and time information is introduced.In the experiments,we use the Chinese part in TDT4 corpus as test corpus,and use the TDT2004 evaluation metric to evaluate the adaptive Chinese topic tracking system based on feedback learning.The experimental results show that the adaptive method based on feedback learning can improve the performance of topic tracking.