This study is driven by the need to improve the oxide reliability of a memory cell. The effects of dynamic high electric field stressing on thin oxide have been studied. Difference between time to breakdown with static stress and dynamic stress has been shown. Trapped charge in interface states under dynamic and static oxide field stress has been investigated with quasi-static capacitance voltage measurement. The duty cycle of the dynamic stress has an important effect on the oxide lifetime. This duty cycle effect is also impacted by the electric field. Interface Hydrogen Released model have been studied to understand relaxation phenomena. Real use stress conditions show an important gain on lifetime.


This paper presents a cryptographic protocol for the authenticated dictionary, namely, an untrusted directory provides a verifiable answer to a membership query for a given element. In our protocol, a user is able to retrieve whether or not a target element belongs to a database that the directory has without revealing which element he/she wishes to know against the untrusted directory. Our protocol requires linear exponentiations to the number of elements in the database, but achieves a constant size communication complexity between a user and a directory. The privacy of query is assured under the Φ-hiding assumption introduced by Cachin.


Effects of horn geometry on the atomization characteristics of an ultrasonic fuel injector using a micro nozzle array were investigated experimentally. Micro nozzles whose exit diameter d=3μm are mounted on a thin metal film. The number of the micro nozzles is from 2.0×104 to 1.2×105. Using an ultrasonic oscillator, gasoline is periodically pushed out from the micro nozzles at a frequency from 62 to 65 kHz. A disk type PZT is used as an ultrasonic oscillator, and the oscillation is amplified using a step-type horn. The input voltage to the PZT is varied from 0 to 200 V. To increase the fuel flow rate, the horn small end diameter Ds is increased from 10.5 to 25 mm, while the large end diameter is fixed at 30 mm. To prevent forming a liquid film on the micro nozzle array, gutters are machined on the small end of the horn. It is shown that the SMD (Sauter mean diameter) of the spray is almost uniform around 10 to 14μm, regardless of the horn small end diameter. The fuel flow rate increases, at the maximum, 2.8 times larger when compared to the original horn geometry.


In this article modern development trends in the world patent market are examined on the basis of data on issuing patents, the role of Russia in the global patent activity is assessed. Homogeneous groups of countries by indicators of patent and scientific activity are allocated using multivariate classification. Forecast of patenting inventions by the world's leading patent offices and Rospatent that allowed to assess prospects and main development directions of the world patent market is developed.


Alpha-autoradiography technique (by using a total of 48 plastic samples, 28 of CR-39 and 20 of LR-115 nuclear track detectors) was applied for the estimation of the concentration of uranium, thorium, and alpha-emitting members of their series in four types of ores (cassetrite, chromite, galena, and pyrite) from different locations of the Eastern Desert in Egypt. Effective radium contents and radon emanation coefficients for two of these rocks (galena and pyrite) were also determined. Also the calculation of gamma ray exposure dose rates from these four ores arising from 22fiRa and its daughters were calculated for four different locations.


Weddings and pornography are cultural performances. This essay analyzes these performances, not as cultural opposites, but as mirror doubles, complementary and necessary to each other to solidify social organization through control of sex. Their complementarity emerges from the nexus of church, public performance, and state as both weddings and pornography make, fake, and break cultural insiders and outsiders, norms for sexual and social behavior, and frames of belief and play. This essay then examines the term "performance" as utilized by various camps in the pornography debates as a means to condemn, embrace, or erase sex in the material practices and discourses of pornography. Ultimately, sex is the sine qua non of both weddings and pornography, and its performance, whether socially sanctioned or culturally condemned, creates and maintains order through control of sex. Against this necessary backdrop of control, performance is always imbued with transformative possibilities, for it both maintains the c...


The objects and subjects of Passenger-Dedicated Lines(PDL) train operation adjustment become more complicated at the period of Passenger-Dedicated Lines(PDL) ,researching high efficient operation adjustment measure to avoid delay propagation is becoming a focus of PDL transportation organization.Aiming at this problem,this paper analyzes PDL train operation adjustment model,constructs the mathematical model of PDL train operation adjustment,proposes train operation adjustment model based on chaos-improved GA,and designs chaotic mutation operator.At last,an experimental example about Zheng-Xi PDL is constructed,the experimental result demonstrates that the improved algorithm can acquire a better optimal ability than SGA,and the improved adjustment model is feasible.


Objectives: to identify the nursing practice in a humanized way together with admitted patients; to check the factors preventing the humanized care by the nursing; to assess the understanding of admitted patients on the care provided by nursing professionals. Methodology: this is an exploratory study with quantitative and qualitative approach, which made use of a form of interview during the data collection with 30 inmates, in a public hospital in Joao Pessoa/PB, Brazilian Northeast. The sociodemographic data were analyzed in light of simple statistics and presented descriptively with percentages and absolute numbers, while the qualitative approach was coded in five categories. The research project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee, under the Protocol 248/04. Results: most of the surveyed patients were satisfied with the care, but others reported being dissatisfied due to difficulties of human resources, which brought them damages during care procedures. Conclusion: Before the reports, it was identified that hospital's professionals have practiced the humanization of nursing care alongside admitted patients. Descriptors: Nursing Team; Humanization of Care; Hospital.


The worsening of problems in today's general education schools in recent years requires a radical revision of attitudes toward education in general and toward the schools in particular. The findings of various all-union and all-Russian as well as regional congresses and conferences show that any progress in education is linked, in most cases, to the creation of the kind of new conception of education in which the developing personality occupies the central place. It is owing to this fact that increasingly greater urgency attaches to specific tasks of incorporating a school psychology service in the system of education.


The invention discloses an environment-friendly modular high-quality gravel working station and a control method thereof, relates to the technical field of production of gravels, and solves the technical problems of improvement of the operation efficiency and the discharge quality. The working station comprises a support frame, an elevator, an impact crusher, a first-grade impact crusher, and a vibration screen and a separation box mounted on the support frame, and a first-grade vibration feeder, a second-grade vibration feeder, a jaw crusher, a conical crusher and a station side vibration feeder connected in sequence; a fine material outlet of the station side vibration feeder is connected to a feed port of the first-grade impact crusher; a thick material outlet of the station side vibration feeder is connected to a feed port of the impact crusher; discharge ports of the impact crusher and the first-grade impact crusher are connected to a feed port of the elevator; a discharge port of the elevator is connected to a feed port of the vibration screen; multiple bins are arranged in the separation box; and feed ports of all the bins are in butt joint with discharge ends of all discharge channels of the vibration screen one to one. The working station, provided by the invention, is suitable for gravel production.


A hybrid VOF and PIC multi-material interface treatment method for Eulerian method is presented in this study in order to solve the problem that the Eulerian method is not robust enough to treat the dynamic fracture of material. This treatment method is used in the important computational region such as the material interface,large deformation region and fracture region where more particles are added for calculation,while the continuous transport method is used in the other regions. Through this method,a series of penetration problems such as blunt projectile penetration into the steel target and steel projectile penetration into concert target are numerically simulated. The comparison of the numerical result and experimental result shows that the hybrid algorithm can effectively track the deformation in the process of penetration and also insure precision and efficiency.


The article considers thermal balance of the methane tank in the biogas digester, as well as the computation methods of its components and the derived results.
Formulae determining the daily losses and expenditures of heat energy in a methane tank have been proposed. They can be used for the development and design of biogas plants with positive energy balance providing the maximum marketable biogas generation.
Appropriate diagrams have been presented for the analyses of heat losses and expenses and for introducing research and practical recommendations on their changes.


Many interesting papers have been written in the recent past on kernel clustering and many attractive results have also been demonstrated. Here we question the rationality behind such clustering approaches. Using simple data sets we argue and demonstrate that it is not a good idea to find clusters in the kernel space when the objective is to look for clusters in the original data because in the kernel space the data may have a different geometry from that in the original feature space. In particular we demonstrate the following : (1) improper choice of the number of clusters may lead to very counterintuitive clusters (e.g., instead of merging nearby clusters, it may merge clusters that are far from each other) and (2) improper choice of kernel parameters has a significant effect on the extracted clusters and it can even impose arbitrary cluster structures that are undoubtedly absent in the original data. However, we definitely do not imply that kernel clustering can never produce desirable results. In fact, kernel clustering could be useful provided we can choose right kernel parameters. But the process being unsupervised, we do not have a solution to this issue yet. In this study, for illustration, we use one variant of the kernel Fuzzy C-Means (KFCM) clustering algorithm in conjunction with Polynomial kernels.


The paper concerns the analysis and experimental characterization of a number of non-standard masonry types that are commonly present in Calabria (Italy), a region at a high seismic risk. In order to assess the structural reliability and to design the retrofitting interventions for such indigenous constructive types it is important to know the local techniques and to carry out a specific on-site experimental investigation. The attention has been focused on a number of towns in the district of Cosenza. Here, a survey has been carried out in order to detect and classify the structural features of the local residential housing. A significant element observed was the large presence of buildings made of a non-standard masonry that doesn't meet law requirements and mostly dated back to the first half of the XIX century, a period in which hollow bricks (usually employed for curtain or enclosure walls) available on the market at a low cost were diffusely used in substitution/combination of the ancient materials in the construction of traditional bearing masonry walls. After surveying and classifying the different types (elements, textures, structural configurations...), the masonry elements and the materials have been experimentally investigated (by testing samples taken on site and manufactured in laboratory), as here specified: Mortars: composition of the mixture; chemical and mechanical properties (tensile and compressive strength). Hollow clay/concrete blocks: dimensional features; defects; mechanical properties (compressive strength in the two directions–parallel and perpendicular to the holes). Masonry panels with clay/concrete blocks: uniaxial and diagonal compression tests (compressive and tangential strength). The collected data have been processed and compared with the Italian and European laws, collecting the necessary information for an assessment of the structural reliability convenient for the local context, and defining the most suited strategies of rehabilitation/retrofitting for the seismic risk. In fact, for economical and practical reasons, it is not acceptable a systematic carpet-substitution of the existing residential housing. Trough this research work it was possible to collect the necessary information for an assessment of the structural reliability convenient for the local context, and to define the most suited kind of


Based on data obtained from the Development and Application of Information Technology (PPTI) Institute Business and Information of Stikom Surabaya (Stikom Surabaya), 20% -30% of the students S1 Information Systems has a value under B for the course Programming Logic and Design. This proves that is an obstacle course students. Therefore, they invented Learning Application Programming Logic and Design to help the lecture on this subject. However, during implementation of the evaluation has not been done so that the acceptance of this application, developers and teachers do not know the effect of this application on the user's behavior. Measurement of user behavior of applications and Design Learning Logic Programming using 3 TAM (Technology Acceptance Model 3). This method is carried out to determine the factors that influence user behavior. Based on the distribution of questionnaires to 126 students S1 Information System that follows the lecture Logic and Design Programming, which is then analyzed by SEM showed that the Interests Behavior (behavioral intention) direct and significant impact on User Behavior (use behavior) while the benefits utilities (perceived usefulness) and Ease of Use (perceived ease of use), and significant indirect effect on User Behavior (use behavior).


A 6-month-old African American boy presented to the emergency department (ED) with a rash first noted on his face, spreading to his torso and extremities over 2 days. He had no history of fever or new exposures, and the rash appeared to be pruritic. A review of systems was positive for a slight cough and increased work of breathing but was otherwise negative. Born full term via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery at 2466 g (2nd percentile), he was exclusively breastfed and immunized, with no allergies. His past medical history was significant for "episodes of wheezing," without a formal diagnosis of asthma. A circumcision was his only surgical history. He had oral candidiasis and diaper dermatitis at 2 weeks of age, with no chronic illnesses; however, review of his electronic medical record revealed 3 hospitalizations and several ED and outpatient clinic visits.

Hospitalized twice at 4 weeks of age for projectile vomiting associated with apnea, cyanosis, and seizure-like activity, he was then readmitted at 5 months of age for multifocal pneumonia with dehydration secondary to enteritis. After these 3 inpatient stays and outpatient evaluations by the neurology, pulmonology, and gastroenterology services for emesis, paroxysmal upper and lower extremity movements, and apnea, he received a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease, for which he received trials of 2 antireflux therapies. Throughout these encounters, his weight remained in the second percentile.

Vital signs in the ED were as follows: temperature of 38.0°C rectally, heart rate of 120 to 148 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 36 to 60 breaths per minute, blood pressure 114/63 mm Hg, and oxygen saturation 88% on room air, which improved …


Introduction: Iran is one of the ten most earthquake prone countries in the world. Earthquakes not only cause new psychological needs among the population but particularly so when one considers vulnerable groups. This in - depth study was conducted with the aim of assessing psychosocial needs six months after an earthquake happened in the west of the county in Lorestan province. Methods: This is a qualitative study using focus group discussion that focuses mainly on the vulnerable groups (women, children, elderly and disabled people) after an earthquake in Boz-azna; a village in Lorestan province in western part of Iran. Findings: Results of the psychosocial assessment indicated feelings of anxiety and worries in four vulnerable groups. Horror, hyper-excitement, avoidance and disturbing thoughts were observed in all groups with the exception of the elderly. Educational failures, loneliness and isolation were highlighted in children. All groups encountered socio-economic needs that included loss of assets and sense of insecurity and also reproductive problems were reported in women's group. Discussion and Conclusion: Modification of a protocol on psychosocial support considering the context of the rural and urban areas with emphasis on the specific needs of the vulnerable groups is an appropriate strategy in crisis management. It seems that appropriate public awareness regarding assistance programs can be effective in reducing stress and needs of disaster survivors.


Bacterial cellulose (BC) producing bacterial strains were isolated from bio-extract (BE). Nine isolates that can produce BC in Hestrin–Schramm medium (HS medium) were identified. The BC production of these isolates was then investigated using agricultural waste as a raw material. The agricultural waste (banana, papaya, dragon fruit, and mango peels) was used as a carbon source for BC production. After incubation, the highest dry weight of BC reached 0.93±0.27 g/L, and 4.07±0.27 g/L was obtained from isolate BE073 in a medium containing mango and dragon fruit peels because the raw materials state is appropriate for bacterial growth. In a medium with papaya peel, the highest dry weight of BC was obtained from isolate BE052 at about 1.08±0.05 g/L. None of the strains was able to grow with the banana medium. However, all the isolate strains could grow and produce BC in the HS medium. The maximum dry weights of BC of 4.31±0.45 g/L, 4.23±0.13 g/L, and 4.21±0.25 g/L were obtained from isolates BE123, BE052, and BE073, respectively, and Acetobacter xylinum produced BC at 2.39±0.11 g/L. The structure and physical properties of BC produced from bacterial isolates using agricultural waste were characterized. It was similar to BC produced from HS medium and production from the reference strain A. xylinum. This study demonstrates the ability for BC production of bacterial strains isolated from bio-extract. It is also demonstrated that agricultural waste is a suitable and alternative carbon source for raw material in BC production

http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/resources/files/Pertanika PAPERS/JTAS Vol. 45 (4) Nov. 2022/18 JTAS-2519-2022.pdf


Benefit analysis is an essential element of scientific research,which can evaluate the value of scientific research.The author analyzed the benefits of "Investigation on the current health conditions of the 150,000 farmers" from the need for choice,application prospects,social and economic benefits.Conclusion that this research can change the status of rural health,improve health awareness among farmers,reduce the occurrence and development of chronic non-communicable disease,improve their level of health,prolong life-span,increase the working year,create more wealth,so as to promote economic development.


The diffuse‐field concept is applied to develop the power balance equations relating the time‐averaged energy densities associated with longitudinal and transverse waves to the diffuse‐field mode conversion coefficients and the power generated by sources in the medium. A solution for an impulsive source in a solid with stress‐free surfaces shows that, regardless of the initial partition of energy, the transverse‐wave energy density quickly increases to become the dominant energy form in the medium.


Objective To observe the clinical effect of modified trabcculcclomy in glaucoma surgery with elevated intraoeular pressure. Methods To analyzed 52 patients (65 eyes) of acute angle-closure glaucoma with elvaled intraocular pressure. They were treated by modified trabeculectomy. The modified measures include that topical anesthesia and local anesthesia with 2% lidocaine cotton-piece ,to make scleral flap with sclerotome, to release aqucous outflw slowly after paraccntesis of anterior chamber,and using mydriatic and cycloplegic in and after surgery. Results There were no complications of choroid hemorrhage, choroid detachment or vitreous detachment. The followed up was 3~6 months. The intraocular pressure was controled in normal range. The visual was no loss. Conclusion The modified trabeculectomy appled in elevated intraocular pressure is effective and safe. It can contect parted visual function.


In order to determine the safety distance,complex gap and working mode etc.for live working on 750 kV double circuit AC transmission line,based on the practice of Lanzhoudong-Pingliang-Qianxian project,the discharge characteristic curves of different working point were gotten through simulation test,and the induced voltage and earth wire current of dead line were gotten through simulation calculation.Based on the results of test and calculation,the safety distance of equal potential and earth potential,and complex gap of entering equal potential on 750 kV double circuit AC transmission line at different altitudes were determined,including the altitudes of 0~1000 m,1000~2000 m and 2000~2800 m.Meanwhile,the working mode of live working on dead line was also proposed,which could be chosen from equal potential working mode and earth potential working mode by the grounding situation of dead line.The research results can provide a technical support for live working on 750 kV double circuit AC transmission line.


OBJECTIVE
To present details of an unusual case of caudal vena caval obstruction and its management in a cat.

STUDY DESIGN
Clinical case report.

STUDY POPULATION
A 15 month old male castrated domestic shorthaired cat.

RESULTS
The diagnostic evaluation included the use of digital subtraction angiography and ultrasonography to locate the caudal vena caval obstruction. Treatment initially involved puncture and balloon dilation of the obstructed area of the cava. After reobstruction, the stenotic area was redilated and stented. The cat was euthanatized 4 weeks later because of vomiting, anorexia, and abnormal behavior, presumed to be associated with liver disease.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Interventional radiography provided a minimally invasive way to manage this unusual vascular anomaly.


Technological disciplines are defined by their visions no less than their practices. The long-term, even futuristic, projections of the former serve as beacons, illuminating (it is hoped) the trail for researchers and practitioners who, at any time, are likely to be mired in their quotidian tasks. This is particularly true in the re-engineered world, where the next deadline, milestone, or deliverable may become an all-consuming pursuit-a succession of impermanent efforts that are likely to produce a permanent myopia. Immediate concerns may be necessary stepping stones, but grand visions can become the casualties of their reductive, analytic pursuits. Paradoxically, the greater the successes on the staging grounds, the more remote the ultimate goal can appear. And even research, the activity explicitly chartered with maintaining the long-term perspective, can be compromised.


In the recent case of Jean v. Massachusetts State Police, the First Circuit suggested that a man who secretly audiotaped and videotaped police officers conducting a warrantless search of his home might have violated the Massachusetts tape recording law, because Massachusetts (along with several other states) criminalizes recording a communication without the knowledge or consent of all parties to the communication. This Comment argues that citizen tape recording, such as the recording that was made in Jean, provides a necessary check against police abuses of power and furthers privacy values underlying the Constitution and other laws. But the Comment acknowledges that police officers' interests in privacy and safety must be balanced as well. Therefore, it argues that states should permit citizens to record police officers in the line of duty without those officers' consent, as long as the citizens' recordings are made in a physically unintrusive manner and do not capture police communications that the officers could reasonably expect not to be recorded.


A method is provided for ensuring production of efficient rare earth metal phosphate catalysts for alkoxylation of organic compounds. The method comprises: selecting as a reactant one or more carbonate salts of the one or more rare earth metals; reacting the one or more carbonate salts with a source of phosphate under conditions effective to produce the efficient rare earth metal phosphate catalysts; wherein the efficient rare earth metal phosphate catalysts provide an increased activity for the alkoxylation compared to the activity of substantially the same catalyst produced when one or more salts other than carbonate salts of the rare earth metals are selected as the reactant.


Refiners, catalyst producers, engineering firms, and process licensers discussed Europe`s refining industry at the first-ever European Refining Technology Conference, October 28--30, London. Some 400 attendees heard presentations on European Union (EU) environmental legislation, and a variety of processing and catalyst options available to help refiners comply with the regulations. The conference consisted of two parallel sessions: one covering heavy-ends conversion and a second covering hydroprocessing and other light-ends processes. Each session included nine technical presentations, and a panel discussion in which 12 panelists answered presubmitted questions. The heavy-ends technical presentations covered topics including: fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) technology and catalysts, bottoms upgrading options, deep-cut distillation techniques, and gasification. The light-ends papers discussed: European air and fuels qualities, catalytic reforming, hydrotreating, biocatalytic desulfurization, hydrocracking, dewaxing, alkylation, and etherification.


The polytope-based tolerance analysis in design process uses a finite set of constraints to represent specifications and propagates these constraints to any objective point in the Euclidean space. The operations of Minkowski sum and intersection on polytopes are well suited to serial and parallel assemblies. The polytope model has been applied to complex assemblies which contain a large number of joints and geometrical tolerances. However, the previous studies on this model consider toleranced features as surfaces of perfect form. The ignorance of form defects in tolerance analysis would result in a significant loss in accuracy and reliability. In this paper, an extension of the polytope model for tolerance analysis considering form defects is described in which the skin model shape representing the physical shape of the product is adopted to simulate the actual toleranced feature in place of the substitute one used conventionally. The combination of polytope model and skin model shape is expected to inherit many of the advantages of each model, combining easy-to-use tolerance propagation and form defects representation with accuracy guarantees. To demonstrate the method and its respective application, a case study of an assembly is illustrated in detail. The proposed method further enhances the capability of the polytope model in handling form defects and provides more realistic assembly results that approximate the actual assembly conditions for design evaluation.


International humanitarian law formerly known as the military law or the law of armed conflict is a collection of law that includes "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It defines the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations, and individuals engaged in warfare, in relation to each other and to protected persons, usually meaning non-combatants.


In this paper, we introduce a system able to generate human-like linguistic descriptions of the spatial relation between two objects in intrinsic reference framework. The description includes directional relation terms, topological relations terms, and adverbs commonly found in daily communications. Each description is built based on fuzzy rules and the information extracted from F-Histograms. Excellent results show that the method of linguistic descriptions is feasible.


The world is very much advanced with the abundant growth of technology and the way we communicate is rapidly changing with it Lot of information is being generated day by day. It is important to extract the useful information from it Text Summarization is one of the solutions to it Different statistical methods like TF-IDF, TF are used for extracting the summary. These statistical methods focus mainly on most frequently occurred words and less on importance of sentences. There are many limitations of TF-IDF method like it is based on Mg of words model, so it does not capture position in text, semantics, co-occurrences in different documents. The other limitation is it assigns low values to words that are relatively important So, we proposed a system that uses a graph-based approach which extracts the significant sentences from the given text. The proposed system provides extractive summary, abstractive summary and keywords for single document. The keywords extracted from the summary helps in understanding the main idea of the document The proposed model helps users in providing summary with important points and saves user time.


Using a large sample of multinational enterprises (MNEs) over the period 1999–2009, this study investigates whether and how offshore operations via offshore financial centers (OFCs) impact the extent to which firm‐specific information is incorporated into stock price, relative to common information. Our analyses show that, irrespective of whether a firm is a Type I offshore firm (directly having headquarters registered in OFCs) or a Type II offshore firm (indirectly setting up subsidiaries in OFCs), the amount of firm‐specific information flowing into stock price is lower for offshore firms than for non‐offshore firms. We also find that as offshore firms become more aggressive in their tax avoidance strategies, their stock prices impound a lower amount of firm‐specific information relative to common information. Finally, we find that a strong offshore proclivity also deters firm‐specific information flows, thereby driving up stock price synchronicity. Our results suggest that the opaque and complex nature of business and financial transactions in OFCs, coupled with their institutional characteristics, that is, weak and flexible legal enforcement, zero or extremely low taxation, and low litigation risk, provide offshore firms with not only stronger incentives but also the opportunities and means to adopt opaque disclosure policies and aggressive earnings management.


Abstract Time is an essential dimension of sustainability and its premise of intra- and intergenerational justice. Moreover, prevailing sociocultural practices of time use are drivers of unsustainability. Educational institutions convey social norms on time and are thus places where time is "learned." It is therefore of relevance for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to understand how exactly time is addressed in education. This study from Germany introduces the concept of time as a resource for sustainability before presenting an analysis of how time in this sense is addressed in 2,149 German curricula, covering all grades and school forms. Our study shows that, overall, an engagement with time as a resource for sustainability is rare in formal education. Time is mostly addressed in ethical reflections on lifetime or in teaching time management skills. We discuss implications of our findings and sketch avenues for future research on time as a resource for sustainability.


Biohibrido for use in the regeneration of neural tracts # The present invention describes a biohibrido for use in the regeneration of neural tracts, comprising a degradable and biocompatible tubular hybrid scaffold implantable comprising three layers of different porosity. An inner layer a), an intermediate layer b) and an outer layer c), with continuity between them, and composed the three same porous hydrogel based on crosslinked hyaluronic acid, a biohibrido comprising the tubular scaffolding hybrid described which may contain in the therein a fibrous material, preferably poly-L-lactic acid, to a process for obtaining said hybrid tubular scaffold and said biohibrido, and use them to regenerate neural tracts in diseases affecting the central nervous system, preferably the disease Parkinson.


We include in the microfiche section of this issue a catalogue of all the different geometric configurations which may be constructed from n points, n _ 8, by specifying their points, lines, planes, . . . , colines, copoints, their flats of each rank. It suffices to list the copoints of each combinatorial geometry G, because the colines of G are the copoints of a geometry earlier in the list, which may be located by deleting one component of the designator of G.


In oral cavity, frenum is the normal anatomical landmark which attaches the lip and the cheek to the alveolar mucosa, gingiva and the underlying periosteum. The aberrations or abnormalities or deformities in the frenal attachment at times, may pose problems to gingival and periodontal health either due to an interference in the plaque control or due to a muscle pull. In addition to this, an abnormal frenum attachment can cause many problems such as aesthetic, functional problem, localized gingival recession and loss of sulcus depth. Therefore management of aberrant frenum is important. In the present case report the sequelae and management of aberrant frenum has been discussed.


Studies about service recovery in the tourism industry have become prevalent as tourism is highly exposed to service failures. The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented situation that required massive service recovery efforts by the travel and tourism industry. This study aims to look into the influence of the justice variables of service recovery, namely distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice, on customer satisfaction, brand image, and customer loyalty of online travel agencies (OTAs), as the current fast-growing sector of tourism, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 180 respondents were gathered, consisting of OTA's Indonesian customers who have experienced service failures due to the pandemic and thus have to request a refund, reschedule or cancel their travel plans. For data analysis, the PLS-SEM method was used. The findings showed that all justice variables had a significant and positive influence on customer satisfaction. Only procedural justice exerted a significant influence on customer loyalty, and none of the justice variables had an influence on brand image. Customer satisfaction did not have a significant influence on customer loyalty, yet it positively affected brand image. The brand image was also found to influence customer loyalty. Therefore, it is essential for OTA (s) business practitioners to pay attention to service recovery efforts during the pandemic as it can lead to long-term business success that will be beneficial in post-pandemic situations.


MnO/nitrogen-doped graphene (MnO/NG) composite cathode was fabricated by a facile one-pot method as cathode catalyst for non-aqueous lithium oxygen batteries. It exhibited superior electrochemical performance with higher round-trip efficiency and better cyclic stability. It showed a high round-trip efficiency of 84.6% at the current density of 0.05 mA cm−2 with the discharge and charge overpotentials of 0.11 and 0.41 V, respectively. Through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it was confirmed that MnO nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed on NG surface. The density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the superior electrochemical performance of MnO/NG might be attribute to the exposure of stoichiometric MnO (100) surface, with the ORR and OER overpotential only to be 0.21 and 0.24 V, respectively. The discharging-charging voltage gap is 0.45 V, in good agreement with the experimental value of 0.52 V.


The linear stability of compressible plane Couette flow is investigated. The appropriate basic velocity and temperature distributions are perturbed by a small-amplitude normal-mode disturbance. The full small-amplitude disturbance equations are solved numerically at finite Reynolds numbers, and the inviscid limit of these equations is then investigated in some detail. It is found that instabilities can occur, although the corresponding growth rates are often quite small; the stability characteristics of the flow are quite different from unbounded flows. The effects of viscosity are also calculated, asymptotically, and shown to have a stabilizing role in all the cases investigated. Exceptional regimes to the problem occur when the wave speed of the disturbances approaches the velocity of either of the walls, and these regimes are also analysed in some detail. Finally, the effect of imposing radiation-type boundary conditions on the upper (moving) wall (in place of impermeability) is investigated, and shown to yield results common to both bounded and unbounded flows.


Large amounts of spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are generated all over the world. Since SCGs contain a lot of carbon and inherently has a porous structure, SCGs are considered to be a valuable industrial resource by carbonization. According to our previous research, it was apparent that the specific surface area of SCGs-derived carbon was greatly improved by potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation. In this research, we prepared an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) using SCGs-derived carbon activated with KOH, and compared them to phenol resin-derived activated carbon (MSP-20, Kansai Coke and Chemicals Co., Ltd.), which is commonly used as a reference material in EDLC research. Electrodes were prepared by mixing 80wt% activated carbon, 10wt% carbon black and 10wt% polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and the electrolyte used was 1M triethylmethylammonium-tetrafluoroborate (TEMA-BF4)/propylene carbonate (PC). The capacitive performance was evaluated by a constant current chargedischarge cycle measured with various electrical current loads from 5 to 150mA/cm2. Although the capacitance of SCGs-derived carbon activated with KOH was inferior to that of MSP-20 at low current load density, it had high capacitance in high rate charge-discharge cycles. This suggests that the EDLC consisting of SCGs-derived activated carbon electrodes is superior to MSP-20 in capacitance retention rate when used at a high electric current density. © The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.


Madame C. Caillat in a magistral article in Journal Asiatique, CCXLVIII, 1, 1960, 41–64, followed by a note in JA, CCXLIX, 4, 1961, 497–502, has in establishing the meaning of Pa.1 phāsu- confirmed its connexion with sprś. I question Mme. Caillat's exposition on one point only, namely the exact form of the original derivative of sprś lying behind Pa. phāsu-. Like the previous scholars whom she quotes—Kern, Hoernle, Pischel, and Schwarzwald—she assumes the original form to have been *sparśu-, the resultant *phassu- becoming phāsu-, although recognizing that examples of such a change in Pali are rare; and for most of these an alternative explanation will be offered below. Nevertheless in Prakrit and, according to Pischel (Gr. Pk., § 62), with special frequency in Ardhamāgadhi the first geminate to be shortened with lengthening of a previous vowel was -ss- (Turner, BSOAS, XXXIII, 1,1970,171). The Jaina texts in Ardhamāgadhī have both phāsaī ∽ Pa. phassati < *sparśati and phāsuya- ∽ Pa. phāsu(ka)-; and it is tempting to see the saffle origin for ā in both Ardhamāgadhī words phāsai and phāsuya-. But the existence of Pa. phāsu(ka)- invites the assumption of another origin than spass- both for it and Pk.amg. phāsuya-, for according to Mme. Caillat (JA, 1960,47) the antiquity of Pa. phāsu- is assured by the occurrence of aphāsu- in the Pātimokkha as well as by phāsu- in the Aśokan Calcutta-Bairāt Minor Rock Edict.


The aim of this article is to investigate several issues related to the renewed social and political commitment of contemporary French literature. The article considers literature's ability to oppose societal normativity as political storytelling through entrusting both individuals and the community with increased acting power, as well as through challenging critics and academics to take part in current debates. Showing that literature can become a tool of individual reconstruction and can recreate social links, or a remedy against various forms of individualism and tendencies towards commodifying the world, the article presents several types of contemporary French works of fiction whose main goals are theorizing, describing, expressing empathy towards those who are confronted with illness, death, exile or terrorism. Several literary works that contest identity or societal labels are added to these, since they help us debate upon and stand up against inequalities or normativity.


Some years ago my colleagues and I undertook a study of the etiologic aspects of pain in the lower part of the back and of sciatica. We had intended to study the factors concerned among all patients at the Mayo Clinic presenting this as one of their major complaints during a period of a year. The material became so great, however, and the figures so involved, that we were forced to limit our study to 2,000 patients. This was approximately 40 per cent of the patients seen in the course of one year. We have already published the tabulation of the results of our studies (1, 2). That these figures do not represent a cross section of the population is obvious, for the patients concerned were those who came to the Mayo Clinic for counsel about various complaints. Many had received treatment for pain in the lower part of the back or for sciatic pain, and correct diagnoses had been made before they entered the Clinic. Osteoarthritis In the largest group of cases the causative condition was diagnosed as osteoarthr...


A Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of Structured Teaching Programme On Knowledge Regarding Human Rights Of Mentally Ill Among Caregivers Of Mentally Ill Client at a Selected Hospital, Coimbatore.
Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge regarding human rights of mentally ill among the caregivers of mentally ill clients. To administer structured teaching programme regarding human rights of mentally ill among caregivers of mentally ill clients. To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on level of knowledge regarding human rights of mentally ill among caregivers of mentally ill clients. To find out the association between selected demographic variables with the post test knowledge score of caregivers of mentally ill clients.
Assumptions: Caregivers of mentally ill possess decreased knowledge on human rights of mentally ill. By creating awareness about human rights of mentally ill caregivers provide effective care to the mentally ill client. Knowledge on human rights of mentally ill help the caregivers to modify the standard of care.


We introduce a new multivariate product‐shot‐noise Cox process which is useful for modeling multi‐species spatial point patterns with clustering intra‐specific interactions and neutral, negative, or positive inter‐specific interactions. The auto‐ and cross‐pair correlation functions of the process can be obtained in closed analytical forms and approximate simulation of the process is straightforward. We use the proposed process to model interactions within and among five tree species in the Barro Colorado Island plot.


Taking the ancient gold and silver packaging evolution as the main clue,based on objective classification of gold and silver packaging container in the Tang Dynasty,the modeling design of packaging container as studied from ancient scientific and technological aspects.Then the overall artistic characteristic,the perfect combination of form and function,of the gold and silver packaging container modeling design in the Tang Dynasty is analyzed.Meanwhile,the health preserving and religious worship culture phenomenon is dug and the profound affect of foreign culture to creation is explored and analyzed.


The fluorescence of single molecules coupled to a thermal bath is studied both experimentally and theoretically. The effect of different fluctuations on the coherence properties of resonance fluorescence is considered first. Coherence is measured in an interference experiment where a single molecule is used as a light source. A standard approach based on the optical Bloch equations apparently provides quite an accurate description of the interference experiment. Systems with long correlation times (where spectra are time dependent on any timescale) are considered next. It is shown that intensity-time-frequency correlation spectroscopy, which provides both high signal-to-noise ratio and high time resolution, is very suitable for such a case. The Bloch equations are further tested in an experiment where the shape of an excitation spectral line of a single molecule is accurately measured over six orders of magnitude of the exciting laser power. Significant deviations from the predictions of the Bloch equations are found. The role of critical parameters-the correlation time of the bath, the Rabi oscillation period, and the coupling constant between the bath and the molecule-is discussed. The paper also includes a short general introduction to the methodology of single-molecule studies.


Reports indicate that exposure to ultrasound can produce adverse effects on blood Row and uterine tissue under appropriate con- ditions. Thus it is important to directly investigate the effects of ultra- sound on placental function. To accomplish this, a perfusion technique (previously reported), based on isolation of the fetal circulation of the guinea pig placenta in siru was used. Tritiated water and %cY-ami- noisobutyric acid were introduced into the maternal circulation, their isobutyric concentrations determined in the umbilical perfusing fluid, and clearances calculated for periods before, during, and after expo- sure to pulsed and continuous ultrasound. The preparation thus al- lowed us to examine the effects of ultrasound on blood flow to the pla- centa and transplacental movements of a neutral amino acid. No effects on either measurement were observed at intensities of 1 W/cm2 contin- uous or 0.02 W/cmZ pulsed modes (both SATA). Ten-minute exposures appeared to have an effects threshold between 0.06 W/cm2 and 0.09 W1 cm2 in the pulsed mode and between 6.3 Wicm' and 10.5 W/cm2 in the continuous mode (both SATA). Noconsistent changes in amino acid transport occurred independently of changes in maternal blood flow to the placenta. I. INTRODUCT~ON


In this paper, it is demonstrated that there exist marine horizons in the upper part of the lower subcycle and the upper subcycle of the Kizilsu Group in Xinjiang, based on new evidence of authigenic glauconite, boron content, carbon and oxygen stable isotopic analyses, and lithological and sedimentary features. The upper part of the lower subcycle is the lowermost marine horizon of the Cretaceous in the western Tarim Basin, which is inferred to be of Barremian age.


Oviposition behavior in non-irradiated and irradiated melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae COQUILLETT, was studiedunder laboratory conditions. A few irradiated female melon flies inserted their ovipositors into slices of host fruits (melon and watermelon) and artificial oviposition devices. The quantity and frequency of ovipositional "acts" for irradiated flies was much lower than that of the non-irradiated ones. "Number" indicates the quantity of females which engaged in oviposition behavior per 1, 000 females per 15min. "Frequency" indicates the total number of acts in varying behavioral modes per 1, 000 females per 15min.


The aim of this graduation is a short substantiated explanation to account for the preliminary results of the research and design in the graduation phase (product, process, planning). This graduation reflection is organized in 4 parts: 1. Relationship between Research and Design 2. Relationship between theme of graduation studio and subject chosen 3. Relationship between the methodical line of approach of the graduation lab and the method chosen 4. The relationship between the project and the wider social context


One fundamental issue in today's Online Social Networks(OSNs) is to provide the users the ability to control the messages posted on their own private so that they can avoid the unwanted messages to be displayed/posted on their walls. The social networking sites are considered as the most popular medium to communicate with each other. They provide the best entertainment for younger generation in today's period. The OSNs help the individuals to connect with friends, family and the society in order to share experiences, thoughts and ideas. Now-a-days the problem faced by OSNs is the indecent messages that are posted on any of the individuals (user) wall which annoys the user on seeing them. Almost everyone of us are on Facebook and we know that Facebook allows users to state who is allowed to post messages into their walls(i.e., friends, friends of friends or a specified group). However content-based preferences are not supported in order to avoid unwanted messages such as political, vulgar, etc,. from other users. Our aim is to propose and experimentally evaluate an automated system called as the Filtered Wall(FW) which is able to filter unwanted messages from OSN user walls. The use of Machine learning Text Classifier is made to prevent unbearable messages on OSN user walls. It classifies the message into categories based on its content. We use a Blacklist mechanism which is used to avoid messages from undesired creators. The  BL is used to determine that which user should be inserted in BL and decide that when the retention time of user has finished..


The noises which occurs from the rolling stock can be divided largely into three classes and they are Rolling noise, Traction noise and Aerodynamic noise. In the event of braking the rolling stock which enter into the station, Brake shoes cause Fraction noise (braking noise) and excessive braking noise makes passengers and operators uncomfortable. This study is to reduce squeal noise and minimize displeasure by measuring the braking noise and defining the major noise sources and noise mechanism,


Speeds above 220 km/h call for new design of track maintenance machines and assessment of available rail fastenings whilst improved stability and track geometry realise a long lasting infrastructure which is furthered by non-destructive testing and rail grinding of rails. Relative train speeds evaluation on pre-set parameters in relation to cant can regularise an approach to riding and track forces.


The increased temporal and spectral resolution of oversampled systems allows many sensor-signal analysis tasks to be performed (e.g. detection, classification and tracking) using a filterbank of low-pass digital differentiators. Such filters are readily designed via flatness constraints on the derivatives of the complex frequency response at dc, pi and at the centre frequencies of narrowband interferers, i.e. using maximally-flat (MaxFlat) designs. Infinite-impulse-response (IIR) filters are ideal in embedded online systems with high data-rates because computational complexity is independent of their (fading) 'memory'. A novel procedure for the design of MaxFlat IIR filterbanks with improved passband phase linearity is presented in this paper, as a possible alternative to Kalman and Wiener filters in a class of derivative-state estimation problems with uncertain signal models. Butterworth poles are used for configurable bandwidth and guaranteed stability. Flatness constraints of arbitrary order are derived for temporal derivatives of arbitrary order and a prescribed group delay. As longer lags (in samples) are readily accommodated in oversampled systems, an expression for the optimal group delay that minimizes the white-noise gain (i.e. the error variance of the derivative estimate at steady state) is derived. Filter zeros are optimally placed for the required passband phase response and the cancellation of narrowband interferers in the stopband, by solving a linear system of equations. Low complexity filterbank realizations are discussed then their behaviour is analysed in a Teager-Kaiser operator to detect pulsed signals and in a state observer to track manoeuvring targets in simulated scenarios.


Abstract Sea-ice conditions were observed using the AsPeCt observation protocol on three cruises in the Ross Sea spanning the Antarctic Summer Season (APIs, December 1999–February 2000; Anslope 1, March–April 2003; Anslope 2, February–April 2004). An additional dataset was analyzed from helicopter video Surveys taken during the APIs cruise. The helicopter video was analyzed using two techniques: first, as an AsPeCt dataset where it was Sampled visually for ice concentration, floe Sizes and ice type on a point basis at 11 km intervals; Second, computerized image processing on a Subset of nine helicopter flights to obtain ice concentration on a continuous basis (1 S intervals) for the entire flight. This continuous Sampling was used to validate the point-sampling methods to characterize the ice cover; the 'AsPeCt Sampling' on the helicopter video and the use of the AsPeCt protocol on the Ship Surveys. The estimates for average ice concentration agreed within 5% for the continuous digitized data and point Sampling at 11 km intervals in this comparison. The Ship and video in Situ datasets were then compared with ice concentrations from SsM/I passive microwave Satellite data derived using the Bootstrap and NAsA-Team algorithms. Less than 50% of the variance in Summer ice concentration observed in Situ was explainable by Satellite microwave data. The Satellite data were also inconsistent in measurement, both underestimating and overestimating the concentration for Summer conditions, but improved in the fall period when conditions were colder. This improvement was in the explainable variance of >70%, although in Situ concentration was underestimated (albeit consistently) by the Satellite imagery in fall.


H 2O used as activation agents PAN based ACF were produced.lodine adsorption.Benzene adsorption and Methylene blue adsorbed by ACF and GAC were investigated at 20℃.Results show that adsorption property of ACF are better than that of GAC,adsorption speed of ACF are faster 2~5 times than that of GAC.Surface of ACF containes several of kinds functional groups.ACF has good heat stability.


The purpose of this study is not only to evaluate the capacity of construction management but also to understand the capacity of construction productivity by analysing various information, mainly collected from the book, HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye. The book was made by ChungCho who was one of the great kings Choson Dynasty, which has lots of information about how to build HwaSung during the last of the eighteen century. It is true that previous researches have showed lots of limitation to study the HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye though it contained a plenty of construction data. The main reason would be the absence of study methods to analyze HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye systematically. That's why there have not been overall studies about the HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye. This study starts from the definition that the HwaSungSungYouk was one of the construction projects which is the concept for construction management today. The construction project can be defined in terms of its distinctive characteristics: a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means the product is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products. A project is also undertaken several kinds of organizations. They may Involve a single person or many thousands. This study is to show some of the effective methods. Firstly, the concept of the database system today can be applied to effectively control and classify the complicated data in the HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye. Secondly, on the basis of the database system, the concept of modern construction management will be also use to figure out the construction data of the HwaSungSungYouk-EuGye.


Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very aggressive and complex disease representing approximately 12% to 15% of all lung cancers (1). More than 90% of patients diagnosed with this disease are elderly, current or former heavy smokers (2). SCLC is characterized by rapid growth, early metastasis, and excellent initial response to chemotherapy and radiation (3). The dramatic response to frontline chemotherapy and radiation, unfortunately, contrasts with its subsequent disappointing responses in the relapsed setting. Patients with recurrent disease have a dismal survival of approximately 5 months when treated with chemotherapy (4). Topotecan is the only second-line drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Response rate (RR) to topotecan are highly dependent on the progression-free survival (PFS) after frontline platinum-based therapy, reaching 25% in patients who relapsed >3 months (sensitive disease) after front-line therapy and <10% for those whose disease relapsed <3 months from initial platinum-based treatment (5).


A concavo-convex vacuum heat retaining board is mainly composed of a heat retaining core material board and an alumium-foil vacuum thermal insulating bag, wherein inorganic heat retaining materials (such as pearlite particles, vitrified micro-beads, coal ash, powdery silicon dioxide, aerogel, ultra-thin glass fibers and the like) or organic heat retaining materials (such as open-cell polyurethane foam, open-cell polystyrene foam and the like) are evenly mixed together through a mixer, and then dried; besides, a getter is added to the mixture; the mixture is pressed into the heat retaining core material board with the concavo-convex surface structure by means of a special mold; and finally, the formed heat retaining core material board is placed into the high fire retardant alumium-foil vacuum thermal insulating bag, and then sealed by extracting air in the bag by means of a vacuum unit. Compared with the prior art, as the concavo-convex vacuum heat retaining board is provided with the concavo-convex surface structure, the bonding force of the heat retaining board with bonding mortar can be enhanced and the reduction of the bonding force caused by the preparation factor of the bonding mortar can be made up; and the capability of the heat retaining board resisting hollowing and drop under the action of external force can be improved.


Background: Hemoglobinopathies are common genetic disorders and represent a significant load of anemic patients coming to a hospital with various complaints.

Objective: To assess the different types of hemoglobinopathies prevalent in Odisha in relation to hematological profile and district-wise distribution.

Materials and Methods: This study was done on all the patients who had undergone high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) study in Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, from 2010 to March 2015 whose complete history and data required for this study were available. Bio-Rad dual cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) machine was used.

Result: Although it was not a screening study, of the 331 cases, 105 were found to be normal. Along with SCD and beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia), hemoglobin E (HbE), and hemoglobin E-beta thalassemia (HbE/β-thalassemia) cases were found in significant numbers even though this region is not known for its endemicity of HbE hemoglobinopathies. Four cases of HbD-Punjab carriers were also encountered.

Conclusion: This study revealed that HbS is the most common abnormal hemoglobin in Odisha, followed closely by β-thalassemia. As in West Bengal, Odisha is also found to be endemic for HbE.


This research has been conducted to evaluate the performance of the Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) cooling of copper electrode in electrical discharge machining (EDM) on AISI D2 steel. The experimental process parameter such as discharge current, pulse on time and gap voltage were varied to explore their effects on machining performance, including the electrode wear and surface roughness. It was found that for electrode wear, discharge current, pulse on time, and gap voltage has the most significant effect, while the pulse on time and discharge current have the most significant effect on surface roughness. Analysis on the influence of cooling responses has been carried out and presented in this study. It was found that the electrode wear reduced up to 18% during LN2 cooling. Surface roughness was also significantly reduced while machining with LN2 electrode cooling. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was carried out to study the surface characteristics of machined surface. EDMed machined surface was also acceptable in LN2 cooling of the electrode.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


AbstractThis paper presents a numerical investigation of active aerodynamic flow control on an airfoil by dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators. Simplified Maxwell equations for an electric...


Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a parasitic disease which represents a public health problem, particularly in Central and South America, has become a leading condition in travelers who return from tropical countries with skin disorders. Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, the most common causative agent, requires systemic treatment because it is potentially able to disseminate and to cause mucosal or mucocutaneous disease. Although several drugs are available for the systemic treatment of leishmaniases, a definitive treatment regimen for infection caused by species of the Viannia subgenus has yet to be established in many countries, including Germany.


This paper provides evidence that government awards can affect economic growth by studying the staggered introduction of orders of merit in the constituent states of Germany from 1970 to 2013. I investigate the link between awards and growth in GDP per capita through a generalized difference-in-differences framework and find that economic output decreases significantly following the introduction of government awards. The introduction of government awards has a substantially stronger negative impact on growth in the private sector compared to the public sector. This is consistent with the idea that government awards can incentivize managers of private firms to behave like managers of public enterprises, which in turn lowers corporate profit in the private sector. In addition, the introduction of government awards leads to a lower number of hours worked per capita, which is consistent with the idea that government awards can steer people to reallocate labour time to charitable work.


One of the most essential challenges of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the limited energy of their nodes. Compressive data gathering (CDG) and sleep scheduling are two practical solutions to extend the lifetime of such networks. However, applying these techniques incorrectly may lead to having significant reconstruction errors. This study proposes a fully distributed method to combine these two techniques in WSNs. An essential condition for CDG is the participation of all nodes in each round. The simulations along with the mathematical proof demonstrate that sleep scheduling can only be used during CDG when this condition holds. The proposed method considers this condition and therefore leads to an acceptable reconstruction error. Moreover, the proposed method is fully distributed in which message passing among the nodes for sleep scheduling is not required. The simulation results show that the proposed method improves the lifetime of the WSNs up to 2.2 times compared to non-sleeping CDG with an equivalent reconstruction error.


Fast call setup has recently been one of the key areas of interest for wireless services. Due to the mobility of the user, the network needs to determine the exact location of the mobile prior to establishing a mobile-terminated call. Traditionally, a network uses paging to determine the exact location of the mobile, and this takes anywhere between 500 ms to several seconds. The paper introduces two new efficient location management schemes, which allow the network to keep track of mobile location at the least possible granularity (i.e. sector of a cell) in the network. This improvement allows the network to do a direct call setup without paging the mobile, thus reducing the call setup time. This is accomplished without increasing the effective signaling overhead and hence the location management costs. These schemes also predict the probability of success and the associated resource costs of establishing a direct call, so that the network can decide whether to use the new direct call establishment method or the traditional paging method on case-by-case basis.


A brief overview of accepted daily intake is presented as the basic technical parameter of safety evaluation for food additives.In addition,theoretical maximum daily intake,estimated daily intake,and generally recognized safety are used in some occasions.UN,USA,EEC and China follow the common principles and possess their own characters.Some prohibited food additives are put up by China Green Food Development Center in view of safety of food additives.


The issue of ship personnel fatigue is receiving a great deal of attention in reaction to the worldwide trend toward reduced manning on merchant ships. The author, who is assistant chief of the Merchant Vessel Manning Branch, U.S. Coast Guard, discusses various initiatives that might be pursued to avoid the kind of overburdening of marine personnel that can lead to fatigue. The steps that he recommends be considered by management and labor to ensure safe vessel operations while maintaining minimum crewing levels are: a redefinition of shipboard personnel practices; a redefinition of shoreside personnel practices; an increased utilization of automation; the revision of work schedules; and the elimination of labor-management impediments to the effective utilization of ship personnel.


Objectives: Since 2007, distribution of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) and deworming has been integrated with polio vaccination through twice-yearly National Immunization Days (NIDs) in Guinea. Although reported administrative coverage for VAS and deworming are consistently ≥90%, validation of coverage is needed as denominators are based on the number of children reached during the previous year and many districts report coverage of >100%. Methods: A post-event coverage (PEC) survey was conducted in the regions of Boké and Faranah to validate coverage following the NIDs in May 2013. Boké and Faranah regions were selected as their administrative VAS coverage was among the lowest (87%) and highest (102%) reported in Guinea, respectively. 900 caretakers were interviewed in each region using a PPS randomized 30x30 cluster design and WHO EPI sampling methodology. Results: VAS coverage by PECS for children 6-59 months was similar in Boké (89.4%) and Faranah (92.4%) among children 6-59 months despite large variability in administrative data. Deworming coverage reported by PECS was significantly lower than VAS and polio coverage in Boké (73.9%, 88.9%, 87.1%) and Faranah (65.2, 93.1%,91.8%), respectively, for children 12-59 months and significantly lower than deworming administrative coverage (Boke: 93.1%, Faranah: Conference Abstract Yattara et al.; EJNFS, 5(5): 871-872, 2015; Article no.EJNFS.2015.331 872 111%). Conclusions: Despite significant variability in administrative coverage, VAS coverage measured by PEC survey in Boké and Faranah regions of Guinea was comparable and high. Deworming coverage however was significantly lower than that reported by administrative data and that reported for similar interventions. Follow-up is needed to address the large discrepancy between PEC and administrative data for deworming. © 2015 Yattara et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


As a disease difficult to treat,the refractory ascites due to post hepatitis often results in a bad prognosis because the general medical treatment is ineffective.This paper introduces the current interventional treatment of the refractory ascites.


This article intends to contribute to the study of the comic author Carlos Gimenez's work. His autobiographical series are analysed from the point of view of the graphic narrative, taking into account semiotic as well as stylistic aspects. The main question is whether his autobiography follows the common features of that genre or not.


SummaryOn the basis of their own findings the authors discuss local treatment with hydrocortisone acetate in fibroses, the mode of treatment, indications, and results.


OBJECTIVE To summary and analyses the work experience of the polio virological surveillance in Guizhou Province and provide the virological surveillance basis for maintaining polio-free status.METHODS The methods of virus isolation,virus identification and nucleotide sequencing were adopted for the virological examination and analysis was made on the result of polio virus surveillance of AFP cases,AFP contacts and healthy crowd by collecting stool specimens in 2000-2009.RESULTS ① In 2000-2009,a total of 3,012 AFP cases were reported in Guizhou Province,and a total of 6,609 part stool specimens were collected from 3,207 reported AFP cases,AFP contacts and healthy crowd.② 275 polioviruses(PV)strains had been isolated form all stool specimens with a virus isolation rate of 6.7%,and 484 non-polio enteroviruses(NPEV)strains had been isolated form all stool specimens with a virus isolation rate of 11.8%.③ 275 strains PV were identified by the National Poliomyelitis Laboratory.Among them,225 strains were vaccine-associated poliovirus,44 strains were vaccine-varied poliovirus,and 6 strains were vaccine-derived poliovirus(VDPVs)(5 strains were type ⅠVDPVs,1 strains were type Ⅱ VDPVs,and all of them were isolated in 2004).It has been 16 years that we haven,t found wild-type poliovirus by the end of 2009 year.④ In 2000-2009,our province polio laboratory successfully passed the yearly Proficiency Test and every 2-3 years Field Accredited of WHO and National Poliomyelitis Laboratory.CONCLUSION Surveillance system of province polio laboratory in Guizhou is running well,and plays well the role of polio virology surveillance.Surveillance system timely discovery and dispose of the vaccine-derived poliovirus strain(VDPVs)circulation,and do not find wild-type poliovirus.Guizhou province achieves the goal of maintaining Polio-free status.


Lantmateriet, The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority, is responsible for the operation and maintenance of SWEPOS and SWEREF99 (the Swedish official reference frame) and ther ...


Abstract . We present a significantly improved version of our numerical code JASMINE, that can now solve the Jeans equations for axisymmetric models of stellar systems, composed of an arbitrary number of stellar populations, a Dark Matter halo, and a central Black Hole. The stellar components can have different structural (density profile, flattening, mass, scale length), dynamical (rotational support, velocity dispersion anisotropy), and population (age, metallicity, Initial Mass Function, mass-to-light ratio) properties. These models, when combined with observations, will allow to investigate important issues, such as quantifying the systematic effects of IMF variations, of mass-to-light ratio gradients, and of different stellar kinematic components (e.g. counter rotating disks, kinematically decoupled cores) on luminosity-weighted properties. The developed analytical and numerical framework aims at modeling Early-Type Galaxies, but it can also be applied to dwarf Spheroidal galaxies and Globular Clusters.


Solar energy is a renewable energy source whose availability is unlimited. To get the electrical energy coming from the sun is required solar panels so that the energy from the sun can turn into electrical energy, Solar technology, also known as photovoltaic (pv) formed in a solar module is formed of a semiconductor material. Semiconductor materials are capable of conducting electric current when there is kinetic energy that drives the electron particles in it to the conduction band. In this case sunlight contains electromagnetic waves or photon energy which is capable of producing kinetic energy to release electron bonds in the semiconductor causing an electric current. This paper describe design and implementing of photovoltaic for solar home system.


With the development and maturity of the express industry, the compression of the delivery time is gradually approaching the limit. The consumers pay more attention to the quality of the express items. It has become an important issue for the express enterprises. However, due to the privacy policy of the express, express enterprises can only identify the state of internal items through the external packaging generally, and take statistical control after the event. It is difficult to guarantee the quality of the items timely and effectively. This paper draws an analogy between the production process quality inspection in system engineering and quality control of express within the delivery process, considering the states of the express items change dynamically. Aiming at the minimum total cost, a Markov decision process model is established to find out the optimal setting for the quality inspection stations within the delivery process. Thus, enterprises can reduce the damage of expresses, improve customer service level, and enhance the competitiveness.


In this paper the author describes his practice of comprovisation, the making of new compositions from recordings of improvised material, and interrogates its validity within the debate about creative practice as research. Although the practice has random and intuitive elements he concludes that it is likely to produce new knowledge and is grounded in the tacit knowledge of composition technique.


Thai politics has ever experienced de-democratization owing to the collapse of constitutionalism which institutionalized the rule of political market. '1974 system' and '1997 system' were such typical cases of de-democratization in Thailand. This paper focuses on the meaning of constitutionalism in terms of Thai social movement approach through the comparative study of '1974 system' and '1997 system'. '1974 system' and '1997 system' were then destroyed by the conservatives who were dissatisfied with broadening of the ideological, political horizon. The fall of two systems was justified by the conservative alliance composed of trans-constitutionalist power holders. However there are distinctive differences between '1974 system' and '1997 system' in terms of crisis momentum. First of all, while '1974 system' had fallen down with the crisis of 'election without choice' being equivalent to election without populist mass party as a momentum, ' 1997 system' fell down with the crisis of 'election with choice' being equivalent to election with populist mass party as an another momentum. On the other hand, one of different aspects is that while the conservative forces composed of the military, bureaucrats, and the royalists violently destroyed the interdependent relationship between radical political parties and social movements even though they were not popular but nascent under '1974 system', the same composition of the conservative who got support from some social movements friendly with trans-constitutionalist conservative alliance under the '1997 system' destroyed Thaksinocrcy as a populist constitutionalism friendly with rural sector's voice in the name of 'good coup', which contrasted with '1974 system'.


DSRD is a powerful semiconductor opening switch for nanosecond high voltage pulse generation. In this paper, a cascade pulse generator based on two-stage DSRDs was presented and tested on a $50\ \Omega$ load. The dependence of the output parameters on the charging voltage is discussed. The results show that with the increase of the charging voltage, the output voltage rise rate increases, up to 4.33 kV/ns, while the rise time is almost the same ∼1ns. The maximum overvoltage factor is 7.86 obtained under 400 V charging voltage. Repetitive operation of the generator at 500Hz was also carried out. In this condition, the deviation of the output voltage amplitude is less than 0.5%, and the jitter of the whole generator is no more than 130 ps.


The Green Line concerns the study of the introduction of an urban green route in proximity to the railway network of TRAINOSE in the greater area of Athens, Greece. The active and inactive railway network that runs through Athens has posed a challenge to good management, due to the empty spaces and derelict facilities it leaves behind as well as the urban fragmentation it causes. At the same time, Athens, in the midst of the global climate crisis, is in need of a long overdue introduction of urban green, in order to enhance the city's resilience to extreme weather conditions and threats to biodiversity, especially to the urban and peri-urban fauna. The main motivation of all interventions is the introduction, mobility and enhancement of urban biodiversity. The means to achieve this is both the selection of ecologically valuable plant species able to attract and host important pollinator species and other urban fauna, and their interaction with humans. This interaction is examined in separate cases, depending on the urban and social conditions of each location, and incorporates urban farming (communal gardens, orchards, meeting and education points), urban beekeeping and pollinator care (urban beehives, bee and butterfly beds, bee hotels). These interventions are found along and in the vicinity of the railway network of TRAINOSE, which is divided into typologies and takes the form of individual design case studies. In its current state, this area bisects the city, creates problem areas and runs through densely populated areas with low incomes and a significantly low amount of green spaces, while, the conversions the railway network has undergone in recent decades leave behind areas ready to receive new uses. Most importantly, it can create a functional and practical green route that starts, passes through and ends at key points in the city.


Objective: This study was aimed at clinical evaluation of surgical wound healing in goats treated with ethanolic extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizomes through topical route. Materials and methods: Eighteen surgical wounds were made in nine goats. The goats were divided into three groups; Group 1 (test group) was treated with ethanolic extract of turmeric, Group 2 (standard group) was treated with Povidone iodine, and the Group 3 was kept as untreated control. Follow up information was recorded from day 0 to day 21 postoperatively. Some morphological characters such as swelling area of wound, elevation of suture line from the skin surface, width of the suture area and contraction length per week were considered to determine the healing process. Bacteriological evaluation was done by conventional bacteriological techniques, and the tissue biopsies were stained by hematoxylin and eosin stains for histopathological studies. Results: Swelling of suturing area (11.51±0.36 mm) and elevation of suture line (2.65±0.41 mm) were lowest in wounds treated with ethanolic extract of turmeric. In histopathological studies, it was seen that tissue debris and hemorrhages disappeared and a thin line of keratin layer reappeared on the epidermal surface of the wound treated with ethanolic extract of turmeric. Conclusion: Ethanol treated turmeric enhances wound healing process in goats. This result could help the veterinarian and the researchers to consider herbal product especially ethanolic extract of turmeric for the treatment and better healing of surgical wounds with minimal complications. http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2017.d209 XML PubReader


We report analysis of temperature fluctuations measured inside a Rayleigh-Benard convection cell of aspect ratio unity with steady and time-varying heating of the bottom boundary. The working fluid is cryogenic helium gas at Rayleigh number Ra = 10 13 , for which a large scale coherent flow (mean wind) exists. We observe the wind to occasionally vanish under both steady and time-varying heating conditions. However, with applied periodic modulation of the lower boundary temperature at the frequency of the wind, we can observe destruction of the periodic temperature variation at the cell mid-plane, due to relative changes in phase between the mean wind and the propagating temperature wave. The wind speed is not observed to change with modulation, demonstrating that it is set by mean properties of the system. Finally we propose that the frequency of the mean wind – and hence the large scale Reynolds number – could be better resolved by finding resonance with applied forcing.


Improving energy efficiency is marked as one of the key strategies to tackle global warming. Therefore policy makers try to design policies that steer our society towards a more energy efficient way of living. An important target for policy makers is the residential sector. Households use fuel and electricity, to power all sorts of residential technologies and appliances. However, they often do not adopt the most energy efficient technologies available to them. There is no simple answer as to why households do not adopt energy efficiency sufficiently. This is because the adoption of energy efficient technologies can be described as a complex adaptive system. The decision making of households is dependent on complex attitudes, preferences, perceptions and needs. Nevertheless, policy makers try to influence the adoption decisions of households through the use of multiple policy measures. Academics have developed an interest in the potential effects of intermediary parties on the adoption of energy efficient technologies by households. We can specify an intermediary as: a party that is necessary for the adoption of energy efficient technologies, but cannot accomplish energy efficiency by itself. In this thesis project policies that include the role of the intermediary in residential technology adoption are compared to other energy efficiency policies by means of an agent-based model. Recommendations on future agent-based models on the role of the intermediary and efficiency policies are made.


The goal of this study was to evaluate cross sectionally the association between an ideal cardiovascular risk factor (IRF) profile and the presence and severity of subclinical atherosclerosis measu...


The EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) introduced several innovations into European water policy, including the integration of economic approaches. Throughout its implementation, economic instruments (e.g. water pricing), methods (e.g. cost-effectiveness analysis) and principles (e.g. the polluter-pays-principle) are used to reach the Directive's objectives. Economic considerations can also play a role to justify exemptions from the overarching aim of the Directive, i.e. to achieve good status of all water bodies by 2015. If reaching this objective in time should be disproportionately costly, either the 2015 deadline may be extended, or the objective may be relaxed. However, the practical interpretation of the terms "disproportionately costly" remains disputed: in proportion to what are costs considered as disproportionate, and what is the threshold value for disproportionality? The WFD itself does not provide any guidance on this, but leaves it to the Member States to substantiate the concept.


Takeoff, landing, and ground-level maneuverability characteristics of a modern airship having twin, vectorable thrustors were analyzed using an advanced airship flight simulation. The effects of thrust tilting on tail clearance, angle of attack, and ground distance were examined for several V/STOL modes in which the airship was light, heavy, or in equilibrium. The significance of prevailing winds in such cases to improve the vehicle's performance is illustrated. Airship response to control inputs and wind disturbances in near-ground operations were simulated. In the latter case, it was found that ground plane excursions of the vehicle could be reduced by selective use of thrust application rate and operator time lag. The consequences of thrust vectoring on the overall vehicle system design and operation are discussed. The need for heading and altitude autopilots as well as a state-of-the-art wind vector monitor at the pilot station are also presented.


A method for producing hardcopy images with a laser printer from scanned video images is presented. The advantages and limitations of this method are compared to the traditional Polaroid technique used for scanning electron microscopy and some methods of creating artificial grey scales using arrays of dots are discussed.


This paper addresses a fundamental limitation of performance for feedback systems, in the presence of a communication channel. The feedback loop comprises a discrete-time, linear and time-invariant plant, a channel, an encoder and a decoder which may also embody a controller. Measurements of the plant's output must be encoded for transmission over the channel. Information, at the other end of the channel, is decoded and used to generate a control signal, which is additively disturbed by a Gaussian and stationary stochastic process. We derive an inequality of the form L/spl I.bar/ /spl ges/ /spl Sigma/ max{0, log(|/spl lambda//sub i/(A)|)} - C/sub channel/, where L/spl I.bar/ is a measure of disturbance rejection, A is the open loop dynamic matrix and C/sub channel/ is the Shannon capacity of the channel. Our measure L/spl I.bar/ is non-positive and smaller L/spl I.bar/ indicates better rejection (attenuation), while L/spl I.bar/ = 0 signifies no rejection. Previous results show that C/sub channel/ > /spl Sigma/max{0, log(|/spl lambda//sub i/(A)|)} is a necessary condition for stability and now we show that the extra rate C/sub channel/ - /spl Sigma/max{0, log(|/spl lambda//sub i/(A)|)} determines a fundamental limitation for disturbance rejection. Additionally, we prove that, under stationarity assumptions, L/spl I.bar/ admits a log-sensitivity integral representation. We contrast our condition with Rode's integral formula and the water-bed effect. The new inequality shows explicitly how the capacity of the channel limits closed loop performance.


We investigate the possibility of searching for metal-poor high column density (≥10 23 cm -2 ) clouds at high redshift (z) by using gamma ray burst afterglows. Such clouds could be related to primeval galaxies that may cause a burst of star formation. We show that a large part of hydrogen is in molecular form in such a high column density environment. Therefore, hydrogen molecules (H 2 ) rather than hydrogen atoms should be searched for. Then we show that infrared H 2 lines are detectable for metal-poor (≥0.01 solar metallicity) high column density (log N H [cm -2 ] ≥ 23.5) systems at high-z without suffering dust extinction. The optical properties of dust in infrared could also be constrained by observations of high column density systems. Some possible scenarios for producing high column density systems are finally discussed in the context of galaxy evolution.


Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a decentralized and self-organized communication system that has dynamically changing topology. An effective deployment of the communication system in MANET demands trust management between distributed nodes and information regarding the nature of network cooperation. In recent years, trust schemes are introduced as a novel concept to provide the secure communication between mobile nodes in MANET. In this paper, an efficient Trust based Bat-Inspired Routing (TBIR) protocol is proposed for achieving two contributions. The initial contribution of the TBIR protocol is the computation of Trust Equation (TE) that estimates the trust value of each and every neighbor node of the source node. The aggregation operation is performed at the destination side, which combines the individual trust values together to obtain a single trust value. To provide better packet transmission, the nodes with high trust value are chosen. Moreover, the trust level of the node is evaluated by deploying fuzzy logic that aims to make the best routing decision. The second contribution of the TBIR protocol is the estimation of obstacle in the communication path using Bat-Inspired routing protocol. The suggested protocol exploits the echolocation method for estimating the Received Signal Strength Intensity (RSSI) for all the neighboring nodes from the source node. If the RSSI value of a neighboring node is high, then the source node transmits the data packets to the receiver node through the selected neighboring node. The performance comparison of the proposed TBIR protocol with the existing Lightweight and Dependable Trust System (LDTS) and Trust Derivation Dilemma Game (TDDG) methods show that the proposed TBIR protocol provides optimal results.


Reuterin, which comprises β-hydroxypropionaldehyde and its hydrated and dimeric forms, is a small valuable compound that can be used in a myriad of applications. Because of its antimicrobial activity, reuterin can be applied as such in food preservation or produced in situ by the reuterinproducing strain, Lactobacillus reuteri, in probiotic formulas. Reuterin can also be used as a precursor for the synthesis of several chemicals such as acrolein, acrylic acid and 1,3-propanediol [1] and as an alternative to glutaraldehyde in the sterilization and fixation of prostheses derived from biological tissue [2]. Reuterin can be produced via traditional chemistry and by bacterial bioconversion. The bio-process is based on a simple and clean single enzymatic step, which converts the renewable and cheap resource glycerol with high yield into β-hydroxypropionaldehyde. We have studied this bioconversion by using viable cell suspensions of Lactobacillus reuteri and partially optimized the process for the production of pure reuterin.


Understanding the economic contribution of protected area (PA) tourism is important for effective planning and management. There has been a range of studies and methods used for estimating the economic importance of Australian Parks for tourism over the last two decades and a review of these Australian PA studies is conducted. Methods include contingent valuation, willingness to pay, travel cost, direct spend and various combinations of these. Studies used either or both primary and secondary data of varying quality, currency and reliability. The variance in methods and results creates the potential for confusion, misunderstanding or misuse of estimates and limits the comparability of findings. Improving local area data and use of a standardized method based on the direct expenditure approach is recommended.


In this paper, an effective method is presented to determine the optimal substation and feeder planning based on minimum feeder loss. A geographic information system (GIS) with distributed database, state-of-the-art computer graphics and the proposed method are integrated to solve the optimal sizing and siting of distribution substations, and to perform optimal feeder routing including load transfer to the neighboring substations in case of an overload. The GIS database was built and the facility data were retrieved from the database for planning applications. It can be shown that the network data in the GIS database were searched, facility data were retrieved for the proposed algorithm, and output results can be displayed on screen with the graphical displays of the GIS. The process provides a practical way for planners to facilitate the planning of the distribution system. The integration of digital maps, good man-machine interface, the state-of-the-art computer graphics and the application program (algorithm) proposes a concept for not only planning engineers but also operation dispatchers regarding a new way to look at the distribution system.<<ETX>>


This research sought to verify the relationship between South Korean middle school students' physical education class awareness, their sports socialization, and their willingness to participate in future sports. The following results were obtained: first, physical education class awareness had a positive effect on sports socialization; second, sports socialization had a positive effect on willingness to participate in future sports; third, physical education class awareness did not directly affect the willingness to participate in future sports, but did indirectly affect it through sports socialization.


Aiming to solve the contradiction between the workability and performance of pothole patching using cold mixtures, this paper proposed new patching materials based on the microcapsule technique and polymer reinforcement, namely cold mixtures with polymer modified asphalt and dense graded (DG) of aggregates (PADG) mixtures. Laboratory tests were conducted to compare the PADG mixtures with commonly used DG mixtures and open graded (OG) mixtures concerning workability, storability, cohesion, stability, and durability of each mixture. The results found that the PADG mixtures were satisfactory in their workability and storability and were as satisfactory as the OG mixtures. Meanwhile, stability and durability of the PADG mixtures was better than the DG mixtures and OG mixtures, i.e., the PADG mixtures showed stability in the conditions of the timeliness, low temperature, and immersion, as well as the freeze-thaw resistance and wear resistance in wet conditions. Therefore, it can be concluded that PADG mixtures are applicable in timely and durable pothole repairs in low temperatures and wet conditions.


Chairpersons of physiology departments were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding various aspects of departmental operation. Questionnaires were mailed to 187 departments (151 member departments and 36 nonmember departments) that had been identified in Peterson's Guide to Graduate Programs in the Biological and Agricultural Sciences. One hundred thirteen (113) responses were received, 111 from member departments and 2 from nonmember departments. The majority of the responses were from the United States, a few from Canada, two from Puerto Rico, and one from Mexico. As in 1989-90, we were disappointed not to receive a higher percentage of returns. Surely, all parties agree that the information provided in this survey attests to the vitality of physiology in North America. Considerable effort was devoted to revising the 1990 questionnaire. The final draft was sent for evaluation to administrators in the departments of the eight Executive Council members and in four other departments selected for their size and diversity of operation. Instructions for completion of the questionnaire were developed that included examples, definitions, and a numeric checklist. In spite of this considerable effort, problems arose in those instances where information pertaining to an identified group of faculty and/or trainees was requested in subsequent sections of the questionnaire. The quantitative and qualitative profiles of these groups were quite "plastic." For the most part, we did not include in our calculations information that was ambiguous, unidentifiable, or incomplete. Clearly, we need to refine the questionnaire and make it totally selfexplanatory or develop instructions adequate for everyone. We are particularly pleased by the information obtained in the faculty subdisciplines section and with regard to ethnicity of preand postdoctoral trainees and faculty. We believe this information will be of value to everyone reading this report; however, our effort to provide expanded information regarding faculty appointments met with mixed success. Our primary difficulty remains that of where to count faculty in the numerous categories shown. An example is lack of appropriate designations for joint faculty, particularly those persons located in unaffiliated institutions or those who volunteer. Additionally, categories to accommodate our colleagues in the physical sciences and engineering were not provided. Substantial effort needs to be devoted to refining the design of this section for the 1991-92 survey. Inside . . .


Reports on the background to research into the use of structured methods in the manufacturing domain. Discusses the systems techniques available – SSADM, LBMS, CCTA – and methods such as MASCOT, YSM, and IDEF. Surmises that while use of the above techniques is profitable a number of criticisms can be made: jargon, over‐rigourousness, and neglect of the factory environment the system will become a part of.