Several of the contributors assume that association with the European Union is a worthy objective for Kosovo and Serbia, and that the EU is a fundamentally benign entity. Evidence to the contrary is ignored. After the Great Recession in 2008, the EU has been instrumental in imposing economic austerity on Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland, at considerable human cost, a point repeatedly noted by both left-wing and right-wing critics of the Union. Some of the EU's longstanding members have questioned whether membership has been a net positive at all, a view that surely influenced Great Britain's decision, following the recent Brexit vote, to exit the organization. Once again, the contributors to Kosovo and Serbia fail to consider these larger issues, while they simply assume that association with the EU will bring benefits. Overall, the ten chapters in Kosovo and Serbia present useful if somewhat modest contributions to the scholarship on Balkan history and politics.


Dr D G Wilson outlines the scope for manipulative treatment in general practice, and describes results which he has achieved in his own practice. Dr P Freeling discusses the significance of symptoms as a criteria for the decision to make certain diagnostic examinations, and illustrates this with results from 75 practices. Dr Philip Hopkins outlines the indications for local injections of hydrocortisone in general practice, and describes the results achieved by this method in his practice. DrD G Wilson (Bushey, Herts) Results ofManipulation in General Practice The purpose of this paper is simple to put on record the incidence of lesions treated by manipulation by one general practitioner during a period of six months, and to record the results obtained, including a further six months' follow up. All patients save one were seen for follow up. The practice is purely National Health Service, numbers approximately 7,500, and is cared for by three partners. Patients freely chose the doctor within the partnership, and it is thus not possible to say to what extent they allocate themselves, since one partner (DGW) is known to use manipulative methods, and the other two are known to favour other 'orthodox' treatments. The series is therefore not controlled; it is difficult to see how adequate controls could be obtained, double-blind systems clearly being ruled out. The numbers referred to consultants in orthopedic surgery and physical medicine, by each partner during the six months, were as follows: Partner A: Orthopedic 9, physical medicine 1 Partner B: Orthopedic 18, physical medicine 7 Partner C (DGW) Orthopmedic 9, physical medicine 4 The total number ofpatients treated by manipulation during the period was exactly 50; on these patients 80 separate manipulations were performed, the most on one day being 4; the longest period without the method being used was ten days. Four patients had been previously treated by me on more than one occasion, and 2 recent arrivals in the district had been 'chronic' attenders at a physical medicine department elsewhere. In all, 9 patients had a previous history of having been manipulated. The lesions dealt with were entirely spinal in origin: upper cervical 23, lower cervical (including C7-T1) 19, dorsal (including rib-vertebra articulations) 7, lumbar 3, sacro-iliac 10. The series comprised 18 males and 32 females, the age distribution being: 0-10 years, 2; 10-20 years, 7; 20-30 years, 4; 30-40 years, 11; 40-50 years, 13; 50-60 years, 5; over 60 years, 8. Thus neither youth nor age is a bar to this treatment, provided always that certain commonsense safeguards are applied. First, in cases of injury, bony damage, especially elsewhere than the site of the spinal lesion, has to be excluded 2 cases in the series had treatment delayed whilst X-ray was shown to be clear. Secondly, there must be no signs of functional failure in a nerve. The pain with which we are dealing arises either along the spine itself, or is referred along an anatomical nerve segment. On examination, there is localized muscle spasm, diminution of movement at a joint, but, as stated above, no evidence of motor or sensory failure in that segment. The main difficulty clinically is to isolate the different features of what may well be more than one disease process; a patient might have a lesion centred on a posterior facet, a tension pain in the head, and postural pain lower down the spine obviously only the first is to be treated in this way, but should not be neglected because of the presence of the others. Diagnosis is not easy, and a degree of uncertainty often has to be accepted; however, as a general practitioner one knows that the patient can return without difficulty 33 971 972 Proc. R. Soc. Med. Volume 60 October 1967 34 if confidence has been gained. No doubt this factor of uncertainty accounts for much of the confusion surrounding this subject. Of the 50 patients, 32 had one episode needing one treatment; 8 patients needed two manipulations, and 3 patients needed three or more (maximum five). Nine patients had two episodes, and one patient had three episodes during the six months; during the subsequent six months, a further 6 patients had another episode. Two cases were quite unrelieved: One was a very muscular, bull-necked man of 62 years. The other, a woman aged 45, was regarded in retrospect as a misdiagnosis; she had a tear of interspinous ligament L5-S1, and was relieved later by procaine infil-


We present an analytic solution to the problem of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in semiconductor quantum dots. We calculate the exact energy spectrum, wave-functions, and spin–flip relaxation times. We discuss various effects inaccessible via perturbation theory. In particular, we find that the effective gyromagnetic ratio is strongly suppressed by the spin-orbit coupling. The spin-flip relaxation rate has a maximum as a function of the spin-orbit coupling and is therefore suppressed in both the weakand strong coupling limits.


We present a theoretical study of entanglement in ensembles consisting of an arbitrary number of particles. Multipartite entanglement criteria in terms of observables are formulated for a fixed number of particles as well as for systems with a fluctuating particle number. To access the quality of the verified entanglement, the operational measure of the entanglement visibility is introduced. As an example, we perform an analytical characterization of quantum systems composed of interacting harmonic oscillators and witness the entanglement via energy measurements. Our analysis shows that the detectable entanglement decays for macroscopic particle numbers without the need for decoherence processes and for all considered coupling regimes. We further study thermal states of the given correlated system together with the temperature dependence of entanglement.


In Vancouver, when it was suggested that the next topic be "ultimate reality," someone questioned whether the Buddhist representatives would accept the topic. I guessed that the question arose because it was presumed that Buddhists would assert that everything is illusion and thus there can be no reality. My conjecture led me beyond the immediate and obvious identification of "ultimate reality" as emptiness, the "ultimate truth," into thinking about the many meanings of terms in Sanskrit and Tibetan that could be loosely included within "ultimate reality," especially in the light of John Cobb's identification of many possible meanings of the term in Buddhist-Christian Studies (1983, 3: 39). Thus, I propose to speak about "ultimate reality" in Buddhism from several points of view including: (1) the phenomena that actually exist as opposed to merely being imagined, (2) the ultimate truth that is the final nature of all phenomena, (3) the ultimate existence that phenomena lack, (4) the ultimate types of consciousness that realize the truth, and (5) the final goal and state achieved by a practitioner. Following Maitreya's Differentiation of the Middle and the Extremes, I shall structure these and other meanings around the familiar Buddhist triad of the basis, the path, and the fruit. My sources are primarily, but not exclusively, texts and oral teachings of the Ge-luk-ba order of Tibetan Buddhism., This order was founded by the polymath and yogi Dzong-ka-ba (1357-1419), who was from the easternmost region of Tibet. It came to have great influence throughout a region stretching from Kalmuck Mongolian areas near the Volga River (in Europe) where it empties into the Caspian Sea, Outer and Inner Mongolia, the Buriat Republic of Siberia, as well as most parts of Tibet and Ladakh. Dzong-ka-ba established a system of education centered in large universities, eventually in three areas of Tibet, but primarily in Lhasa, the capital, which was like Rome for the Catholic Church. Young men came from all of the above-mentioned regions to Lhasa to study, usually (until the Communist takeovers) returning to their native lands after completing their studies. With respect to my viewpoint, I am a Buddhist but not a Ge-luk-ba, because


Redundant nickel is harmful to human health and can result in skin diseases, allergies, or cancer. Although many probes based on noble metal nanoparticles have been established for rapid heavy metal ion detection by the naked eye or ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, few noble metal nanomaterials have been developed for Ni2+ detection. In this study, we propose novel triangular silver nanoprisms (AgNPRs) stabilized with glutathione (GSH) for rapid colorimetric detection of Ni2+ based on a sensing mechanism of anti-etching, which has been affirmed by Raman spectra, UV–vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. At the optimal experimental parameters, our GSH-AgNPR-based Ni2+ probe has an excellent selectivity compared with those of 26 other ions because Ni2+ can inhibit the AgNPR etching by iodide ion (I–) (i.e., anti-etching) while other ions cannot. The limit of detection (LOD) of our Ni2+ probe is 50 nM via the naked eye and 5 nM via UV–vis spectroscopy. They are...


possible examples in which the preliminary colostomy might have to be left permanently. The natural course of events was surely a better solution. On the other hand, Case 3 could have been saved had a colostomy been performed about the age of 6 months, when obstinate symptoms were well established, and it is likely that the bowel could have been adequately mobilized for the next stage. Since this paper was submitted for publication the successful performance of a one-stage operation in three cases, the youngest aged 3 months, has been reported by Swenson, Neuhauser, and Pickett (1949). Radical measures at such an early age before dilatation and hypertrophy have become established obviate the need for the temporary colostomy to allow the bowel to resume its normal size.


Standardised test methods to assess impact resistance of laminated glass panels, such as EN 356, classify the outcomes based on a discrete, visual basis, with no instrumentation being used to investigate the dynamic behaviour. In this research, an experimental campaign with an extensively instrumented small-scale drop weight set-up is presented. The set-up is fit-ted with a force sensor, an accelerometer and displacement sensor. Furthermore the specimen are equipped with strain gauges and are filmed with a high-speed camera. Next, how to process the data is described. Quantitative data can thus be extracted from an experimental campaign, instead of mere qualitative information. It is clear better instrumented test methods, such as the one presented, are necessary to further develop adequate material models for laminated glass subjected to impact loading.


Series stacking of multiple devices is a promising technique that can help overcome some of the fundamental limitations of CMOS technology in order to improve the output power and efficiency of CMOS power amplifiers (PAs), particularly at millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies. This paper investigates the concept of device stacking in the context of the Class-E family of nonlinear switching PAs at mmWave frequencies. Fundamental limits on achievable performance of a stacked configuration are presented along with design guidelines for a practical implementation. In order to demonstrate the utility of stacking, three prototypes have been implemented: two fully integrated 45-GHz single-ended Class-E-like PAs with two- and four-stacked devices in IBM's 45-nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology, and a 45-GHz differential Class-E-like PA with two devices stacked in IBM's 65-nm low-power CMOS process. Measurement results yield a peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 34.6% for the two-stacked 45-nm SOI CMOS PA with a saturated output power of 17.6 dBm. The measurement results also indicate true Class-E-like switching PA behavior. A peak PAE of 19.4% is measured for the four-stacked PA with a saturated output power of 20.3 dBm. The two-stacked PA exhibits the highest PAE reported for CMOS mmWave PAs, and the four-stacked PA achieves the highest output power from a fully integrated CMOS mmWave PA including those that employ power combining. The 65-nm CMOS differential two-stacked PA exhibits a peak PAE of 28.3% with a saturated differential output power of 18.2 dBm, despite the poor ON-resistance of the 65-nm low-power nMOS devices. This paper also describes the modeling of active devices for mmWave CMOS PAs for good model-hardware correlation.


There had been a debt guarantee settlement completed in the Minangkabau community. The purpose of this study was to uncover how to understand about the utilization of debt guarantees in 'Pagang Gadai' (pawns), as well as the position of plant ownership on land repaid in pawn transactions. The method used was qualitative with a phenomenology approach. The data source of this research was people or communities (including indigenous figures) of Minangkabau customs who were involved in pawns transactions, especially in Nagari Tabek of Pariangan district. The data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews of five research informants based on interview guidance using snowball sampling technique.  The results showed that the use of pawns can be done with several conditions: 1) obtaining permission from the owner where there is no element of exploitation and managed by pawns, and 2) mastery of old plants can be done by the recipient of the pawn after redemption is classified to the exploitation that leads to take the property of others unjustly and blatantly ('Ghasab' behaviors).


Living in the Holy Land as a Palestinian Latter-day Saint has created unique challenges and perspective for Sahar Qumsiyeh. In order to attend church meetings in Jerusalem from her home near Bethlehem, Sahar was required to travel under unsafe and stressful circumstances for hours through military checkpoints to cover the few miles' distance (as the crow flies). Sahar's story, Peace for a Palestinian, varies dramatically from our own and reminds us that true discipleship requires sacrifice, which in turn brings blessings. Personal response to Sahar Qumsiyeh, Peace for a Palestinian: One Woman's Story of Faith amidst War in the Holy Land (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2018). 176 pp. $15.99. H do I relate to an individual whose life seems so different from my own? Perhaps first I can note some similarities between Sahar Qumsiyeh and me. We both grew up in loving families with brothers and sisters and enjoyed associating with extended family members. Both of us lived in homes with fruit trees and a swing. Both of us rode bikes and explored our hometowns with friends. We were both raised in Christian families and were taught to have faith and to pray. Our families valued education and teaching, and both of us earned graduate degrees from Brigham Young University. But there most of the similarities end, and the differences become stark. While I was raised in a peaceful country and claimed US citizenship with its associated freedoms and blessings, Sahar experienced danger: bullets, tear gas, travel restrictions, curfews, and the death of a fellow university student that began a two-year closure of Bethlehem University, which she had been attending. Peace in the Holy Land


Curriculum is the starting point of'anSeducation. A good curriculum is a curriculum that is based on relevant curriculum development principles. Both relevant to the times, the needs of market prey, and relevant to religion. However, the frequent occurrence of curriculum'changes in Indonesia illustrates that there are still problems in our educational curriculum.SThe purposeSof this research is to find out whether theSAl Hikmah Integrated PAUD Islamic education institution has developed its institutional curriculum based on existing curriculum development principles. The research uses descriptive qualitative methods through questionnaires given to research targets related to the principlesSof curriculum development and literature study toSanalyze research results.SThe results ofSthe analysis of this research are that the Al Hikmah Integrated PAUD Islamic education institution has used curriculum principles both in general and specifically, so that institutions can brand themselves to continue to develop amidst the progress of the times.


OBJECTIVE
No therapy for fibrotic disease is available. The proadhesive matricellular protein connective tissue growth factor CCN2 is a marker of fibrotic cells; however, the specific role of CCN2 in connective tissue biology in general and in fibrogenesis in particular is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether adult mice bearing a smooth muscle cell/fibroblast-specific deletion of CCN2 are resistant to bleomycin-induced skin scleroderma.

METHODS
Cutaneous fibrosis was induced in mice by subcutaneous injection of bleomycin. Untreated control groups were injected with phosphate buffered saline. Mice bearing a fibroblast/smooth muscle cell-specific deletion of CCN2 were investigated for changes in dermal thickness, collagen content, and the number of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive cells. Dermal fibroblasts were isolated to assess whether the induction of collagen and α-SMA messenger RNA in response to transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) was impaired.

RESULTS
The loss of CCN2 resulted in resistance to bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. In response to bleomycin, wild-type mice possessed, but CCN2-deficient mice lacked, abundant α-SMA-expressing myofibroblasts within fibrotic lesions. Fibroblast responses to TGFβ, a potent inducer of myofibroblast differentiation, were not affected. Collectively, these results indicate that CCN2 is essential for bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, likely due to a defect in myofibroblast recruitment.

CONCLUSION
These data indicate that therapeutic strategies that involve blocking CCN2 in vivo may be of benefit in combating fibrotic skin disease.


Recently, an intriguing essay appeared in the pages of Pro Ecclesia, a Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology, by Thomas Weinandy, entitled "The Jews and the Body of Christ: An Essay in Hope." In his essay, Weinandy notes that "it is impossible to delineate in detail the benefits that would accrue to the Body of Christ through the active presence of the Jewish people simply because the Body of Christ has yet to experience them." This article engages this as an imaginative exercise: What could a robust, Jewishly-infused Christianity actually look like? If there is in fact something Jewish pulsating at the heart of the body of Christ, what would it look like if it were allowed to pump freely, unhindered yet directed, and actually serve to revitalize the body? After all the theologizing, this article asks - and begins to envision a concrete answer to - the question: What is it that Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience actually have to offer Christianity?


The present invention provides a medical freezing bag, even at the liquid nitrogen freezer bags at a temperature of -196 ℃ not damaged, has sufficient strength, cold resistance, molding processability is excellent, in a very low temperature in a sterile, holding the blood, body fluids and the non-toxic status was suspended cells.


The invention discloses a monoclonal antibody capable of preventing high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and an application thereof. The heavy chain variable region of the monoclonal antibody is provided with an amino acid residue basic sequence as shown in sequence 1 in a sequence table, and the light chain variable region thereof is provided with an amino acid residue basic sequence as shown in sequence 2 in the sequence table. Experiments prove that the dissociation constants of the monoclonal antibody secreted by a hybridoma cell strain 3B-1 CGMCC No.2907, a single chain antibody 3B-1scFV derived from the monoclonal antibody, a human-rat chimeric antibody ch-3B1 or a Fab fragment and a human HMGB1 are respectively 7.8nM, 100nM, 7.8nM and 40nM. The monoclonal antibody and derivatives thereof can recognize the HMGB1 in a mode of high affinity and specificity, neutralize the biological activity of the HMGB1, can be used for curing ichorrhemia, systemic inflammatory response syndrome or acute lung injury and other inflammatory reactions, can be used for curing rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus or lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune diseases and also can be used for clinically inspecting the level of the HMGB1.


We have previously shown in rat primary cultured mesencephalic cells that cyanide induces a high level of oxidative stress and necrotic death. To evaluate the mechanism of the cytotoxicity, the effects of cyanide on intracellular glutathione (GSH) pools and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)‐mediated reactive nitrogen species (RNS) generation were studied. Cyanide rapidly depleted intracellular GSH. Restoration of GSH blocked cell death, whereas depletion of GSH by synthesis inhibition increased the necrosis. Selective depletion of mitochondrial GSH (mtGSH) increased oxidative stress and enhanced cell death, whereas the cytoplasmic pool was not critical to cell survival. These actions were accompanied by increased iNOS expression as determined by Western blot analysis, RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry. Up‐regulation of iNOS led to increased generation of NO as reflected by elevated nitrite levels (an end product of NO metabolism). It was determined by use of a selective inhibitor that up‐regulation of iNOS expression was transcriptionally regulated by activation of nuclear factor‐κB, a redox‐sensitive transcription factor. It was concluded that, in cyanide‐mediated neurotoxicity, mtGSH is a vital component of the cellular antioxidant defense, and its depletion can lead to oxidative stress‐mediated iNOS up‐regulation, thus enhancing RNS generation and necrosis. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Frédéric Beigbeder, French writer, takes a sarcastic and uncomfortable look at the future of the immediately contemporary world. His narrative technique, his bold, provocative and innovative style, the figure of his protagonist who looks much more like an antihero, create a literature voluntarily disengaged from explicit political discussion, to the benefit of the intimate and the anecdotal, where contemporary French society is carefully scrutinized. Our study therefore consists of an analysis of Beigbeder's works with the purpose of bringing out their civilizational and societal notions and exposing the ambiguity of the society of our time and its oppression of the human being, described in all its truth, with its baseness, malaise, and solitary but deeply greedy and absurd nature.


Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is the major temperate crop producing biodiesel. Management of nitrogen applications and monitoring of pests and diseases in oilseed crops overseas relies heavily on correct identification of crop growth stages. In New Zealand, other crops besides oilseed rape are being trialled for biodiesel production including brown mustard (Brassica juncea) and camelina or false flax (Camelina sativa), which also belongs to the Crucifereae family. Together with yield evaluation this study was designed to investigate whether growth stages for oilseed rape were similar to these other potential biodiesel crops. The times from emergence to stem elongation, 50% flowering and final harvest were recorded in the 2010-11 season across four sowings dates on three species in a trial at Lincoln University near Christchurch, New Zealand. All species took different periods of time to reach the four growth stages measured. The time to reach a certain growth stage varied considerably more in the two autumn sowings, but much less in the spring sowings for all species. Oilseed rape out yielded the other crop species at all sowings in seed yield and oil content, but took longer to reach full maturity. Oilseed rape yielded an average of 2.4 t seed/ha with 42% oil content. Brown mustard and camelina yielded an average just over 1 t seed/ha, with 30 and 35% oil content respectively.


Introduction: Isodeoxyelephantopin (C19H20O6), plant-derived sesquiterpene, extracted from Elephantopus Scaber Linn., have tremendous contributions in inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells.
Materials and Methods: The cell viability assay was shown to be procured half-maximal inhibitory concentration of isodeoxyelephantopin on the MDA-MB-231cell line. Apoptosis was screened by AO/ EB staining and it was confirmed by annexin V staining. The DNA damaging property of IDOE was examined by comet assay. The cell cycle arrest determined using flow cytometry analysis and the growth inhibition due to the modulation of cell cycle regulatory protein p53 were substantiated by RT PCR. Scratch wound migratory assay was done to evaluate the migratory effect of IDOE on the MDA-MB-231 cell line. RT-PCR analysis showed that expression of MMP-2/9 was inhibited by IDOE treatment.
Result: Anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effect of IDOE was determined by cell cycle analysis and annexin v staining. Cells were arrested in the G2/M phase and it is due to the modulation of cell cycle regulatory protein p53. The mRNA level expression studies of matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-2/9 provide supporting data to prove the anti-migratory property.


A family of low melting temperature tin fluorophosphate glasses that can incorporate certain organic compounds has been under investigation. The glasses are comprised principally of SnF{sub 2}, SnO, and P{sub 2}O{sub 5}; the addition of small amounts (< 5%) of Ph improves chemical durability. These materials are dense, reasonably water durable, and easily fabricated. Photoluminescence properties of glasses doped with pyrene, POPOP, stilbene 420 and several other organic molecules were studied. All of the doped glasses exhibited intense photoluminescence. Pyrene doped glass was found to have monomer-triplet and dimer-excimer pyrene species present, depending on the dopant concentration. Scintillation properties of the glasses were also investigated. Generally a very fast ({approximately}1 ns or less) but weak luminescence was observed. Results of these studies suggest that higher concentrations of the dyes must be incorporated into the glass and more efficient energy transfer from the glass host to the organic fluor must be attained for these materials to be useful as fast scintillators.


Chemical producers based in the U.S. are counting on the recovery in pricing and profitability they experienced in the second half of 1999 to continue into 2000. And as a result, many are increasing their contribution to R&D. They expect R&D will help them boost profitability through the development of new and improved products or lower costs through process improvement discoveries. C&EN's survey of 19 major chemical producers shows that they collectively plan a 2.6% increase in R&D to $5.1 billion this year compared with the 1999 total. Three companies account for a whopping 70.1%, or nearly $3.6 billion, of total R&D among the group of 19: Dow Chemical, DuPont, and 3M. These three industry giants collectively plan a 3.3% R&D increase this year compared with 1999. In 1999, the group of 19 increased expenditures a substantial 11% compared with 1998 to a total of nearly $4.98 billion. The three largest spenders, led ...


Ⅰ. The purpose of the study The purpose of the study is to fix the Korean Chin-do dogs genetic characters such as the coat color and body type which is not fixed completely yet, and to increase farms income by producing more excellent dogs. Ⅱ. The contents and scope of study A total of 919 adult dogs which were at least 12month age were examined for their general appearances such as the body height and length etc. Of these, 546 heads(male-122 female 424) were yellow dogs and the rests were white dogs(male-76, female-297). In the mean time the differences in ability between the(Korean) Chindo dogs and native dogs were surveyed by measuring 71 brains (53 of Korean Chindo dogs and 18 of native dogs). Ⅲ. Results (1) Body type The mean values of the withers height of (Korean) Chin-do dogs were 46.407±0.205㎝ for yellow males, 44.576±0.01㎝ for yellow females, 46.273±0.268㎝ for white males, and 44.83±0.152㎝ for white females. The difference between sexes in wither height was noted: in both kinds of colored dog, males were taller than females(Yellow-1.731㎝ White-1.443㎝). On the other hand the differences between the two kinds of colored dog and between reared districts were negligible. (2) General appearances The color of hair coat of Korean Chin-do dogs was of two kinds, yellow and white, 84.6 per cent of yellow dogs having black dots. While 22.8 percent of white dogs had pale-yellow dots. Ears were straight in both color dogs, and the color of iris was deep brown in yellow dogs and grey in white dogs. The color of nose piece was black, but it was bleached to pale nose, congenitally or due to non-genetic cause. (3) Transverse diameter of cerebrum of male dog was larger than that of female dog, The weight and other measurements of cerebrum of (Korean) Chin-do dogs were larger than those of native dogs except for the size of the occipital radius.


At present,micro-satellites and small satellites are under rapid development.The pulsed plasma thruster is a good choice for its propellant system.For space application,the flume is in a great need to be studied.In this paper,DSMC(Direct Simulation Monte-Carlo)/PIC(Particle in Cell) fluid hybrid method and one-dimension MHD discharge model are used to simulate the NASA Glenn PPT flume from end to end.The distribution of deflection angle at the thruster outlet is achieved by calculation and comparison between experimental results.The results show that the deflection angle at the thruster outlet can improve the diffusion of flume,thus making an important factor influencing the simulation results.


Background: Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) has a high rate of morbidity and mortality. In the past few years, focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) and computerized tomography (CT) scan have been extensively utilized and studied in management of BAT. The present study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of FAST and CT scan in detection of free fluid in BAT patients.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with BAT were evaluated by both FAST and CT scans in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran, from May 2017 to February 2018. The results were compared and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FAST and CT scan were calculated. In addition, the accuracy of FASTs performed by emergency medicine residents (EMR) was compared with those procedures performed by radiology residents (RR) in detecting abdominal free fluid following blunt trauma.
Results: In this study, 175 patients were participated and most of them were males. The commonest cause of trauma was a road traffic accident (RTA). When FAST was performed by EMRs, sensitivity was  96.3%, specificity 75%, 60% positive  and 98.1% negative predictive values and 94.8% accuracy in true evaluating free fluid , and Sensitivity 97.5%, specificity 83.3%, 71.4%  positive and 98.8%  negative predictive values  when FAST was performed by RRs.
Conclusion: Based on this study finding, it seems that FAST is highly sensitive, specific and accurate in the initial evaluation of patients with BAT.


Due to the absence of specific symptoms and low survival rate, efficient biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis are urgently required. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist‐II (PIVKA‐II) and to determine the optimal cutoff values for HBV infection‐related HCC.


Multifactorial analysis of effects of metabolic and endocrine determinants of the host and morphology of the tumor on cellular immunity has been undertaken in 29 patients with cancer of the corpus uteri. Several regression models obtained using the Hocking-Leslie method demonstrated significant effects of age, obesity, triglyceride levels, morphologic differentiation of the tumor and magnitude of invasion on various levels of cellular immunity, presenting as an increase in T-helper and decrease in suppressor counts. The multifactorial analysis depicted additive effects of endocrine homeostatic determinants and the tumor on different aspects of cellular immunity in cancer of the corpus uteri.


An indoor monitoring system of building temperature,humidity and luminous intensity based on wireless sensor network technology was designed.The system can accomplish the indoor environment data collection,transmission,storage and analysis,with a low-power,self-organizing features.According to management center's command,the management nodes use ZigBee network to send the temperature,humidity,luminous intensity data and alarm information of the wireless sensor network nodes.Experiment results show that the ZigBee technology has low power consumption,low cost,and high capacity feature and the system based on ZigBee technology has great advantage in realizing real time building environmental monitoring system of temperature,humidity and luminous intensity.


Purpose
This paper aims to test the model of goal-directed behavior (MGB) in the prediction of entrepreneurial intentions of high school students. It also uncovers heterogeneity and differences in structural paths. The study aims to expand the toolbox of theoretical models that are useful to interpret entrepreneurial intentions by including the MGB. The MGB explains the role of desires, anticipated emotions and frequency of past behavior (FPB). These aspects are underplayed in other models.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper opted for a study using PLS path modeling. The authors applied questionnaires to 643 students (260 boys and 383 girls) from 34 high school institutions of a large metropolitan city in a developing country. Data analysis used a multi-group analysis and a finite mixture (FIMIX) approach.

Findings
The paper provides empirical insights about the antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions and confirms the role that desires and FPB have in their development. MGA results suggest that PBC relevance depends on gender, and emotions vary with socio economic level (SEL).

Research limitations/implications
Research results are limited to high school students. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further with university students and the general population in other developing and developed countries.

Practical implications
The paper includes implications for teaching curriculum and government policy in entrepreneurship. The results encourage the study of entrepreneurship from a young age and the importance of teaching how to overcome negative emotions in the entrepreneurial process.

Originality/value
This paper satisfies a recognized need to evaluate competing models that explain entrepreneurial intentions. The grouping analysis uncovers opportunities to develop innovative education and training strategies.


For the situation of unusual wear of wheel flange of Taihang JMY588 industry and mining locomotive,the paper analyzes the reason of wheel flange wear and proposes the solution by analyzing the test data of running gear.


The present invention provides a method for recovering zinc from the anode mud valuable metal, comprising the steps of: A, selective leaching: zinc anode slimes after milling immersed in sulfuric acid leaching, filtration and acid zinc sulfate solution to give slag, zinc in zinc sulfate solution feed system recovery of zinc; B, reducing leaching: the residue was added sulfuric acid, the oxalic acid was added, and filtered to give a solution of manganese sulfate and lead-silver leaching residue after completion of the reaction, Pb-Ag leach residue recovery system return lead lead, silver; C, purification: to a manganese sulfate solution was first added aqueous ammonia was added (NH4) 2S, NH4F, after the completion of the reaction was filtered to give purified liquid and purification slag; D, synthesis: the purified solution to thereby give after drying manganese products. The present invention provides a method of recovery of 94% or more of zinc, manganese recovery of 91% or more than 95% recovery of lead, silver recovery of 97% or more.


We present the design of a state observer for Lagrangian systems subjected to frictionless geometric unilateral constraints. A master–slave synchronization setup is used in which the unidirectional coupling only consists of the information of the impact time instants. After a brief synchronization phase, the obtained observer replicates the full state of the observed system, independently of the initial conditions and even in the presence of accumulation points (Zeno behavior).


Background and Objective: AgRP is a powerful orexigenic peptide which is secreted by the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, and plays an important role in weight control.  The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two weight loss protocols (1.a researcher recommended weight loss protocol, 2.Traditional weight loss protocol) on resting plasma concentration of AgRP in elit wrestlers. Subjects and Methods: Thirty elite wrestlers (age 24.33± 3.33 years, BMI 24.90±2.38 Kg.m2 and body fat percentage 12.92±3.01) were randomly divided into three groups (two experimental groups and one control group). Experimental group I: used a twelve-day diet protocol which was suggested by researchers, along with three wrestling exercise sessions on a week. Experimental group ІІ: used traditional diet protocol and sauna, and control group was without diet protocol. Blood samples were collected before and 12-hours after the protocols. Subject's percent of body fat was measured using the 3-point method. Results: Both the experimental groups had a significant weight reduction (P>0.001). The experimental groupIshowedsignificantlyreductionin percent of body fat (P>0.001). The levels of plasma AgRP increased in the experimental group II (P>0.01). Conclusion: The twelve-day weight loss protocol is more effective  than the traditional weight loss protocol. Not only it did not have a significant effect on AgRP level, it also decreased body fat percentage.


The article is devoted to the problem of modern society – the preservation of mental health of individuals. It is noted that in the conditions of modernization of higher education special requirements for high school teacher, which should have a new set of competencies and a certain set of psychological characteristics that characterize the level of its professional and psychological culture. The article describes the concept: the psychological health of the individual, psychological culture, its structural components. The results of empirical study of psychological culture and mental health of high school teachers. The study showed that in some of the teachers there is an insufficient level of development of the intellectual component of psychological culture – teachers are not well aware of the psychology students, the high level of young people knowledge of psychology was marked by the teachers who have special (mental) training; study of regulatory and practical (behavioral), and value-semantic components of psychological culture revealed that most of the teachers have high and medium level of development of these indicators, however, part of the teachers is not enough ability to rapidly establish deep and rapid establishment, to subject-subject communication. It has been established that there is a close correlation indicators of psychological health and psychological culture of personality of high school teacher. The article noted that the findings are important for the further development of preventive measures, as well as to develop guidelines aimed at the preservation and development of the psychological health of the individual university teachers, on the alignment of the university system of improving their psychological culture. © 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk


A compact, reconfigurable planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) for mobile phone applications is presented. Based on recent smart‐phone geometries, a PIN diode on an antenna radiator is used for frequency‐reconfigurable operation with a PIFA structure. The proposed novel hexa‐band built‐in mobile antenna, which is designed to cover LTE, GSM850, GSM900, DCS, PCS, and UMTS bands, is satisfactory in terms of its reflection coefficient, radiation patterns, and average gain (efficiency). A prototype is investigated, and good agreement between simulations and measurements is shown. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:1926–1928, 2013


We study data-driven control of (Markov) jump linear systems with unknown transition probabilities, where both the discrete mode and the continuous state are to be inferred from output measurements. To this end, we develop a receding horizon estimator which uniquely identifies a subsequence of past mode transitions and the corresponding continuous state, allowing for arbitrary switching behavior. Unlike traditional approaches to mode estimation, we do not require an offline exhaustive search over mode sequences to determine the size of the observation window, but rather select it online. If the system is weakly mode observable, the window size will be upper bounded, leading to a finite-memory observer. We integrate the estimation procedure with a simple distributionally robust controller, which hedges against misestimations of the transition probabilities due to finite sample sizes. As additional mode transitions are observed, the used ambiguity sets are updated, resulting in continual improvements of the control performance. The practical applicability of the approach is illustrated on small numerical examples.


Unambiguous 13C-NMR assignments for the primary (prim-) and secondary (sec-) isocyanate carbons of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) have been made by using two-dimensional NMR measurements. On the basis of the assignments, relative reactivity of the prim- and sec-isocyanate groups with n-butanol was studied by quantitative 13C-NMR analysis. The individual stereoisomers of IPDI (Z-IPDI and E-IPDI) and their equimolar mixture were reacted with n-butanol (IPDI/n-butanol = 2/1 molar ratio) at 50°C for 3 days. It was found that the sec-NCO is about 1.6 times more reactive than the prim-NCO in both Z- and E-isomers. Reactivity of the E-isomer was found to be slightly higher than that of the Z-isomer. When di-n-butyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) was used as a catalyst, the reactivity of the sec-NCO became about 12 times higher than that of the prim-NCO with both isomers. In the case of 1,4-diazabicyclo [2.2.2] octane (DABCO) catalyst, the prim-NCO was 1.2 times more reactive than the sec-NCO with both isomers.


OBJECTIVE
To observe human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (hTNF-alpha) expression and secreting level of human embryo myoblasts transfected by hTNF-alpha gene.

METHODS
Human embryo myoblasts were transfected with shuttle plasmid pSV23SHTNF containing hTNF-alpha gene by cationic liposomes DOSPER. The control group was only given equivalent liposomes except plasmid. After culturing for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, hTNF-alpha expression level of human embryo myoblasts was observed with immunocytochemistry staining, and hTNF-alpha secreting of human embryo myoblasts was analyzed by ELISA.

RESULTS
After transfected by hTNF-alpha gene for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, the human embryo myoblasts displayed significant secretion of hTNF-alpha in the cultural supernatant (P < 0.05), and overexpression in cytoplasma and cell membrane.

CONCLUSION
Transfection of hTNF-alpha gene to human myoblasts made myoblasts secrete high concentration of hTNF-alpha, implying it is feasible that transfecting muscle cells surrounding tongue carcinoma lesion with hTNF-alpha gene can prevent tongue carcinoma from intruding into deeper muscle tissue.


The supply line forms an essential part of the industrial process whenever a new offshore field is being exploited and platforms become operational. This article concludes a series that examines the safety and reliability of the supply vessel involved. It discusses the interface between supply vessel and installation, and the operational problems that can arise in connection with it; the seriousness of the shortage of trained personnel; and the importance of the shipmaster's adhering to standards and management principles that maintain the safety of offshore operations. The concluding section of the article criticizes charterers, shipowners, ship managers, shipmasters and regulatory bodies for failing to play a proper role in assuring safety.


The utility model provides a juice extractor screw rod and juice extractor. This juice extractor screw rod includes: the shaft hole has been seted up to screw rod main part and screw shaft in the screw rod main part, the screw shaft is installed in the shaft hole to with screw rod main part fixed connection, wherein the screw rod main part is the screw rod main part that adoption wear -resistant material made. The utility model provides a juice extractor screw rod, screw rod main part adopt wear -resistant material to make, have improved the wearability of screw rod main part, avoid causing the screw rod main part to wear and tear often squeezing the juice to the harder edible material of material, adopt screw shaft and screw rod main part fixed connection's mode for the manufacturing process of whole juice extractor screw rod is simple, with low costs, only needs during the manufacturing to set up the shaft hole in the screw rod main part, and fixes the screw shaft in this shaft hole, can realize the fixed connection between screw rod main part and the screw shaft, size precision height, stable quality, joint strength.


Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) can present with a wide range of clinical presentations depending on the route of infection, immune status of the patient and whether or not there has been previous sensitization with TB. The occurrences of different forms of cutaneous TB vary globally. Depending on the types of cutaneous TB, the efficacies of different diagnostic tests are varying and there is no single perfect tool. In this study, the available diagnostic tests for cutaneous TB such as tuberculin test, smear for acid-fast bacilli (AFB), histopathologic examination, TB culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for M. tuberculosis DNA from skin biopsy specimen were done in 25 clinically diagnosed cutaneous TB cases attending the Dermatology Ward, YGH from June 2014 to August 2015. The positivity of diagnostic test results were compared according to the types of cutaneous TB. Among different clinical types recorded, lupus vulgaris was the most prevalent one (13 cases, 52%) and the least was tuberculids (4 cases, 16%). When comparing the positivity of different diagnostic tests, PCR was positive in 13 cases (52%) which was the most and there was no culture positive nor AFB smear positive cases. These results showed that careful clinical examination is still essential for the evaluation and treatment of cutaneous TB while also highlighting the TB PCR as a sensitive test for the confirmation of cutaneous TB.


We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel polymeric material which has been used as binder in the fabrication of PDLC films. A monomer bearing a carbazolyl moiety has been copolymerized, using azobisisobutyrronitrile (AIBN) as initiator, with a monomer containing a mesogenic core. PDLC films have been prepared using copolymers with different composition in the two monomers. A detailed morphological analysis has been carried out to evaluate a correlation between the copolymer composition and the PDLC film morphologies.


Few studies have tested whether the process through which self-control is developed varies by gender. This study examines whether gender differences in self-control among children are explained by differences in parental supervision, monitoring, and discipline using a sample of mothers from National Longitudinal Study of Youth Children and Young Adults (NLSY79-CYA)1 data (N = 862). This study also examines whether the relationship between parenting factors and self-control is moderated by gender. Using ordinary least squares regression, findings showed that females report higher levels of self-control than males and that this difference is accounted for by parenting factors. Moreover, this study found that the effect of parental discipline for grades and spanking on self-control varied by gender.


A two-dimensional electro-optic sampling technique with polarity modulation for THz imaging is proposed and demonstrated. The polarity modulation greatly improves the signal linearity to the THz field. Combining this technique with software lock-in detection, it is found that the modulation efficiency is also improved compared to conventional optical chopping.


To be consigned to a life spent searching for the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease remains as much a cause for supplication to St Jude as it ever did. Over the last decade new forms of inflammatory bowel disease have been described, the surgical management of ulcerative colitis has seen the impact of restorative proctocolectomy, and major changes have taken place in the medical management of Crohn's disease in childhood and adolescence. It is therefore appropriate to review some of these developments.


Miniaturization in size of Medical ultrasound scanning machine made it to use in point of care applications. Lack of sonographers and their unwillingness to work in rural areas limit the benefits of ultrasound system in rural healthcare. Diagnosis of patients through ultrasound is done by visualizing the ultrasound scanned images of organs. Diagnosis through telemedicine involves transmitting of ultrasound images from rural locations to cloud, where sonographer can remotely access the ultrasound data from cloud and generate the report, thus reducing the geographical separation between patients and doctors. Due to lack of adequate sonographers, ultrasound scanning in remote areas is operated by semi-skilled clinicians. Most of the images generated by semi-skilled clinicians are not useful for diagnosis. Transmitting all these images increases the data in cloud, drains the battery of portable ultrasound machine and increases latency in medication. This paper provides automatic B-mode ultrasound image validation based on organ information present in the image for diagnosis, thus avoiding transmission of invalid images to cloud. Linear kernel SVM classifier trained with first order statistic features of image with/without organs is used to classify the images into valid and invalid for diagnosis. The algorithm resulted with a recognition efficiency of 94.2% in classifying the ultrasound images.


ABSTRACT This interview highlights Professor Hossein Farhady's academic life and his sustained contribution to research in the fields of English Language teaching, language testing and ESP over the past decades. Through a number of questions, the interview asks Professor Farhady about his pioneering role in the field of language testing in Iran and his highly valued contribution to issues related to English language teaching and material design. The interview takes the shape of a narrative about Professor Farhady's past from early days of schooling in a village near Makou in Iran to his PhD studies at UCLA in California and his post-PhD research career in different countries around the globe. The interview summarises his accomplishment in leading research projects, disseminating research outputs, and training new teachers, researchers and language test and material designers. It also provides an interesting portrait of his vision for the field which is based on his experience of working in various higher education contexts over the past decades. Most importantly, the interview demonstrates Professor Farhady's commitment to research and his dedication to translating research findings to action and bringing change about in policy and professional practice. Above all, the interview is a recognition of his lifetime achievements and an acknowledgement of his dedication, diligence and devotion to research in applied linguistics.


Many applications such as intelligent tutoring system (ITS) use data that are better represented as binary data. This paper presents a novel algorithm called MBER (Mining Binary Data Efficiently by Reduced AND operations) for finding frequent itemsets in a binary dataset using matrix algebra operations. Frequent itemsets are sets of items in a transactional database that occur together frequently (defined by a user-given threshold value called minimum support). Existing algorithms that operate on binary data, such as ABBM, generate frequent itemsets by performing exhaustive AND operations using brute force method. MBER, on the other hand, generates frequent itemsets using a novel technique in which it first uses matrix algebra operations to find those transactions that have m common items in them (called as potential transactions) and then performs AND operations on only such potential transactions. This reduces the total number of AND operations required considerably (by less than a quarter) and thereby improves the efficiency of the algorithm. MBER also shows a significant improvement over traditional algorithms that generate frequent itemsets, such as Apriori, by eliminating the need to (i) scan the database more than once and (ii) to generate large number of candidate itemsets. This paper concludes by a proof of correctness of MBER and a discussion on evaluating it.


PURPOSE: A control method for a solar photovoltaic generating system is provided to improve solar power generation efficiency by changing the incident angle of sunlight on a panel and controlling the temperature of the panel. CONSTITUTION: The surface temperature of a solar panel is measured in real time in a normal trace mode (S200). The change of the surface temperature is measured in a specific time interval (S300). The amount of electricity generated is measured (S400). Setting temperature is designated based on the amount of electricity generated and the measured temperature change (S500). According to the designated setting temperature and the measured temperature, an incident angle on the solar panel is controlled in the normal trace mode. [Reference numerals] (AA) Control unit; (BB) Measurement temperature > Setting temperature; (CC) Increase of incident light; (DD) Measurement temperature > Setting temperature &; (EE) Differential value of temperature change is positive(+); (FF) Differential value of temperature change is negative(-); (GG) Measurement temperature < Setting temperature & Differential value of temperature change is negative; (HH) Normal tracing mode return; (S100) Normal tracing mode; (S200) Real time temperature measurement; (S300) Temperature change measurement in a specific time interval; (S400) Measurement of the amount of power generated; (S500) Setting temperature is designated; (S710) Continuous increase of incident light; (S720) Decrease of incident light


Objective: To evaluate the performance of a robotic system for CT-guided biopsy in comparison to the conventional manual technique. Materials and methods: Patientsreferred for CT-guided biopsy were randomly assigned to two groups namely, Robot-Assisted Procedure (Group A) and Conventional Procedure (Group B). Procedure duration, dose length product (DLP), accuracyof the needle positioning, diagnostic performance of the biopsy and rate of complications were evaluated to assess the clinical performance of the robotic system as compared to the conventional technique. Results:All biopsies were successfully performed. Procedure duration and radiation dose were significantly reduced in group A as compared to group B. Accuracy of theneedle positioning, diagnostic performance of the biopsy and rate of complications were similar in both groups. Conclusion: Robot-assisted CT-guided biopsy can be performed safely, with high diagnostic accuracy thereby reducing procedure duration and radiation dose in comparison to the conventional manual technique. Key Points: CT-guided biopsy is the main procedure in tumor diagnosis for various body organs. 1 The robotic device facilitates percutaneous needle placement under CT guidance. 2 Robot-assisted CT-guided biopsy reduces procedure duration and radiation dose.


A lattice-induced opacity is identified in the scattering process of a normally-incident matter wave from a two dimensional lattice of atoms. This system can be treated as an analogue of a confinement induced resonance. Specifically by modifying the s-wave scattering length between atoms in the incident matter wave and the lattice-confined atoms, the transmission of the matter wave can be tuned controllably from zero to one. Based on this, we propose a possible scheme for a matter wave transistor. When the transmission of the matter wave is tuned to zero, a matter wave cavity can be formed by placing two such lattice planes of atoms parallel to one another. At higher kinetic energies, the two dimensional lattice of atoms can also serve as a matter wave beam splitter and a wave plate.


The optimal control of traffic flow is imp ortant in urban transportation.Reasonable optimal traffic control strategy can improve traffic capacity,enhance vehicle average speed and make a progress in urban traffic conditions.In this paper,an optimized traffic control model is founded through a more flexible agent self-control arithmetic and multi-agent negotiate strategy.In simulation,this new optimal strategy is proved efficient in dealing with the traffic congestion problem and improving the traffic capacity.


Dayside modulated relativistic electron's butterfly pitch angle distributions (PADs) from ∼200 keV to 2.6 MeV were observed by Van Allen Probe B at L = 5.3 on 15 November 2013. They were associated with localized magnetic dip driven by hot ring current ion (60–100 keV proton and 60–200 keV helium and oxygen) injections. We reproduce the electron's butterfly PADs at satellite's location using test particle simulation. The simulation results illustrate that a negative radial flux gradient contributes primarily to the formation of the modulated electron's butterfly PADs through inward transport due to the inductive electric field, while deceleration due to the inductive electric field and pitch angle change also makes in part contribution. We suggest that localized magnetic field perturbation, which is a frequent phenomenon in the magnetosphere during magnetic disturbances, is of great importance for creating electron's butterfly PADs in the Earth's radiation belts.


The concrete aggregate of Fengweihe hydropower station is carbon limestone,whose poor sound-ness directly affects the durability of concrete.Considering the design requirements of concrete in Fengweihe Hydropower Station,based on the ultrafine dust filling technology,the method of intermingling silica fume into concrete was adopted to study their best mix proportion for durability improvement.Good technological and economic results had been displayed through actual construction.The tests showed that the concrete compressive strength increased by 35% when added silica fume,picking 20% of cement content to concrete;and with the same freezing-melting times and water pressure,the mass loss and average water seepage height of concrete were less 1/2 and 3/4 than normal concrete when added silica fume,picking 15% of cement content to concrete.Results showed that intermingling silica fume into concrete could effectively improve the pore structure and the compactness of concrete,thus enhance its durability.


We present here non-stoichiometry and electrical conductivity measurements in the low-T and high-T range for the Eu1+xBa2-xCu3Oy system with x=0, 0.2 and 0.4. We found an anomalous trend of the Tc with y for EuBa2Cu3Oy (Eu-123) relative to other HTSC of REBa2Cu3Oy family (RE=Y, Nd, Sm). On the contrary high-T data for the whole system show a behavior similar to that of others RE-123.


Sample return and in-situ sampling and analysis is one of the major objectives of future NASA exploration missions. Existing drilling techniques are limited by the need for large axial forces, holding torques, and high power consumption. Lightweight robots and rovers have difficulties accommodating these requirements. To address these key challenges to the NASA objective of planetary in-situ rock sampling and analysis, a drilling technology called ultrasonic/sonic driller/corer (USDC) was developed. The USDC uses a novel driving mechanism, transferring ultrasonic vibration to sonic frequency impacts with the aid of a free-flying mass block (free-mass). The free mass then drives the drill bit. The actuator consists of a stack of piezoelectric disks with a horn that amplifies the induced vibration amplitudes. The standard USDC is a slender device, and some times its length is too long for specific NASA missions. It is of current interest to have novel designs that reduce the length of the device. For this purpose, two novel horn designs were examined analytically. One is the flipped horn, the other is the planar folded horn. The new designs of the horn were analyzed using finite element modeling and the results allow for the determination of the control parameters that can optimize the performance of the ultrasonic horn in terms of the tip displacement and velocity. The results of the modeling are described and discussed in this paper.


Identification of dementia is an important concern in medical image processing. Alzheimer is a common kind of dementia. Four machine learning models were designed for identifying this disease. This is classified as a classification problem, and the classification algorithms tested include logistic regression, support vector classifier, decision tree, and random forest classifier. The models are fine tuned by choosing optimal values for parameters that influences the accuracy of the model. The optimal parameters are found using a K-fold cross validation score, and the models are generated using that. The dataset used in the model is longitudinal cross sectional data from OASIS. It has been inferred from the results that random forest classifier performs well than the other models.


Submitted for the MAR15 Meeting of The American Physical Society Optogenetic stimulation of a meso-scale human cortical model PRASHANTH SELVARAJ, ANDREW SZERI, UC Berkeley, JAMIE SLEIGH, Waikato Clinical School, HEIDI KIRSCH, UC San Frnacisco — Neurological phenomena like sleep and seizures depend not only on the activity of individual neurons, but on the dynamics of neuron populations as well. Meso-scale models of cortical activity provide a means to study neural dynamics at the level of neuron populations. Additionally, they offer a safe and economical way to test the effects and efficacy of stimulation techniques on the dynamics of the cortex. Here, we use a physiologically relevant meso-scale model of the cortex to study the hypersynchronous activity of neuron populations during epileptic seizures. The model consists of a set of stochastic, highly non-linear partial differential equations. Next, we use optogenetic stimulation to control seizures in a hyperexcited cortex, and to induce seizures in a normally functioning cortex. The high spatial and temporal resolution this method offers makes a strong case for the use of optogenetics in treating meso scale cortical disorders such as epileptic seizures. We use bifurcation analysis to investigate the effect of optogenetic stimulation in the meso scale model, and its efficacy in suppressing the non-linear dynamics of seizures. Prashanth Selvaraj UC Berkeley Date submitted: 14 Nov 2014 Electronic form version 1.4


Lithography modeling is a very attractive way to predict the critical dimensions of patterned features after lithographic processing. In a previous paper, we have presented the assessment of three different simplified resist models (aerial image model, aerial image convolved with fixed gaussian noise and aerial image convolved with variable gaussian noise) by using a systematic comparison between experimental and simulated data. It has been shown that the aerial image convolved with fixed gaussian noise, or "diffused aerial image model" (DAIM), exhibits surprisingly good results of CD prediction for lines @ 193nm. Using these datasets, the DAIM appeared as an accurate model for CD prediction. This approach allows also an easy run, and because it needs only four adjustable parameters, it avoids the difficult task of resist parameters extraction associated to full resist models. In this paper, we enlarge the datasets used for the assessment of the DAIM by considering both lines and contact holes of various sizes printed at different wavelengths. The reference wafers have been printed at 248nm, 193nm and 157 nm. The procedure used to extract the model parameters has been improved and now needs less data to provide acceptable values. We will show that the validity of the DAIM extends well outside the results presented in Ref. 1. Experimental data printed using various wavelengths, resists and exposure tools can be simulated accurately with CD prediction error ranging within few percents. It is to be noted that the results that will be presented on contact holes data indicate that the model is valid for 2D features. Finally, a comparison with full resist models shows that the accuracy of DAIM is comparable to more sophisticated and heavier models.


I first met Louis Quin when I attended the International Conference on Phosphorus Chemistry in Durham, NC, in 1981, a conference at which he served as the general chairman. Of course, I knew earlier of his international reputation as a leader in the general area of phosphorus chemistry through his excellent publications. Since this earlier acquaintance with Dr. Quin, I have learned much about him and his extraordinary character. Louis has devoted his life to science and to helping others in the profession. Most of this is not evident in his vitae but is evident particularly in his roles at Duke University as Director of Graduate Studies and Chairman of the Department of Chemistry. Later, he was Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In these dominant roles as well as others, he guided many students in their careers as well as faculty by showing a deep interest and concern in the individuals involved. He was known as one of the most fair and interesting persons in this regard. I was on the department head search committee at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where I was a tenured Professor of Chemistry, and learned of his dedication in this regard as well as in others that made our choice easy. We felt fortunate that he accepted our invitation to become the head of our chemistry department. All along Louis Quin's career, he has assumed leadership roles and commanded the respect of his colleagues. Over the years, he has been appointed to a host of international positions in many countries mainly due to his eminence in research and respect for his character as a leader as well as his pleasing personality. As a result, he was in a sense revered as a person who always represented science in the best possible way. I am sure that others I know because of Louis's interaction with them, feel this way as well. Louis's wife died of cancer after a protracted length of time that caused him an extreme period of grief. This sort of loss might have caused him to throw in the towel. On the contrary, he has been teaching in OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University), which is outreach. He does this voluntarily, rejecting a stipend. He brings organic chemistry to seniors in an effort to make it understandable while recognizing its importance in life processes and medicinals especially. His present course (in progress) is "Understanding Organic Chemistry and Its Relevance in Our Lives." Louis has written an 85-page booklet just for this senior course since no text is suitable. I consider this effort beyond the call of duty. In addition, Louis has just published an excellent book covering early developments in phosphorus chemistry. It is entitled "The Development of Organic


A complete set of methods for the calculation of electrical crosstalk in Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits is presented. From the examination of typical chip architecture, it is shown that the inductive coupling due to thin bondwires is critical. The model can be easily applied to several OEICs. Design guidelines are presented.


Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most important cause of oligoovulation and anovulation in women of reproductive age and in infertile women. Considering insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia in this syndrome, it is believed that calcium, as well as vitamin D, will have a unique role in correcting the impairment in insulin secretion and help the development of oocytes in mammals. Therefore, this study was carried out with the objectives of evaluating the effects of calcium on human ovulation and on the size of follicles in comparison with the current use of metformin. Materials & Methods: In this research, all PCOS patients (In accordance with the Rotterdam criteria and diagnosis confirmation by a gynecologist) who attended the infertility unit of Vali-eAsr Reproductive Health Research Center from 2004 to 2005, after expressing their willingness to participate in the research were assigned to three 20-patient treatment groups as it follows: The cases were treated daily with: 1) Calcium/Vit. D (1000mg), 2) Calcium/Vit. D (1000mg) and metformin (1500mg) or 3) Metformin (1500mg) tablets for 3 months and were followed up for 3 more months. After this 6-month period, the size of dominant follicles, regularity of menses and pregnancy were checked for. After data collection and entry, statistical analysis (Kruskal Wallis, t-test, ANOVA and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) Regression) on the basis of the hypothesis, with a significance level of p=0.05 was performed by using SPSS software (Version 11). Results: Considering the response to treatment by the patients (Dominant follicle ≥12mm in size), GEE showed that the response was significantly higher during the 5-6 months in the Calcium/Vit. D and metformin treatment group than the ones from the other groups (p= 0.03). Conclusion: Considering the effects of metformin in reducing and regulating insulin production, and vitamin-D in regulating and correcting serum insulin levels, simultaneous administration of these two medications is suggested for the treatment of insulin impairment and reduction of androgen levels for better oocyte maturation.


Via numerical simulation and experimental assessment, this study examines the use of origami folding to develop robotic jumping mechanisms with tailored nonlinear stiffness to improve dynamic performance. We propose a multifunctional structure where the load-carrying skeleton of the structure acts as the energy-storage medium at the same time. Specifically, we use Tachi–Miura polyhedron (TMP) bellow origami—which exhibits a nonlinear 'strain-softening' force-displacement curve—as a jumping robotic skeleton with embedded energy storage. TMP's nonlinear stiffness allows it to store more energy than a linear spring and offers improved jumping height and airtime. Moreover, the nonlinearity can be tailored by directly changing the underlying TMP crease geometry. A critical challenge is to minimize the TMP's hysteresis and energy loss during its compression stage right before jumping. So we used the plastically annealed lamina emergent origami (PALEO) concept to modify the TMP creases. PALEO increases the folding limit before plastic deformation occurs, thus improving the overall strain energy retention. Jumping experiments confirmed that a nonlinear TMP mechanism achieved roughly 9% improvement in air time and a 13% improvement in jumping height compared to a 'control' TMP sample with a relatively linear stiffness. This study's results validate the advantages of using origami in robotic jumping mechanisms and demonstrate the benefits of utilizing nonlinear spring elements for improving jumping performance. Therefore, they could foster a new family of energetically efficient jumping mechanisms with optimized performance in the future.


Competition of medical services is more serious with the reform of healthcare industry. One of continuousdevelopment measure is to educating staff with marketing. Hubei Shiyan People Hospital develops idea of all staff marketing andoccupy key of market, which improve the hospital success in the competition of medical industry.


Introduction This chapter reports on the findings of a study of the interventions in curriculum management initiated by the Jika iMfundo programme in two education districts in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The chapter begins with a brief discussion of what curriculum management entails based on a survey of literature, before addressing some of the problems experienced with respect to curriculum management in KZN. This provides a context for understanding the interventions introduced by Jika iMfundo to improve curriculum management and strengthen curriculum coverage in schools. The chapter then outlines the research undertaken in a sample of schools in a rural


This paper proposes novel robust stability and robust stabilizability conditions for time delay systems with time-varying delay and nonlinear time-varying perturbations. Using the traditional quadratic approach with Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional in which the Lyapunov-Krasovskii matrices are independent from the time as well as from the nonlinear perturbations, some delay-dependent robust stability and robust stabilizability criteria are derived. The main contribution of this research is to give quadratic-based conditions for stability analysis and controller synthesis of time delay systems without using any bound for cross-terms presented in the time derivative equation. This allows the proposed stability and stabilizability criteria to provide less conservative results than that of reported methods which often employ bounding of the cross-terms. Several examples are considered from the literature to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2005 IFAC


The invention discloses a two-dimensional-image-based 3D (three-dimensional) printing system and a two-dimensional-image-based 3D printing method. The system comprises a 3D automatic reconstruction module, a 3D printing data automatic processing and exchange interface module and a 3D printer. The method comprises the following steps of first placing two cameras at different positions to shoot two images of the same scene or placing a camera to shoot the two images of the same scene in a moving or rotating way to obtain an image pair; then extracting characteristic information from the image pair by using the system; next establishing a corresponding relationship between the characteristic information of the two images in the image pair according to the calculation of the characteristic information by using the system, and matching a physical point of the same control to correspond to mapping points in different images; finally performing depth calculation on a matched and corresponding imaging model according to a geometric relationship between a time lag and a depth in the imaging model by using the system. According to the system and the method, the labor cost and the time cost are greatly lowered; moreover, the method is easy to implement, and the system is low in cost and consistent with the trend of development of 3D printing in the future.


With the technical assistance of William Urban Previous studies have shown abnormalities of the arterial pulse wave in hypertensive subjects of all age groups. The major change has been diminution to disappearance of the dicrotic wave. The pharmacologic differences between epinephrine and norepi-nephrine offer a means of studying the mechanism of this change in the dicrotic wave. In the present study, normotensive subjects have had transient hypertension induced by the infusion of epinephrine and norepinephrine. The different effects of these drugs on their arterial pulse waves have been recorded. I N A previous report,' describing observations on the arterial pulse wave in human subjects, a new technic was introduced for recording the pulse wave without intra-arterial puncture. The method has been shown to be sensitive and to give reproducible results. The accuracy of the recordings has been demonstrated by the similarity of simultaneous intra-arterial and extra-arterial tracings. Figures 1 and 2 show typical instances of normal and abnormal arterial pulse waves as recorded by this technic. The major difference in the abnormal cases appears to be diminu-tion to disappearance of the dicrotic wave. These changes in the dicrotic segment of the arterial pulse wave have been found in hyper-tensive subjects of all age groups as well as in patients with generalized arteriosclerosis, coronary arteriosclerosis, and diabetes melli-tus. The dicrotic wave has been ascribed to a reflected wave from the recoil of the blood column against the closed aortic valve. More recent studies2-7 indicate that peripheral factors also play a role in the formation of the dicrotic wave. The technic described herein seemed to offer another means of studying the mechanism of the dicrotic wave. The pharmacologic studies of Goldenberg and his group8 have shown that although both epinephrine and norepinephrine produce comparable degrees of hypertension, they do so in different ways. The hypertensive action of epinephrine in man is due primarily to a large increase in cardiac output that overbalances a decrease in total peripheral resistance. On the other hand, hypertension induced by norepinephrine is produced in man by a striking increase in peripheral resistance with little or no change in the cardiac FIG. 1. Normal arterial pulse waves recorded from the third digit of a healthy 25 year old man. The vertical lines are time signals 0.1 second apart and the horizontal lines represent pressure increments of 10 inmn. Hg in the cuff applied about the finger. The cuff …


ABSTRACT This article investigates classification and subject heading systems used in academic health sciences libraries and the reasons these systems were chosen. The study also ascertains the respective systems used at the general libraries at the same academic institutions, in order to find out if there is a desire for conformity. Specific attention is paid to the question whether a shared OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) may play a role in this desire. The results show that 75% of the survey participants from academic health sciences libraries use primarily the NLM (National Library of Medicine) classification system and 95% use MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). General libraries at the same institutions overwhelmingly use the systems developed by the Library of Congress. The most compelling reason for the use of NLM systems is that they are considered the most appropriate for medical collections.


We consider the study of performing likelihood-based inference in Lee's radiative transfer semi-analytical model. This model is widely used for the inversion of bathymetric products in coastal areas. We perform assessment of uncertainty on retrieved bathymetry in terms of hypothesis testing. Uncertainty results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations showing that inference based on the likelihood ratio statistic is much more reliable than the Wald statistic. Our results suggest that the Wald statistic based on Fisher observed information outperforms the Cramer-Rao lower bound in evaluating the estimation uncertainty. Confidence intervals derived from likelihood ratio statistic reveal the asymmetry of the maximum likelihood uncertainty arguing that variance-based uncertainties may be irrelevant for inferring uncertainty on bathymetric products.


Data mining and big data analytics have the ability and potential to metamorphosis and transfigure the present day pedagogy, teaching, andragogy and the fact-finding for student's benefits. Evolution of big data will serve as the beginning for a new era in education and scrutinization and exploration in education. The forefront and leading-edge critique traverse the contemporary state of big data analytics. This paper aims to study the implications for edification and development for today and the next day. Data mining and data analytics have clutched great impetus in the past few years and will surely entertain a great market in coming future. Learning analytics have been nourished by data and it further provide opportunities to institutes to allure more learners as with the assistance of analysed data they will have much apt knowledge and recognition of the learners ability, domains and requirements. Today intelligence, apprehension and knowledge about big data are really requisite. The agenda of this illustrative document and report is to supply a pinpoint review of massive data, its utilizations, techniques and its analysis via languages as HIVE, PIG, and HADOOP. The paper also talks of many affairs about big data and its analysis mechanism. A lot many advantages are offered by it but there is a need for the organization to understand its own requirements, their structure, their setbacks, resources before the enactment of data bandwagon. In education scenario and in all education related research fields. Big data has its own unique stand. The intercession of big data analytics in schooling and institutions can reduce the inflation of perils and menace it suffers. The influence of big data is not restricted to CS/IT departments and companies but it is expanded to all domains say in education, health care, government etc...Today even the field of education doesn't remain isolated by the intervention of big data. In future big data will definitely serve as productive& constructive equipment for education structure in the very near future


OBJECTIVES
To examine the effect of including buprenorphine with detomidine for sedation of horses undergoing clinical procedures.

STUDY DESIGN
Partially blinded, randomised, prospective clinical field trial.

ANIMALS
Eighty four client-owned horses scheduled for minor surgery or diagnostic investigation under standing sedation.

METHODS
The effects of buprenorphine (5 μg kg(-1) ) (Group B, n = 46) or placebo (5% glucose solution) (Group C, n = 38) in combination with detomidine (10 μg kg(-1) ) were compared in standing horses undergoing minor clinical procedures. The primary outcome measure was successful completion of the procedure. The degree of sedation and ataxia were scored using simple descriptive scales. Heart and respiratory rates were recorded at 15-30 minute intervals. Parametric data from each group were compared using anova or t-test and non parametric data using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS
The procedure was carried out successfully in 91% of Group B and 63% of Group C (p < 0.01). Repeat dosing was required in 24% of Group B and 32% of Group C (p < 0.05). Sedation was more profound and lasted longer (60 versus 45 minutes) in Group B (p < 0.01). Ataxia occurred after detomidine, increased after buprenorphine but not glucose administration, was more profound in group B and lasted longer (60 versus 30 minutes) p < 0.001). Heart and respiratory rates remained within normal limits in both groups and there were no serious adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Buprenorphine 5 and 10 μg kg(-1) enhanced the sedation produced by detomidine 10 and 20 μg kg(-1) with minor side effects similar to other alpha2 agonist/opioid combinations. Detomidine-buprenorphine sedation is suitable for standing procedures in horses.


The authors report measurements of angle-resolved photoemission and of transport properties for the same samples of nearly stoichiometric TiS2, and of Ti1.05S2. It is shown that the carrier densities derived from the two techniques are consistent, and the geometries of the Fermi surfaces are mapped out. The data also show that there is an indirect gap of 0.3+or-0.1 eV between the S p and Ti d bands, for both materials.


It is imperative that every library have a financial plan. The library cannot be managed properly without one, especially if values, not expedience, are to determine priorities. The authors review the basics and then carefully outline how best to create a financial plan that will involve staff, internal and external stakeholders, and maintain or improve services.


Important transitions under way here and abroad suggest that the framework of our informal national measurement system must evolve to meet new policy needs. Current trends signal that this framework must allow for designing policy responses to a likely shift in global power. Perhaps the other major new change relates to changes in the environment, especially as these changes interact with the population, housing, and economic domains that the census measures. In this paper, I address broad framework questions, and sketch out likely directions for policy measurement, with particular attention to interactions across what have been designed as discrete measurement domains.


Climatic resources, especially a long and regular rainy season, represented a favorable context for migrants moving along the BR163 road in Mato Grosso to develop agriculture. In return, this region has undergone profound landscape changes including deforestation, agricultural expansion and urbanization that led to climate changes via the modification of surface conditions (roughness, albedo, soil moisture). In this presentation, we propose a multi-scale analysis of these changes using in-situ and remote sensing data:

 At the scale of Mato Grosso, the trends of changes in rainfall volumes and rainy season dates show sometimes divergent evolutions to which producers try to adapt, for example by multiplying farm dams and irrigation pivots.
 At regional and local scales, significant differences are observed between forest and pasture or croplands, especially during the dry season.
 At local scale, the extension of cities such as Alta Floresta, Sorriso or Sinop contribute to generate urban heat islands, well marked during the night and the dry season.

We show that, beyond the global effects of deforestation on the water and carbon cycles in the Amazon, the climate consequences of such geographic transformations are reflected first on local and regional scales and are particularly spectacular in northern Mato Grosso.


3003 Background: For patients with peritoneal metastatic disease, extent of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is a major prognostic factor for long-term survival, regardless of primary tumor type. Pegsitacianine is a systemically delivered pH-sensitive polymeric micellar fluorescent nanoprobe developed to intraoperatively identify residual disease and augment the completeness of CRS following standard of care radiographic imaging, visualization, palpation, and intended resection. Methods: NCT04950166 was a Phase 2, non-randomized, open-label, multi-center U.S. study. Patients eligible for CRS were administered a single intravenous dose of pegsitacianine at 1 mg/kg within 24-72 hours prior to surgery. After completion of intended CRS, the peritoneal cavity was systematically re-examined under near-infrared (NIR) illumination to evaluate for fluorescent tissue. Post-standard of care fluorescent tissue detected by pegsitacianine guidance was excised and sent for evaluation for presence of residual tumor by histopathology. Clinically significant events (CSE) were defined as detection of histologically confirmed residual disease excised under pegsitacianine guidance following standard CRS, resulting in additional excision or a change in the assessment of completeness of CRS. Treatment-related and treatment-emergent adverse events were coded by CTCAE (v5.01). Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled and evaluable for CSE. Evaluable patients were defined as patients who completed pegsitacianine dosing, underwent CRS with post-SOC evaluation of the peritoneal cavity, and had evidence of disease upon histopathological evaluation of surgical specimens. These 40 patients represented 6 different primary tumor types (appendiceal, colorectal, endometrial, mesothelioma, ovarian, pancreatic). At the patient level, CSEs were detected in 20 of 40 (50%) patients. Patient-level false positive rate – wherein all pegsitacianine-guided fluorescent tissue specimens resected post-CRS were determined to be negative for cancer by histopathology – occurred in 12.5% of patients. Pegsitacianine was well tolerated with no SAEs. Treatment-related, non-anaphylactic infusion reactions occurred in 26% of patients and were transient, with a median duration of 9 minutes. Conclusions: Pegsitacianine received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a result of data collected in this trial. Pegsitacianine is well-tolerated and facilitates the recognition of occult residual disease following CRS. The high rate of residual disease detection suggests pegsitacianine has the potential to augment surgeon performance during CRS, leading to improved completeness of cytoreduction and patient outcomes. Clinical trial information: NCT04950166 .


548 Purpose: We examined the correlation between HER2 expression and pathologic complete response (pCR) to paclitaxel/FAC (T/FAC) preoperative chemotherapy in stage II-III breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of data including 534 patients treated with preoperative T/FAC was performed. Gene expression results were available from a subset of 132 patients and were used to examine the co-expression of HER2 and topoisomerase II a (TOP2A) and microtubule associated protein tau (MAP-Tau). Results: Of the 534 patients, 105 (20%) had HER2 overexpressing (HER2+) breast cancer. The pCR rates were 33% and 15% for patients with HER2+ and HER2- tumors (P<0.001). The 5-year relapse-free survival rates were 94% and 70% in HER2+ tumors with and without pCR (P=0.009). In multivariate analysis ER-negative status (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7–5.5, P < 0.001), high nuclear grade (OR 6.7, 95% CI 3.1–14.2, P < 0.001), weekly paclitaxel regimen (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.5–4.5, P <0.001), and HER2 overexpression (OR 2.4, 95...


On the basis of geomorphological fieldwork associated with the elaboration of digital maps, we elaborated a database model to make the landform data useful to produce geomorphological maps at different scales. the database model provide the possibility to elaborate different kind of thematic maps and to perform quantitative geomorphological analysis. We identified five groups of information coming from not only a geomorphological database but also from the CARG and IFFI projects archives. We developed the conceptual model following the guide by the Italian geological survey for geomorphological mapping at scale 1:50.000, increasing the attributes useful for cartography management at multiple scales for the evaluation and the analysis of the surface processes chronology. KeyworDs: database, geomorphology, thematic maps, numerical codes, semiautomathic cartography.


The research advances on plant systemic acquired resistance in recent years were introduced;the physiological and biochemical mechanisms were reviewed;and the characteristic of plant systemic acquired resistance(SAR),commercial inducers and the application of SAR in plant disease control were also elaborated in this article.


The GOME instrument on board of the European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite is a nadir viewing across track scanning spectrometer measuring the reflectivity of the earth in the visual spectral range and it has a spatial resolution of 320 by 40 km. The same wide swath is also seen by three broad band Polarization Measurement Detectors (PMDs) in the same instrument with a higher spatial resolution of 20 by 40 km, thus dividing the wide swath into 16 smaller sub-pixels. The polarization cloud recognition algorithm is used to calculate a cloud cover fraction. This work shows some results of a comparison between calculated cloud fractions from the PMDs and co-located surface observations in the Netherlands for August 1997, 1998 and 1999.


ABSTRACT The application of pattern recognition methods in the reduction of two-valued switching functions, in order to achieve minimum redundancy in the number of components, is well known. The object of the present study is to show that in certain special cases it is possible to synthesize switching systems by examining directly the topology of the switching function table and in this way to obtain a system which uses a minimum number of components. The alternative method in such cases is normally to apply the classical methods of Boolean algebra ; however, these are often lengthy and in many of the cases related to complex systems prove quite impracticable. The eventual aim of these pattern recognition techniques is to make possible the synthesis of so-called sequential switching systems.


A superblock area has a high complexity, both in the development process and later when it is operational, so it required the right design at the beginning. At project Ciputra World phase 3, especially on the electrical system (PLN combination with generator), required the selection of appropriate design. In determining the design which will be used there are several considerations, so the decision will be made is an alternative that has the highest value. The considerations in determining the design of this project are the Initial cost, Maintenance Cost, Energy Cost. Based on the background  above, the methodology to be used in determining the selection of the best design for the electrical system in Ciputra World phase 3 is a Life Cycle Cost Analysis, where the costs of each alternative will be compared. The results of research show Cost of alternative 1 about IDR 570 billion (1 PLN – Diesel Engine), Alternative 2 about IDR 555 billion (1 PLN – Diesel Engine – Gas Engine) and Alternative 3 about IDR 580 billions (2 PLN -  Gas Engine). The best alternative design based on LCC is alternative 2 (1 PLN – Diesel Engine - Gas Engine)


The article examines the main stages of the formation and development of the legislation of Ukraine on adoption, implements a general description of the current normative legal acts governing the adoption process in Ukraine, defines the sequence of their adoption and the main aspects of their significance, especially in the part of legal regulation of the protection of childhood, rights and interests of a child, including the adoption, which is determined by the form of placement and method of protection of orphans and children, deprived of parental care. The author notes that the development of statehood and society at various stages of its existence significantly influenced the legal regulation of adoption and recognition of it as a form of placement of orphans and children deprived of parental care and the complete neglect of such institution. Since the first years of its independence, the Ukrainian state has actively built its own legal system, gradually abandoning the federal legislation and formulating national legislation that would correspond not only to the current state of political, socio-economic development of society, but also to take into account the international experience of law-making and enforcement. Not without exception, in this general process, became family law, in the part of legal regulation of child protection, rights and interests of a child, including an adoption, which is determined by the form of placement and the way of protecting orphans and children deprived of parental care. Many legislative acts regulate the procedure for the implementation of this important procedure, however, all of them are not devoid of certain shortcomings. Improvement of the modern normative base on adoption issues is always relevant, as in Ukraine, the number of orphans and children deprived of parental care is increasing, a significant part of which is being replenished by orphanages and boarding schools; therefore, the state must make its decisions with care, ensuring, first of all, the interests of


Taiwan has been one of the most successful East Asian countries in transitioning from authoritarian rule to liberal democracy. Using a wide range of survey data, this paper examines the process of democratic consolidation in Taiwan from 1996 to 2012, and benchmarks the country's progress with other East Asian democracies, third wave democracies, and established democracies. The results show that positive regime evaluations have been generally stable since the mid-1990s, although efficacy is slightly lower than is found elsewhere. Party attachments among the mass public have increased incrementally, against the international trends. The level of polarization within the party system has remained consistently low by international standards. Overall, the results confirm that the process of democratic consolidation in Taiwan is close to completion.


In the contextual approach of meaning,emphasis is vested on the apparent factors in the British-American pragmatic analyses,with focus put on the production and determination of in language practice.Meanwhile,the European philosophical Hermeneutics adheres to the hidden humanistic and historical background of meaning revelation in text understanding.Rational integration of the two types of contexts can initiate a novel contextual thinking perceptive,which will help establish the pursuit of meaning on the dynamic process of the realistic and historical contacts of contexts.