This paper introduces a new type of deformable aerial robot, which is based on our redesigned vector vehicle, using the new vector vehicle as a single unit for free combination in the air, different combinations will produce different characteristics to meet various requirements. For example, the horizontal combination of vehicle can make the combined robot one more degree of freedom, and through some special combination methods, the combined robot can speed up and increase the degree of freedom. In the further algorithm research on problem for the free combination of multiple vector vehicles in the air, the first issue is to establish the mathematical model of the vector vehicle group after the free splicing in the air, which is obtained through the communication between the magnet contacts on the vehicles. Second, in order to obtain the geometric center of the newly constructed robot, the coordinate system is constructed with the mother machine as the center. Third, we use Newton-Euler equation to model the new combination of robot. The real-time mathematical model of any number and combination of vehicles can be obtained by using this method, which has important applications in the splicing and separation of vehicle.


This paper presents a new observer for a class of DC-DC power converters based on a hybrid system approach. The considered class of switched systems contains two modes. Interestingly, the observability of each mode is not required. An original observer is designed to estimate the state over all modes by using available information provided by current and previous observable states. We show that the stability of the observer is guaranteed independently of the switching sequence. An application to a Single-Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC) is presented in simulation.


choosing this as a textbook). This leads to a criticism that I do not reserve only for this book, but that I hoped would be addressed within. Though in the chapter on measurements as well as the chapter on bakeshop principles it is clearly noted that accurately scaling recipes for large quantities requires weighing dry (and sometimes wet) ingredients, very few of the recipes in this book measure all ingredients by weight. A disclaimer is provided addressing this, citing the difficulty of weighing small quantities of dry ingredients. However, kitchen technology has eliminated this reasoning. Most kitchens are now equipped (or can be) with digital scales that can measure from milligrams to several kilos. It would make the recipe sections much more helpful if they could be scaled to foodservice quantities without the initial exercise in converting fluid measurements to weight measurements. Culinary education has developed into a highly competitive industry that continues to grow. As all good chefs know, it is the quality of one's tools that dictates the quality of one's output. One of the most important tools a chef instructor possesses is a reliable, effective textbook. The fourth edition of On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals is such a book.


Critical Care Medicine • Volume 46 • Number 1 (Supplement) www.ccmjournal.org Learning Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to describe trends in sedation practice for mechanically ventilated patients in a quaternary care pediatric intensive care unit prior to implementation of an analgesia-focused, benzodiazepine-limiting sedation protocol. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation from 2013 to 2017. Only patients requiring mechanical ventilation over 24 hours were included. Medication use over the course of intubation was analyzed for the following categories: benzodiazepines (in midazolam equivalents), opiates (in fentanyl equivalents), dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and propofol. Autocorrelated regression models for each medication category were used to calculate slope of overall trends. Results: Medication administration was reviewed for 1,753 patients. The study population was 55.7% male, with a median age at intubation of 8.0 years. Nearly all patients (98%) received opiate medications in either bolus or infusion form, with no significant change noted over time. Benzodiazepines were administered to over 90% of patients, but a downward trend in total benzodiazepine use was observed over the study period (slope -0.0164, SE 0.00448, p 0.0002). Non-benzodiazepine sedatives were administered to 57.6% of patients. Of these patients, 75% received dexmedetomidine, 45% received ketamine, and 28.8% received propofol. An upward trend in dexmedetomidine use was noted over the study period (slope 0.0001, SE 0.00003, p 0.0073), with no significant change in ketamine or propofol use noted over time. Conclusions: There was an observed shift in sedation practice over the study period toward overall decrease in benzodiazepine use and increase in dexmedetomidine use. These trends are likely attributable to an increasing body of literature suggesting the negative impact of benzodiazepines on neurocognitive outcomes in critically ill patients and the increased awareness of complications related to critical illness such as withdrawal and delirium.


Bugs in memory-unsafe languages are a major source of critical vulnerabilities. Large-scale fuzzing campaigns, such as Google's OSS-Fuzz, can help find and fix these bugs. To find bugs faster during fuzzing, as well as to cluster and triage the bugs more easily in an automated setup, the targets are compiled with a set of sanitizers enabled, checking certain conditions at runtime. The most common sanitizer, ASan, reports common bug patterns found during a fuzzing campaign, such as out-of-bounds reads and writes or use-after-free bugs, and aborts the program early. The information also contains the type of bug the sanitizer found. During triage, out-of-bounds reads are often considered less critical than other bugs, namely out-of-bounds writes and use-after-free bugs. However, in this paper we show that these more severe vulnerabilities can remain undetected in ASan, shadowed by an earlier faulty read access. To prove this claim empirically, we conduct a large-scale study on 814 out-of-bounds read bugs reported by OSS-Fuzz. By rerunning the same testcases, but disabling ASan's early exits, we show that almost five percent of test cases lead to more critical violations later in the execution. Further, we pick the real-world target wasm3, and show how the reported out-of-bounds read covered up an exploitable out-of-bounds write, that got silently patched.


The recent finalization of MPEG-4 will make this standard very attractive for a large range of applications such as video editing, internet video distribution, wireless video communications. Some of these applications will need to address the problem of copyright protection. One of the key points of the MPEG4 standard is the possibility to access and manipulate objects within a video sequence. Thus object watermarking has to be achieved in such a way that, while a video object is transferred from a sequence to another, still it is possible to correctly access the copyright data related to the object itself. The algorithm proposed in this paper embeds a watermark in each video object in a way which is somewhat similar to that presented in reference one. A particular relationship is imposed between some predefined pairs of quantized DCT coefficients in the luminance blocks of pseudo-randomly selected MBs. Watermarks are equally embedded into intra and inter MBs. Experimental results are presented validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a detachable module for protecting a semiconductor package, and more particularly, to a detachable module for detachment of a protective tape attached to a back surface of a device such as a semiconductor package in a detaching process, the pick-up yield in the process can be improved by removing the protective tape by a tear-off method. Particularly, in the process of adhering a film having a higher viscosity to a protective tape, by controlling the pressure roller and the ascending and descending of the blade, tension and repulsive force of the tape removing film generated by the roller and the blade, It is possible to further improve the pickup yield. Accordingly, the fields related to the semiconductor field, semiconductor package manufacturing field, especially the process of removing the protective tape attached to the device including the sputtering process, and the device used therein, as well as the reliability and competitiveness in similar or related fields can be improved .


At first,an introduction of VR and VRML(virtual reality modeling language)is given,and the methods on creating VRML 3D models of continual mining working surface is introduced.With an actual development,key technology on creating of 3D model is introduced including solid modeling,background hypothesis,spatial viewpoint control,browser mode choice and interactive animation establishment,and the skill in the development is elaborated.In the end,an application on VR model of continual mining working surface is provided.


There will be young carers in your school and statistics show that they are more often absent and achieve worse exam results than their peers. Dr Pooky Knightsmith advises


In vitro multicell spheroids from a mouse mammary sarcoma (EMT6) were exposed to therapeutic levels of ultrasond (1 MHz, 1–5 W/cm 2, 1–5 min cw) in a polystyrene tube which contains standing waves and promotes cavitationally related damage. Spheroid sizes were varied from 1‐day old, 20‐micron‐diameter cell aggregations (∼11 cells/spheroid) to 25‐day, 800‐micron‐diameter multicell spheroids (∼80,000 cells/spheroid). Damage was assessed by histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and growth studies on individual spheroids and by survival of individual component cells. Dye exclusion (0.05% eosin) and histology indicated that peripheral damage occurred; SEM revealed the presence of surface abnormalities (tears and holes in cell membranes) in exposed spheroids. Additionally, necrotic loci within spheroids were noted after a 3 W/cm2 1 min exposure. Growth studies and surviving fraction indicated that damage is inversely proportional to spheroid size. With initial spheroid diameters ⩾ 200–250 microns, a dec...


In this paper, a double phase-shift control strategy is proposed for the full-bridge three-level (FBTL) DC/DC converter applied into DC distribution systems with the medium DC bus voltage. By utilizing the proposed control strategy, the voltage change rate dv/dt and voltage stress of the transformer can be effectively reduced, which means that the reliability and EMC of the FBTL DC/DC converter can be improved. The operation principle and performances of the proposed control strategy is analyzed in detail. Finally, the simulation results are presented to verify the proposed control strategy.


This paper presents a novel approach to the study of heterogeneous networks. NetBoxIT is a modular, and scalable testbed based on virtualized network emulators. These can be interconnected and run in parallel to reproduce complex networks scenarios within a shared, multi-core hardware platform. We examine the testbed performance with simple emulation trials (related to the reference Emergency Network under study within the EU 7th FP project "A holistic approach towards the development of the first responder of the future"), to verify its realism in assessing multipart networks evaluations.


Intellectual property is the outcome of a revolutionary notion that appeared in sixteenth century during the Renaissance in Europe: the "homo universalis", i.e. the person who excels in multiple areas, including arts and science. This revolutionary principle greatly induced aesthetic creation and invention, which have since driven mankind morally and financially. Intellectual Property Law was established in order to keep this Renaissance principle of the "homo universalis" alive. But now, modern technologies have reversed what used to be well standing ideas and practices. Thus, we need to consider if we have reached the time, where people do not feel anymore the great need to award invention and creation. ABSTRACT


The Internet of Things (IoT) brings plenty of opportunities to enhance society's activities, from improving a factory's production chain to facilitating people's household tasks. However, it has also brought new security breaches, compromising privacy and authenticity. IoT devices are vulnerable to being accessed from the Internet; they lack sufficient resources to face cyber-attack threats. Keeping a balance between access control and the devices' resource consumption has become one of the highest priorities of IoT research. In this paper, we evaluate an access control architecture based on the IAACaaS (IoT application-Scoped Access Control as a Service) model with the aim of protecting IoT devices that communicate using the Publish/Subscribe pattern. IAACaaS is based on the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework, which externalizes the identity and access control infrastructure of applications. In our evaluation, we implement the model using FIWARE Generic Enablers and deploy them for a smart buildings use case with a wireless communication. Then, we compare the performance of two different approaches in the data-sharing between sensors and the Publish/Subscribe broker, using Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocols. We conclude that the integration of Publish/Subscribe IoT deployments with IAACaaS adds an extra layer of security and access control without compromising the system's performance.


AIM: The purpose of this research was to determine time management skills of nursing students.
METHOD: Time Management Inventory and the form that has been developed via screening the literatures by researcher were used gather data. The descriptive study was carried out between the 1st May 2007 and 31st May 2007. The research population of this study constituted nursing students in a Nursing School in Turkey. The sample was consisted of 323 students. Statistical analysis was made using Mann-Whithey U test, One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis, Sperman's correlation analysis.
RESULTS: Nursing student's total time management points were minimum 46 maximum 127 and median is 89.41±12.71. Total time management points were higher at older age group than the other group. There was a significant correlation between total time management points and academic achievement of nursing students.
CONCLUSION: Nursing students needs progress about time planing. Students who are older age had better time management skills. As the total time management point increased also academic achievement point increased.


A new statistical model for multiparticle production in e + e − annihilation is proposed based on the idea of the longitudinal phase space with limited transverse momentum. The longitudinal rapidity space is divided into cells of equal size in order to take into account the Bose-Einstein correlations(BEC) with a finite correlation length δy . The maximum entropy method is used to determine the probability distributions of the final state pions (or ρ mesons) for a given mean multiplicity, mean transverse momentum and mean total energy. Event simulation based on our model is performed in two extreme cases, a π -model and a ρ -model. The π -model assumes that only pions are produced directly. On the other hand, the ρ -model assumes that only ρ mesons are produced directly and they decay into pions. A good overall fit to experimental data from PETRA to LEP energy regions is obtained for δy ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 in the π -model. We found that the BEC plays a very important role to reproduce various correlation data. In some correlation data, resonance effect and conservation laws are also important.


(1969). Factorial Study and Analysis of Factor Variance of General Adaptability Self-Ratings from a Combined Sample of Male and Female Subjects. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 169-177.


Characteristics of patient with outpatient conjungtivitis in RSUD. Dr. Pirngadi Medan 2011 . Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva or inflammation was largely a mucous membrane that cover the back of the eyelid and eyeball. Conjunctivitis is one of the ten greatest diesease in RSUD Dr. Pirngadi Medan. Total cases of conjunctivitis and other disorders of conjunctiva 355 visits to the eye departement. To determint the characteristics of patient with conjunctivitis in RSUD Dr.Pirngadi Medan in 2011 with research descriptive case series design. Data were collected from medical records of patient with conjunctivitis in RSUD Dr.Pirngadi Medan in 2011.population were as many as 355 data and sample were as many as 182 data and data obtained by random tables of C.survey program. Data analysis with Chi-Square and Exact-Fisher test. The result showed the highest proportion of patients with conjunctivitis in April of 20,9%, the age group 21-30 years with sex ratio of 1,25, the level of high school education 35,9%, 28,1% student work, where living in Medan 84,1%, the main complaint 100% red eyes, conjunctivitis location decstra-sinistra 52,9%, the type of acute conjungtivitis c ataralis 57,1%, non-cobble stones 90,2%, visits an everage of 1 times 71,4% and general cost sources 62,1%. There is statistical test  result  showed a significant difference in proportion between the ages based  on the type of conjunctivitis (p<0,05), conjunctivitis located by type of conjunctivitis (p<0,05), visits an everage by type of conjunctivitis (p<0,05) and visits an everages by cost sources (p<0,0).  Expected to people with conjunctivitis in order to increase endurance, hygiene, sanitation and the environment and to the doctors and nurses in RSUD Dr. Pirngadi Medan field in order to provide understanding to patient and their families about the disease conjunctivitis to reduce transmission of the disease to others. Keywords: Conjunctivitis, Characteristics of patiens


Euphemism is a common phenomenon of language,which is not only a figure of speech but also a culture phenomenon.This paper tries to investigate in terms of pragmatics to the formation of euphemism and list the ways of its formation in English and Chinese so that the understanding and application of euphemism can be strengthened and the learners' ability of cross-cultural communication can be improved.


Investigators from the Mayo Clinic reported the cases of six patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) who presented with generalized pruritus as the only or major symptom of the disease. The patients had neither the classical blisters nor plaques of BP, but immunofluorescent studies confirmed …


Patients with cleft lip and palate eventually require definitive fixed or removable dental prostheses for aesthetic and functional demands when they become adults. This case report presents application of a zirconia all-ceramic fixed partial denture utilized as a definitive prosthesis for a bilateral cleft palate and unilateral cleft lip patient after surgical and orthodontic treatments had been completed. The zirconia allceramic fixed partial denture provides adequate aesthetics and function.


Recently, there has been a good deal of interest in the use of chaotic signals for direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) communication systems. The capacity of DS-CDMA systems is interference-limited, and can therefore be increased by techniques that suppress interference. This letter is devoted to the evaluation of the impact of blind multiuser detection techniques on chaos based DS-CDMA systems. Blind receivers can suppress multiple access interference and do not require knowledge of the code sequences and propagation channels of the interference. We demonstrate that, for chaotic sequence-based communications, blind multiuser receivers significantly improve the BER with respect to single-user receivers, and that their use is practically essential with a high number of users.


Abstract It is showed that light induced anisotropy in the azo-polymer films can become apparent in dichroism of the polarized spectra as well as in the polarization depended shift of the absorption bands. The rate of the shift depends on the order parameters of the light induced structure. The highest shift (about 30 nm) for the uniaxial structure induced with non-polarized collimated light was observed. Temperature stability of the value of the shift was studied. It allowed to estimate the activation energy Ea =35 kTroom of polymer' s main-chains.


In this study, we present a comparative environmental impact assessment of renewables and conventional fossil fuels for electricity and hydrogen generation. The conventional fossil fuels investigated in this study are coal, oil, and natural gas. Renewables considered in this study are geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar, and wind energies. Furthermore, nuclear and biomass energies are taken into consideration while assessing environmental impact and performances. Environmental impact criteria considered in this study are CO2, NOx, and SO2 emissions, land use, water consumption, water quality of discharge, solid waste and ground contamination, and biodiversity. For comparison purposes, all collected data are normalised and ranked between 0 and 3 while 0 giving highest negative environmental impact and 3 giving lowest negative environmental impact. Our results showed that overall, in terms of both electricity and hydrogen production, oceans give the highest rankings (2.71 for electricity and 2.73 for hydrogen). Coal has the lowest rankings in terms of environmental impact (0.26 for electricity and 0.30 for hydrogen).


: This paper presents a method to detect moving vehicles accurately without their shadow when shadow is also in motion along with the vehicles. The concept is based on segmentation of moving object from its background. This segmented object contains shadow also along with moving object. Once the moving object is separated accurately from its background next part is to detect object without considering shadow. Here we are deriving spectral property of shadow by considering photometric color invariants normalized RGB. This photometric color invariants of background and object is utilized to separate out shadow from object. Threshold is used here which is applied to the difference of photometric color invariants of background and object for detecting object accurately. The experimental result indicates that the algorithm of detecting shadow is fast and exact, improves the accuracy of the moving vehicle detection.


Aims: To identify dietary practices together with anthropometric variables of a group of professional surfers. Subjects: Participants of a National Surf Championship in Brazil. Evaluations: (1) Anthropometric measures, indexes and calculations (body mass, height, arm span, body circumferences and nine skinfold thicknesses, arm spam/height ratio, waist-to-hip-ratio, conicity index and % body fat); (2) One 24h food-recall, describing all the food and drinks consumed at the previous day, and analyzed for energy, macro-nutrients, some micro-nutrients and food groups. The values were compared with some references and position statements and with the Brazilian Food Guide; (3) The basal and daily energy expenditure was estimated from specific equations; the energy intake was estimated from the information on diet and the energy balance was estimated from the difference between these values. Main results: The intake of carbohydrate is below the position statements (2.5-9.7g/kg and 6-10g/kg body weight, respectively). Possibly the intake of supplements such as maltodextrin fulfilled the requirements (30.3% of the athletes referred the intake of this supplement); The intake of BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) showed to be high (24.2% of the athletes); The low intake of vegetables possibly contributes to the low intake of micronutrients (0.0-6.0 servings, against the recommendation of 4-5 servings); The high intake of fried food (added lipid = 0.0-5.9 servings, against the recommendation of 1.0-2.0 servings) overlapped healthy habits such as beans and nuts consumption (0.0-13.6 servings against the recommendation of 1.0 serving); The percentage of body fat seems to be similar to swimmers (around 12% of body weight). As a conclusion, the dietary practices of surfers in the day prior a competition need to be improved, especially with respect to carbohydrates and lipids. The balance between energy intake and energy expenditure needs to be investigated more deeply. Studies investigating the role of certain amino acids supplement, such as BCAA, in surf practice could allow a better interpretation of this practice.


Objective To investigate the plague propagation characteristics in troops assembly regions in earthquake-striken area of Yushu.Method Epidemic investigation squads are dispatched to interview the troops along the assembly lines and collect plague epidemic data from local disease control and prevention agency.Results There are many kinds of plague hosts in focus of natural infection in Yushu afflicted area,and the origins of infection are quite diversified.Marmot hunting is the main channel of human plague infection,and direct contact is the major cause of infection.Cases are normally sporadic and have high mortality.Although human plagues in this area normally originated from marmot plagues,the propogation time does not completely coincide.Conclusions Protection knowledge should be popularized before the troops enter focus of natueal infection.Preventive vaccination,early investigation of the epidemic characteristics and timely preventive measures are very effective to protect the service troops from the plague.


The results of development and difference of rural eco-economy in low-hill red earth area are stated clearly by factor analysis of multivariate statistics: its general level is low; quality of ecoenvironment is contrary to economy development at the beginning of rural development; rural eco-economy have a qualitative change since 1980s; there are temporal and spatial heterogeneity on eco-economy of village.


Recently construction industry involves more risks occurred with increase of size and complexity of construction works. So the appropriate bidding strategy plays an important role in making a success of construction. Most of bidding decisions, however, have just depended on bidder's intuition, experience and conjecture because of the lack of reasonable decision making criteria. Consequently, scientific criteria including risk analysis have disregarded in decision making process for bidding. This study suggests a decision making model by making environmental elements for bidding into numerical values. The proposed model based on Saaty's AHP method intends a bidder to make a precise decision by quantifying his subjective assessment.


The inversion problem dealt with is the identification of the parameters of a magma-filled dike which causes observable changes in ground deformation data. It is supposed that ground deformation data are measured by using the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Interferometry technique. The inversion approach, which is carried out by a systematic search technique based on the Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization algorithm, guarantees a high degree of accuracy. The results given in the paper are supported by experiments carried out using an interactive software tool developed ad hoc, which allows both direct and inverse modeling of SAR interferometric data related to the opening of a crack at the beginning and throughout a volcanic activity episode.


1. Crowhurst JA. Anaesthesia for non‐obstetric surgery during pregnancy. Acta Anaesthesiol Belg 2002;53:295‐7. 2. Goodman S. Anaesthesia for non obstetric surgery in the pregnant patient. Semin Perinatol 2002;26:136‐45. 3. Mazze RI, Kallen B. Reproductive outcome after anaesthesia and operation during pregnancy: A registry study of 5405 cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1989;161:1178‐85. Access this article online


Protection of the health of the female population is one of the most relevant and significant issues not only health, but also the state as a whole, because it is women who are the Foundation of a healthy generation in the future. Although the proportion of women in the total population was sufficiently large and is, 53.1%, however, according to official statistics, at the age of 55 years, their share does not exceed 50%, 49.9%, to the maximum age of gynecological morbidity (40-50 years) 49,7%, and in young productive age groups (under 35 years) 49.1 per cent. This further increases the need for monitoring women´s health, identifying the key risk factors and address them.


We give explicit formulas and recurrences for the \(m\) -ary partition numbers and relate them to Toeplitz-Hessenberg determinants. Some of these results are direct analogues of similar statements for the classical (unrestricted) partition numbers.


An experiment was conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) comparing the time required to charge a fully discharged valve-regulated lead-acid battery in a photovoltaic (PV) system using on/off-shunt and pulse-width-modulated (PWM) charge controllers. In one system configuration, an on/off-shunt charge controller was only able to charge the battery to 61% of its rated capacity after 16 days. In a subsequent test, a different on/off-shunt controller in a different PV system configuration readily charged its battery to 100% rated capacity in less than 6 days. It charged its battery as quickly as a couple different PWM charge controllers did in identical systems in a side-by-side comparison.


A cheque processing system currently under development is described. More precisely, the cursive script recognition module for the legal amount is discussed. Commonly, systems perform recognition either on a character by character basis, or on a word level. The authors investigate the recognition at a higher level of abstraction, at the sentence level. Knowledge of context, orthography, syntax and semantics is used to supplement the information from the graphical input. The system is based on a psychological model of the reading process for a fast reader. The module for extracting graphical clues, implemented with the techniques of mathematical morphology, is discussed.<<ETX>>


1. Unlike X -R and Individuals charts (without the Western Electric Handbook rules which aim to increase sensitivity), all of the data collected over time may be used to determine the control status of a process. 2. The EWMA is often superior to the CUSUM charting technique for detecting "larger" shifts. 3. EWMA schemes may be applied for monitoring standard deviations in addition to the process mean. 4. There exists the ability to use EWMA schemes to forecast values of a process mean. 5. The EWMA methodology is not sensitive to normality assumptions.


Objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of different organic matter on growth and yield in rice plants and suppression of weed occurrence in paddy soil. The treatments consisted of rice bran, expeller cake, or combination of rye green manure and rice bran without any agrochemical or fertilizer. At 50 days after transplanting (DAT), plant height of rice between conventional practice and expeller cake treatments were similar, while rice bran treatment was inhibited growth of rice during growing period. Also, heading date of rice among the all treatments was not significantly different. Rice yield in expeller cake or rye green manure and rice bran treatments was attained to 91% and 98% of the conventional practice, respectively, while the value in rice bran treatments was just 82%. On the other hand, at 40 DAT of rice plants, occurred major weed species in organic matter treatments were four species, while those in conventional practice were two species. Additionally, the dry weight of weeds in rice bran treatment was significantly inhibited compared to it of expeller cake or combination of rye green manure and rice bran treatments, while the value in rice bran treatment was higher than the conventional practice.


Jorge Leon was working as an assistant professor at Chilean university, Universidad T cnica Federico Santa Mar a when he first encountered the University of Melbourne's Dr Alan March. It was following the February 2010 tsunami that devastated coastal regions in south-central Chile and, having completed his masters degree in urban planning, Jorge was keen to undertake a PhD in urban planning and disaster. While researching the possibilities, he came across an article written by Dr March titled A better future from imagining the worst: land use planning and training responses to natural disaster. 'The article compared the planning process to the emergency management process and looked at the similarities and differences between the two,' explained Jorge of the piece that appeared on the online version of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AJEM). 'It was precisely the area I wanted to research.' After contacting Dr March to discuss the possibility of the Associate Professor supervising his doctorate, Jorge moved to Australia in November 2011 and is now a PhD student at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.


Perturbative QCD (pQCD) running coupling a(Q) (≡ αs(Q)/π) is expected to get modified at low spacelike momenta 0 < Q . 1 GeV so that, instead of having unphysical (Landau) singularities it remains smooth and finite there, due to infared (IR) fixed point. This behavior is suggested by: Gribov-Zwanziger approach, Dyson-Schwinger equations (DSE) and other functional methods, lattice calculations, light-front holographic mapping AdS/CFT modified by a dilaton background, and by most of the analytic (holomorphic) QCD models. All such couplings, A(Q), differ from the pQCD couplings a(Q) at |Q| & 1 GeV by nonperturbative (NP) terms, typically by some power-suppressed terms ∼ 1/Q . Evaluations of low-energy physical QCD quantities in terms of such A(Q) couplings (with IR fixed point) at a level beyond one-loop are usually performed with (truncated) power series in A(Q). We argue that such an evaluation is not correct, because the NP terms in general get out of control as the number of terms in the power series increases. The series consequently become increasingly unstable under the variation of the renormalization scale, and have a fast asymptotic divergent behavior compounded by the renormalon problem. We argue that an alternative series in terms of logarithmic derivatives of A(Q) should be used. Further, a Padé-related resummation based on this series gives results which are renormalization scale independent and show very good convergence. Timelike low-energy observables can be evaluated analogously, using the integral transformation which relates the timelike observable with the corresponding spacelike observable.


In this article, a free-time impulsive control problem with state constraints and equality and inequality constraints on the trajectory endpoints is considered. A weakened maximum principle is obtained for problems with data measurable in the time variable, being the time transversality conditions deduced with the help of some extra convexity assumption on the state constraints. In the case of smooth problems a nondegenerate maximum principle is derived by using a penalty function method.


One of the most widely accepted explanations for the peculiarity of the modern European is his addiction to the ideal of romantic love. Its invention is supposed to have so radically transformed ethics, imagination and daily life, that we can hardly imagine the mental world of the ancients or the Orient where such an ideal of love is unknown. In the classic source for this view, The Allegory of Love, C. S. Lewis traces the modern ideal back to medieval tales of courtly love. But he sees the devotion to romantic love as a distinguishing mark of the modern individualistic consciousness, which began, he says, with a new interest in 'the inner workings of the human heart'.


The purpose of this paper is to develop a dynamic Leontief model of an msector economic system in which the production of all goods requires one time period and one primary factor, but no capital s...


We study the Witten-type topological field theory(W-TFT) of self-organized criticality(SOC) for stochastic neural networks. The Parisi-Sourlas-Wu quantization of general stochastic differential equations (SDEs) for neural networks, the Becchi-Rouet-StoraTyutin(BRST)-symmetry of the diffusion system and the relation between spontaneous breaking and instantons connecting steady states of the SDEs, as well as the sufficient and necessary condition on pseudo-supersymmetric stochastic neural networks are obtained. Suppose neuronal avalanche is a mechanism of cortical information processing and storage [1][2][3] and the model of stochastic neural networks[7] is correct, as well as the SOC system can be looked upon as a W-TFT with spontaneously broken BRST symmetry. Then we should recover the neuronal avalanches and spontaneously broken BRST symmetry from the model of stochastic neural networks. We find that, provided the divergence of drift coefficients is small and non-constant, the model of stochastic neural networks is BRST symmetric. That is, if the SOC of brain neural networks system can be looked upon as a W-TFT with spontaneously broken BRST symmetry, then the general model of stochastic neural networks which be extensively used in neuroscience [7] is not enough to describe the SOC. On the other hand, using the Fokker-Planck equation, we show the sufficient condition on diffusion so that there exists a steady state probability distribution for the stochastic neural networks. Rhythms of the firing rates of the neuronal networks arise from the process, meanwhile some biological laws are conserved.


Abstract Wine grapes contribute significantly to the economy of California, with a gross production value of more than $2 billion in 2010. Studies on economic issues in the industry require measures of demand response to price, but despite the economic importance of this industry, estimates of elasticities of demand for wine grapes have not been published. We use a flexible-form inverse demand system model to estimate elasticities of demand for wine grapes from three grape-growing regions in California, representing three different quality (price) categories. The resulting estimates of own-price elasticities are high, ranging from −2.6 for grapes in the low-price region to −9.5 for grapes in the high-price region. Such high elasticities are plausible given the role of international trade in wine, and they are consistent with synthetic estimates that we computed based on a combination of economic theory, data on market shares, estimates of some pertinent parameters in the literature, and informed guesstimates of values for other parameters. (JEL Classification: Q11, Q12, Q13)


Political Psychology
Happiness is a notoriously hard to pin down quantity possibly best described by the phrase, "I know it when I see it." Self-reported ratings of happiness are generally higher for political conservatives in the United States than for those with more liberal leanings. Wojcik et al. examined three data sets based on behavioral measures, such as tweets and smiles. Despite self-reported claims to the contrary, liberals exhibited more happiness than their more conservative counterparts. For instance, as judged from their photographs on a business-oriented social network, more employees of the New York Times smiled genuinely than did those of the Wall Street Journal .

Science , this issue p. [1243][1]

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1260817


Alkali gelatinization of rice, corn, arrow root and ginger root starches at various sodium hydroxide concentrations was investigated. Critical concentrations of alkali for starch gelatinization ranged from 2.33 to 3.17 meq NaOH per gram of starch. Ginger root starch was most resistant to alkali gelatinization and arrow root starch was least stable to alkali.


Rights: © 2005 American Physical Society (APS). This is the accepted version of the following article: Helle, M. & Harju, A. & Nieminen, Risto M. 2005. Two-electron lateral quantum-dot molecules in a magnetic field. Physical Review B. Volume 72, Issue 20. 205329/1-24. ISSN 1550-235X (electronic). DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.72.205329, which has been published in final form at http://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.72.205329.


Economic experiments have been widely used to elicit individuals' evaluation for various commodities. Common elicitation methods include auction and posted price mechanisms. A field experiment is designed to compare willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates between these two mechanisms. Despite both of these formats being theoretically incentive compatible and demand revealing, results from 115 adult consumers indicate that WTP estimates obtained from an auction are 32–39 percent smaller than those from a posted price mechanism. A comparison in statistical significance shows that auctions require a smaller sample size than posted price mechanisms in order to detect the same preference change. Nevertheless, the signs of marginal effects for different product characteristics are consistent in both mechanisms.


Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) represent many advantages for high data rate and low cost communication systems. However, they have a nonlinear transfer function, which could drastically affect the multicarrier modulations performances. The static characteristic is usually used to estimate the VCSEL nonlinearity impact on the Discrete MultiTone (DMT) modulation performances. In this paper, we demonstrate that the use of the static characteristic to model the VCSEL nonlinearity, overestimates the nonlinearity distortions when a large dynamic signal is modulating the VCSEL. In order to correctly estimate the VCSEL impact on the DMT modulation performances, we use the quasi-static characteristic to model the VCSEL nonlinearity. We show that the proposed modeling provides accurate estimations of the nonlinear distortions. The error vector magnitude (EVM) simulation results are very close to the measured EVM.


OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the outcome of the antibiotic prophylaxis in thoracic surgery in our hospital so as to provide references for the clinical rational use of drugs.METHODS:Of a total856thoracic surgery patients in our hospital,642were assigned to receive cefazolin or cefuroxime for antibiotic prophylaxis(scheme group)and214(control group)to receive first,second and third generation cephalosporin or other antibacterials,then the clinical effect was compared between2groups.RESULTS:The postoperative body temperature and blood routine showed no significant difference between2groups(P0.05),while the scheme group showed a lower rate of postoperative infection than did the control group,which stood at2.34%and5.61%,respectively(P0.05).CONCLUSIONS:The antibiotic prophylaxis scheme made by our hospital serves as an option for the antibiotic prophylaxis in thoracic surgery.


This thesis uses three case-studies to evaluate the extent to which multi-sectorial Judicial Councils and Impeachment Juries protect judicial independence in the process for the removal of lower-court judges in the Argentine Republic. Based on 36 in-depth interviews conducted with a wide range of stakeholders in the removals process, this thesis considers two jurisdictions, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (ACBA) and the Argentine federal level, where since the late 1990s, removals have been conducted by way of a two-step process involving judicial councils and impeachment juries, and contrasts this with the experience of the province of Tucuman, where the process is conducted by a legislative committee and an impeachment jury. The thesis evaluates whether judicial independence is better protected where judicial removals processes have been professedly depoliticised by being entrusted to independent judicial councils. Differences at the Federal and ACBA levels also illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the judicial council model in dealing with different challenges. It concludes that whilst multi-sectorial judicial councils do prevent the arbitrary removal of judges, they do not ensure adequate judicial accountability. Additionally, the early stages of investigation into judicial behaviour are susceptible to being used as a way to place pressure on judges.


Objective To investigate the apoptosis of human bile duct carcinoma cell induced by Apoptin gene transfection in vitro. Methods Apoptin gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then inserted into pAdtrack-CMV containing green fluorescent protein gene through T4 DNA ligase. The reconstructed plasmids were identified by enzyme digestion and sequencing. Apoptin expression vector was transfected into human bile duct carcinoma cell line QBC_(939). The apoptosis of human bile duct carcinoma cell induced by Apoptin gene was detected by TUNEL. Results Reconstructed pAdtrack-CMV containing Apoptin gene was obtained successfully. TUNEL test showed that there was significant difference in apoptosis index between Apoptin gene transfection and the control group (P0.01). Conclusion Apoptin can induce apoptosis of human bile duct carcinoma cell. It may be a promising tool for the gene therapy of cholangiocarcinoma.


Stimulus events often organize behavior in the absence of a direct learning history with that particular event. Many studies have examined indirect learning such as derived relational responding in matching-to-sample procedures and determined that the process of relating develops at approximately the same time as language (Devany, Hayes, & Nelson, 1986; Lipkins, Hayes, & Hayes, 1993). Because of this relationship with language in combination with the success of stimulus equivalence in the teaching of reading and language, it has been posited as one of the basic elements of human language and cognition (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001). Thus, researchers have begun to examine the effects of including words and stimuli with pre-established functions, based on assumed contact with the social verbal community, into equivalence procedures. It was quickly determined that these stimuli impact the formation of equivalence classes. This seems to happen in three ways: (a) inhibition of formation, (b) rigid inflexibility of classes, and (c) facilitated acquisition. Inhibition of Class Formation. Stimuli that evoke certain emotional responses are associated with inhibition of class formation, when training that should produce classes of all meaningful stimuli is given. For example, Plaud (1995) found that the formation of snake classes was inhibited in individuals with a snake phobia, but the formation of flower classes was not. More specifically, conditional discriminations were trained that produced equivalence classes among all snake words (Cobra-Rattlers-Python) or all flower words (Yucca-Daffodil-Crocus). Fear relevant stimuli produced inhibition of equivalence responding in anxious individuals; however, non-anxious individuals were not inhibited in equivalence responding for either snake or flower class. Inhibition was also noted when equivalence training procedures were intended to create classes between sexually explicit stimuli (Plaud, Gaither, Franklin, Weller, & Barth, 1998). Both these studies examined the ability of individuals to form equivalence classes in which all stimuli had similar functions. Inhibition was noted when all the stimuli in the class had stimulus functions that evoked emotional responses (sexually explicit stimuli and snakes for snake phobics). Rigid Inflexibility of Classes. Experimental procedures designed to produce equivalence classes containing one member from two different pre-experimental equivalence classes show an inability of these classes to merge, demonstrating the inflexibility of classes of stimuli that evoke pre-experimental emotional responses. This is the counterpart of the insensitivity seen in rule-governed behavior (Matthews, Shimoff, Catania, & Sagvolden, 1977). For example, Watt, Keenan, Barnes, and Cairns (1991) trained equivalence relations between Northern Irish Catholic names, nonsense syllables, and Northern Irish Protestant symbols to individuals with either a Protestant or Catholic upbringing from either Ireland or England. Participants from Northern Ireland, where conflict between the Catholics and Protestants is ongoing, were unable to form equivalence classes including both a Protestant symbol and a Catholic name, but the English participants readily formed these classes. The authors suggest that the prior social learning of the participants interfered with the ability of individuals to form these equivalence relations. Leslie, Tierney, Robinson, Keenan, Watt, and Barnes (1993) tested the effects of pairing threatening situations, nonsense syllables, and pleasant state adjectives in a MTS procedure in anxious and non-anxious adults. All non-anxious participants formed equivalence classes that included one stimulus from each set; however, the anxious individuals did not form equivalence classes given the same amount of training. The authors attributed this difference to previously established behavioral relations interfering with the emergence of equivalence relations in the laboratory. …


Sirs, Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive disease affecting both intraand extra-hepatic bile ducts with no proven treatment. 2 PSC usually ends in liver failure within 10–20 years after diagnosis. 3 It is hypothesized that the disease is the result of the dysregulation of the immune system ending in the damage of bile ducts. Several investigators have tried to treat these patients with immunosuppressive drugs to appose this dysregulation,; however, unfortunately, most of these trials have been unsuccessful. Mycophenolate mofetil (MF), a rediscovered immunosuppressive drug, is currently used for prevention of acute rejection in solid organ transplantation. MF seems to have specific inhibitory effect on activated lymphocytes with a good safety profile. Two recent trials have examined the role of this drug in the treatment of PSC. 7 The trial performed by Dr Sterling and colleagues which appeared in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics compared the result of adding MF to ursodeoxycholic acid (UCDA) with UCDA alone. In this trial, despite a trend towards better biochemical response in the MF group, no statistically significant benefit was demonstrated. Talwalkar and colleagues have also published the results of their open-label trial on mycophenolate mofetil (MF) for the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) very recently. They also reported that the drug had no clinically benefits for PSC despite being well tolerated by most patients. Both studies had some limitations in their design.The former had a high dropout rate and the latter was a single-centre open-label trial. But to me, the major limitation of both studies was in enrolling patients with advanced disease. In the report of Sterling, twothirds of patients had advanced fibrosis on liver biopsy upon entry. Nearly half of the patients in the Talwalkar series had the same situation. The duration of disease before adding MF was not mentioned in both papers but Talwalkar had noticed 90% of their patients had long-lasting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with a mean duration of 173 ± 88 months which may also indicate long duration of PSC before starting MF therapy. As PSC seems to be a progressive disease passing through several stages before development of irreversible fibrosis, it is reasonable to assume that any immunosuppressive treatment could be effective only if started early in the course of disease before irreversible stricturing develops. Finding of shallow ulcerations in bile ducts is probably the first sign of permanent pathologies and so should guide one to consider immunosuppressive treatment in these patients. Unfortunately, PSC is usually not diagnosed until development of irreversible stricturing and fibrosis, the time that probably only antifibrotic treatment may have a role. A German group previously reported beneficial effect of combination therapy with prednisolone, azathioprine and UCDA in PSC with 60% histologic improvement in an open-label trial, however, their patients may had less-advanced fibrosis. In primary biliary cirrhosis, another cholestatic liver disease with some similarities to PSC, it was recently shown that treatment with UCDA is effective only if it was started in early stages of the disease. I have previously reported successful treatment of PSC with MF. In my opinion, this success was mostly related to early initiation of treatment. Interestingly, in the report of Sterling, 8% of patients on combination therapy with MF and UCDA improved histologically with reduction of fibrosis from stage 4 to 3 while no improvement occurred with UCDA monotherapy. This may also indicate that some patients with PSC may still benefit from immunosuppressive treatment even in the advanced stage. In conclusion, I think if any immunosuppressive drug is going to have benefit in PSC, it should be started early Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2005; 21: 1279–1280.


This study was conducted to investigate the effect on class satisfaction of elementary school students according to the instructional type of after-school sports club activities. The subjects of this study were 306 male students and 218 female students who are currently participating in after-school sports club activities for students in grades 3-6 of an elementary school located in S city, for a total of 524 students. As the data processing method, SPSS/ PC (win 21.0) program was used. Independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare the teacher's instructional style and class satisfaction. Multivariate analysis was used to compare and analyze the class satisfaction of students according to the instructional type. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between instructional type and students' class satisfaction. As for the guidance type of the advisor, the dictatorial behavior type was the highest, and there was a significant difference in the student's gender and the supervisor's gender in the class satisfaction. In addition, statistically significant differences were found in positive reward type, professor and instruction type, and social support behavior type in the influence on the teacher's class satisfaction. Therefore, it is thought that tutors will be able to increase class satisfaction by operating classes with closeness to students and actively using positive feedback, and by conducting classes that respect the opinions of individual students.


Little is known on the action of TrkC for the clinical prognosis and progression of breast cancer according to the availability of its ligand NT-3. We sought to investigate the prognostic relevance of NT-3-TrkC axis in breast cancer and estimate its role during the process of breast cancer progression. TrkC and NT-3 expression were evaluated in 236 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), 60 pure ductal carcinoma in situ and 30 normal breast tissues by immunohistochemistry. Spearman's rank correlation test, Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for statistical analysis. TrkC expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis and tumor proliferation ( p p  = 0.007). The layered analysis indicated that patients with high TrkC expression tumors had a favorable disease free survival whether NT-3 and TrkC were co-expressed or solitarily expressed in the tumor ( p  = 0.000). NT-3 expression was inversely correlated with the progression of breast cancer (r = — 0.341, p  = 0.000). TrkC expression reduces tumor relapse independent of NT-3 availability in IDC. Elevated NT-3 expression contributes to the progression of breast cancer.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Had Charles Darwin been blessed with precognition while conjecturing about finch beak differentiation over millions of years, he would have envied us. We in the early twenty-first century--within a single lifetime--can observe homo sapiens evolving a transformative new trait with unprecedented strength through the international justice system. Contrary to common perceptions of his work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection," Darwin's view of evolution was not confined to physiology alone. In his later book, "The Descent of Man," he entertained a broader view that included the ways in which more fortunate humans treat the less fortunate, contending, "The aid we feel impelled to give to the helpless is mainly an incidental result of the instinct of sympathy, which was originally acquired as part of the social instincts ..." It's a safe bet, therefore, that Darwin would have taken great interest in the emergence of the International Food Security Treaty (IFST), an initiative of international law that could equip humanity to eradicate hunger, the world's most widespread and severe form of suffering. While the principles of the IFST are summarized below, those unfamiliar with it are strongly encouraged to read the definitive case for it laid out in "The Armless Hand: The Call for Anti-Hunger Law and the International Food Security Treaty," in the Yale Journal of International Affairs. The objective here is to report on the Treaty's progress, problems, and prospects, which offer valuable insights on the natural growth patterns of international law as it evolves in the age of globalization. Hunger Paradigm Shifting In the modern era, evolutionary change in human behavior often be gins in a crisis that triggers a mutation of mindset in the general public (and eventually its official leaders), ultimately becoming fixed in new legal structures--in other words, as Abraham Lincoln called upon his fellow citizens to do in facing a great crisis in the nineteenth century, we "think anew and act anew." But in facing the even deadlier crisis of world hunger today, fresh thinking about hunger has been stifled by the paradigm we grow up with that hunger is just part of the human condition. We cannot act or even think anew while fabricating a perception of a disability for ourselves where none exists. It is inconsistent with the lessons of history to define our potential by our past limitations or failures. As infants we are not so deluded--even though we've spent our entire lives to date unable to take a single step, in time we sense that we can stand up and walk, and get on with it. Nonetheless, some fifteen to eighteen years later, most of us develop some mental paralysis from an infectious hunger paradigm. This mind-induced incapacity was painfully depicted in an essay by George Packer in the New York Times Sunday Magazine on April 21, 2002, in which he proclaimed, "You've been exposed to one corner of human misery, but you've done nothing about it. Nor will you. You feel--perhaps without being conscious of it--an impotent guilt, and your helplessness makes you irritated and resentful, almost as if it's the fault of those thousand Nigerians for becoming your burden. We carry around the mental residue of millions of suffering human beings for whom we've done nothing." Packer's reference to the psychological millstone borne by humanity while allowing mass starvation to continue is spot-on. It's a self-imposed curse, impairing our ability to see how hunger really affects the starving--and the well-fed--and how to end it. But his claim that we will do nothing about it is dead wrong. The paradigm of hopelessness before hunger is at odds with the facts and is psychologically debilitating, as it mires society's humanitarian impulses in a guilt-ridden succession of too little-too late fractional measures resulting in millions of hunger-related deaths annually and nearly a billion people trying desperately to survive undernourishment. …


Although the usefulness of chemistry in the taxonomy of lichen fungi is unquestioned, its application to specific systematic problems varies considerably. The reasons for this inconsistency and for the reluctance of some workers to use chemical characters with confidence, involve 1) practical problems (e.g., difficulty in demonstrating certain compounds), 2) biological factors (e.g., chemical variation due to the nature of the lichen), and 3) philosophical differences (e.g., having to do with various species concepts and character weighting). These problems are not insurmountable. With a better understanding of the nature of the problems, lichen taxonomists should be able to reduce the number of inconsistencies in the use of chemical data.


In the Caribbean, there has been a trend towards specialisation and a move away from recognising the value of the general practitioner. There has been a noted decrease in the number of doctors who stay in the country after qualifying and over time a noticeable shortage of primary care doctors has developed. In 2004 the United Nations (UN) provided over 100 doctors to Trinidad and Tobago and this year Trinidad and Tobago imported a number of Cuban doctors to help bolster medical provision in the public hospitals. Why did Trinidad and Tobago need to do this? The country, despite producing hundreds of medically qualified graduates each year, struggles to attract sufficient numbers into the public hospitals and even fewer into general practice. The reasons for this appear to be linked to the word 'attract'. Recent graduates do not see the opportunity to work in general practice in Trinidad and Tobago as an attractive option. There are several compounding factors related to this. Doctors who qualify in the Caribbean and choose to enter the field of general practice are viewed by specialists there as individuals who 'did not quite make it' or 'were not smart enough'. This underlying feeling is perpetuated by specialists who teach medical students. In addition, medical school training programmes occur primarily in hospital with less than 15% of training occurring in primary care. The failure to recruit sufficient doctors to the field of primary care poses a dilemma to developing countries like Trinidad and Tobago, where there is a change in the pattern of disease from infectious and deficiency diseases to chronic non-communicable disease. This changing pattern of disease prevalence calls for medical schools in the Caribbean to ensure adequate training and recruitment of doctors to primary care. Primary care seeks to provide easy access to patients at the first point of contact with the healthcare system. To be efficient and effective this care needs to be comprehensive, integrated and based on a trusting relationship between patient and physician. Researchers have shown that patients not only value easy access to their family doctor but also value the relationship with a primary care giver who can deal with the undifferentiated problem. One obstacle to developing generalists in the Caribbean context is the cultural development of patient consumerism. Concurrent with an increase in the number of specialists who provide care to patients at the initial point of access, there has been an increasing tendency to treat health care as a business; to view health provision in terms of market forces. This has led to the patient taking on the role of the consumer. Barbara Starfield, in her report on the importance of primary care to health highlighted the predicament faced by individuals who have unrestrained access to specialists:


Journal of Lipid Research Volume 51, 2010 679 The fi elds of lipid, sterol, and nutrition research have lost a true pioneer, a physician-scientist who made highly signifi cant contributions for over fi ve decades. William E. Connor, MD, passed away in Portland, Oregon on October 25, 2009. Bill, as he was fondly known, enjoyed a career spanning two centuries and was very much active in patient care, research, and advocacy when he died at the age of 88 years. He was still transitioning and bringing to a close actively funded research projects he led when he died after a long battle with prostate cancer. Bill once mentioned the " R " word in a lab meeting, but the next week quickly put an end to further discussion of retirement. It seems he was happiest doing what he did every day: caring for patients and investigating ways to improve their lives. It is understandable, but regrettable (considering the lipid fi eld has grown rapidly since Bill's career began) that the name of this pioneer, who had such a profound infl uence on this fi eld, may not be readily recognized by some newcomers to the fi eld. Bill Connor published 400 scientifi c articles, the most recent appearing this month, with more to follow posthumously. Bill was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, spent his childhood in Iowa, and earned his BS and MD from the University of Iowa. After serving in the Army Signal Corp. in Hawaii during World War II, he completed a US Public Health Service Internship and residency and practiced for two years before completing an American Heart Association Research Fellowship at the University of Iowa, where he stayed on as faculty from 1958 to 1975, climbing the ranks to Professor of Medicine. He moved to Oregon Health Sciences University (now Oregon Health & Science University), in 1975, where he had a long and distinguished career until his death. As a Visiting Fellow, he spent time at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford, UK (1960), Indiana University and Karachi, Pakistan (1961 – 1962), Australia National University, Canberra (1970), and Baker Medical Institute, Melbourne, Australia (1982). Bill Connor belonged to a select set of pioneers one can best describe as ' cholesterol experts to the cholesterol experts ' . It has been said that if all the experts and believers in the ' cholesterol hypothesis ' in the world had been gathered in a medium-sized hotel in the 1950s, there would still be vacancies. In 1956, Bill published his fi rst paper on the association of hyperlipidemia and coronary atherosclerosis. Thus began his odyssey of elucidating the role of lipids, but more specifi cally dietary cholesterol, on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The body of his work has infl uenced so many aspects of our current knowledge in the fi eld that documenting each signifi cant contribution would require a separate treatise. Bill Connor was a physician-scientist carrying out translational research long before either of these concepts had gained any traction. He was the true triple threat; his students and his trainees knew him as a respected teacher and mentor, his peers as a thoughtful scientist, and his patients as the best physician they could ever have. In collaboration with a variety of colleagues, Dr. Connor made a number of links between nutrition and disease that were at the time controversial, but which have since become In Memoriam: William E. Connor (1921-2009)


Purpose: To examine the outcomes of a smoking cessation clinic at a public health center, in Hwasung city in 2006 and to examine the perceptions of the users regarding the clinic services. Method: 620 smokers who visited the smoking cessation clinic from January, 2006 to November, 2006 were enrolled. An instrument developed by the researcher was used to collect their perceptions. The instrument comprised 24 questions, on a 5-point Likert scale investigating the clinic services in terms of counseling time, environment, readiness of the counselors, counseling information, campaign method, medication use, and follow-up services. The general characteristics of the participants were collected from the database developed by the Ministry of Health & Welfare. The data were analyzed with frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation methods. Results: The outcomes of the smoking cessation clinic in Hwasung city in 2006 showed some limitations in terms of low-income group, female smokers, and young adult smokers. Conclusion: Strategies for solving these limitations were necessary to increase the effectiveness of the smoking cessation clinic. Clinic services focused on cognitive-behavioral therapy needed to be developed in accordance with chemotherapy. More effective publicizing campaigns of the clinic services also needed to be developed for more people to know about the clinic. Strategies to increase the accessibility for the people living far from the clinic were also necessary. Assessment of the smokers who did not visit clinic was also recommended in order to determine their intentions, or barriers to visit the clinic.


Models for the simulation of complex fabrication steps for IC manufacture together with a simulation program are described. Multistep processes including ion implantation, oxidation, diffusion, and etching can be simulated, giving the doping profile, junction depth, and sheet resistivity. The program can also be applied to extract data from experimental results. The models used include the field enhancement of the diffusion together with the vacancy enhancement and the complex retardation for arsenic and boron.


This paper presents a procedure to evaluate accumulated fatigue damage on tubular joints of fixed jacket steel platforms based on numerical-experimental methodology. Experimental results were obtained through measurements of wave height, displacement and stress spectra. After adjusting the numerical finite element model, the fatigue damage were calculated for some selected joints. For the input for this calculation, the power spectral stress densities obtained from the dynamic behaviour of the platform were used. See also the previous abstract.


The realization of equilibrium between internal and external environment requires monetary policies promoting balancing operations, among which the open market operation is the first priority. However, problems exit in China's open market operations so, in order to efficiently regulate China's monetary supply, a diversified open market with bonds playing the leading role should be introduced as a major state macro regulation mechanism.


used clutch with an electric power steering device. It comprises an outer member 21, an inner member 22, a cage 23 mounted between these elements and having a plurality of pockets, a pair of rollers 24, 24 'mounted in each pocket, and a 25 spring mounted between said rollers to tend to these rolls away from each other and they penetrate into spaces wedge-shaped 28, 28 'of the pocket. If the drive system fails, it is disconnected from the steering wheel since the outer element, coupled to the drive system is unlocked from the steering wheel coupled to the inner member.


Centrochelys sulcata are kept and bred to prevent extinction. The sulkata tortoises were identified to determine their respective identities by measuring them morphometrically. Morphometric studies on sulkata tortoises are still minimal, so a morphometric study of the sulkata tortoises is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the morphometry of sulcata tortoises with three different age ranges kept in ex-situ conservation. The research sample used 15 sulcata turtles which were divided into 3 groups namely group A (1 year), Group B (2 years), and Group C (3 years). The morphometric parameters measured were body weight, head, carapace, plastron, forelimb, hindlimb and bridge. The results showed that the average body weight of group A, B and C turtles was 2,179 kg, 1,289 kg and 0,167 kg respectively. The average maximum carapace length in a row for groups A, B, C, namely 11.64, 23.18 and 16.72 cm. The average plastron lengths for groups A, B, C were 9.08, 6.44 and 9.24 cm respectively. The average forelimb length in groups A, B and C were 3.04, 6.28 and 7.78 cm respectively. The average hindlimb length for groups A, B, and C were 1.86, 3.5 and 4.04 cm, respectively. The average bridge width for groups A, B and C were 4.36, 8.94 and 10.1 cm respectively. Based on the results of morphometric measurements of the three groups of sulcata tortoises, it was shown that group C had a larger morphometric size than groups B and A, this was due to differences in age and growth factors. Sulcata tortoises group C is 3 years old and belongs to the juvenile group. Sulcata tortoise groups A and B aged 1 and 2 years are included in the yearly group


Introduction: Galectin-3 is a biomarker of atherosclerotic disease associated with risk of heart failure, and may therefore be a useful marker for stroke risk. HYPOTHESIS: Galectin-3 is associated with stroke risk in a biracial cohort. METHODS: REGARDS enrolled and examined 30,239 US participants in 2003-07 (41% black, 59% white, 55% living in the southeastern stroke belt). Baseline galectin-3 was measured in 594 subjects with incident stroke and a 947 participant cohort random sample (CRS). In the CRS, sample weighting was used to estimate baseline associations of galactin-3 with cardiovascular risk factors. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) of stroke by quartiles of galectin-3. RESULTS: In the CRS, baseline galectin-3 was higher with older age, black race, female sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate th versus 1 st quartile of galectin-3 had a 2.3-fold increased stroke risk (95% CI 1.6, 3.3). Adjustment for age, race, and sex attenuated this HR to 1.3 (CI 0.9, 1.8). There was a suggestive difference in results by age (p interaction galectin-3*age =0.08). Among those younger than age 64, baseline galectin-3 in the 2 nd -4 th quartiles was associated with increased stroke risk in a fully adjusted model, but this was not the case among older participants (table). CONCLUSION: Galectin-3 was associated with incident stroke in younger, but not older individuals. More research is needed to determine the significance of this finding to stroke etiology.


A simple method for the determination of calcium or sodium pantothenate and pantothenic acid in pharmaceutical preparations is presented. The property of the mentioned compounds of forming beta-alanine by a acid hydrolysis is used. The beta-alanine formed is purified by paper chromatography and detected with ninhydrin. The stain is eluted and the absorbance measured according to Giri, Radhakrishnam & Vaidyanathan. Hydrolysis conditions were studied as well as the possible interference of other amino-acid which may be present. Several kinds of solvent for development of the chromatogram were also studied.


~ ~ ~ I ne of the critical elements that under 1 1 girds my commitment to patient care \ ^ J is the vantage point I have had in wit± nessing the human spirit . Harry Truman once said, "The way in which you endure that which you must endure is more important than the crisis itself." Patients in acute care facilities experience crises in varying degrees of severity. Some patients meet this challenge by mustering a great internal strength. This previously untapped resource can provide the patient, her family, and her care givers a sense of well-being, peace, and fortitude in times of pain, helplessness, and weak ness. In my clinical experience two patients have best illustrated this human spirit.


This Paper is in three sections. The first is concerned with defining the terms, and setting the
boundaries of the field with an analysis of the meanings and uses of the concepts referred to
by the term 'New Age Alternative Spiritualities'
The second section describes the design of a model for the field, the idea of the web. An
explanation is given of the influences used in the design of the web model and the value of
applying 'insider' categories to phenomena.
In the third section a case study is used, that of Psychology of Vision, as an example of an
organisation that functions according to the criteria of the web model. Here there is
insider/primary material illustrating how New Age Alternative Spiritualities are creating new
forms of 'diffuse communities'.


Thirty five children with ambulant JCA were studied to assess the biochemical parameters of bone metabolism. The mean age of the study group was 8.8±4.1 years and the mean duration of active disease 3.8±1.3 years. According to the onset of the disease the children belonged to the systemic (7), polyarticular (12) and pauciarticular type (16). All the patients were treated with NSAIDs. In addition the polyarticular group received either gold injections or D‐penicillamine and the systemic group, steroids for at least 3 months. Two groups of controls were studied. The first one included fifteen children without chronic arthritis or bone disease and the second, four children who were treated with corticosteroids for a variety of reasons. In the group with systemic JCA Se Pi (1.28±0.29 mmol/l) and renal phosphate reabsorption (TmP/GFR=1.07±0.18) were significantly lower than in the control groups (1.50±0.19; 1.54±0.25 mmol/l, p<0.01 and 1.35±0.18; 1.29+0.23 mmol/l GF, p<0.05). Also lower were serum alkaline phosphatase (58±16.4 versus 83±24.2 and 80±15.6 IU/l, p<0.05), osteocalcin (5.5±4.7 versus 11.0±4.5 and 10.0±5.7 ng/ml, p<0.05), 25OHD (15.6±4.9 versus 27.3±6.2 and20.6±9.8 ng/ml, p<0.001) and l,25(OH)2D (12.1±6.0 versus 20.9±11.0 and 27.6±3.2 pg/ml, p<0.05). In the other two groups of patients (polyarticular and pauciarticular) all the values were found to be in the normal range except for the concentration of 25OHD which was significantly lower (17.8±4.7 ng/ml, p<0.001) in the active group than in the patients in remission (27.0±7.1 ng/ml). Hypercalciuria (UCa/UCr>0.18 mg/mg and Ca excretion >4 mg/Kg/24h) was observed in 18% of JCA patients. In conclusion the children with systemic onset JCA seem to have a disturbance in bone and mineral metabolism. The activity of JCA appears to lead to lower levels of 250HD.


Obfuscation is a technique to protect programs from analysis and reverse engineering. There is a problem of evaluating the effectiveness of such protection. In this work using machine learning to solve this problem is considered. As a consequence, the task of finding suitable program similarity features is being solved. The scheme based on symbolic execution for finding such features is built. The choice of symbolic execution for constructing similarity features is justified by the fact that such features can characterize the complexity of understanding the program in dynamic analysis. The experiments with the proposed scheme were done. The analyses of the given results are presented.


New measurements have been made for the viscosity of toluene between 255 K and 323 K at pressures up to approximately 400 MPa with a falling-body viscometer. These extend earlier high-pressure measurements below 298 K. The measurements form part of an intercomparison of high-pressure viscometers by the IUPAC Physical Chemistry Division, Commision 1.2, Subcommittee on Transport Properties. A revised correlation function is used to represent the results with a repeatability of ±0.5%. The uncertainty is estimated at ±1%.


Abstract : The long-term goal is to improve numerical (computer-aided) weather prediction in coastal regions, especially of weather events that impact naval operations. We seek to forecast weather events in the right place and the right time. The weather events we are most concerned with are convective storms, boundary layer clouds and drizzle. We emphasize the use of satellite and lightning data for model initialization. The measurement of our success would be improved forecasts by the Navy's mesoscale model COAMPS.


Since the introduction of the term 'Loch Lomond Readvance' by Simpson (1933), based upon the glacial landforms and sediments in the south Loch Lomond basin (Rose, 1989; Evans & Rose 2003a, 2003b), a large and wide ranging literature has emerged related to this short period of glaciation in Scotland (see reviews by Gray & Coxon, 1991; Gordon & Sutherland, 1993; Evans, 2003). Following ice sheet deglaciation, the Loch Lomond Stadial glaciers advanced into a terrain containing abundant glacigenic sediment that had been locally freshly incised and remobilised by paraglacial processes and therefore ideal for the production of prominent glacial depositional landforms. The seminal work of J. Brian Sissons and the Edinburgh School through the 1960s and early 1980s (Ballantyne & Gray, 1984) identified major Loch Lomond Stadial glacier ice masses through the mapping of glacial landforms (e.g. Sissons, 1977, 1979a, 1979b, 1980), developed critical dating techniques and methods of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction relative to the Lateglacial period (Sissons, 1967; Sissons et al., 1973; Walker, 1984) and reconstructed the palaeoclimatic controls on regional glaciation during the short readvance (e.g. Sissons, 1979c; Sissons & Sutherland, 1976; Sutherland, 1984). Our knowledge of the extent and dynamics of Loch Lomond Readvance glaciers has continued to develop since the 1980s, particularly in the realm of glacier-climate relationships (e.g. Ballantyne, 1989, 2002; Mitchell, 1996; Carr, 2001). More specifically, observations on modern glacier systems have been applied to the glacial geomorphological and sedimentological record of the Loch Lomond Readvance (e.g. Benn, 1992; Bennett & Boulton, 1993a, 1993b; Bennett, 1994; Hambrey et al., 1997; Wilson & Evans, 2000; Evans & Hiemstra, 2005; Lukas, 2003, 2005), thereby ensuring increasingly realistic palaeoglaciological reconstructions (e.g. Thorp, 1986; Benn et ah, 1992; Benn & Evans, 1993, 1996; Shakesby & Matthews, 1993; Rea et al., 1998; Hubbard, 1999; McDougall, 2001; Ballantyne, 2002; Benn & Ballantyne, 2005; Golledge & Hubbard, 2005; Benn & Lukas, 2006; Golledge, in press). In recent years improved knowledge of modern glaciers and their products


The cutting and packing problem has been encountered in many industrial sectors, and become a research focus in operations research. Because of its nature, it is a commendable goal to visualise the process of cutting and packing for analysis and validation of the algorithms. This is even more desirable when working in a 3-dimensional environment. There have been some visualisation packages for which the working algorithms are hidden behind the screen. Furthermore, their effectiveness and flexibility are limited in some sense. This research presents a visual analysis tool for 3-dimensional container loading. A new loading and display algorithm is devised to suit requirements for container loading. Test results are given with recommendations for further effort.


This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.


This paper provides a generic stability model of a self-commutated multilevel VSC (Voltage Source Converter) HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) and its appropriate control. At first the approach of modeling depicts the independence of the AC and DC quantities and therefore two separate models - one for the AC and one for the DC side - can be figured out. The AC side model is developed in the dq frame out of the according differential equations. For the DC side no further transformation is required. Regarding the fact of balanced energy terms the two models can be merged. The consolidation of both models reveals a comprehensive large signal model of a multilevel based HVDC system which can be used for detailed analyses in power system stability studies. Due to the comparison of the generic stability model with an EMT (Electro-Magnetic Transient) HVDC model the consistence of the dynamic behavior is shown.


This paper describes a study to see whether consumption of farmed fish in the UK is radiologically significant. Farmed fish might contain enhanced levels of radioactivity since their diet is entirely fishmeal-based fish food. Fishmeal is produced from marine fish. Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout are the main fish species farmed in the UK for consumption, and a cross-section of fish farms in England, Scotland and Wales were sampled during 2001. Fish species and the geographical locations of farms were selected on the basis of UK production rates. Some of the farms were re- sampled a few months later to check for variability. Trout farms were selected with differing freshwater hardness to see if this affected radionuclide uptake. Differences between salmon reared on so-called 'organic-based' feeds and conventional feeds were also investigated. Farmed fish samples were analysed for 14 C, 99 Tc, 210 Pb, 210 Po and gamma radionuclides, and found to contain low levels of radioactivity. There were no significant differences between levels in salmon and trout. Many gamma radionuclides were undetectable, and many of the samples had concentrations of natural radionuclides at what may be considered natural levels. Unexpectedly, a number of fish samples had 210 Po: 210 Pb ratios which were less than 1. Since concentrations were low, estimated doses were also low with most of the doses due to 210 Pb and 210 Po. The study also evaluated radionuclide transfer factors, used in mathematical models, for the pathway from fishmeal-based feed to farmed fish. Significant differences were found between calculated values for salmon and trout, and for different radionuclides. Direct comparisons of radionuclide concentrations in farmed fish and fish feed samples suggest that some bioaccumulation of 137 Cs from fish feed to fish may be occurring, but not for 14 C. For 99 Tc, 210 Pb and 210 Po, there would appear to be depletion rather than bioaccumulation.


The effects of pump polarization on the performance of cw dye lasers have been investigated. A recently developed semiclassical model for synchronously pumped mode‐locked dye lasers is adapted to the problem of cw dye‐laser oscillation, and analytic expressions are obtained for the relationship between the pump power, pump polarization, and dye‐laser output power. The theoretical results are compared with experimental data obtained using an argon‐laser‐pumped rhodamine 6G dye laser.


The Government has launched a policy of taxation through the Minister of Finance numbered 191/PMK.010/2015 on Revaluation of Fixed Assets Proposed in the Year 2015 and 2016. Impact of revaluation, automatically has consequences to the increase on depreciation expenses of fixed assets are charged to the profit and loss next period, so company will have benefit from the revaluation of these assets. But Fixed Assets Revaluation for tax purposes is not free. There are taxes to be paid, especially if the asset after revaluation is sold to a third party, then the taxpayer will be charged as additional income tax. If the company still wants to take the program of the asset revaluation, fixed assets after the revaluation prohibited for sale to another party until the depreciation of assets ending.


An article we wrote entitled Challenges and Strides in the Control of Pesticide Residues in Brazil: 15 Years of the Program for Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food Products 1 prompted a letter from Paumgartten 2, pointing to the need for some clarifications. Paumgartten 2 (p. 1) begins by stating that "evidence-based risk management of pesticides is a complex multistep process that integrates Science, uncertainties and social values to guide regulatory decision-making", on which we agree. We further affirm that when taking a stance on social values, we take the side of those who defend life and health over all else, including commercial interests. As for the concepts of maximum residue limits (MRL) and acceptable daily intake (ADI), we agree that it is the relative contribution of each food item within a basic dietary basket, with its pesticide residue, that determines whether exposure exceeds or falls within the ADI. Precisely for this reason, the crucial and most worrisome point revealed by the article is that during the 15 years of the Brazilian Program for Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food Products (PARA), it was not "occasional" violations of MRL that occurred, but the persistence of this irregularity in various foods analyzed, and worse still, the presence of several unauthorized active ingredients in specific crops. These results certainly highlight flaws in good agricultural practices, but one cannot take for granted, or much less fail to recognize, that this irregularity results in greater intake of pesticides in Brazilians' diet. In the article, citing Carneiro et. al. 3, we state, "The two types of calculations applied to the object of study of toxicology are part of a rhetoric of misrepresentation that is only useful for transmitting the idea of trust in so-called tolerance limits". An article by Vasconcelos 4 entitled A Critical View of the Use of Exposure Standards in Occupational Health Surveillance already showed, backed extensively by the literature, that historically, the establishment of tolerance limits, acceptable exposure levels, permissible exposure levels, limits of exposure, and maximum acceptable concentrations suffer deviations and omissions and are subject to political and economic interference that overrides health interests. Based on work by Holmberg & Winel 5, Vasconcelos questions the idea that there is a determined risk level for exposure to chemical products where it is possible to identify a zero-effect point for each substance or factor. The latter authors demonstrated that the values differ in each country depending on the correlation of forces of the various actors involved in their definition and the criteria used to establish them. Holmberg & Winel further CARTA LETTER


To the editor We read with great interest paper of Miyaki et al entitled ''Effect of weight reduction with dietary intervention on arterial distensibility and endothelial function in obese men.'' This study investigated whether low-calorie diet-induced weight reduction affects central arterial distensibility and endothelial function in middle-aged obese men. The authors found that weight reduction by low-calorie diet in obese men increases central arterial distensibility, which may contribute to the improvement in endothelial function. We feel that these results are very important, but some additional comments may be useful. Obesity is associated with structural (altered aortic size) and functional (decreased aortic elasticity) vascular abnormalities. We aimed to investigate additive effects of physical training over low-calorie diet on aortic elasticity in obese middle-aged participants. Our preliminary study included 16 consecutive obese participants (mean age: 48 + 13 years, 6 males, mean body mass index [BMI]: 39.2 + 10.1 kg/m). All of them were on low-calorie diet (base metabolism – 600 kcal). In all cases, a routine physical, echocardiographic and blood pressure measurement was performed before and after a physical training program: a professional trainer guided aquafitness or physical training 3 times 1 hour per week for 4 months. Aortic stiffness index (b) was evaluated from echocardiography-derived systolic and diastolic aortic diameter and blood pressure data. At the end of this program, reduction in BMI (39.2 + 10.1 vs. 35.5 + 11.0 kg/m, P < .17) and improvement in b index was observed (10.5 + 9.7 vs. 4.5 + 4.9, P < .02). It has been described that high physical activity or aerobic exercise training increases central arterial distensibility in older humans. Associations between weight change and progression/regression of arterial stiffness were seen even among non-obese individuals. According to the literature and our results, it could be stated that weight reduction by different methods (diet, physical training program, etc) are associated with improved aortic elasticity. Moreover, further improvement in aortic elasticity could be observed after physical training over diet suggesting additive effects. However, further studies are warranted to confirm these results in larger populations. Moreover, further studies are necessary to evaluate the effect of different drugs on weight loss and aortic stiffness.


Years before software were not so complex, but with changing requirements size of software has increased and complexity too. Fast development, adaptability to constantly changing requirements, low cost and of high quality is also demand of time. In earlier software development processes there were no interaction between development team and client but new development processes these interactions have become common. New development processes, that is, Agile Methodology, came in light because in previous ones some deficiencies appeared, that is, time to delivery problems. As with time, deficiencies appear in every approach, and agile development is not an exception to the same. Deficiency found in Agile Methodology is of reusability, which is due to lack of time to delivery. Reusability can be acceleration to agile methodology. To adapt reusability in Agile, we need to build a database which will contain reusable components, that is, component based development. To build that database, it will take time and effort, but once it is adapted, it will be useful in improving quality and reducing time of development.


Remote labs in difference to virtual labs allow as usual only a single user access. To manage the user access for such remote experiments a reservation system is used. The aim of this work is to develop a simultaneous multi user access to the lab server and the remote experiment. This approach was tested for the READ remote lab and a Microcontroller remote lab, installed at the CUAS. The system controlled by LabView has been implemented using a Data Acquisition Card from National instruments. The performance of the simultaneous access was tested under load with a variable number of users. For the MRL a queue gives access to the peripherals to the main user, while the others wait for their time slot to use the system. This was implemented in such a way due to the synchronous characteristics of this lab.


This contribution revolves around the concepts of 'immediacy' and 'distance' in the Old Russian birchbark letters. Over the centuries, oral habits of formulation have given way to a more literate mode of communication. A crucial stage of this development can be traced in the Middle Ages, in the oldest sources written in an East Slavic vernacular. In these birchbark letters, several linguistic parameters have been identified in which this transition can be traced. In the same vein, we can distinguish two more dimensions, viz. 1) the use of local dialect morphology vs. a supra-regional variety and 2) the use of two different spelling systems. These are assessed in terms of the more general tendency in the birchbark corpus which shows a development away from orality and towards a more fixed form of literacy.


Ten years have been over since the enforcement of the l980 District Planning System. The au − thors carr 重ed out a survey to しhe city planning director of some 100 municipalities which had been legally established the plan by the end of the fiscal  g87. The principal items of this survey are : the type of each plan, problems in gainning the residents ' agreement , validity of the Notification・ and .Advlce Systeml validity of the Building Standaτd By・Law , execution of district facilities and problems in applying process the District Planning System . Finaly some comments are made


Clustering high dimensional data and initialization of clusters are big challenges in data mining. As the number of dimensions in the data set increase, many traditional clustering techniques begin to suffer because of the curse of dimensionality. Moreover, the results differ with randomly initialized centers of the initial clusters. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm which consists of two phases. In phase one; it uses feature selection technique based on variance to find relevant attributes and then the obtained reduced data set is partitioned into k clusters. Afterwards, it computes Mediod of each of the clusters to obtain initial centers. In phase two, it apply standard k-means algorithm to obtain clusters. It improves efficiency of the clustering process tremendously and our experiment on test data set shows that accuracy of the results has improved


Dear Editor,

I read with interest the recently published article by Imani et al.,[1] in your journal, in which five out of the 230 (2.17%) tested household contacts were seropositive. We do not have enough data regarding family prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the literature. Blood and blood products transfusion used to be the main risk factor for transmission of HCV, yet the main risk factor has recently changed to intravenous drug abusing (Injecting drug users; IDUs).[2][3][4] The prevalence of HCV infection in general population of I.R. Iran is low[5] and it means that the main risk factor for transmission of HCV infection, IDUs, is low in our general population. The study reveals that we should be aware of transmission of HCV infection in families, but I would like to add some points for more discussion about this issue. The risk of transmission of HCV by sexual rout is very low;[6] the other risk factors such as sharing the razors and tooth brushes may be responsible as well. I would like to ask the physicians to train the family of patients more regarding prevention of HCV transmission. Sexual health precautions and avoiding sexual contact during the menstrual period, according to Islam rules, is mandatory. Another point about the study by Imani et al. in which four out of the mentioned five seropositive household contacts (80%) were the cases' wives and the remaining one (20%) was one of their sister, is the probability of IDUs history in the family positive for IDU especially in the one infected sister which means the transmission had occurred due to a high risk behavior and not intrafamily.[6][7] We do not have any information about this risk factor in positive family cases in the article.