Much work by sociolinguists and educationists on linguistic diversity and endangered languages is descriptive. It often stops at asking 'what?' questions and some 'how?' questions. This gives too little prominence to a focus on analysing (= 'why?' questions) and, especially, on trying to change the economic, techno-military, social and ideological circumstances that lead to language endangerment and disappearance of linguistic diversity in the first place (Skutnabb-Kangas 2000). Documenting endangered languages is often necessary and always positive, but it should be secondary to a holistic/ecological analysis, and change. I start with some definitions of concepts that I use in this introductory section. Building on Christina Bratt Paulston (1994) and others, we can put together adjectives used about endangered or extinct languages ("dead", "dying", and "neglected"), with nouns describing what is needed for those languages if one wants them to be "alive" and continue to be maintained and developed. When a language is "dead", it needs revival; when it is "dying", it needs reversal, and when it is "neglected", it needs revitalisation.


A transition metal-catalyzed aryl carbon-chalcogen bond formation has been well performed by a combination of aryl halides and thiol or selenol under basic conditions . However, a catalytic process using dichalcogenides has been rarely explored to date . We have developed copper or nickel-catalyzed procedures, which realize preparation of unsymmetrical mono-chalcogenides from dichalcogenides with aryl halides under reductive conditions or with organoboronic acids under oxidative conditions. Furthermore , these reactions can utilize b oth organochalcogenide-groups on dichalcogenide.


Motivation is the underlying reason for an act committed by an individual. A highly motivated person is someone who has a very strong reason to achieve what he wanted to do in his current job. Two main types of motivation are said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from any external or outside rewards, while extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome. If we as an individual doing something based on our willingness and eagerness, it is believed that we can achieve our objectives. It is true there are no limits to what we can achieve, but there are some key factors that can affect the motivation and this can become a limit to what can we achieve. It is clear that what affects the motivation is the motive itself and there is an important factor that can affect the employees' motivation at work, which is compensation. Nevertheless, it is also believed since the compensation are made and controlled by organization and leader this can become the main factor of what can be achieved. Therefore, the ideal effort for leaders to motivate their employees is to get more concentrations on intrinsic motivation for making employees happy and enjoy, or convincing their self efficiency in working their tasks.


In 1985, the Mormon History Association celebrated its twentieth anniversary. While nonpolemical, scholarly works had been written before that period, the organization's birth provides a convenient milestone in Mormon historiography.' Greater access to church archives, professional organization and activism, new documentary discoveries, a rapidly proliferating body of practitioners, and the rise of a number of new publication outlets have all combined to mark the past two decades as a period which might be characterized as "the explosion of Mormon history."2 Many incidents


A sigma-delta type displacement-to-digital converter suitable for a non-contact inductive displacement sensor is presented here. The constituents of a conventional sigma-delta scheme have been suitably modified so that a non-contact inductive displacement sensor excited by a sinusoidal voltage source becomes integral to the delta modulator. The conversion logic is designed such that the digital output of the proposed converter directly indicates the displacement that is being sensed. The results obtained from simulation studies and an emulated sensor model establishes the functionality of the proposed converter. Experimentation conducted on a PCB-based prototype sensor unit built in the laboratory further corroborates the efficacy of the proffered scheme.


The present invention also relates to a device forming method and thin film of a thin film using the ALD method, a plurality of kinds of raw material gases by the ALD method Prior to deposition supplied over one by a plurality of times, supplying a plurality of kinds of raw material gases plurality simultaneously to implement pre-processing, reduced and increased throughput of incubation time in the film forming.


Geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in a tokamak excited by, for example, energetic particles can create a direct energy channel from energetic population to turbulence. In this paper, the ability of GAMs to further convert their energy into large scale motion such as zonal flows is investigated. The simplest case of GAMs, neglecting the effects of normal curvature, Alfvén wave effect and drift effects, is considered. It is shown that such GAMs are stable with respect to generation of zonal flows.


This paper proposes an effective hypothesis generation for detection multi-vehicle using a monocular camera fixed on the host vehicle. In hypothesis generation (HG) step, we use linear model between the distance and vehicle size by using recursive least square. It generates effective image patches and improves the detection performance. In addition, it also reduces the computation time compared with sliding-window approach. In hypothesis verification (HV) step, we use the Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) feature and Support Vector Machine (SVM). In our experiment, Caltech and IR datasets are used. The experimental result shows the improvement of running time and detection performance.


The subject matter of research in the article is the models and methods of risk management in the process of implementing concession projects within the port activities. The goal of the work is to develop a risk management model for the implementation of concession projects in the port to improve the efficiency of port activities and ensure the competitiveness of port services. The following tasks are solved in the article: analysis of international and national experience in reforming the port industry, consideration of the essence of the project-oriented approach in port management, determination of the relevance of the implementation of public-private partnership projects on the example of concession projects in the port, analysis of risks arising from the project management of ports within the concession, identification of concession project stakeholders, proposal of a classification model for risk distribution among project stakeholders, prioritization of risks based on the probability of their occurrence, identification and significance of negative consequences, development of a risk assessment model for port production in concession projects. The following methods are used: project management methods, failure mode and effects analysis method, risk management theory, quality management methods. The following results were obtained: based on analytical research of the world and Ukrainian experience in the operation of transport hubs, it was proved that an effective mechanism for increasing the competitiveness of ports is the implementation of reform principles based on project management methodology. It has been established that the most common type of port activity improvement is the implementation of concession projects. It is noted that in the process of managing a concession project, certain risks arise that require assessment. The stakeholders of the concession project are identified and a classification model for the distribution of risks between them is proposed. A model of risk-based port management in concession projects has been developed based on the failure mode and effects analysis method taking into account the determination of the risk priority rank. Conclusions. To increase the competitiveness of ports, it is proposed to develop and implement concession projects in port activities based on the project management methodology, the implementation of which can increase the efficiency of port services. There are risks in the management of port activities within a concession project. It is proposed to distribute them among stakeholders and determine the probabilities of occurrence, identifying risks, assessing the significance of their impact on the quality of port services. Based on the proposed risk assessment model, taking into account the determination of the priority rank, it is shown that the greatest risk is associated with the implementation of customs formalities and the danger of the port water area.


When in July 1944 the diplomat Ulrich von Hassell, one of the leaders of conservative resistance against Hitler, visited Friedrichsruh, Bismarck's former country-seat in the Sachsenwald, no one with open eyes could doubt that Bismarck's Germany lay in its death-throes. Hassell wrote—and his words are worth quoting in full, since shock at the imminent collapse of Prussia-Germany as a Great Power also signalled the turning point in the national-conservative interpretation of Bismarck


Hyperparathyroidism is a clinical and laboratory syndrome characterized by hyperproduction of parathyroid hormone (PTH) by cells of the parathyroid glands (PTG) and is subdivided, depending on the cause of its occurrence, into primary (PHPT), secondary (SHPT) and tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT). To date, only a few scientific papers have been published on the features of the relationship between vitamin D and various forms of hyperparathyroidism, there may be several reasons for this. First, this is due to the fact that the true prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in hyperparathyroidism is unknown. Secondly, difficulties in the differential diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism sometimes entail not always justified surgical intervention with the potential development of complications, which, of course, is a rather narrow area of interest, both in endocrinology in particular and in medicine in general. Thirdly, the asymptomatic, often hidden, latent nature of the variety of multiple organ clinical manifestations of hyperparathyroidism, in combination with low levels of 25(OH)D, as the disease progresses, can lead to a significant decrease in the quality and life expectancy of patients. The combination of these arguments prompted us to summarize all the data available to date on the complexity of the relationship between vitamin D and various forms of hyperparathyroidism.


The disclosed cleaning surface comprises a spacing element to make the sliding surface cleaning the re-activatable adhesive, and the surface to be cleaning to take place and keep dirt, dust and debris. If the adhesive can be reactivated are cleanly washed, but once dried, it restored the ability to capture and maintain the dirt, dust and debris, the surface cleaning can be re-used. The disclosed cleaning surface having both an ability to use the adhesive agent significantly improves the capture of dirt, dust and debris On the other hand, it is also possible re-use. Adhesive possible reactivation, the alkyl group contains a monomer component, 2.0 phr or more of hydrophobic silica, one or more polymerization initiators, one or more cross-linking agent a compound containing at least one alkyl acrylate having an average of 4 to 14 C atoms and a polar comonomer is a precursor material activatable pressure-sensitive adhesive containing no polymerization in essence.


Abstract General relations among the thermodynamic parameters, which characterize dissociation equilibria of an acid HA in both phases of a two-phase extraction system and ion transfers across the interface of this system, was formulated. Moreover, dissociation constant of 2-nitroso-1-naphthol in nitrobenzene saturated with water was calculated as pKdnb(HA) = −logKdnb(HA) = 16.48.


2-Chloro-1-azaazulene-3-carbaldehyde (1a) reacted with pyridine, followed by a reacion with piperidine to give 2-amino-1-azaazulene-3-carbaldehyde (1b) in excellent yield. Compound 1b was also obtained by a Vilsmeier–Haack reaction of 2-amino-1-azaazulene. Acetylation of 1b yielded a 2-acetylamino derivative, whereas methylation gave a 1-methylated compound. Reactions of 1b with hydrazines and alkylamines gave the corresponding hydrazones and Schiff bases, respectively, in excellent yields. The reactions of 1b with active methylene compounds gave 1,10-diazabenz[a]azulen-2(1H)-one derivatives. The reaction of 1b with guanidine gave pyrimidine-fuzed 1-azaazulene.


The prediction of liquid holdup and multiphase flow regimes present in a well or pipeline is very important to the petroleum industry. Liquid holdup, defined as the fraction of pipe occupied by liquid, and flow regimes must be predicted to design separation equipment and slug catchers in pipeline operations properly. It is also important when designing gas storage fields in depleted oil reservoirs.


Around midnight in June 2014, in a village in northern Uganda, an unarmed 37-year-old man was shot in the back as he fled from a police officer. He died hours before he was found, lying face down in a compound a few hundred metres from his home. That night, he had been guarding his community as part of a local vigilante group. A year previously, the village had experienced a surge in violent crime. The police and district-level authorities did not have the capacity to secure the village; instead, they had called on the community to form a vigilante group for their own protection. The vigilantes patrolled with rudimentary weapons, including machetes, sticks, and ropes to restrain suspects. They began to organize themselves, implementing code words and rules of conduct, enforcing a curfew, and collecting taxes from community members. But their work was controversial: they failed to catch criminals and were accused of drinking on the job as well as beating and extorting community members. The morning after the shooting, community members learned that a resident of the village had falsely reported to the police that the vigilantes were armed with guns and robbing passers-by. Community members speculated that the resident had lied to prompt the police to arrest the vigilantes, which would lift the curfew and its penalties. Instead, the police arrived and shot into the dark, killing one vigilante and maiming another. William Odera, the brother of the deceased vigilante, sought justice.1 He wanted retribution for his brother's death and compensation to support the slain man's children. He decided to open a police investigation into the murder. But when Odera went to the police, they replied that the shooting was caused by a miscommunication within the village and so he should resolve his complaint 'at home'. A government official sided with the police, arguing that the vigilantes were in fact armed robbers, and thus their demise was warranted. Odera expressed frustration—it is well known in Uganda that to solve such a problem 'at home'


In this research, we propose the expression life cycle model which consists of liquidization and crystallization of expressions. We believe that activating this cycle will enrich and widen our views of thinking and feeling. After providing a framework for activating the cycle by automatic draft generation and interactive creation processes, the preliminary practices and prototypes are introduced.


We theorize the role in institutional processes of what we call the "shame nexus," a set of shame-related constructs: felt shame, systemic shame, sense of shame, and episodic shaming. As a discrete emotion, felt shame signals to a person that a social bond is at risk, and it catalyzes a fundamental motivation to preserve valued bonds. Systemic shame we conceptualize as a form of disciplinary power, animated by persons' sense of shame—a mechanism of ongoing intersubjective surveillance and self-regulation. We theorize how the duo of systemic shame and sense of shame drives the self-regulation that underpins persons' conformity to institutional prescriptions and institutional reproduction. We conceptualize episodic shaming as a form of juridical power used by institutional guardians to elicit renewed conformity and reassert institutional prescriptions, and also explain how episodic shaming may have unintended effects, including institutional disruption and recreation, when it triggers sensemaking among targ...


Shore bridge and other port cranes have some working condition characters including high speed, heavy load, and large impact. In order to solve the degradation feature extraction issue of hoisting mechanism gearbox, an online degradation feature extraction technique based on morphological fractal dimension and sliding window Weibull fitting is proposed. Firstly, taking the vibration energy spectrum collecting from the gearbox as the online data source, the fractal dimension of the vibration energy spectrum during an analysis period is calculated and a fractal evolution curve is obtained. A three-parameter Weibull fitting on the fractal curve within a sliding window after setting the window's width and step size is performed. The scale parameter of the Weibull fitting model is introduced as the performance degradation feature. The effectiveness of the technique is verified by the full-life vibration data of hoisting gearbox from Shanghai Port Group. The results show that the morphological fractal dimension is able to describe the fractal complexity of the vibration energy spectrum. The scale parameter of Weibull distribution is able to reflect the performance degradation trend of fractal curve smoothly, which lays a theoretical foundation for further solving the problem of online health assessment.


Objective To study the prevention and treatment of complications after hepatectomy.Methods 253 patients underwent hepatectomy from January 1998 to July 2005 were studied. Results The total complication rate was 8.29%and the total mortality was 0.78%.Conclusions The complications can be prevented effectively and the mortality can be decreased markedly after hepatectomy by strict control of the indications,sufficient preoperative preparation,better surgical skills and close observation of postoperative state and comprerensive postoperative treatment.


Embedded SRAM blocks have become common in FPGA design. Since SRAM is a volatile memory type, the stored data vanishes in the absence of power. When power is restored, the memory is empty. As many applications operate on data stored in SRAM, it must be filled, or initialized, on power-up. Microsemi IGLOO®, ProASIC®3, Axcelerator, ProASICPLUS, and ProASIC FPGA families of devices support embedded SRAM blocks. One method of initializing the on-chip SRAM blocks is to store the initialization data in an external non-volatile EEPROM and transfer it to the internal SRAM blocks at power-up. This document offers an efficient and low-cost solution for implementing this initialization method. Figure 1 on page 4 shows a block diagram of the RAM initialization using external serial EEPROM. A reference design is provided that can be used (shown as I2C Interface in Figure 1 on page 4) in all Microsemi FPGAs that contain embedded memory blocks. The reference design is simulated, and the simulation files are also included in this application note.


The taxonomic designation of a green microalga isolated from Helwan governorate was investigated. The alga was coccoid, non-buoyant and mostly colonial with no other distinguishing features. Due to the lack of clear-cut diagnostic phenotypic characters and in order to accurately place the isolate in its correct taxonomic position, a polyphasic approach was applied. This involved the combination of both morphological and molecular methods coupled with phylogenetic analysis using small subunit rDNA as a marker. Accordingly, the isolate was identified as Chlorococcum (green alga). Other types of markers such as fatty acid composition, vitamin C content, phytochemical screening for secondary metabolites were also used. To further investigate the biochemical activities of this isolate, fractions of the lipophilic extract were tested for their antimicrobial effect. The fraction that showed highest bioactivity was purified and its structure elucidated using UV, FTIR, GC-mass and proton NMR. The bioactive compound from Chlorococcum. sp. has a molecular weight of 256 and was identified as Hexadecanoic fatty acid. The possible antimicrobial effect of this compound is discussed. The study highlights both the importance of combining traditional classification methods with modern taxonomic techniques such as phylogenetics and chemotaxonomy. The study also emphasises the on importance of exploring the bioactive metabolites and their antimicrobial activity of microorganisms for future biotechnological applications.


Background:
 We have reported 5-year risk of stroke and vascular events after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor ischemic stroke in patients enrolled into the TIAregistry.org, which was an international multicenter-cooperative, prospective registry (N Engl J Med 2018;378:2182-90). We conducted subanalysis on the 5-year follow-up data of Japanese patients in comparison with non-Japanese patients.

 Methods:
 The patients were classified into two groups on ethnicity, Japanese (n=345) and non-Japanese (n=3502), and their 5-year event rates were compared. We also determined predictors of five-year stroke in both groups.

 Results:
 Death from vascular cause (0.9% vs 2.7%, HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09-0.89, p=0.031) and death from any cause (7.8% vs 9.9%, HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45-0.99, p=0.045) were fewer in Japanese patients than in non-Japanese patients, while stroke (13.9% vs 7.2%, HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.31-2.43, p<0.001) and intracranial hemorrhage (3.2% vs 0.8%, HR 3.61. 95% CI 1.78-7.30, p<0.001) were more common in Japanese than non-Japanese patients during five-year follow-up period. Caplan-Meyer curves at five-years showed that the rates of stroke was also significantly higher in Japanese than non-Japanese patients (log-rank test, p=0.001). Predictors for stroke recurrence at five years were large artery atherosclerosis (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.31-2.52, p<0.001), cardioembolism (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.18-2.47, p=0.004), multiple acute infarction (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.27-2.45, p<0.001) and ABCD
 2
 score 6 or 7 (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.38-2.78, p<0.001) in non-Japanese patients, although only large artery atherosclerosis (HR 3.28, 95% CI 1.13-9.54, p=0.029) was a predictor for stroke recurrence in Japanese patients.

 Conclusions:
 Recurrence of stroke and intracranial hemorrhage were more prevalent in Japanese than non-Japanese patients. Large artery atherosclerosis was a predictor for stroke recurrence not only in non-Japanese patients but also in Japanese patients.


Multiplication and squaring are important operations in digital signal processing and multimedia applications. We present designs for units that implement either multiplication, A/spl times/B, or sum-of-squares computations, A/sup 2/+B/sup 2/, based on an input control signal. Compared to conventional parallel multipliers, these units have a modest increase in area and delay, but allow either multiplication or sum-of-squares computations to be performed. Combined multiplication and sum-of-squares units for unsigned and two's complement operands are presented, along with integrated designs that can operate on either unsigned or two's complement operands. The designs can also be extended to work with a third accumulator operand to compute either Z+A/spl times/B or Z+A/sup 2/+B/sup 2/. Synthesis results indicate that a combined multiplication and sum-of-squares unit for 32-bit two's complement operands can be implemented with roughly 15% more area and nearly the same worst case delay as a conventional 32-bit two's complement multiplier.


Goal-oriented reinforcement learning algorithms are often good at exploration, not exploitation, while episodic algorithms excel at exploitation, not exploration. As a result, neither of these approaches alone can lead to a sample efficient algorithm in complex environments with high dimensional state space and delayed rewards. Motivated by these observations and shortcomings, in this paper, we introduce Regioned Episodic Reinforcement Learning (RERL) that combines the episodic and goal-oriented learning strengths and leads to a more sample efficient and ef- fective algorithm. RERL achieves this by decomposing the space into several sub-space regions and constructing regions that lead to more effective exploration and high values trajectories. Extensive experiments on various benchmark tasks show that RERL outperforms existing methods in terms of sample efficiency and final rewards.


Context: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients tend to have lipid abnormalities, thus elevating the risk of complications and mortality. Early detection using a genomic approach could help identify the abnormality of lipid profiles so that it could reduce those burdens. A previous study found a high frequency of mutants in the rs2075604 as the intron area in the STK11 gene. Aims: To analyze the effect of rs2075604 related to lipid abnormalities in newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Methods: This present study conducted a cross-sectional study in the ten public healthcare facilities in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The genetic variants were detected using PCR-RFLP methods. A total of 130 patients who had to consume antidiabetic oral for three months participated in this study. Results: This study revealed that the mutant variant dominated in this population at 61.5%. Mutant genotype, mutant allele, and dominant model reduce the risk of low HDL (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.11-0.99; OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.24-0.90; OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12-0.96; respectively). The improvement of low HDL risk by the mutant allele was confirmed through an adjusted model (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.23-0.98). The mutant allele only influenced high LDL risk in the non-adjusted model (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.02-4.82), but it did not found in other models. Conclusions: The mutant of rs2075604 has a protective role in low HDL-c risk in Indonesia. However, further study is required to observe the effect on LDL-c.


The aim of the study was to determine the efficiency of wastewater treatment by the Fenton method with the use of iron nanocompounds and to compare it with the classical Fenton method. The object of the study was wastewater generated during the washing of stencils used in screen printing processes. The wastewater was purified by the classical method with the use of ferrous sulfate by means of iron nanocompounds and using ferrous sulfate with the addition of iron nanocompounds. Iron(II,III) oxide nanopowder was used as an iron nanocompound. The Fenton process was optimised while investigating the effect of the type of compound applied in the treatment process, the doses of iron, hydrogen peroxide and pH of the solution on pollutant decomposition efficiency. The use of iron nanocompounds in the classical process in the presence of ferrous sulfate made it possible to increase the degree of the reduction in organic pollutants. The effect of treatment depended on the proportion of the amount of nanocompounds and the quantity of ferrous sulfate.


Through this work, two artificial intelligence techniques are associated in order to design a control strategy of an inverted pendulum, which is considered as a nonlinear system. The controller combines the particle swarm optimization technique (PSO) with fuzzy logic controller (FLC). PSO is employed in this case, to find the optimal parameter values (gains and membership) of the fuzzy logic controller. Numerical simulations are given to show validity and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.


A thirteen-link biped with twelve actuated joints in three dimensional space is considered in this paper. The objective is to design a ballistic motion numerically for this biped. A first dynamical model of the biped is calculated in single support only. A second dynamical model tacking into account the wrench reaction from the ground is calculated for the single support phase and the double support phase. These two models are founded on the Newton Euler algorithm, considering that the reference frame is connected to a stance foot. At the impact the biped loses energy, the ballistic motion cannot be cyclic. Then impulsive controls around the impact are designed to overcome this lost energy and to obtain a cyclic motion. The initial and final configurations of the biped for the ballistic motion and the energy are calculated using an optimization process. Constraints such no take off, no sliding, and position of the center of pression are considered for these optimizations algorithms


This thesis presents the status of Delaunay triangulation meithods,In incremental insertation algorithmi,t organizes the point set and triangle by constructing Grid index to enhance the query speed of searching for the triangle that contains the given point.With the improving measures,the efficiency of algorithm is greatly improved.


In the continuum limit (large number of qubits), adiabatic quantum algorithms display a remarkable similarity to sweeps through quantum phase transitions. We find that transitions of second or higher order are advantageous in comparison to those of first order. With this insight, we propose an adiabatic quantum algorithm for the solution of 3-satisfiability (3-SAT) problems (exact cover), which is significantly faster than previous proposals according to numerical simulations (up to 20 qubits). These findings suggest that adiabatic quantum algorithms can solve NP-complete problems such as 3-SAT much faster than the Grover search routine (yielding a quadratic enhancement), possibly even with an exponential speedup.


Community detection can be considered as a variant of cluster analysis applied to complex networks. For this reason, all existing studies have been using tools derived from this field when evaluating community detection algorithms. However, those are not completely relevant in the context of network analysis, because they ignore an essential part of the available information: the network structure. Therefore, they can lead to incorrect interpretations. In this article, we review these measures, and illustrate this limitation. We propose a modification to solve this problem, and apply it to the three most widespread measures: purity, Rand index and normalised mutual information (NMI). We then perform an experimental evaluation on artificially generated networks with realistic community structure. We assess the relevance of the modified measures by comparison with their traditional counterparts, and also relatively to the topological properties of the community structures. On these data, the modified NMI turns out to provide the most relevant results.


Cognitive radio has been identified as a promising
solution to the so-called spectrum scarcity problem. The basic
idea of this paradigm is to allow unlicensed users to access in an
opportunistic and non-interfering manner some licensed bands
temporarily unoccupied by licensed users. Cognitive radio is expected to dramatically improve the efficiency of spectrum usage.
However, before this paradigm can turn into reality, a full understanding of the spectrum dynamic usage in real wireless
communications systems is required. Current spectrum utilization has already been evaluated in some measurement campaigns all over the world. However, to the best of the authors'
knowledge, no previous study has assessed the spectrum occupancy and the feasibility of the cognitive radio technology in different allocated spectrum bands under Spanish regulations. In
this context, this paper presents a pioneer spectrum occupancy
measurement in Spain conducted in the frequency range from
75 MHz to 7075 MHz in an outdoor environment in urban Barcelona. The measurements are analyzed and compared to the
official spectrum regulations. The obtained results demonstrate
the existence of a significant amount of spectrum available for
the deployment of future cognitive radio networks.


Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is categorized as a neurodevelopmental disability. Having an automated technology system to classify the ASD trait would have a huge influence on paediatricians, which can aid them in diagnosing ASD in children using a quantifiable method. A novel autism diagnosis method based on a bidirectional long-short-term-memory (LSTM) network's deep learning algorithm is proposed. This multi-layered architecture merges two LSTM blocks with the other direction of propagation to classify the output state on the brain signal data from an electroencephalogram (EEG) on individuals; normal and autism obtained from the Simon Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) database. The accuracy of 99.6% obtained for 90:10 train:test data distribution, while the accuracy of 97.3% was achieved for 70:30 distribution. The result shows that the proposed approach had better autism classification with upgraded efficiency compared to single LSTM network method and potentially giving a significant contribution in neuroscience research.


From Wang Mang Dynasty to the East Han Dynasty,the common customs of intellectual occurred different occasion,the seclusion of feudalism intellectual became a kind of epoch trend.Their seclusion's fashion included:such as a teacher,seclusion in mountain areas,or eating vegetarian diet,tour and travel or loyal to his sovereignl.As a kind of cultural base,the seclusion was very important and interesting living way.My research on the seclusion between the west Han dynasty and the east Han dynasty built a systematic and number model and draw a conclusion that seclusion was not main key of feudal intellectual and being engaged in official career was the feudal intellectual's main key.


Objective To study how to take good care of the perioperative patients with cerebrospinal rhinorrhea repaired under endoscope, to ensure the patients to get through the period safely. Methods The nursing experiences, before and after the operation, of 35 patients who underwent the endoscopic surgery for cerebrospinal rhinorrhea were summarized. Results The operations were very successful under the appropriate nursing care and the patients recovered completely. Conclusions The perioperative observation of the vital signs of the patients and the symptoms of cerebrospinal rhinorrhea and the right nursing instructions in the recovery period are the keys for improving the therapeutic effect and the patients' recovery.


Abstract We examined eight isonucleoside analogues, which have variable bases at the 2′ position of deoxyribose, for anti-herpes virus activities in vitro. Six of the eight compounds showed anti-herpes activity.


We developed a method to identify proteins adsorbed on solid surfaces from a solution containing a complex mixture of proteins by using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight mass (MALDI-ToF mass) spectroscopy. In the method, we performed all procedures of peptide mass fingerprint method including denaturation, reduction, alkylation, digestion, and spotting of matrix on substrates. The method enabled us to avoid artifacts of pipetting that could induce changes in the composition. We also developed an algorithm to identify the adsorbed proteins. In this work, we demonstrate the identification of proteins adsorbed on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Our results show that the composition of proteins on the SAMs critically depends on the terminal groups of the molecules constituting the SAMs, indicating that the competitive adsorption of protein molecules is largely affected by protein-surface interaction. The method introduced here can provide vital information to clarify the mechanism underlying the responses of cells and tissues to biomaterials.


Three groups of cattle at three locations in Lousiana were treated with Dectomax® (0.5% doramectin) pour-on, and horn fly populations were monitored. Acceptable levels of horn fly control were observed for from 4 to 8 weeks. Differences in the length of control among the three sites were most likely affected by immigration of adult flies from untreated groups.


— The progression of fully reversed bending fatigue, in a 99.6% pure polycrystalline nickel (NO2200) at room temperature, was monitored utilizing Nomarski interference contrast microscopy in conjunction with microhardness measurements. It was found that a gradual hardening, without early saturation, occurred from about 95 to 160 HV. Similar data were obtained with indenter weights of 15–500 g, from which it was concluded that a different behaving surface layer did not develop during fatigue. Cracks initiated at coarse slip bands within the first 1% of the life, when the hardness reached 140 HV. The cracking of these bands initiated away from grain boundaries. The slow growth of these slip band cracks dominated the life subsequently. Growth of the cracks both across and beyond the initial grain was difficult. The significant hardening prior to crack initiation and the confinement of the cracking mainly to coarse slip bands, contributed to a good inherent fatigue resistence of nickel. with a fatigue limit above the yield strength. Non-propagating cracks were not observed below the fatigue limit.


The 'functional dyad', a well‐defined pair of amino acid residues (basic and hydrophobic residues), is a key molecular determinant present in most animal toxins acting on voltage‐gated Kv1 channels. It is increasingly used as a working concept to explain how toxins are able to recognize and block their specific ion channel targets. However, other crucial toxin determinants are emerging and the actual role of this 'functional dyad' ought to be clarified, which is the object of the present mini‐review. Copyright © 2004 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


By analyzing the stage of development of the medium and small businesses in China,and contrast to the business needs of CIS design,we can preliminary sum up of four different types of corporate image design pattern,and each has different stress.


The present study is initiated to develop a generalized computer based simulation for predicting surface roughness for any given conditions which takes into consideration the important parameters influencing the dynamic behavior of the machine-tool-workpiece system. The parameters considered in the simulation are: machining variables, tool and workpiece variables, and machine-tool-workpiece system. Matlab Simulink TM is used to interactively perform the simulation in a user-friendly, effective and efficient manner. The effects of machining variables and tooling characteristics on the surface generation are investigated through simulations. Turning trials have been carried out to evaluate and validate the presented approach and simulations. Using simulation program, the results agreed with the cutting test in the prediction of the cutting process. The percentage errors between predicted and measured roughness parameters were found to be less than 20%. The method can be used to facilitate the planning of cutting parameters and optimization of tool geometry.


In its extravagance, my title aims to disrupt some common associations with the figure of Henry James: the portly aesthete of the writing-desk and social club who divorced himself from history to disport himself in art; the fellow whom the knowing eye ofTheodore Roosevelt sized up as "wholly lacking in robustness of fiber," as too "delicate [and] effeminate" to "play a man's part among men"; the supersubtle chronicler of manners in parlors and on promenades whose characters "never make lusty love, never go to angry war," as H. G. Wells complained.1 This conventional wisdom needs qualifying, for military history, men in arms, and especially the immediate scene of war—as a privileged surplus of experience and a site of masculine trial—occupied a prominent place in James's long life and even longer imagination. After all, his adult years were bounded by the Civil War and the First World War; he followed closely the imperial adventures of England and the United States, notably the Boer War and the Spanish-American War; and from his first tales to his last essays, he probed—and in a measure exemplified—William James's contention that "soldiering . . . lies always latent in human nature."2 Particularly striking is not just the depth but the durability of James's interest in things military, which I will here trace through his later involvements with two very different soldiers, Viscount Garnet Wolseley, England's commander-in-chief at the turn of the century, and Rupert Brooke, the poetic celebrant and beautiful fated boy of the Great War. By means of these two friendships (scanted in James biography) and the texts they yielded as windows on war—Wolseley's The Story of a Soldier's


A technique of potentiometric analysis of alloys with a high molybdenum content is described. A liquid ion-selective electrode (ISE) with a membrane based on a nitrobenzene solution of tetradecylammonium chloride was used as an indicator electrode.Electrode main electrochemical characteristics (range of linearity and slope (S) of electrode function, lower detection limit) in solutions containing molybdenum (VI) acid complexes with anions of organic acids (lactic, citric, tartaric, oxalic, amber) were investigated. It was shown that in all cases an anionic function is observed with the S value close to the theoretical value for doubly charged ions and is equal to 28 ± 1 mV / -lgС. The exception is the molybdenum (VI) succinate complex, for which S = 60 ± 2 mV / -lgС. The conditions of the analysis procedure were optimized. It was established that the interfering effect of anions is enhanced in the series: SO 4 2- < Cl – < WO 4 2– < Br – < NO 3 – < I – . The cations  Zn 2+ , Mg 2+ , Co 2+ , Mn 2+ , Ni 2+ do not interfere with the determination of their 50-fold excess, for Fe 3+ , Al 3+ and Cu 2+ up to 5-fold.The most reproducible and convergent results were obtained using oxalate and succinate ions as ligands.The developed technique does not require long-term sample preparation and is advantageously distinguished by the rapidity and availability of the reagents and the equipment. The obtained results for the determination of molybdenum in alloys BM1, VM3 and VM5 had satisfactory metrological characteristics. Keywords: potentiometric determination, ion-selective electrode, determination selectivity, molybdenum (VI) acid complexes, molybdenum alloys DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2019.23.2.005 (Russian) A.A. Shabarin, Yu.I. Matyushkina Ogarev Mordovia State University, Bolshevistskaya st., 68, Saransk, 430005, Russian Federation


Background: Establishing pneumoperitoneum is a pre-requisite for any laparoscopic procedure. However, its adverse effects are not uncommon. Increased intra-peritoneal pressure during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is expected to alter the liver function test (LFT) in immediate post-operative period, which may raise concerns in surgeons' mind regarding integrity of biliary tract. The aim of our study was to compare the post-operative LFT with pre-operative values in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at different pneumoperitoneal pressures and to assess its clinical significance.
Methods: It was a prospective observational study in which the enrolled patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at 12 mm Hg pressure and group 2 underwent the surgery at 15 mmHg pressure. Pre-operative LFT was compared with post-operative LFT done 24 hours and 2 weeks after surgery.
Results: Among 73 included patients, 41 constituted group 1 and 32 were included in group 2. Statistically significant difference was observed in hepatic transaminases between pre-operative and post-operative (1st POD) values. Mean AST in group 1: 34.7 versus 51.4 U/l; in group 2, the values were 35.1 versus 50.9 U/l respectively. Mean ALT in group 1: 36.3 versus 50.1 U/l; in group 2, values were 32.9 versus 45.6 U/l respectively. However, the enzymes normalized in all patients in 2 weeks without any adverse clinical outcome.
Conclusions: Early post-operative transient elevation of hepatic transaminases after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not associated with any adverse clinical outcome.


The traditional realist paradigm holds that the sovereign nation-state is the principal political and legal unit in the world community. Reflecting this tradition, most studies of economic sanctions are state-centered. They assume that states exercise control over their national corporations to deny economic resources to other states. Within this framework, nongovernmental human rights organizations become involved only as interest groups, lobbying governments to regulate or ban private economic activity with designated malefactor. These groups, however, are generally unable to persuade states to mandate disinvestment from or socially responsible behavior within repressive regimes. As a result, they redirect their energies away from the central authorities and toward corporations-directly pressuring them through boycotts and shareholder activism-and local governments-persuading them to condition municipal contracts on human rights criteria. This essay examines the degree to which these nonstate actors can provide an alternative center of authority to that of the state in imposing human rights accountability on corporate conduct abroad. The first section explains the logic of nonstate sanctions and establishes criteria against which one can judge their challenge to realism. The second section assesses the successes and limitations of the anti-apartheid movement, which is viewed as the role model for such efforts. The third and final section contrasts the South African case with recent campaigns against corporate investment in Burma and Nigeria. These cases have been chosen because most grassroots organizations have pressed for corporate withdrawal rather than for more socially responsible business practices. Each represents an attempt by citizens' groups to impose sanctions against repressive regimes beyond those enacted by governments.


Lightweight J2EE framework to actually use efficiency, has been widely used in all kinds of information system development,However ,Spring is open source framework, its security and access control has been problem of concern,How to construct safe and effective Web applications, is the development process of the important link must be thinking。Based on the Spring frame structure technology on the basis of summing up the access authorization control methods and strategies, highlights the Spring framework in the development process of the advantage technology.


Background: Mature vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) exhibit limited proliferation and migration ability. However, in response to stresses, VSMCs undergo phenotypic modulation characterized by increased proliferation and motility. This phenotypic modulation is associated with several vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, arterial neointima formation. Elevated glycolysis has been described in proliferative VSMCs. The isoform 3 of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB3) is a regulatory factor for VSMC glycolysis. PFKFB3 catalyze the synthesis of fructose 2, 6-bishosphate (F2, 6 BP). The latter is a powerful activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase, the rate-limiting enzyme in glycolytic flux. It is unclear whether PFKFB3 mediated glycolysis play a role in VSMC phenotypic modulation andarterial neointima formation.

Methods and results: PDGF treatment increased PFKFB3 expression in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). This was accompanied with enhanced proliferation and migration of HASMCs. Knockdown of PFKFB3 with adenovirus carrying PFKFB3 short hairpin RNA suppressed PDGF-induced HASMC proliferation and migration. Examination of intracellular signaling indicated PI3K/Akt participated into PFKFB3-mediated glycolysis, and further cooperated with PFKFB3 to modulate phenotype of HASMCs. In a model of the left common carotid artery ligation, both PFKFB3 heterozygotes and mice with deficiency of PFKFB3 in VSMCs showed the decreased arterial neointima compared with controls mice.

Conclusions: PFKFB3 mediates glycolysis and cooperates with PI3K/AKT, thereafter promoting proliferation and migration of VSMCs and leading to the formation of an increased arterial neointima. Thus, PFKFB3 is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis, arterial neointima and other peripheral arterial diseases.

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An efficient and redox-neutral synthesis of 2 H-chromene-3-carboxylic acids from N-phenoxyacetamides and methyleneoxetanones has been realized via a solvent-controlled and rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H activation/unusual [3 + 3] annulation sequence. This transformation represents the first example of using an α-methylene-β-lactone unit as the three-carbon source in transition-metal-catalyzed C-H activations through selective alkyl C-O bond cleavage. Synthetic applications and mechanistic details, including further derivatization of 2 H-chromene-3-carboxylic acids, the isolation and identification of a five-membered rhodacycle, as well as the theoretical studies for reasoning a plausible Rh(III)-Rh(V)-Rh(III) process, have also been discussed.


Dangerous Minds ( 1995 ) . a Hol ly wood b lockbuster. starri ng M ichel le Pfeiffer. was produced for a mass . gen eral audience. and grossed m i l l ions for its producers wi th in i ts fi rst week . The fi lm's popular i ty. in part . can be measured by the appearance of a p i lot telev is ion series cal led .. Dangerous M inds" that w i l l premier i n the fall of 1996. Whi le some may argue that Dan gerous Minds i s too popular and too unorig i na l to be taken seriously as a cu l tura l text . it is prec i se ly because of its popu lar ity and w idespread appea l that it warrants an extended analys i s . L ike many Hol lywood fi lms . Danger ous Minds is not only offens ive i n terms of i t s rac ia l po l i t ics . bu t a l so i n i t s fundamental ly debased depict ion of teach ing and educat ion . The 1995 summer h i t is a l so symptomatic of how seemingly .. i nnocent" enterta inment gains i ts popu larity by tak i ng part i n a broader publ ic d i scourse on race and .. whi teness .. largely in formed by a right-w ing and conservat ive not ion of pol i t ics . theory. and pedagogy. At fi rst g lance. Dangerolls Minds re sembles a long trad it ion of Hol lywood mov ies recount ing the sorry state of education for d i spossessed k ids who bear the brunt of poverty. cr ime .


Objective: To investigate possible mechanism of PSD treated by acupuncture therapy of dredgingg overnor vessel for regulating mentality. Methods: 60 male Wistar rats of clean grade,july to august months of age,the body weight of 300 g ± 50 g,doing OPEN- FIELD behavior score after feeding of one week,the scores of retained 48 Wistar rats had similar produced 12 as normal group by computer randomly,the rest were Ligated with unilateral carotid artery combined focal ischemia associated with chronic stress dependent replication solitary ischemic rat model of PSD. After modeling screened again and keep 24 PSD rats,which were randomly divided into two groups: model group,acupuncture group,with 12 rats in each group. The normal group fed by conventional without any treatment. The acupuncture group received acupuncture Baihui,Shuigou,Shenting, Dazhui,retaining the needles for forty minutes,once per day,six times per week,continuous treatment for four weeks. The model group was not given any treatment. Three groups of rats were behavior tested using Zea Langa neurological score,sucrose consumption test,open field test and using biotinylated double- antibody sandwich enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA) to measure the content of plasma monoamine neurotransmitters( 5- HT,NE) in rats respectively after modeling and after treatment for four weeks. Results: After modeling, the amount of drinking sugar water,horizontal and vertical movement score,plasma levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in model group and acupuncture group were lower than those in the normal group,Zea Langa neurological score increased. The differences were statistically significant( P 0. 01,P 0. 05). After treatment for four weeks,in model group rats drinking sugar water volume,the horizontal and vertical motion score monoamine neurotransmitters in plasma levels were reduced. Compared with the normal group and acupuncture group,Zea Langa neurological score increased. The differences were statistically significant( P 0. 05,P 0. 01). While the normal group and the acupuncture group showed no significant difference( P 0. 05). Conclusion: Acupuncture therapy of dredging governor vessel for regulating mentality can improve the PSD magic rat model of behavior,improve the plasma monoamine neurotransmitters,whose mechanism may adjust the plasma levels of monoamine neurotransmitters.


In this paper, we propose a novel autoregressive (AR), constrained autoregressive (CAR) model for various signal modeling applications. CAR model is based on constraining one of the model parameters of the autoregressive model. This helps obtain a modified or desired AR spectrum for the signal. Constraining different AR parameters or changing the values of a particular parameter results in dissimilar AR spectrum for the signal. The value of this constrained parameter can be used for externally controlling the gain or improving the spectral resolution between two peaks in the spectrum. In this work, a0 parameter is constrained and different values are assigned for this coefficient. This changes the spectral gain. This CAR model is tested for applications such as pitch detection in a speech signal and detection of QRS complex in an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. A higher gain CAR error filter improves the efficiency of the pitch detection algorithms or QRS complex detection.


Entrepreneurs are unquestionably important to economic growth .Statistics indicates that new and small companies have contributed 95 percent of all radical innovations and roughly 50 percent of all innovations since world war 1 .Entrepreneurs have bridge the gap from science to consumer market with innumerable , useful products .Entrepreneurs as a field of business , seeks to understand how opportunities to create new products or services arise and are discovered or created by specific persons
In recent years the allure of has increased, with the result that more people than ever before are choosing this activity as a career and can play an important role in the field of economics and overall economic growth of the country.
Micro perspective and the macro perspective are very important for to achieve full understanding of the entrepreneurial process, so entrepreneurship is a process that moves through distinct and closely interrelated setup.


U-shape nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are potential for developing miniature sensors. While the electro-mechanical performance of conventional beam-type NEMS has been exclusively addressed in the literature, few works have considered this phenomenon in U-shaped systems. Herein, the static and dynamic pull-in instability of the U-shaped NEMS is investigated under the presence of vdW force. Based on the recently developed consistent couple stress theory (CCST), the size-dependent constitutive equation is derived. Two types of the beam cross-sections including rectangular and circular geometries are considered. The nonlinear equations are solved by employing Ray-leigh-Ritz solution method. The developed model is validated by comparison with the results presented in literature. The effect of various parameters on the static and dynamic pull-in parameters, phase plans and stability threshold of the system is discussed. The obtained results reveal that the vdW attraction decreases the pull-in voltage while the size dependency enhances the instability voltage. On the other hand, the presented model demonstrates that characteristics of the tip-plate can change the pull-in parameters significantly.


In 1992, approximately 25 Russian and 12 U.S. engineers and technicians were involved in the transport, assembly, inspection, and testing of over 90 tons of Russian equipment associated with the Thermionic System Evaluation Test (TSET) Facility. The entire Russian Baikal Test Stand, consisting of a 5.79 m tall vacuum chamber and related support equipment, was reassembled and tested at the TSET facility in less than four months. In November 1992, the first non‐nuclear operational test of a complete thermionic power reactor system in the U.S. was accomplished three months ahead of schedule and under budget. A major factor in this accomplishment was the application of a disciplined top‐down systems engineering approach and application of a spiral development model to achieve the desired objectives of the TOPAZ International Program (TIP). Systems Engineering is a structured discipline that helps programs and projects conceive, develop, integrate, test and deliver products and services that meet customer requirements within cost and schedule. This paper discusses the impact of Systems Engineering and a spiral development model on the success of the TOPAZ International Program and how the application of a similar approach could help ensure the success of future space reactor development projects.


Markerless tracking of human pose is a hard yet relevant problem. In this paper, we derive an efficient filtering algorithm for tracking human pose using a stream of monocular depth images. The key idea is to combine an accurate generative model — which is achievable in this setting using programmable graphics hardware — with a discriminative model that provides data-driven evidence about body part locations. In each filter iteration, we apply a form of local model-based search that exploits the nature of the kinematic chain. As fast movements and occlusion can disrupt the local search, we utilize a set of discriminatively trained patch classifiers to detect body parts. We describe a novel algorithm for propagating this noisy evidence about body part locations up the kinematic chain using the un-scented transform. The resulting distribution of body configurations allows us to reinitialize the model-based search. We provide extensive experimental results on 28 real-world sequences using automatic ground-truth annotations from a commercial motion capture system.


The mechanisms of trifluoromethylation with hypervalent iodine trifluoromethylation reagent (Togni's reagent 1) have been comprehensively studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that there are two general reaction modes for reagent 1: (I) Mode-A, acting as a CF3• free radical source. When one-electron reductants are available in the reaction system, such as CuI, FeII, TEMPONa, or electron-rich lithium enolate, 1 will be reduced via single-electron transfer (SET) and give out CF3• free radical concertedly. In the CuI-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of terminal olefins, CuI promotes the homo-cleavage of the F3C–I bond in 1 via SET to produce CuII species and CF3• free radical. Then the CF3• free radical attacks the olefin, leading to trifluoromethyl alkyl radical intermediate. Subsequently, the CuII species act as a one-electron oxidant oxidizing the alkyl radical to carbocation intermediate, and the following deprotonation leads to the final product. Other mechanisms, such ...


From 1st April 2015 the Council Tax Reduction Scheme will see some changes that may affect your household. The scheme comprises of five separate schemes with residents who are entitled to Council Tax Reduction being placed into one of the them dependent on their age, household situation or working status.


Universities? economic relationships with their regions can be divided into spending impacts and knowledge effects. Spending impacts refer to the effects of consumption and capital spending by universities and their staff and students on income and employment. Knowledge effects refer to the benefits of university activities, notably the production of highly educated graduates and the production and dissemination of knowledge. Until comparatively recently, most studies of the role of universities in regional development were confined to spending impacts. Now, there has been an explosion of research on knowledge effects and the ways in which universities contribute to learning regions, and thus to employment creation and the enhancement of regional competitiveness. Universities add to the human capital of the region and assist the innovative processes of firms but in turn their teaching and research activities are informed by businesses in the region. This paper reviews a number of studies of the roles of European universities in enhancing regional competitiveness in the contemporary learning economy. It discusses the different economic processes involved and includes several case studies of individual universities. Finally, the paper provides suggestions for the direction of further research.


INTRODUCTION
3D printing is experiencing significant growth in the teaching and learning process. This study aims to present a 3D printed skull model for preclinical intraoral radiographic practice.

METHODOLOGY
Two 3D printed mannequins were created. One mannequin used an STL file of a skull that was edited using two 3D modeling software (Meshmixer and Netfabb). A second mannequin was designed directly from a patient's segmented CBCT data and then converted into an STL file. Both mannequins were printed using FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology and PLA (polylactic acid) filament; teeth for the second mannequin were also printed using DLP (Digital Light Processing). The printed skull bones were attached, the mandible was articulated to the articular fossa of the temporal bone, and the teeth were inserted into the alveoli. Intraoral radiographs of both mannequins were taken using a digital sensor (RVG 5100, Carestream).

RESULTS
Both 3D printed mannequins showed satisfactory radiographic appearance, allowing geometric representation of each intraoral radiographic projection, regardless of STL file origin. Anatomical structures, such as the periodontal ligament space, zygomatic process of the maxilla, and intermaxillary suture, were represented. The material cost of the first and second printed prototype were $34.00 and $39.00, repectivelly.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of 3D printed models is presented as an alternative to artificial commercial phantoms for the preclinical training of intraoral radiographic techniques through the combined benefits of superior radiographic projection quality, the possibility of model manipulation, and an affordable price.


This paper presents a Generalized MPPT control based DC-DC boost converter to generate continuous power with its preserved dynamic control system. The PV array is modeled with algebraic loop to achieve accurate solution with iterations in large sample of times. The larger time steps are utilized in this model to obtain fast simulation. MPPT controller embedded with Generalized P and O technique in PV system to regulate duty cycle through which maximum continuous power will be obtained. The MPPT controller with proposed converter is designed in a strategy to extract continuous power regardless of irradiance and temperature. 100kW PV array connected 25kV utility grid is examined in MATLAB SIMULINK and compared with other models in available literature to show effectiveness of designed model.


The asynchronous impulsive noise is one of the most crucial factors that degrade the performance of power line communication (PLC) network. Several approaches have been presented to characterize the time domain behavior of the asynchronous impulsive noise over the PLC network. Among them a partitioned Markov-chains model has been validated with measured data. However, its model parameters estimation using the Simplex method can easily trap the final solution into the local optimum. To overcome this difficulty, a new estimation scheme based on the genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed in this paper. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme yields estimates which more closely match the experimental data statistics.


Chronic myelogenous Leukemia is (Clonal stem cell disorder) cancer which starts in bone marrow a soft tissue inside bones that aids to form blood cells. It is rst form of cancer that was rstly recognize to associate strongly with the chromosomal abnormality and the chromosome [t (9; 22) translocation] called Philadelphia chromosome. Abstract: Objective: Philadelphia chromosome is a characteristic chromosomal marker that is associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Methods: More than one hundred patients of either sex were selected for the experiment. RNA was isolated from whole blood of patients so can use exclusively in RT-PCR. Results: Philadelphia chromosome in blood samples of patients with suspected diagnosis of CML was detected in 63% of patients. During our experimental studies on CML patients we do not encounter any complex translocation involving chromosome 8, 9 and 22. Conclusions: Philadelphia chromosome is a precise cytogenetic marker the detection of which is signicant for differential diagnosis and clinical organization of patients with clinical diagnosis of CML. It is of signicant that Ph chromosome occurs in pre-leukemic stage and has great diagnostic signicance.


The main result of this paper is the rate of convergence to Hermite-type distributions in non-central limit theorems. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result in the literature on rates of convergence of functionals of random fields to Hermite-type distributions with ranks greater than 2. The results were obtained under rather general assumptions on the spectral densities of random fields. These assumptions are even weaker than in the known convergence results for the case of Rosenblatt distributions. Additionally, Levy concentration functions for Hermite-type distributions were investigated.


The dynamic nature and network complexity of MANETs requires self organization to reduce the administrative need and complexity in network installation, maintenance, and management. We first show several network functions of MANETs that can be designed in a self-organized way, including topology control and the construction of connected dominating sets (CDS). An in-depth study of a self-organized scheme for CDS construction and the use of CDS for efficient broadcast in MANETs is presented. This scheme selects a small subset of nodes locally to form a forward node set to carry out the broadcast process. Various design options and trade-offs are also discussed. Finally, we show that our design coincidentally meets the Prehofer and Bettstetter's four design paradigms recently proposed for developing a self-organized network function.


Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most important cause of death among cardiovascular diseases. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely implicated in the regulation of AMI progression. Discrimination antagonizing nonprotein coding RNA (DANCR) alleviated hypoxia‐caused cardiomyocyte damages, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the function and mechanism of DANCR in hypoxia‐induced cardiomyocytes and AMI model by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, reactive oxygen species and adenosine triphosphate measurement, and mitochondrial activity determination. Additionally, luciferase reporter assay, immunoblotting, and qRT‐PCR were performed to validate the interactions between DANCR/miR‐509‐5p and miR‐509‐5p/Kruppel‐like factor 13 (KLF13). The role of DANCR was also verified in AMI model by overexpression. Our results showed that DANCR expression was significantly downregulated in hypoxia‐induced cardiomyocytes or AMI model. Overexpression of DANCR significantly alleviated mitochondrial damages, reduced inflammation, and improved cardiac function in the AMI model. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR‐509‐5p/KLF13 axis mediated the protective effect of DANCR. The current study highlighted the critical role of DANCR in alleviating AMI progression through targeting the miR‐509‐5p/KLF13 signaling axis, suggesting that DANCR may serve as a potential diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for AMI.


Due to the excessive number of elements and the same elements have different working modes, reliability distribution from components to elements is often difficult to accurately allocate the corresponding indicators [1]. In this paper, taking the planetary gear mechanism as an example, the analytic hierarchy process is used to establish the reliability distribution model, and then the improved expert scoring method is adopted, that is, the interval analysis theory is introduced on the original basis, and the evaluated components are more in line with the intention of experts. However, due to the short thinking time, this method may contain ill-considered information, which will be improved in the next step to make it more complete.


Ancient Chinese recipes originated in the Six Dynasties, however, recipes written before the Sung Dynasty have been lost. Since the Sung Dynasty, there have been more and more recipes that have emphasized on nutrition, diet. Most representative of this trend is the "Shan Jia Qing Gong" written by Hong Lin. This recipe book contains a total of 104 dishes, 32 of which are related to nutrition and diet. This section occupies about one third of this book. The author, Hong Lin, mainly selected local vegetables for his dishes, a fact which is reflected the title of this book. He created a great variety of dishes ranging from congee, stews, noodles, vegetable dishes, cakes, pastries all the way to dumplings. All of these were to be made with simple seasonings and cooking methods. These principles of nutrition and diet were to be followed. People were to partake of particular dishes at particular times. They were also to be mindful of nutritional/dietary contradictions, lest their food should lose its nutritional benefits or even become harmful. These ideas were all addressed in detail in Hong Lin's book. In this chapter, we will be discussing the nutrition and diet of the people of the Sung Dynasty.


On the basis of the toponyms included in the works of historians, the article presents the issue of vine-growing in Poland. The first mention of vine-growing in this territory comes from the year 1136. Unfavourable climatic conditions restricted the possibility of vine growing development and gradually lead to its end.


No nationally representative survey of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among adolescents has ever been performed in Japan. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the prevalence of IBS among Japanese adolescents and the factors associated with it.


In an effort to foreground the impact of the material environment on faculty activities, this study examines the dynamic intersections among faculty work practices, the academic workplace and professional identity. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 16 social science faculty at one public university in the United States, this study reveals the impact of the physical environment on faculty perceptions of what they do, where they work and who they are. Analysis of interview data revealed overlapping themes regarding perceptions of faculty work practices, the inability of places to contain faculty work, faculty socialization, and questions concerning the ownership and distancing of particular work types. Findings from this study point to a need for administrative policy changes to be accompanied by a respatialization of the local campus that resists tendencies toward isolating environments.


The state investment policy is an important mechanism for the country economy development. The main elements of the state investment policy allow us to outline the ways of this process development in order to increase the economic growth rates and overcome the investment climate complexities.


Three binary high-alloy Fe6, 12, 20% Ni with different stacking fault energy (SFE) were investigated. Based on the methods of internal friction and X-ray diffraction analysis, experimental results were obtained for the course and type of martensitic phase transitions during cooling. It is established that the structural features of the alloys determine the type of conversion mechanism. The role of SFE in the mechanisms of formation and growth of martensitic phases and the microstructural parameters of the solid solution in non-isothermal martensitic phase transformations is demonstrated.


ABSTRACT Objective: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a rare condition characterized by severe muscle weakness and life-threatening hypokalemia in uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. Given the life-threatening potential of this condition, it is important to better characterize its presentation, management, and likelihood for complications to aid in quicker diagnosis and optimize medical management. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of TPP that occurred at 3 hospitals from 2004 to 2014. Patients included were those presenting with weakness and hypokalemia who were found to have thyrotoxicosis. Results: Nine cases of TPP were identified including 7 Hispanic males and 1 African American male. Six patients developed complications of therapy with rebound hyperkalemia. TPP was the first presentation of thyrotoxicosis for 5 patients. The remaining 4 patients with known hyperthyroidism admitted to several weeks of medication nonadherence prior to their episode of TPP. Conclusion: Our study suggests that T...


This study examined the perspectives of continuing care retirement community (CCRC) residents and their adult children regarding services provided by staff in the CCRC. The study is based on semistructured qualitative interviews with 49 residents and their 34 adult children from 11 CCRCs. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Three major themes emerged: (a) "Reliance on the CCRC staff," (b) "Dissatisfaction with the CCRC staff," and (c) "Disregard to the CCRC staff." Findings suggest that staff should maintain constant contact with all residents, including those who are not satisfied with staff's function and those who do not use staff services, to identify and respond to the residents' changing needs. Attention should be paid in meeting residents' physical needs prior to meeting their social and emotional needs, as these tend to be the most urgent.


The Albian deposits of the Itapecuru Group exposed at the margins of the Itapecuru River, near the town of Coroata, eastern Grajau Basin, were investigated concerning their sedimentological, stratigraphic and palaeontological aspects. The study showed that these strata include sandstones, shales and limestones formed in depositional environments usually found in deltaic systems. They include: 1. delta front, consisting of sandstone lobes, either amalgamated or separated by thin shale layers, and which are internally characterized by massive, deformed or cross-stratified sandstones arranged into thickening- and coarsening upward successions; 2. wave-dominated delta front, consisting of sandstones in a variety of wavy laminations, including swaley cross-stratification, undulating parallel-lamination, low- angle cross- stratification and large- scale scour-and-fill structures; 3. distal bar, characterized by sandstones with sedimentary structures similar to delta front deposits, but forming thinner lenses isolated within shales; and 4. prodelta/restricted shelf/ mud flat, which includes the finest-grained lithologies of the study area, consisting of laminated to massive shales and limestones. Features attributed to subaereal exposure, such as root marks, mudcracks, karstic holes formed by dissolution under influence of meteoric water, and dinosaur footprints, are all locally found in association with these deposits. The analysis of facies architecture revealed three stratigraphic units, defined by discontinuity surfaces marked by one or more of the following elements: calcitic cement, concentrations of fossil fragments, and a lag of coarse-grained sandstone and conglomerate. Despite the internal organization into prograding cycles, typical of deltaic systems, the distribution of the stratigraphic units and facies associations shows that muddier deposits, attributed to low-energy environments ranging from prodelta to restricted shelf and mud flat, become more abundant from southeast to northwest in the study area, as well as towards the top of the sections, recording progressive drowning of the deltaic system. Punctuated floodings took place, being represented by discontinuity surfaces, characterizing a retrogradational stratal pattern, suggesting abandonment of the deltaic system due to an overall transgression.


The simulation of fine-grained latency tolerance based on the dynamic state of the system in high-level simulation of many-core systems is a challenging simulation problem. We have introduced a high-level simulation technique for microthreaded many-core systems based on the assumption that the throughput of the program can always be one cycle per instruction as these systems have fine-grained latency tolerance. However, this assumption is not always true if there are insufficient threads in the pipeline and hence long latency operations are not tolerated. In this paper we introduce Signatures to classify low-level instructions in high-level categories and estimate the performance of basic blocks during the simulation based on the concurrent threads in the pipeline. The simulation of fine-grained latency tolerance improves accuracy in the high-level simulation of many-core systems.


The response of Chaoborus to biomanipulation-induced changes in fish community structure was studied in two small south-central Ontario lakes which had similar physical and chemical characteristics. The biomanipulation involved: (a) three years (1991-1993) of pre-manipulation characterization of the food webs in two lakes with very different food web structures (Ranger Lake was dominated by piscivores and Mouse Lake had no piscivores), (b) removal of approximately 90 % of the piscivores from Ranger Lake and their addition to Mouse Lake, and (c) three years (1994-1996) of post-manipulation characterization of the resulting changes in food web structure. The analysis presented here focuses on behavioural changes in Chaoborus, with specific reference to changes in Chaoborus density and migration patterns. At Ranger Lake, during both the pre- and post-manipulation phases of the experiment, the absolute density of Chaoborus (C. albatus, C. punctipennis, C. trivittatus and C. flavicans) varied little, remaining at or near 150 individuals m -3 . At Mouse Lake, densities were more than twice as high, and although inter-annual variability was also much higher, there were no significant pre- to post-manipulation changes in density, suggesting that changes in fish community structure had little direct influence on Chaoborus standing stocks. At Ranger Lake, diel migration patterns remained constant through the entire experimental period (1991-1996), but at Mouse Lake, there were clear changes in migratory behaviour. At Mouse Lake, during the pre-manipulation years (1991-1993), all four Chaoborus species migrated to the sediments during the day and ascended to the epilimnion at night. Post-manipulation, all four species remained in the water column.


Abstract Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa Hans.) trees often develop unattractive leaf curling throughout canopies during hot and/or dry weather. Aesthetically superior trees were compared to control trees for their ability to tolerate summer stress, in an established kousa dogwood plantation in 2000 and 2001. An index of leaf curl revealed that superior trees showed less curling than controls during June, July and August of 2000 and 2001. Superior trees often had higher stomatal conductance than trees in both control groups during both years, with seasonal averages 16 to 40% higher in superior than in control trees. Leaf water status, characterized by leaf osmotic potential, remained similar in superior trees and control trees throughout the 2000 summer season. Leaf temperatures were similar between groups during each summer. We confirmed that trees initially selected as having superior visual appearance had measurable differences in foliar characteristics compared to control trees, and that these trees bette...


This paper deals with present situation and fomation of land desertification in Tarim watershed, and analyses the mutual effects between natural factors and human factors on desertification processes. Human unreasonable activitives have aggravated the processes of land desertification. Effective integrated measures suggested for desertification control are as follows: strengthening management of water resources of Tarim river; protecting natural vegetation; constructing protective forest; developing saving-water agriculture; improving masses' ecological protecting senses.


At present, the most common form of delivery of drugs is the oral route. While this has the notable advantage of easy administration, it also has significant drawbacks namely poor bioavailability due to hepatic first pass metabolism and the tendency to produce rapid blood level spikes (both high and low), leading to a need for high and/or frequent dosing, which can be both cost prohibitive and inconvenient. To overcome these difficulties there is a need for the development of new drug delivery system; which will improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety of drugs by more precise (i.e. site specific), spatial and temporal placement within the body thereby reducing both the size and number of doses. New drug delivery system are also essential for the delivery of novel, genetically engineered pharmaceuticals (i.e. peptides, proteins) to their site of action, without incurring significant immunogenicity or biological inactivation. Apart from these advantages the pharmaceutical companies recognize the possibility of repattening successful drugs by applying the concepts and techniques of controlled drug delivery system coupled with the increased expense in bringing new drug moiety to the market. One of the methods most often utilized has been transdermal delivery meaning transport of therapeutic substances through the skin for systemic effect. Closely related is percutaneous delivery, which is transport into target tissues, with an attempt to avoid systemic effects. 2 1.1.2 Anatomy of Skin 3, 4, 5


Introduction:
 Diabetes mellitus is often associated not only with arterial hypertension. but also with orthostatic hypotension, which is one of the most clinical apparent forms of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

 Objective:
 To retrospectively assess the association of the orthostatic hypotension (OH) with macrovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and to determine its effect on mortality.

 Design and Methods:
 We retrospectively analysed 187 patients with diabetes mellitus (60 patients with type 1 and 127 patients with diabetes type 2). Patients were divided into groups according to presence or absence of OH and type of diabetes. Association of OH with macrovascular and microvascular complications was evaluated and the effect of OH on 10-year all-cause mortality was also assessed.

 Results:
 OH was present in 31.7 % (19 of 60) of patients with DM type 1 and 32.3 % (41 of 127) of patients with DM type 2. We found strong positive association between OH and arterial hypertension grade 3 ESH/ESC in DM1 42.1 % (8 of 19) and DM2 48.8 % (20 of 41). OH was positively associated with the prevalence of myocardial infarction in DM1 (OR=10.667) and with prevalence of stroke in DM2 (OR=3.335). There was also a strong association of OH and the prevalence of peripheral artery obliterative disease in both DM1 (OR=14.18) and DM2 (OR=3.263). Patients with both types of DM and OH had significantly higher prevalence of nephropathy (DM1 OR=8.680, DM2 OR=3.237), retinopathy (DM1 OR=8.095, DM2 OR=4.078) and peripheral neuropathy (DM1 OR=17.143, DM2 OR=7.506). Overall 10-year mortality rate was significantly higher in diabetic patients with OH, in DM1 group 31.6 % (6 of 19) and in DM2 group 31.7 % (13 of 41).

 Conclusion:
 Presence of orthostatic hypotension in diabetics is associated with higher prevalence of macrovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and also with higher 10-year mortality.


Vision inspection technique has advantages of non-contact,rapid speed,flexibility,etc.Vision inspection is widely used in non-contact,rapid speed measurement for the size and location of products or parts.Three experiments are designed for monocular CCD camera parameter calibration,binocular CCD camera calibration and round hole diameter measurement in order to redound students to comprehend and master vision inspection technique exactly.This paper includes the principle of experiments,the composition of experimental devices and some experimental results.


In the Soviet theory of cognitive development, originated by vygotsky and elaborated by Leont'ev, acts occur at three levels of abstraction: activities, actions, and operations. According to this theory, an activity has an associated motive and may function directively as a motive. While many activities are rnssibleone activity tends to predominate at any particular time and "leads', in the sense of being at the top of a hierarchy of possible activities, which varies across cultures and age levels. Within the framework of this developmental theory, an action can be performed efficiently only if it is uncomplicated or if the component operations are performed in a coordinated way, without conscious effort. The theory refers to motoric as well as to verbal behavior and is reconcilable with the findings of animal behavior studies. The apparent reconcilability of the theory with behaviorism is illusory because, in the Soviet theory, thought refracts as well as reflects reality. According to Soviet philosophers, reflection and refraction are properties of all matter, and their quality depends on the nature of the matter. In the human, reflection and refraction are properties of the brain. In this form, they are called consciousness. Thus, consciousness becomes. an extraordinarily potent factor in altering the nature of reality. (Author/RH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ************************************************#********************** U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION 44, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI X.This document has been reproduced as DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM: ANALYSIS OF MENTAL ACTIONS received from the person or organization originating Minor changes have been made to improve Hayne W. Reese reproduction Quality , Points of view or opinans stated in this docu West Virginia University meet do not necessarily represent official NIE CYN position or policy / prN The theory of cognitive development originated by Vygotsky and elaborated by Leont'ev has been the dominant one in the Soviet Union CD fors decades (Wertsch, 1979). The theory is, of course, consistent with dialectical materialism, and although 'other theories are also consistent with this philosophy, the Soviet theoicy illustrates the philosophy well and is the one selected for presentation here. In the Soviet theory, acts are analyzed into three levels of abstraction, the levels of activities, actions, and operations (e.g., Kussmann,1976; Leont'ev, 1974; Meacham, 1977; Wertsch, 1979). (They are called levels of "abstraction" because they are components of a whole, and the whole is concrete and the components are abstract in dialectical materialism.) Activities are relatively general acts, such as playing, socializing, and learning; actions are specific acts, such as pitching in a baseball game, conversing. with a friend, and memorizing a poem; and operations are routines or habits that compose actions, such as moving various parts of the body in particular ways intended to propel the ball across home plate in the strike zone, formulating and vocalizing word combinations in response to meanings recognized in word combinations produced by the other person, and repeatedly recognizing the meanings of letter symbols as letters and recognizing combinations of letters as words. Activities are energized by motives,and in turn function as motives determining what goals are set in specific situations; actions are directed toward attainment of these goals and are performed with the aid of operations, which "are unconsciously triggered by the contextual conditions of a task!' (Wertsch, 1979, p. 88). That is, operations are subordinated to actions, and actions are subordinated to activities. An activity has an associated motive, according to Wertsch (1979), C) which "provides the energizing force behind an organism's activity" (p. 86). However, once energized by its associated mctive, an activity tig0 seems actually to be a motive, or at least to function as a motive, but in the directive sense rather than the energizing sense. That CIDis, a motive such as hunger energizes an activity, which then functions (Npas a motive leading to specific actions. Luria, in fact, used the word "motive" in this sense instead of the word "activity" (1976, pp. 9, 13, 136, 161-162; see also Istomina, 1948/1975; Leont'ev,


Reliability of energy storage devices is one of the foremost preoccupations in Electric Vehicles development. Battery ageing, i.e. the time dependent degradation of battery energy and power, depends on the in-use solicitations endured by the storage system. The connection between solicitations and battery life must be analyzed and modeled to match battery in-service life with car lifetime. Large variation in pulse duration and amplitude make life prediction an intricate problem. Consequently, the first step of the methodology is the definition of a test protocol able to define a damage notion. In case of Li-ion batteries, impedance rise and capacity fade are clearly involved in damage evaluation. The protocol must estimate this impact and allow a sensitivity study in terms of damage. This paper presents different methods to estimate battery ageing and tries to give, for each, some of the advantages and disadvantages that could appear when modeling.


Background: Nerve injury after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a recognized complication and is included in informed consent. Ninety-five percent of femoral artery catheterizations (FACs) utilize a right-side approach, and scar can develop around the femoral nerve. The effect of prior FAC on femoral nerve injury during THA has not been investigated previously. Methods: The Medicare database was searched for patients who had primary THA after FAC between 2005 - 2015 (study group). Patients who underwent bilateral THA without prior FAC served as the control group. Proprietary software was used to query the database according to the International Classification of Diseases procedural and diagnostic codes and Common Procedural Technology Codes for primary THA and FAC. Chi-square testing was used to determine significance (P<0.05). Results: There were 62,016 patients in the study group and 441,013 patients in the control group. The left femoral nerve injury rate in the control group was 0.55% and 0.51% in the study group. The right femoral nerve injury rate in the control group was 0.53% and 1.55% in the study group (P<0.0001). This complication was not coded in the hospital record of 54% of patients. Greater and more complex secondary procedures were performed to treat the nerve injury in the study group (P<0.001), indicating a more severe injury. Conclusions: Patients with prior right FAC have significantly more severe right femoral nerve injuries during THA. Awareness of this risk may improve dialogue with and treatment of patients.


This study describes character building through scout extracurricular activities at a private madrassa in Kudus city Indonesia. This research approach is qualitative, to reveal and understand the reality in Private Madrasah Banat Kudus. Data collection techniques through interviews, observation, and documentation study. The research findings are the interrelation of scout extracurricular activities by building student character, namely the learning outcomes in the classroom with attitudes and skills that students need to develop to have noble values of characters, including religious, honest, disciplined, democratic, socially caring, caring environment, tolerance, deliberation, help each other, communicative and appreciate diversity.


Time-of-flight depth cameras are interesting sensors for contact-less 3-D metrology because they combine mechanical robustness with independence of ambient lighting conditions. Their actual performance depends on many factors and is hard to predict from data sheets. In this study, we investigate the deviations of the distance measurements of a high-end phase-based depth camera. We focus on the impact of: 1) self-warming and external temperature; 2) on range noise as a function of distance and acquisition time; and 3) on distance-dependent biases. We present the dedicated experimental setups comprising a climate chamber, a calibration bench with a reference interferometer, and a laser tracker that provides controlled conditions and ground-truth data. These setups allow investigating the absolute accuracy and mitigating repeatable distance biases by adapting the measurement model based on experimental data. For demonstration, we apply the investigation to two state-of-the-art industrial depth cameras of the same brand and type (Helios Lucid), showing significantly different response to external temperature but similar distance-dependent biases. We adapt the measurement model of one of the cameras for distance-dependent interpixel biases and demonstrate that the resulting parameters reduce also the distance biases of the other camera by about 80% to less than 1 mm at ranges of up to 1 m. This indicates the potential for batch error compensation. This article contributes to better understanding distance deviations of depth cameras and to improving the accuracy of such cameras.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to utilize the new specification proposed by Rao and Singh to estimate export demand equations for Asian developing countries, Design/methodology/approach - The augmented Dicky-Fuller method is applied to test the time-series properties of the variables. The time-series techniques of Phillip-Hansen's fully modified ordinary least squares and Johansen's maximum likelihood are used with annual data from 1970 to 2007. The Granger causality test determines the causality direction between income, relative prices and exports. Findings - The paper confirms that there exists a long-run cointegrating relationship between real exports, real income of trading partners and relative prices. The long-run income elasticities range between 1 and 1.3 and the relative price elasticities range between -1 and -1.4. Our Granger causality results imply that in the long-run income and relative prices Granger cause exports in these countries. Research limitations/implications - Structural breaks and trade shock analysis were ignored. Practical implications - The results imply that exports should be treated as an engine of growth in the Asian developing countries and the export promotion policies such as subsidies, special credits and tax concessions should be encouraged. The relative price elasticities imply that exports are competitive in the international market and these countries have the option to devalue their currency to enhance export earnings. Although the real devaluation of the currencies will push import costs high, eventually this motivates the local firms to undertake alternative options, for instance, import substitution. Further, the gains resulting from the export growth policies will be attractive. Originality/value - The paper assesses the magnitudes of export elasticities with a specification that includes exchange rate in relative price variable.


THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION COSTS ARE OUTLINED OF THE COUNTY ROAD SYSTEM OF FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND. MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE KEPT FOR THREE TYPES OF ROADS: DIRT, STONE AND MACADAM. COSTS ARE REVIEWED PERTAINING TO : DRAINAGE, SURFACE REPAIRS, GRADING, BRIDGE MAINTENANCE, SNOW AND ICE CONTROL. THE TOTAL MAINTENANCE COST OF THE COUNTY ROAD SYSTEM IS BROKEN DOWN INTO: 45.5 PERCENT LABOR, 35.6 PERCENT MATERIAL AND 18.9 PERCENT EQUIPMENT COSTS. THE MAINTENANCE COST PER MILE OF STONE ROAD AND UNIMPROVED OR DIRT IS ABOUT THE SAME, WHILE THAT OF MACADAM IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN DOUBLE THE COSTS OF THE UNIMPROVED ROAD. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT AS THE ROAD SYSTEM BECOMES MORE HIGHLY DEVELOPED THE MAINTENANCE COSTS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE.


Support Vector Machines (SVM) have gained profound interest amidst the researchers. One of the important issues concerning SVM is with its application to large data sets. It is recognized that SVM is computationally very intensive. This paper presents a novel multi SVM classification approach for large data sets using the sketch of classes distribution which is obtained by using SVM and minimum enclosing ball (MEB) method. Our approach has distinctive advantages on dealing with huge data sets. Experiments done with several large synthetic and real world data sets, show good performance on computational expense and accuracy. keywords: support vector machines, multi-classification, large data sets.


The appropriate application of metaphorical teaching method in soil mechanics course is beneficial to profoundly understand the key and difficulties.This method is also beneficial to stimulating students' interest so as to enhancing their enthusiasm for learning,active classroom atmosphere,building harmonious relationship between teachers and students and edu-tainment.The application of metaphorical teaching method to sand liquefaction,shear strength soil,effective stress principle,earth pressure,plasticity index and deformation modulus are discussed in this paper.Application principles of this teaching method are put forward at last.