ABSTRACT DROID project is intended to develop a distributed optical fibre dosimeter based on Radiation-Induced Attenua-tion (RIA). The RIA will be measured by a high resolution Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) technique that allows to locate the irradiated fibre section. The first part of the project focuses on designing a high radiation sensitive fibre. As a preliminary work, the attenu-ation of several fibres with various compositions has been recorded in situ during and after irradiation. The experimental setup and RIA values are presented and discussed. Several dopants and their combinations have been identified as a good starting point to design a highly radiation sensitive fibre.


Article history: Received: 9 Mar 2013 Accepted: 29 May 2013 Available online: 12 June 2013 ZJRMS 2014; 16 (6): 30-32 Background: Visual evoked potential is one of the main methods to investigate visual pathway. Some studies in children show that iron deficiency anemia affects on visual evoked potential waves. In this study, we evaluated the effect of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia on visual evoked potential in adults. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 99 non-pregnant women. Patients divided into three groups. Women whose ferritin and hemoglobin levels are less 15 ng/1 and 12 mg/dl placed in iron deficiency aimena group, women whose ferritin level is less than 15 ng/1 and hemoglobin level is more than 12 mg/dl, placed in iron deficiency puorg and women whose ferritin and hemoglobin levels are more than 50 ng/1 and 12 mg/dl, chosen as control group. Visual evoked potential was done from both eyes and the results evaluated by ANOVA test. Results: The average of N75 latency was 65.24±5.06 miliscecond in anemia group, 66.27±7.77 miliscecond in iron deficiency group and 67.19±6.79 miliscecond in control group. The average of P100 latency was 101.60±9.05 miliscecond in anemia group, 102.75±7.91 miliscecond in iron deficiency group and 100.67±7.34 miliscecond in control group. The average of N135 latency was 139.18±31.21 miliscecond in anemia group, 144.81±10.73 miliscecond in iron deficiency group and 141.81±10.73 miliscecond in control group. There is no significant difference between the average of waves' latency in iron deficiency and anemic groups with control group. Conclusion: Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia don't make any disruptions on visual evoked potential and are not considered as confounding factor of visual evoked potential in adults. Copyright © 2014 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.


10 Considerable effort has been devoted to the empirical estimation of species 11 interaction strengths. This effort has focused primarily on statistical significance 12 testing and on obtaining point estimates of parameters that contribute to interaction 13 strength magnitude, leaving characterizations of estimation uncertainty and 14 distinctions between the deterministic and stochastic contributions to variation 15 largely unconsidered. Here we consider a means of quantifying interaction strength 16 uncertainty by formulating an observational method for estimating per capita attack 17 rates as a Bayesian statistical model. This formulation permits the explicit 18 incorporation of multiple sources of uncertainty. In doing so we highlight the 19 informative nature of several so-called non-informative prior choices in modeling the 20 sparse data typical of predator feeding surveys and provide evidence for the superior 21 performance of a new neutral prior choice. A case study application shows that while 22 Bayesian point estimates may be made to correspond with those obtained by 23 frequentist approaches, estimation uncertainty as described by the 95% intervals is 24 more biologically realistic using the Bayesian method in that the lower bounds of the 25 Bayesian posterior intervals for the attack rates do not include zero when the 26 occurrence of a given predator-prey interaction is in fact observed. This contrasts 27 with bootstrap confidence intervals that often do contain zero in such cases. The 28 Bayesian approach provides a straightforward, probabilistic characterization of 29 interaction strength uncertainty. In doing so it provides a framework for considering 30 both the deterministic and stochastic drivers of species interactions and their impact 31 on food web dynamics. 32


The Highlands of Northern Ethiopia are known for their semi-arid environment where long-lasting land degradation resulted in dense and deep gully networks. Causes are a poverty-driven unsustainable use of the land in a mountainous environment were sparse vegetation cover is unable to protect the steep slopes against intensive rainfall. As pointed out by recent studies, improved land management and gully rehabilitation programs are having a positive effect on the stabilization of gullies in Northern Ethiopia. Especially for headwater streams, where hillslope-channel links are strong, reforestation and soiland water conservation programs are being beneficial. This study presents a detailed study of gully development in the small headwater catchment of May Bati, representative in terms of historical and recent land management dynamics in Northern Ethiopia. Furthermore, trends in land use and land management, population size and rainfall patterns were analyzed and used to understand gully erosion dynamics. Historical trends in gully networks and volumes were assessed by using terrestrial photographs (1998), aerial photographs (1963, 1974, 1994), IKONOS satellite images of 2006, interviews and field work (2008-2011). A new methodology is presented to quantify gully volumes from remote sensing material. Land use, land management and population size was studied from historical photographs, aerial photographs and LANDSAT satellite images (1972 – 2001), in combination with fieldwork. This allowed to create land use/management maps and population density maps dating between 1963 and 2010. Analyzing rainfall patterns was done by calibrating satellite derived decadal NOAA rainfall estimates with precipitation data from meteorological stations between 1996 and 2009, and by recalculating annual precipitation in the studied period. Preliminary results from aerial photographs and satellite images analysis show that a period of rapid gully network extension existed from the 1960s to the 1980s, and that since 1994 the gully network was almost fully developed. Gullies were thus particularly active before 1994. This was confirmed by a key informant residing in the study area since the 1970s, showing us how he diverted runoff to protect his farmland from flooding in the early 1980s and so accelerating the initiation of a gully. Recent trends in gully erosion are closely related to changes in land use and land management, with improved land management and increased vegetation cover resulting in gully stabilization. Only gullies developed in soils where piping occurs still have very active head cuts, which calls for specific solutions.


Extensive research has been conducted on the Navajo verb complex (prefix morphology) and specific constructions (i.e. relative clause structure, subject-object-inversion), but to date the proposed establishment of a method to analyze actual discourse from a functional or usage based approach has not occurred. The goal of this study is twofold. The first is to establish a method to analyze spoken Navajo using the Intonation Units (IU) as a measure as it occurs in natural, uninterrupted speech, according to the parameters outlined by Chafe (1994), and show the influence of the morphological complexity of Navajo on the size of the IU. Secondly, analyzing the function of the IU within discourse from the 'intonation-as-information-flow' approach (Couper-Kuhlen 2005) including deliberate manipulation by speakers in a sequential manner and the framing in which story threads are woven together expressing various points of view within a single text. IUs (Chafe 1994, DuBois et al. 1993) are portions of speech occurring under a single prosodic contour that reveal how speakers naturally segment their speech. Prosodic structure, including the suprasegmental phonetic cues of intonation, pitch, rhythm, duration and pauses, has been studied in many languages, but


Abstract : It has been proposed in some recent publications that the cavitation damage rate decreases markedly in solids after long exposure to cavitation. It has also been proposed that this low rate of cavitation damage is the one with physical significance for the solid. These observations have been made with specimens oscillated sinusoidally in liquids by means of magnetostrictive devices. In the observations described here it is shown by means of photographs of the cavitation cloud over such specimens that the reduced damage rate results from the very sparse bubble cloud which is formed over the deeply damaged surface. The change in the damage rate therefore has hydrodynamic origin and is not related to a change in the properties of the solid. X-ray analyses show also that the extent of the plastic deformation of a solid with very light damage is the same as for a solid with very heavy damage.


Near-field plates with the capabilities of modulating the near-field pattern and forcing the incident wave to a subwavelength spot have been experimentally investigated at microwave wavelengths. Their superlensing prop-erties result from the radiationless electromagnetic interference. However, the material's loss and limitations of state-of-the-art nanofabricating technology pose great challenges to scale down the microwave near-field plates to the infrared or optical region. In this paper, a related but alternative approach based on metasurface is introduced which breaks the near-field diffraction limit at mid-infrared region (10.6 μm). The metasurface consists of periodic arrangement of chromium dipolar antennas with the same geometry but spatially varying orientations, which plays the dual roles in achieving the prescribed amplitude modulation and the abrupt π phase change between the subwavelength neighboring elements. As a result, a two dimensional subdiffraction focus as small as 0.037λ2 at ~0.15λ above the metasurface is presented. In addition, the broadband response and ease fabrication bridge the gap between the theoretical investigation and valuable applications, such as near-field data storage, subdiffraction imaging and nanolithography.


Two integrated packaging configurations of optical Mobius cubes are demonstrated. One is based on space division multiplex technique, the other is based on wavelength djvision multiplex technique. The physical constraints from the effect of diffraction on the optical Mdbius cubes are also discussed which defines the upper bound of the space-bandwidth product.


Extended Abstract Monepantel (MOP) is the first molecule from the new class of aminoacetonitrile anthelmintics approved for use against nematodes in small ruminants. Contrary to other anthelmintics, MOP is also effective against nematodes strains resistant to benzimidazoles, levamisole, morantel and macrocyclic lactones. Although the use of MOP in veterinary practises has increased rapidly, at the same time they represent a risk to the environment. MOP administered to animals enter into environment primarily through its excretion in faeces or urine. Following excretion, MOP may persist in the environment and impact non-target organisms. Plants are able to uptake xenobiotics, including drugs, and detoxify them via biotransformation. However, only drug biotransformation into non-toxic and stable metabolites and their consequent accumulation in plants represent drug detoxification. For that reasons, knowledge of biotransformation pathways of drug in plants is very important. The objectives of this study were to identify the MOP metabolites and MOP biotransformation pathways in two species meadow plants cell suspensions (Campanula rotundifolia and Plantago lanceolata), which commonly growth on pastures. Callus culture was achieved from primary callus rising on stem segments of plant seedlings. Suspension cultures derived from this callus were grown. The suspensions were incubated with MOP (10 μM) for 24 hours. Before analysis, homogenized suspensions were subjected to liquid–liquid extraction. The samples were analysed using UHPLC/MS (QqTOF) in negative-ion mode. The results showed that enzymatic system of plantain is able to uptake, translocate and biotransform MOP into several metabolites, especially glycosides. MOP biotransformation consisted of two-step S-oxidation, hydroxylation and conjugation with glucose. Comparing both species, some differences in MOP metabolism were identified. Based on obtained results, schemes of metabolic pathway of MOP in Campanula rotundifolia and Plantaga lanceolata were proposed.


Declining outlays for new weapons programs have triggered a process of consolidation that promises to shrink the U.S. defense industry drastically. Consolidation in the defense industry raises complex competition policy issues that are not amenable to conventional antitrust merger analysis. This paper presents a framework for identifying important contractor competencies, assessing rivalries in defense industry segments, and evaluating the competitive effects of mergers and other consolidation events. As applied to antitrust oversight and to Department of Defense funding, program, and acquisition strategy decisions, this framework can help preserve supply alternatives for developing state-of-the-art weapons needed to satisfy national security requirements.


We study the effect of Aharonov–Bohm flux on the superconducting state in metallic cylinders. Although Byers and Yang attributed flux quantization to the flux-dependent minimum of kinetic energies of the Cooper pairs, it is shown that kinetic energies do not produce any discernible oscillations in the free energy of the superconducting state (relative to that of normal state) as a function of the flux. This result is indeed anticipated by the observation of persistent current in normal metal rings at low temperature. Instead, we have found that pairing interaction depends on the flux, leading to flux quantization. When the flux ((cid:1) ) is given by (cid:1) = n × hc/ 2 e (with integer n ), the pairing interaction and the free energy become unchanged (even n ) or almost unchanged (odd n ), due to degenerate-state pairing resulting from the energy level crossing. As a result, flux quantization and Little–Parks oscillations follow. colour electronic


Research suggesting an elevated risk of cancer among patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) has increased in recent years. Yet, the size of the overall cancer risk and the risk of respective cancer sites varies. Research examining the cancer risk of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) patients remains limited. Therefore, in order to further guide and monitor patients with SLE and CLE, additional research estimating the risk of cancer is needed.To determine if patients with SLE or CLE have an increased risk of cancer compared to the general population, and furthermore to identify specific cancer types associated with increased risk.This was an observational cohort study of 3424 SLE and 1886 CLE patients identified in The Danish National Patient Register (DNPR) from 1stJanuary 1995 to 31stDecember 2014. The cohorts were followed up for cancer by linkage to The Danish Cancer Registry (DCR). Based on the age, sex, and calendar specific cancer rates from Denmark, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for the SLE and CLE groups, respectively.The SLE and CLE cohorts were followed for 27,676 and 13,048 person years, each group's average duration of follow-up being 8.1 and 6.9 years, respectively. Compared to the general population, the SIRs for the overall cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) risk was 1.45 (95%CI 1.30 to 1.62) in the SLE group and 1.35 (95%CI 1.15 to 1.58) in the CLE group. Both CLE and SLE patients had increased risks of hematological, pancreas and lung cancers. Liver, tongue/mouth/pharynx, non-melanoma skin cancer, oesophagus and meninges cancers were only increased in the SLE group.Table 1.SIR for overall cancer in Danish SLE patients according to gender, time since diagnosis and ageOverall cancer except NMSCObserved no. cancersExpected no. cancersPYRSSIR (95% CI)All308212.027,6761.45 (1.30 to 1.62)Female246170.023,9251.45 (1.27 to 1.64)Male6242.037511.48 (1.13 to 1.89)Time since SLE diagnosis< 1 year5220.332132.56 (1.91 to 3.36)1 to 4 years10370.310,2701.47 (1.20 to 1.78)4 to 9 years8364.481631.29 (1.03 to 1.60)10+ years7057.060301.23 (0.96 to 1.55)Age at SLE diagnosis< 40 years119.072011.23 (0.61 to 2.20)40 to 60 years9467.012,3091.41 (1.14 to 1.73)60+ years203137.081661.49 (1.29 to 1.71)SLE = Systemic lupus erythematosus, NMSC = Non-melanoma skin cancer, PYRS = Person years, SIR = Standardized Incidence Ratio, CI = Confidence IntervalTable 2.SIR for overall cancer in Danish CLE patients according to gender, time since diagnosis and ageOverall cancer except NMSCObserved no. cancersExpected no. cancersPYRSSIR (95% CI)All155114.713,0481.35 (1.15 to 1.58)Female11987.510,0921.36 (1.13 to 1.63)Male3627.229561.32 (0.93 to 1.83)Time since CLE diagnosis< 1 year2912.816812.26 (1.51 to 3.24)1 to 4 years5340.249551.32 (0.99 to 1.72)4 to 9 years4134.237971.20 (0.86 to 1.63)10+ years3227.426151.17 (0.80 to 1.65)Age at CLE diagnosis< 40 years62.923692.04 (0.75 to 4.43)40 to 60 years4931.459621.56 (1.15 to 2.06)60+ years10080.347171.24 (1.01 to 1.51)CLE = Cutaneous lupus erythematosus, NMSC = Non-melanoma skin cancer, PYRS = Person years, SIR = Standardized Incidence Ratio, CI = Confidence IntervalGraphsSLE cancer sites: Standardized incidence ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervalsCLE cancer sites: Standardized incidence ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervalsThe risk of overall cancer was significantly increased in patients with SLE and CLE. Hematological, pancreas and lung cancers were elevated in both groups, while certain virus-associated cancers and other sites were increased only among SLE patients. Awareness of cancer in patients with SLE and CLE should be considered, especially of symptoms from high-risk sites.None declared


The contact process, 1974-1989 by R. Durrett Is the contact process dead? by L. Gray Limiting behavior of a one-dimensional system with long range interactions by T. Liggett Topics in percolation by C. Newman The lace expansion and the upper critical dimension for percolation by G. Slade Mandelbrot percolation in two and three dimensions by G. Swindle Intersection probabilities for random walks by G. Lawler A summary of results about cyclic cellular automata by R. Fisch Hydrodynamical behavior of asymmetric attractive particle systems, one example: one-dimensional nearest neighbors asymmetric simple exclusion process by J.-P. Fouque Statistical mechanics applied to random-media problems by G. Stell A control formulation for constrained Markov processes by T. Kurtz Diffusion approximation for a class of transport processes with physical reflection boundary conditions by C. Costantini Random perturbations of dynamical systems: a new approach by Y. Kifer Partial differential systems with a small parameter and diffusion process with a discrete component by A. Eizenberg and M. Freidlin Asymptotics for the solution of the exterior Dirichlet problem for second-order elliptic operators with small first-order perturbations by D. Ioffe and R. Pinsky Asymptotic behavior of invariant density of diffusion process with small fluctuation by T. Mikami Lyapunov exponents for white and real noise driven two-dimensional systems by M. Pinsky and V. Wihstutz Asymptotic methods for Markov jump processes by B. Matkowsky, Z. Schuss, and C. Tier Uniform solution of Kramers' problem by a direct approach by T. Naeh, M. Klosek, B. Matkowsky, and Z. Schuss On random differential delay equations with a small parameter by G. Yin and K. Ramachandran Homogenization error estimates for random elliptic operators by V. Yurinskii The effective conductivity of composites by O. Bruno On a general concept in optimal material layout by K. A. Lurie Microstructure and effective properties of random media by S. Torquato Classical transport in quasiperiodic media by K. Golden Tuning up a quasicrystal by J. D. Maynard Localization estimates for off-diagonal disorder by W. Faris Order statistics and renormalization by W. Faris Wave and particle propagation through one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional random media by L. Pastur Water waves in shallow channels of randomly varying depth by A. Nachbin and G. Papanicolaou Approximations by delta-correlated random processes and diffusive approximation in stochastic problems by V. Klyatskin Some aspects of wave propagation theory in layer random media by V. Goland, V. Klyatskin, and I. Yaroshchuk Reflection of waves by randomly layered media by W. Kohler, G. Papanicolaou, and B. White.


care companies. But I have to issue a word of caution: Reading this analysis may make you throw up. The market for CEOs among the 26 major health care companies I've analyzed doesn't in the least appear to be efficient or rational. I can find no systematic relationship on the two most logical explanations for why one company pays its CEO more than the CEO of another company: company size or company performance. The difference between the highest and low-


Juliet was an explorer at heart, enjoying the thrill of a new adventure. She was a traveler seeking to go to new cities, countries, and locations. She's always had a curious mind, which led her to meet him.


time with Augustine himself to balance the whole well (Hermanowicz's Possidius of Calama [2008], though, is a neat complement). Here also we notice some isolated but significant omissions in the bibliography: J. Patout Burns studied Augustine on Cyprian (in Augustine : from rhetor to theologian, 161–71) ; so did Vittorio Grossi in his La catechesi battesimale agli inizi del V secolo (1993), which shows that there are limits to how far one can comprehend Augustine's position on baptism without taking on Pelagianism. None the less, there is great virtue in Garcı́a Mac Gaw's method that reveals careful deliberations, reluctant compromises and hard decisions in the debate over baptism – a ' transformation interne' ( p. 282), less dramatic but more real and consequential than the idea of a Church Triumphant.


ABSTRACT This article serves as a summary of The Journal for Specialists in Group Work special issue on the application of Peters and Luke's (2022) Principles of Anti-Oppression in group work. We provide observations of the ways special issue article authors, as experts in group work practice and research, applied the 10 principles across three types of group work (i.e. task, counseling, and psychoeducational; McCarthy et al., 2022; Ward, 2011) and within varied contemporary group work practice contexts (i.e. school counseling, college settings, online practice, teaching, supervision, research; Goodrich et al., 2023). Further, we identify themes in the ways that contributing authors collectively considered, evaluated, and used the Principles of Anti-Oppression in group work, provide commentary, note gaps, and discuss implications for future development.


FIELD: energy. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to heat engineering, specifically to a device for automatic loading of wood in solid-fuel boiler. Device for automatic loading of wood in solid-fuel boiler comprises a hopper for solid fuel, a controller, a temperature sensor, electric drive, rotary element equipped with mechanism to convert rotary motion of engine shaft into rotation of said element. Device is additionally equipped with sleeves for grouping of separate logs, rotary element is made in form of rotary capsule placed under mouth of hopper, moving sleeve with wood, rotary capsule is made with an upper segment cut-out along axis, and is connected to rod ejecting firewood in solid-fuel boiler from sleeve and removes empty sleeves from rotary capsule, said rod being equipped with induction motor installed with possibility of horizontal movement. EFFECT: technical result is automation of wood solid-fuel heating boiler of small buildings. 1 cl, 3 dwg


The purpose of the current work is to investigate the flow behaviour of both a straight and a slightly rotating turbulent free jet by means of CFD and RANS-turbulence modelling. The comparison of simulation results with data from literature as well as own experimental findings is used to assess the applicability of the numerous available turbulence models for the description of the analysed flow. For the experimental analysis a three dimensional Laser-Doppler-Anemometry system is used to measure gas velocity and turbulence intensity. The results of this work clearly indicate that the quality of the CFD simulation strongly depends on the proper choice of the applied approach for turbulence description.


Qu Fu is a famous writer,poet and scholar in Qing dynasty.New Annotation on Chu Ci as "a masterpiece of noting Chu Ci(The Songs of Chu) in Qing dynasty" is the condensed effort by Qu Fu in his later years.Its feature lies in full affirmation of previous results and new explanation.Not tied to text exegesis,classical allusions,the book reveals and explains the meaning and intention of Chu Ci from the perspective of literature appreciation and chapter layout,and often sets a single word all through works to explore deep meaning and structure.Its value lies in new-angle noting and novel meaning,which gets the profound intention.It is a great contribution to later generations to sort out many errors inTian Wen by Qu Yuan,confirm the order ofJiu Zhang and discuss the differences ofEr Zhao,which enlightens future generations.


Patient care is a concerning issue representing the nosocomial infection transmission especially hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). This study aims to identify the percentage statistics of HAP among the hospitalised patients of general ward. Also, among the objectives is to investigate the etiological pattern with the prescribed antibiotics in the concomitant treatment. A two-year retrospective cohort analysis was made from January 2007 to December 2008 in General Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Results identified the increase rate of HAP and secondary increase rate of mortality with diagnosed pathogen. More profound analysis showed the inappropriate use of antibiotics that can be the possible cause of HAP and lead to future increase in resistance pattern in pathogens. Conclusion has been made on the recommendation of the clinical evidence-based treatment as to reduce the risk of other morbidities in a clause to reduce the spread of nosocomial infections.


The objective of this descriptive research was to study nurses' practices in respecting psychiatric patients' autonomy in psychiatric hospitals, southern Thailand. Samples were 144 registered nurses, using Krejcie and Morgan's Table (cited in Bunchom, 1995). The inclusion criteria were working experience with psychiatric patients with more than 6 months. The subjects were selected using proportional random sampling methods from two psychiatric hospitals in southern Thailand.  The tool was a questionnaire covering general data profile and nurses' practices in respecting psychiatric patients' autonomy in psychiatric hospitals. The tool was verified by three experts for content validity. The reliability of nurses' practices were tested by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, yielding a value of 0.91. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the registered  nurses in psychiatric hospitals, southern Thailand had a high level of overall practice in respecting psychiatric patients' autonomy (M = 3.27, SD = 0.38). For each phase, the mean scores were at a high level as follows: disclosure of information (M = 3.52, SD = 0.35), assessment of understanding of information (M = 3.32, SD = 0.71), assessment for competence (M = 3.24, SD = 0.51), respect for autonomous action (M = 2.96, SD = 0.66), and respect for autonomous decisions (M = 2.94, SD = 0.65).  The results can be used for developing nursing practice guidelines in respecting psychiatric patients' autonomy.


HCl radical beam etching has been used to produce strain‐induced lateral confinement of excitons in a GaAs quantum well. This confinement was generated by etching a grating pattern into a strained layer of In0.35Ga0.65As which overlies the GaAs quantum well. Atomic force microscopy was used to examine the etched surface morphology. Photoluminescence and excitation photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to detect the optical transitions. The after‐etch photoluminescence intensity and the systematic peak shift with etch time indicate the degree of control and low‐damage nature of the etch process used.


A 38-year-old man had a 10 year history of low back pain and progressive weakness and loss of sensation of the left lower leg and foot during the past 7 months. Plain films of the lumbar spine revealed the effects of chronic bone erosion: (1) scalloping of the posterior surfaces of the vertebral bodies L2-81 (fig. 1 A); (2) increased interpedicular distances with diminished transverse and vertical pedicular dimensions; and (3) laminar erosions . Myelography demonstrated complete block at L2. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a uniformly dense, soft-tissue mass with attenuation coefficients of about 70 H. The chronic erosive changes were better delineated by CT (fig . 1 B). The mass occupied the entire spinal canal from L2 to 81. Extension of the tumor at L4LS and LS-81 resulted in widening of the intervertebral foramina and characteristic "dumbbell"-shaped lesions of spinal schwannomas (fig. 1C).


of the great of of and and the gravity of their physical coupled involved, taxed the of the medical them. Numerous studies of various aspects of the physiological derangements of these soldiers have been made. This report is concerned with electrocardiographic findings in a small series of severely malnourished patients. Greece and Jugoslavia: and to the two former for post-mortem observations on patients dying from malnutrition.


Co rresponding the three stages of family enterprises' living period,establish the general frame of family enterprises' system exchanging from the right of owne rship structure,the right of control distribution and management structure.D oing the positive analysis by using this frame can get the result that China's family enterprises are all in the stage of classical.Along with the perfection of China's market economy and the changing of restraint control,for the exist ence and development,family enterprises should adjust serially.


We investigate the RG-time integration of the effective potential in the functional renormalization group in the presence of spontaneous symmetry breaking and its subsequent convexity restoration on the example of a scalar theory in $d=3$. The features of this setup are common to many physical models and our results are, therefore, directly applicable to a variety of situations. We provide exhaustive work-precision benchmarks and numerical stability analyses by considering the combination of different discrete formulations of the flow equation and a large collection of different algorithms. The results are explained by using the different components entering the RG-time integration process and the eigenvalue structure of the discrete system. Particularly, the combination of Rosenbrock methods, implicit multistep methods or certain (diagonally) implicit Runge-Kutta methods with exact or autodiff Jacobians proves to be very potent. Furthermore, a reformulation in a logarithmic variable circumvents issues related to the singularity bound in the flat regime of the potential.


This research aimed to discover the types of polysemy words to determine the meaning of polysemy words in twelve Justin Bieber's song lyrics. The qualitative-descriptive method was used in this research. The data were collected by downloading the lyrics, reading and understanding the lyrics, and note-taking. The researchers used the theory of Miles and Huberman (1994) to determine the steps of analyzing data. The theory of Asher (2011) was used to classify and analyze the polysemy word into types of polysemy which were accidental polysemy (unrelated meaning) and logical polysemy (related meaning). Furthermore, the theory of Haspelmath (2001) was used to classify and analyze the word classes of polysemy words. As a result, the researchers found 20 polysemy words which were 10 words classified into accidental polysemy, and 10 words classified into logical polysemy. Those polysemy words were mostly in abstract nouns. Lastly, this research was expected to provide valuable information about polysemy for other researchers who would take polysemy as the topic of the research.


Learning a new language entails various challenges, one of these is grasping the vocabulary of the language. A significant way to tackle the problem is to motivate students to become independent learners during the progression of second language (L2) vocabulary learning. Thus, this study intended to explore the use of different vocabulary learning strategies among adult English as foreign language learners and investigated the various vocabulary learning strategies and found the benefits and drawbacks associated with each strategy. It was able to select the most frequently and least frequently used VLSs by learners who have completed the language program and those who are continuing the course. Further, it found effective strategies that could be used in teaching vocabulary to students. The research used a quantitative method approach with 53 participants who were EFL learners took part in the questionnaire survey. The results of the present study reveal the common strategies that foreign language learners use in vocabulary learning. The VLSs from this study will not only benefit students of the English language but can easily to be used by learners of other second languages globally. Finally, the paper discusses different strategies at length, gives valuable recommendations in the discussion section and concludes with implications for future research.


Abstract The adult morphology of Meibomeus cyanipennis (Sharp) is described and illustrated. Structures such as the tentorium, mouthparts, endosternites, hind wings and female terminalia were studied for the first time in the genus.


During Beijing Olympic Games,internet websites such as CCTV Network reported the Olympic Games in the form of audio and video.International Olympic Committee exclusively authorized CCTV the relay broad-casting right for new media in the mainland China and Macau regions.Authorized institutions should have the ca-pability for copy right protection,must be restricted to carry out cooperation within the mainland China region.Au-thorization includes such two types as commercial sublicense and commonweal sublicense.Prices for authorization are approximately 2 000–3 000 Yuan.During the Olympic Games,the volume of valid network video content in-formation resources owned the 9 authorized websites was up to 72 432 items,including 3 000 h live broadcasted contents and 4 000 h ordered contents.In terms of channel opening,it is provided with such characteristics as lots of opened channels,highly regarded branded channel construction,highly valued live broadcasting and ordered broadcasting,and interaction with internet surfers.For the websites,the average time used per person was signifi-cantly increased.The total volume of PV was over 1.4 billion for the first time,while the number of network broad-casting audience was up to 0.244 billion people.However,the users' degree of satisfaction with network TV is still somewhat lower than their degree of satisfaction with TV.


Capacity performance of hybrid WDM-OCDMA system employing 40 Gbps NRZ-DQPSK orthogonal modulation has been analyzed in presence of MAI at optimum bit rate, channel spacing, coverage and active users.


Diabetes Mellitus (DM) represents a health challenge, due to its high prevalence and the morbidity that it entails, but because of the costs that its treatment implies. Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic-degenerative disease characterized by defects in the action and / or production of insulin, which generates a hyperglycemic effect.The objective in the application of TENS is to decrease the glycated hemoglobin value by one percentage point with respect to its initial value through the application of external electrical currents TENS in uncontrolled type II diabetic patients. Electrostimulation is considered an alternative for the treatment of uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, since it produces a temporary, metabolic, morphological transformation of fast fibers or slow muscle fibers. With this, glucose metabolism can be controlled by its plasma concentrations and by a large extent of glucose transport through the cell membrane, thus being a treatment option that does not generate side effects for the patient, and does not generate high costs in your application.


It is inherent to the operation of internal combustion engines to possess inlet and exhaust valves (4-stroke) or ports (2-stroke) for proper functioning. The idea here is to entrap the incoming fresh charge in a well-designed combustion chamber and then initiate ignition in order to release and convert the stored fuel chemical energy into the thermal energy. Subsequent to this release of energy, a mechanical system, such as piston-connecting-rod-crankshaft, is needed for conversion of the thermal energy into the mechanical energy of the crankshaft. The incoming fresh charge usually consists of fuel, air, and possibly exhaust gas recalculated (EGR) chemical species. EGR is used for nitric oxide (NOX) emission control purposes. In this scenario, the roles that valves, particularly the intake valves, play are critical for the engine's efficient operation, optimum performance, and minimization of pollutants emission. In this tutorial, these aspects are addressed in a concise manner.


Abstract:  A semi‐analytical approach is taken to calculate the geometric contribution to gauge factor for patterned lines on substrates. A finite element model is presented in which a line section is strained along its length, and cross‐sectional dilatation is calculated for different line aspect ratios, and elastic properties of line and substrate. Results are bounded by analytical solutions for infinitely wide and tall lines. A simple experiment is posed for measuring Poisson's ratio and piezoresistivity of coatings, films or patterned structures.


A storage medium storing multimedia data, and method and apparatus for reproducing multimedia data are provided. The storage medium includes at least one media stream; and additional information, wherein the media stream is divided into streaming data streamed over a network and download data downloaded over the network, and the additional information indicates how to combine the streaming data and the download data.


Activity of 50 dopamine and 67 non-dopamine neurons was studied during motivated behavioural actions in the cat brain black substance. 66% of former and 88% of latter neurons modified their activity before and during autoinitiated voluntary movements. The data obtained suggest that dopamine neurons are involved in organisation of movements in behavioural actions with cognitive components.


The flexural mode is the lowest-order borehole mode with dipole excitation. The low-frequency asymptote of the flexural wave speed is used to estimate the formation shear speed in well logging. The borehole flexural mode measurement system consists of a mandrel that holds the transmitter and an array of receivers. This mandrel is, generally, designed to minimize the interference between any mandrel and the borehole flexural modes. A slotted sleeve housing that makes the sleeve arrival significantly slower than the formation arrival enables the processing of the recorded waveforms based on a model of fluid-filled boreholes without any mandrel. The objective of this work is to investigate the basic physics of mandrel effects on borehole flexural mode for the condition that the mandrel is in the form of a rod or pipe that is not necessarily slower than the formation arrivals. To this end, we describe an experimental and theoretical study of flexural modes in a borehole with a concentric mandrel and water annulus. The mandrels are of simple geometry such as a rod or a pipe, not intended to model any particular sonic tool in its entirety. However, the presence of a rod or a pipe can approximately represent the waveguide nature of the mandrel and its possible influence on borehole flexural modes. A fluid-filled (without any tool) borehole and a mandrel immersed in an infinite fluid (without any borehole) are two independent systems. Each supports a flexural mode that can be excited by a dipole source. These two uncoupled modes have distinct velocity dispersions. In a coupled mandrel-in-borehole system, two flexural modes are generated with a dipole source. These two coupled modes may resemble or significantly differ from the two uncoupled modes depending on the proximity of dispersions of these two uncoupled modes.


Selection of materials in a variety of format to support Arch 564: Comprehensive Architectural Design Studio This guide will help to correctly cite images


THIS paper describes the use of the prosthetic head in the treatment of recent fractures of the neck of the femur, in patients in whom Smith Peterson pins had failed, and degenerative hip disease in the aged. It is of interest that the first metal prosthetic head used in Britain was designied and inserted bv Mr. METHOD. The prosthesis we have used over the past four years is the Austin Moore (1957) head. The patient is placed in the lateral position, lying on the good side. The area to be incised is infiltrated with saline containing 1/400,000 adrenaline. The incision is similar to that described by Kocher, running from the posterior superior iliac spine to the greater trochanter and then down the lateral border of the femur. The gleuteus maximus is split in the direction of its fibres, the sciatic nerve identified and retracted medially and the posterior rotator muscles divided with diathermy at their attachment to the greater trochanter. The capsule of the hip is opened by a cruciate incision anid the hip dislocated posteriorly by internallv rotating the leg. In the case of fractures, the head is easily removed with a bone lever. The neck of the femur is trimmed as far distally as half an inch medial to the trochanteric line, a notch being cut close to the attachment of the lesser glutei. A prosthesis of suitable size is then inserted, the hip reduced and the wound closed in layers. Post-operatively, the leg should be maintained in a positioIn of external rotation with a hip spica bandage. One of our cases of dislocation may have been due to neglect of this. If the leg is kept in external rotationi, the tendency for posterior dislocation of the hip is removed. RESULTS. Patients mav be divided into three groups before operation, and the results expressed in three grades.


Recently, the issue of a decline in exchange rate pass-through has gained much more attention. Taylor conjectures that a worldwide decline in exchange rate pass-through is related to the low and stable inflation in many industrialized countries since the early 1990s. Developments of 'new open-economy macroeconomics' also cast renewed attention on exchange rate pass-through. Theoretical research shows that the choice of an optimal exchange rate regime and the transmission of monetary policy impacts depend crucially on the exporter's price setting behaviour. There are many studies on the pass-through of Japanese exports, yet most studies simply use the industry-breakdown data on export price indices, which is insufficient to assess pass-through patterns in regional trade. Significantly, highly disaggregated (HS 9-digit level) commodity data are used here to evaluate the extent of pass-through by commodity and by destination. We investigate and compare the extent of pass-through to East Asia, Europe, and the US. We also examine whether there is any difference in the degree of pass-through in the pre- and post-Asian crisis era. Results suggest the most pricing-to-market (PTM) occurs in exports to the US market followed by significant, but less PTM in Europe. Virtually no PTM is found in Japanese exports to East Asia. Also, there is no clear evidence of either increasing or decreasing pass-through over time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The paper shows new possibilities for studying the effects of microheterogeneous combustion by the method of high-speed micro-thermal imaging. On each video frame, the area of the microfocal reaction, where local superadiabatic heating occurs has been identified,. All the discrete regions of heat generation were combined on a common image of the thermal microstructure of the combustion reaction wave. The characteristic size of the foci of combustion in the Ni-Al system was from 150 to 300 μm, which is 5 times larger than the size of the largest powder particles. It was found experimentally that the combustion front propagates only in the local regions of superadiabatic heating and the motion has a discrete step. The thermal microstructure has the form of a quasiperiodic sequence of layers, the spatial direction of which weakly depends on the position of the combustion front with respect to the horizontal. To verify this fact, which contradicts the classical theory of wave stability in the spin combustion mode, the differential chronoscopic analysis of the interframe difference in the motion of the combustion front line was selected. As a result, it was shown that, independently of the geometry of the combustion front, a synchronous and quasi-periodic occurrence of new local combustion sites is observed. The period of thermochemical induction between each discrete step of motion was from 0.1 to 0.2 ms. Thus, the data of the 2D thermal map of differential chronoscopy (DCS) allow visualization of the SHS combustion wave in the form of coherent thermal structures with quasiperiodic parameters.


Yellow waxy corn variety Zhuhuangnuo 1 was hybridized by female parent LZ nuo 94-3 and male parent QX nuo 95-8 in Guiyang Agricultural Experiment Center.The average fresh yield was 919.2kg/667m2,13.1% higher than Zhunuo 2(CK) in the fresh corn group of the regional test in 2004-2005.Its appearance and cooking quality was similar to CK.The amylopectin content was 100% in total starch,while protein was 7.49%,lysine was 0.20%,and tryptophan was 0.13%,respectively.Its growing period was close to CK,with 20.2 cm of ear length,4.7 cm of ear diameter,14 rows per ear,35 grain per row,and the grain was yellow.It had resistance to sheath blight,and medium resistance to leaf blight,but it was susceptible for leaf spot,head smut,stalk rot,and corn borer.It was approved by Guizhou Crop Authorization Committeein 2006.


Traffic calming measures are effective in enhancing traffic safety by reducing vehicle speeds. A variety of studies have evaluated the effectiveness of traffic calming measures to derive useful insights into the design and operations. Unlike existing studies focusing on either traffic performance measures or environmental impacts of the traffic calming devices, this study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework based on microscopic traffic simulations, which enables more reliable and systematic identification of benefits for calming measures. The proposed framework evaluates the effectiveness of various traffic calming measures through three major perspectives including traffic performance, traffic safety, and environmental and public health impact. Four different traffic calming measures, two types of speed humps, speed tables, and chicanes, were applied to the proposed framework to demonstrate its usefulness and applicability. A field experiment using probe vehicles equipped with a global positioning systems (GPS) device were conducted to obtain vehicle trajectory data to be used for more realistic simulations. Also, a recently developed vehicle emissions model was used to evaluate environmental and public health impacts. Results show that speed tables and chicanes outperform others. It is expected that the outcome of this study will be a valuable decision making tool for evaluating traffic calming measures.


11559Background: Responses to single agent PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in STS remain limited with occasional responses in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (UPS), liposarcomas (LPS), and other sarcom...


Women's involvement in AIDS and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention promotion can be enhanced through coalition building, strategy planning, organization, and consciousness raising. Each of these topics is discussed as a means to increasing women's influence on policy making, program development, and implementation. It is essential that women understand the grave consequences for themselves and their families of HIV/STD infections; women can be effective in preventing the spread of AIDS and in coping with illness. The most effective way of reaching women is through interpersonal contact at all age levels. Young girls, who have not reached puberty, and older women, who may be educators or advisors, should be targeted. Contact can be made through women's groups, social groups, and church groups for those with affiliations; for those without affiliations, clinics, schools and fields or open spaces in neighborhoods may serve as meeting places. The subject matter must be directed to the dangers of AIDS/STDs for women as persons without any statement about moral status. Women's influence can be enhanced by joining forces and combining resources. New organizations can be formed with AIDS/STDs as the significant issue, or, the AIDS agenda can be added to the functions of existing groups. Membership must be the force behind activities, the content must be relevant to members lives. Human resources from outside the group can be used to strengthen skills or share experiences, but should not dominate the group. Strategy involves short, medium, and longterm planning. Short-term goals bring immediate results, which benefit women directly, and also strengthen group cohesion. Examples of short-term activities, which do not require many resources, are organizing a neighborhood education session or preparing an AIDS prevention message. Medium-term goals help to maintain the momentum of the group and may involve securing funding. Long-term goals might be directed to influencing policy. Coalitions can be formed with neighboring villages, local aid groups, other women's groups, or at conferences.


Having compared the similarities and differences in facilities of hardware,software and the services between the digital reading room and the traditional reading room,this paper discusses that how the digital reading room is to inherit and develop the services of traditional reading room under the network environment and puts forward some constructive opinions in management and service.


CALCULATION OF A ROTARY AIR MOTORS M.Y. Elagin, E.M. Sidorov The calculation results of workflow-pneumatic rotation onnyh engines for various pneumatic tools are given. Key words: payment workflows, pneumatic motors, pneumatic moinstrument. Elagin Michail Yurievich, doctor of technical sciences, professor, email@example.com , Russia, Tula, Tula State University, Sidorov Eugeniy Michailovich, postgraduate, firstname.lastname@example.com , Russia, Tula, Tula State University


Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous infection of the subcutaneous tissue caused by true fungi or higher bacteria; hence, it is classified as eumycetoma or actinomycetoma, respectively ([5][1]). Mycetoma is endemic in (sub)tropical areas, and the Sudan seems to be the mycetoma homeland, with hundreds


In order to make a coherent statement or an accurate description, linguists have to focus on one aspect of a language and preclude the others according to a process called selected focusing, but it is believed that such an act of isolation is only an artificial practice. Although a naïve or a child is not aware of the various levels of language, he/she is well knowledgeable about the grammatical, structural, and semantic tools that make him/her easily and instantly spot the ill-formed or meaningless sentences of his/her native language. Two opposite mainstreams discovered in the study of syntax-semantics interface. The 1 st is the syntactically-oriented perspective established by Chomsky and his followers, which is later modified and supported by the Optimal Theory Approach, and the 2 nd is the semantically-oriented one in its two facetsthe generative and the interpretive. The early generative transformational approach went too far in insisting that the syntactic aspect has an autonomous characteristic and should be dealt with in isolation from semantics, whereas others argue that they are interrelated and cannot be separated. The main objective of this study is to arrive at some general outlines that might help linguists, second/foreign language teachers as well as students and tries to shed light on this linguistic controversy in order to establish a scientific scheme in language studies.


Friction stir processing (FSP) is a microstructural modification technique. In FSP, the material undergoes intense plastic deformation, yielding a dynamically recrystallized fine grain structure. One of the most important issues that need to be tackled in this field is the lack of predictive tools. That enables the selection of the optimum parameters required to achieve the desired modifications on the mechanical properties of the processed materials. In this study, the effects of different FSP parameters (rotational and translational speeds) on the resulting micro-hardness of friction stir processed AZ31 magnesium sheets are examined. Variations of micro-hardness with longitudinal and through-thickness positions are also investigated. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to model and predict the resulting micro-hardness.


ABSTRACTRecent advances in logging-while-drilling sigma measurements include three-detector thermal-neutron and gamma-ray decay measurements with different radial sensitivities to assess the presence of invasion. We have developed an inversion-based work flow for the joint interpretation of multidetector neutron, density, and sigma logs to reduce invasion, shoulder-bed, and well-deviation effects in the estimation of porosity, water saturation, and hydrocarbon type, whenever the invasion is shallow. The procedure begins with a correction for matrix and fluid effects on neutron and density-porosity logs to estimate porosity. Multidetector time decays are then used to assess the radial length of the invasion and estimate the virgin-zone sigma while simultaneously reducing shoulder-bed and well-deviation effects. Density and neutron porosity logs are corrected for invasion and shoulder-bed effects using two-detector density and neutron measurements with the output from the time-decay (sigma) inversion. The f...


Abstract– Dynamic and quasistatic unconfined compression experiments were performed on samples of the L5 ordinary chondrite MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 88118. The dynamic compressive strength measurements are the first of its kind for a stony meteorite, and indicate that the material tested here exhibits significant increase in compressive strength with increasing strain rate. This increase in compressive strength is larger than the increases typically observed in terrestrial rock specimens compressed over a similar range of strain rates. The details of the failure process are investigated by recording images of the experiments in real time. Specifically, the crack growth speeds in the dynamic compression experiments are measured from ultrahigh‐speed images. These speeds are significantly lower than the speeds observed in terrestrial analogs that are typically used in numerical investigations of large‐scale impacts. The implications of these measurements of strength and failure process are explored in the contexts of atmospheric disruption of meteors and impact cratering/disruption of asteroids.


The half-wave length resonant dipole antennas calibration system for 30 MHz to 1000 MHz using comparing method with standard antennas in an anechoic chamber has been developed with error less than /spl plusmn/2.5%. The errors in the system are considered and evaluated experimentally.<<ETX>>


In acutely hospitalized older patients (≥65 years), the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and malnutrition is poorly described. We hypothesized that (1) MCI is associated with nutritional status on admission and after discharge; (2) MCI is associated with a change in nutritional status; and (3) a potential association is partly explained by frailty, comorbidity, medication use, and age. We combined data from a randomized controlled trial (control group data) and a prospective cohort study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01964482 and NCT03052192). Nutritional status was assessed on admission and follow-up using the Mini Nutritional Assessment—Short Form. MCI or intact cognition (noMCI) was classified by three cognitive performance tests at follow-up. Data on frailty, comorbidity, medication use, and age were drawn from patient journals. MCI (n = 42) compared to noMCI (n = 47) was associated with poorer nutritional status with an average difference of −1.29 points (CI: −2.30; −0.28) on admission and −1.64 points (CI: −2.57; −0.70) at 4-week follow-up. Only age influenced the estimates of −0.85 (CI: −1.86; 0.17) and −1.29 (CI: −2.25; −0.34), respectively. In acutely hospitalized older patients, there is an association between MCI and poorer nutritional status upon admission and four weeks after discharge. The association is partly explained by higher age.


The quasi-hydrodynamic model for semiconductor devices in thermal equilibrium admits in general solutions for which the electron or hole density vanish. These sets are called vacuum sets. In this paper estimates on the vacuum sets and a first step in the regularity of the free boundary of these sets are presented. Numerical examples, including error estimates for linear finite elements, for the devices diode, bipolar transistor and thyristor indicate that the free boundary is more regular than theoretically predicted.


Laboratory monitoring of antiretroviral therapy helps limit resistance but is currently not feasible in developing countries. Alternative short term approaches are needed


Robbe-Grillet is the foremost of many critics who allude to the influence of Kafka on their work. This would not, of itself, make the subject worth investigating. At least since 1940 Kafka has been in the French air, acting as a kind of objective compulsion, to the point where there is hardly a writer with modernist pretensions who would not acknowledge his influence, hardly a critic of these writers who would not play the "cherchez Kafka" game.1 Indeed, Kafka's impact on French literature seems to be deeper, more varied, and more enduring than on his native literature. Maja Goth had profuse material for a book-length study entitled Kafka et les lettres francaises as early as 1956, whereas there exists, to my knowledge, no full-scale investigation of Kafka and German letters. Miss Goth's book deals with two generations of Kafka progeny: the Surrealists and the Existentialists. The names of these movements sufficiently indicate the general trend of the naturalization process: to the Surrealists Kafka offered a model for fantastic literature, to the Existentialists a paradigm for the philosophy of the absurd. If in the Sartre-Camus generation Kafka resides largely in the eye of the beholder, it is because they regarded him as an existential philosopher who happened to write fiction, rather than as an artist whose vision encompassed, among other things, the existential problematic. According to Marthe Robert, the philosopher Merleau-Ponty refused to accredit Kafka's life-long admiration for one of the Existentialists' favorite betes noires, the unphilosophical "pure" novelist Flaubert.2 In the next literary generation this view was drastically reversed by RobbeGrillet, who persistently links both Kafka and the New Novel with Flaubert. His preface to the collection of critical essays, For a New Novel, ends with the following words:


The utility model relates to a dustproof curtain fixing frame. A dustproof fixing curtain frame is provided aiming at the problems that the dustproof curtain is fixed, not flexible, difficult to be washed and easily destroyed; the dustproof fixing curtain frame comprises a dustproof curtain and a side wall, further comprises a supporting rod and a supporting frame with a groove, wherein the supporting frame is fixedly disposed on the side wall; the supporting rod passes through the dustproof curtain, and the supporting rod is disposed in the supporting frame groove. By the technical scheme of the utility model, the dustproof curtain can be disassembled and washed, the dustproof curtain is washed more completely and clean, and the washing time is reduced; and the feeding efficiency is improved. The supporting rod is used for displacing the original iron wire, so that the dustproof curtain is not easy to be destroyed; the cost is saved and use ratio is improved.


A VLSI architecture that achieves a single-chip real-time implementation of motion estimation is presented. The case of a block matching algorithm that computes a displacement vector for each block of a segmented image is considered. The versatile architecture of the chip allows displacement vectors to be computed for various sizes of template block and matching window, depending on the pixel rate. The chip computes minimum and maximum values of distances, and the distances can be randomly accessed from the outside. Displacements of +or-7 at video rate or +or-15 for videophone, can be computed for 16*16 blocks.<<ETX>>


The development of image-guided interventions requires validation studies to evaluate new protocols. So far, these validation studies have been limited to animal models and to software and physical phantoms that simulate respiratory motion but cannot accommodate needle punctures in a realistic manner. We have built a computer-controlled pump that drives an anthropomorphic respiratory phantom for simulating natural breathing patterns. This pump consists of a power supply, a motion controller with servo amplifier, linear actuator, and custom fabricated pump assembly. By generating several sample waveforms, we were able to simulate typical breathing patterns. Using this pump, we were able to produce chest wall movements similar to typical chest wall movements observed in humans. This system has potential applications for evaluating new respiratory compensation algorithms and may facilitate improved testing of image-guided protocols under realistic interventional conditions.


What is the role of the social sciences in judicial decisions as to school segregation? It is the same as its role in other matters of general public interest; it is part of the facts and a source of enlightenment and should be considered by the court. Social science, briefly defined, is the study of human society, the interaction of individuals in and with groups, and the welfare of people in society. Like the legal profession, social science has its own ordained high priests, often with M.A. or Ph.D. degrees. They are the experts. "Why," it has been asked, "shouldn't we leave issues with social implications to experts in that field?" It is a fair question. Judges are neither born nor chosen as experts in social problems. Most of us would welcome a change of venue to some never-never land of expert and happy-and popular-decisions. The trouble is, social science experts disagree, just as stockbrokers, doctors, engineers, and lawyers do. The goals of education, for example, are today in considerable dispute; former Chicago University President Robert M. Hutchins recently remarked: "Since any free society is likely to be engaged in controversy about the kind of society it ought to be, confusion about the kind of education it ought to have seems inevitable."' Somewhere, in a viable society, there must be a place of decision, where public and individual issues can be settled, and where a path can be charted through conflicting testimony and conflicting expert opinion. Americans tend to go to court for these decisions. As a result, many of us, who once thought Bacon was unique and brave when he proclaimed that he had "taken all


Objective
Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPDs) are significant events which are associated with worsened quality of life and more rapid decline in lung function. And they also can increase mortality and health care costs. Pharmacologic interventions can alter the frequency of AECOPDs and COPD-related hospitalizations, mainly by focusing on three ways: antiinfective agents, antiinflammatory agents and antioxidants which also become the chief clue to the current researches for new drugs and therapies. The combination therapy of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists is the most widely recommended strategy for acute exacerbation prevention. But the inhaled corticosteroids possibly increase the risk for pneumonia. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanism of benefit in patient subpopulations, and to compare between efficacy of combination therapy and side-effect with inhaled corticosteroids, bronchodilators, or their combination in different patient phenotypes. We must have a better understanding of the heterogeneity implicit for COPD and the types of COPD exacerbations, and individualized treatments need to be investigated.

Key words:
Pulmonary disease chronic obstructive; Universal prevention


Objective : Jangjinyopyeon(藏珍要編, JJYP) was published in 1894. The purpose of the research is to know the character of JJYP, and to know JJYP inherited the tradition of Chosun(朝鮮) acupuncture which put emphasis on diagnosis and cure of Jangbu(臟腑) through meridian system. Method : First, ident...


ABSTRACT - By examining two excellent men high jumpers, aiming at explaining relationship between approach speed and the height of the body is centre of gravity, so as to afford theoretical basis for coaches and athletes to grasp reasonable sport skills. METHODOLOGY - The High speed Cameras (Model:LBS - 1 GA,speed: 100 frames persecond), Pulling-force sensor (Model : HYL-1) and Remote EMG meter (Model: Multi-Telemeter 551, Japan made) were simultaneously operated by means of synchronous Signal Generator. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION - The compositions of relationships between approach speed and centre of gravity (CGJ in the plop style when taking off are as following: 1. Speed relatively low, CG relatively high. 2. Both speed and CG are relatively lower. 3 Both speed and CG are higher. 4. Speed much higher, CG relatively lower. A very effective take-off can be made by this approach method. However, a deep flexing of knee, which, if is overdone, might affect an explosive extension, is needed. This approach method is necessary for gaining high scores, but it is too difficult to perform. As to the relationships between approach method and CG, there are two elections. One of them is keeping a relatively lower CG, which inevitably causes an negative vertical velocity when taking off. The other is slightly heightening CG to reduce this negative vertical velocity. To solve the above problem, one should organise approach method and CG height the most excellently, as is different according to different person.


An essential aspect of electronic toll collection for motorway pricing is the incorporation of systems to prevent mnaipulation of charges and non-payment. This article looks at how "open systems" in parallel with "closed systems" and camera-based dimensional profiling will help to ensure that the operators' investment is not undermined by violators.


Evidence-based medicine is increasingly accepted as the gold standard for medical care1, advocated to replace traditional approaches, including eminence-based medicine, characterized by making the same mistakes with increasing confidence over an impressive number of years, eloquence-based medicine, in which brilliant oratory and a year-round suntan may overcome absence of any supporting data, and elegance-based medicine, in which the sartorial splendor of a silk-suited sycophant substitutes for substance (Table 1, adapted2). Many health professionals, including students, trainees, and senior physicians, often use the term "evidence-based medicine" almost as a synonym for data from randomized controlled clinical trials3,4. A widely-used hierarchy concerning levels of evidence for patient care lists randomized clinical trials and metaanalyses as the highest forms of evidence, while observational studies and case reports are regarded as poorer forms of evidence5 (Table 2). However, much evidence to guide the clinician must be derived from sources beyond randomized controlled clinical trials1,6,7. The clinical trial remains the gold standard to assess the efficacy of an active treatment versus a control treatment over defined periods. However, evidence-based medicine is not restricted to randomized clinical trials and metaanalyses of these trials1,6. Simple categorization of research designs is not adequate to grade the quality of evidence, as criteria other than randomization must be considered in evaluation of clinical research studies (Table 3)8-11. A need for breadth in the approach to evidence based medicine is especially important in chronic diseases3,4,12-44. For example, the therapeutic pyramid was developed as a framework for rheumatologists to care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)45, based on short term clinical trial results indicating efficacy of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) and disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). However, the rheumatology community had to reassess this approach when longterm longitudinal observational analyses of patients, treated according to the recommended therapeutic pyramid, indicated that the longterm out-


Using the masks, we prepared the grid-type thin film inductors. In this paper, we have discussed the frequency-dependence of their inductance and quality factor (Q-value) in a range of 100MHz-10GHz. The inductance shows flatness in this frequency range,and the values are 130nH and 155nH;the resistance are 31Ωand 51Ωkeeping stable under 6GHz. Due to the skin effect they are higher after this frequency; The quality value is over 20 from 1GHz to 6GHz and the highest value reaches 160 and 110 at about 6GHz.


ROC curve is introduced to evaluate X-ray CT systems and to assess the detection performance by quantitative analysis.There are some limitations with traditional ROC method,since it only focuses on signal known exactly(SKE) situation.LROC method,which considers the location of defect,is closer to the actual situation.Both kinds of results were got by using ROC and LROC methods,and were compared with the physic meaning of ROC and LROC model.In general,LROC method was better than ROC,and the assumption of LROC model did not hold in some cases.There were also some limitations for LROC in practice.In present,combining ROC and LROC method is the way to get a nice result.


This work examines the interaction between jasmonate (JA) and light signaling. It finds that attenuation of shade responses by low red/far-red light requires the JA signal component COI1 and that some responses to JA are partly dependent on the light signal component phyA. The JA and phyA pathways are integrated through stability of the repressor protein JAZ1. Jasmonate (JA) activates plant defense, promotes pollen maturation, and suppresses plant growth. An emerging theme in JA biology is its involvement in light responses; here, we examine the interdependence of the JA- and light-signaling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate that mutants deficient in JA biosynthesis and signaling are deficient in a subset of high irradiance responses in far-red (FR) light. These mutants display exaggerated shade responses to low, but not high, R/FR ratio light, suggesting a role for JA in phytochrome A (phyA) signaling. Additionally, we demonstrate that the FR light–induced expression of transcription factor genes is dependent on CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1), a central component of JA signaling, and is suppressed by JA. phyA mutants had reduced JA-regulated growth inhibition and VSP expression and increased content of cis-(+)-12-oxophytodienoic acid, an intermediate in JA biosynthesis. Significantly, COI1-mediated degradation of JASMONATE ZIM DOMAIN1-β-glucuronidase (JAZ1-GUS) in response to mechanical wounding and JA treatment required phyA, and ectopic expression of JAZ1-GUS resulted in exaggerated shade responses. Together, these results indicate that JA and phyA signaling are integrated through degradation of the JAZ1 protein, and both are required for plant responses to light and stress.


Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic shallow mucodermia disease. Its pathogenesis is unknown. When it occurs, it persists in the patient's whole life. At present, there are many treatment methods for OLP, but they are not ideal. The author reviews the literatures of the past 10 years, and combs and summarizes the treatment for OLP from the literatures, in order to understand the progress and achievements of Chinese medicine in the treatment of OLP. Traditional Chinese medicine therapies include dialectical treatment, specialized methods, proprietary Chinese medicine, combination of Chinese and Western medicine, psychotherapy, etc. The treatment for OLP has a long history. Individual treatment, assisted treatment with Chinese medicine, and combined treatment of Chinese and Western medicine are effective. Traditional Chinese medicine has a unique effect on OLP, but its related mechanism is unclear and needs further study.

Key words:
Oral lichen planus; Traditional Chinese medicine; Treatment with traditional Chinese medicine; Research progress


In this article we consider the boundary stabilization of a wave equation with variable coefficients. This equation has an acceleration term and a delayed velocity term on the boundary. Under suitable geometric conditions, we obtain the exponential decay for the solutions. Our proof relies on the geometric multiplier method and the Lyapunov approach.


Abstract Vitamin D is vital to bone health and prolonged severe deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia/osteoporosis in adults. Vitamin D is an exceptional nutrient in that its main source is exposure of the skin to UV rays, whilst it can also be ingested through diet. This study aimed to investigate the relative contribution of vitamin D supplementation and individual sunlight exposure in raising vitamin D levels, throughout winter, in ethnically identical adult women living in opposite latitudes. Within two parallel placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials (RCT), with identical study designs, 135 Brazilian women, (England, n = 56, 51˚N; Brazil, n = 79, 16˚S), were randomized to receive daily 15 μg vitamin D3 supplements or placebo, for 12 weeks. Oral vitamin D supplementation of 15 μg daily was effective at raising 25-hydroxivitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations over winter, regardless of latitude, and the response was dependent on baseline vitamin D status. In both latitudes, supplementation prevented the seasonal concomitant increase in plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Additionally, the individual UV radiation level was strongly correlated with 25(OH)D concentrations. The research also showed: 1) an optimal vitamin D status for bone health around 70–80 nmol/l; 2) the required UV radiation to achieve this status was 1.5 SED; 3) the vitamin D dietary intakes required to achieve these serum levels were 4.5 μg/d at a low latitude (16˚S) and 37 μg/d at high latitude (51˚N). The strength of these results is the novel analysis that directly links human in vivo individual sunlight radiation, increased vitamin D intake and 25(OH)D status, within two parallel RCTs in opposite latitudes. This study demonstrated that a daily supplement of 15 μg vitamin D3 was an effective strategy to significantly raise vitamin D status throughout the winter months in adult females, with important implications for bone health through the simultaneous lowering of PTH, regardless of latitude. Our data gives a two-fold contribution to the vitamin D field: firstly it will help raise awareness of the risk for vitamin D deficiency in low latitude regions such as most countries in South America as well as amongst South-Americans living in higher latitudes, particularly in the UK; secondly it provides key data for setting appropriate vitamin D recommendations for Brazil (which currently follows US recommendations) as well as for similar latitudes.


The central challenge of the globalized and changing world is managing resources. Finding the right balance between economies of scale and responsiveness to local conditions requires an overarching manager's competence called emotional intelligence (E.I.). As the current global
monetary imbalances and financial instability have created uncertainty for many workers, insurance companies offer them insurance, the form of risk management to hedge against the uncertain losses. In exchange for payment, insurance companies transfer the equitable risk of a loss. However,
demanding customers and aggressive competition require a new sales approach for insurance services, which counts on agent's EI. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the concept of intelligence and emotions and their impact on the workplace performance, specifically in the insurance industry. The primary objective of this research is to outline and test the relationship between EI and work performance, particularly the relationship between investment in employees' education and improvement of their personal and professional competences. To meet stated primary objective, the approach used in this research is based on the 360 Degrees Feedback Reports and the statistical method of chi square testing. We hypothesized that investing in workers' education increases the efficiency in the workplace, though improvement of employee's personal and professional competences.
The major results of this research lead to the conclusion that EI intelligence can be a useful decisive factor for assessing non-managerial employees and managers in terms of development of their personal and professional competencies. The implication of this research is to support long-life
learning about EI and enable employees to develop their ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion in the work environment.


There has been a 'proliferation of laws and legal instruments to combat environmental degradation' over the last few decades.1 In spite of this, the state of our environment is dire. We will likely see a global temperature rise of 2.8 °C by the end of this century.2 Humanity is on track to fall short of the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 2 °C (ideally at 1.5 °C).3 Our planet is 'on course to cross multiple dangerous tipping points that will be disastrous'.4 The 'stability and resilience' of natural systems have been compromised.5 How have we reached this catastrophic situation? Why have our numerous environmental laws been unsuccessful in protecting us from it? In Rethinking Environmental Law, Laitos argues that environmental laws—despite representing a concerted and sincere effort on the part of lawmakers to address environmental challenges of the Anthropocene—have failed to avoid this outcome as a matter of their design. This is because, according to Laitos, they have been derived from a 'flawed algorithm'. That is, an erroneous foundational set of assumptions and rules from which laws have been drawn (p. 4). Policies and legal instruments gleaned from this algorithm have failed to ameliorate environmental problems in part because they have been overly 'complex and complicated', necessitating 'layers of administrative enforcement and endless post-hoc judicial interpretation' (pp. 5–6). They have also been predominantly negative in emphasis, using punitive and prohibitive measures to prevent certain activities. The mainstay of environmental law has been imposition of 'top-down commands by legislatures and agencies' onto people. This can be contrasted with approaches wherein pro-environmental choices are driven from the 'bottom-up'; where changes are 'initiated by people and the demands of nature, not by an enormous bureaucratic apparatus' (p. 5). Ground-up initiatives add much of value because, for one thing, they foreground and create space for 'local and collective values' and identities.6 For another, they can forge and reinforce 'pro-environmental'


The high prevalence of chronic diseases, especiallyat cardiovascular level and that of the associated metabolic abnormalities such as obesity and diabetes, are the main causes of the poor quality of lifeand of the high health expenditure that are unfortunately associated with the increased life expectancy of the Western populations. Many scientific evidences have clearly demonstrated that reducing overweight and modifying some dietary habits is a simple and effective way to fight against these diseases, especially if those foods commonly known as typical of the Mediterranean diet, i.e. cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, fish and a fair quantity of red wine, are preferentially consumed.


E. Shapiro and A. Takeuchi, "Object Oriented Programming in Concurrent Prolog," New Generation of Computing, vol. 1, pp. 2548, 1983. This paper is an attempt to provide the functionality of objectoriented programming in a Concurrent Prolog environment. In a Prolog construct of the form A :BI,_Bn is interpreted in a variety of fashions: l) A is true if BI and .... are true: 2) procedural interpretation; and 3) process interpretation (here the form can be thought of as objects). Communication to objects is via the instantiation of shared variables. Some variables are declared as read-only variables. If read-only variables cannot be instantiated, the process suspends itself. The authors define several primitives to facilitate the object-oriented programming. These include guard clauses (acts somewhat like triggers in frames), of objects, and a mechanism to deal with 'incomplete messages.' An incomplete message is one in which there are uninstanitiated variables.


Social media is an efficient way to spread information, given its widespread daily use by the general population. While it has been shown that public health information can be rapidly disseminated, whether the newer social media platform, TikTok, is effective for this purpose has yet to be explored. The goal of this study is to determine the effectiveness of TikTok to educate about bicycle safety. The TikTok account "iBikeSafe" was created to disseminate injury prevention information related to bicycle safety. Data collected was both qualitative (video classification, comment categorization) and quantitative (likes, views, comments). Performance data was compared between TikTok and another video-sharing social media platform (YouTube). Posts that were didactic (or educational) in nature yielded more views, likes, and comments than posts that were fun or casual in nature. Almost half (46%) of comments made by users on iBikeSafes TikTok videos were made to constructively further the discussion and to educate others with accurate injury prevention information. Five of the six videos that were adapted from the iBikeSafe YouTube channel for use on TikTok garnered exponentially more views on TikTok (from 118% to 2057%) than on YouTube, despite having less followers/subscribers (759 TikTok vs. 977 YouTube) and being in existence for less time (11 months vs. 8 years). TikTok is an effective platform for injury prevention education. Didactic posts best provide users with the ability to engage with content and to discuss takeaways, while fun posts keep users active within the platform. Both educational and fun types of videos play an integral role in the effective use of this platform for bicycle safety education. Consideration should be taken into account for the appropriate ratio of didactic vs. fun posts for information dissemination in any public health educational campaign making use of this platform.


(English) is the language of our intellectual make-up — like Sanskrit or Persian before — but not of our emotional make-up. We are all instinctively bilingual, many of us writing in our own language and in English. We cannot write like the English. We should not. We cannot write only as Indians. We have grown to look at the large world as part of us. Our method of expression therefore has to be a dialect which will someday prove to be distinctive and colorful as the Irish or the American. Time alone will justify it.


The research is devoted to particularities of cognitive styles of schizophrenes. The fields «dependence/ independence», «reflexion/impulsivity» and other cognitive styles are examined as components of psychical adaptation.


The goal of this paper is to prove Bloch's conjecture for the numerical Godeaux surface constructed by P. Craighero and R. Gattazzo.


In cultures around the world and at different times within the same culture, the freedom allowed women to accept or refuse a marriage proposal differs markedly. The distinguished Kenyan novelist, Ngugi wa Thiong'O, was imprisoned for a year after the performance by peasants and workers of his coauthored play in Gikuyu, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). Even in present-day Nepal, upper-caste Brahmin marriages are arranged by elaborate negotiations between the two families. The bride and groom are not supposed even to have seen one another, except by way of complex indirections, before the wedding ceremony.1 Henry James's The Awkward Age (originally published in Harper's Weekly, 189899) records a transitional moment between Victorian and modem assumptions about marriage in Western culture. The heroine, Nanda Brookenham, is rendered unmarriageable,


Damintun Sag is a hydrocarbon-rich Cenozoic sag developed on a pre-Paleogene base,0.32 billion tons petroleum were found till 2007.Paleogene is the main oil-producing and target layers.According to the tectonic evolution and characteristics of strata and deposition in Damintun Sag,by using drilling cores,cutting logs,well logs and high-resolution 3-D seismic data,2 second-order sequences including 7 third-order sequences were classified in the Paleogene System.By accurate velocity analysis and combination of well and seismic data,a synchronic stratigraphic sequence framework was established,and the main sequence-controlling factors were discussed.Tectonic subsidence,supply of deposits,lake level fluctuation and climate were considered controlling the formation of sequences,and tectonic subsidence was the main factor.The high-precision sequence classification and the foundation of the synchronic stratigraphic sequence framework are of great significance to the exploration and research of lithological reservoirs in Damintun Sag.


Machine learning (ML) systems have shown great potential for performing or supporting inferential reasoning through analyzing large data sets, thereby potentially facilitating more informed decision-making. However, a hindrance to such use of ML systems is that the predictive models created through ML are often complex, opaque, and poorly understood, even if the programs "learning" the models are simple, transparent, and well understood. ML models become difficult to trust, since lay-people, specialists, and even researchers have difficulties gauging the reasonableness, correctness, and reliability of the inferences performed. In this article, we argue that bridging this gap in the understanding of ML models and their reasonableness requires a focus on developing an improved methodology for their creation. This process has been likened to "alchemy" and criticized for involving a large degree of "black art," owing to its reliance on poorly understood "best practices". We soften this critique and argue that the seeming arbitrariness often is the result of a lack of explicit hypothesizing stemming from an empiricist and myopic focus on optimizing for predictive performance rather than from an occult or mystical process. We present some of the problems resulting from the excessive focus on optimizing generalization performance at the cost of hypothesizing about the selection of data and biases. We suggest embedding ML in a general logic of scientific discovery similar to the one presented by Charles Sanders Peirce, and present a recontextualized version of Peirce's scientific hypothesis adjusted to ML.


Mesoporous Ag1(NH4)2PW12O40 (AgN-PW) was developed by co-doping silver and ammonium ions into phosphotungstic acid as an efficient and stable catalyst for free fatty acid esterification, and its physicochemical properties were derived from X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, N2 adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The final catalyst showed a typical Keggin structure of heteropoly acids. This solid acid exhibited remarkable catalytic activity (nearly 100% conversion) in the esterification of oleic acid with methanol for biodiesel production under optimum synthesis conditions. Furthermore, due to the high activity presented in various esterifications of free fatty acids and non-edible oils with high acid values, the mesoporous AgN-PW material was proven to be an environmentally friendly catalyst for industrial biodiesel production.


The state of North Carolina is one of few states in the South in which two large districts committed to desegregating schools in the early 1970s. However, the state's two largest districts, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools (CMS) and Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) have experienced ups and downs in their policy commitment to desegregated schools. This article utilizes a cross-case policy analysis to examine levels of segregation in CMS and WCPSS over a 10-year period. In addition, the authors examine school finance data to determine whether district spending and local and federal contributions have an effect on student outcomes in CMS and WCPSS. The authors also compare district outcomes against the backdrop of student assignment policy within each district. Findings indicate that despite spending mechanisms, both districts have become more segregated over time and that the achievement gap has narrowed between the districts' students.


A  release  is  a major  (new  or  upgraded)  version  of  an  evolving  product  characterized  by  a collection of (new, corrected or modified) features. The terms "product release planning" refers to  the  process  of  deciding which  features will  be  offered,  and  if  so,  in which  of  the  future product releases. This  article describes  the Why, What  and How  for  improving  the process of product  release planning.  The  emphasis  is  on  a  systematic  and  transparent  process which  is  combining  the intuition of the human decision‐maker with the capabilities of a process‐centric support tool. Planning for the right feature Features  are  the  "selling  units"  of  a  product.    Failure  to  provide  the  "right"  features  at  the "right" time typically has strong impact on customer satisfaction and consequently on business success. In order to provide the "right" features at the right time, proper understanding of the market  needs  is  required.  This  includes  understanding  stakeholders'  priorities,  i.e.,  how important  the different  features  are  judged by  the different  customers  and  stakeholders.  In case  the  expected  and most  requested  features  are not offered  in  a  release,  the product  is likely  to  fail  in  the market. Systematic  release planning  includes  the analysis of  the customer needs  and provides  a  pathway  to match  these  needs  as well  as  possible with  the  time  and resources available. Decisions studied  in release planning are part of product management, an emerging discipline that aims at  improving the whole process of development ranging from product requirements to design, implementation, product launch, and maintenance In its essence, release planning is the  process  of  defining  the  functionality  of  a  sequence  of  product  releases  as  part  of incremental  development.  Customers  and  stakeholders  are  continuously  asking  for  more features or revision of existing ones. But: Which ones to finally select for the next release and why? And: Which  features are not attractive enough and are better  left out  (or postponed)?. These and other questions are addressed by the release planning process. This article is partially based on content that is described in more detail in the authors recent book [Ruhe '10] Release  planning  is  illustrated  in  Figure  1.  Release  k  accommodates  a  collection  of  features taken  from the original  feature data base.  [Wiegers  '03] defines a product  feature as a set of logically related requirements that provide a capability to the user and enable the satisfaction of business objectives. More and more features are added in subsequent releases called k, k+1 and k+2.


In the current study, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the Anah Formation have been investigated.The study area is located in the Sulaimanyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Northeast Iraqwhere the Darzila section hasbeen sampled. Twenty-five species of larger foraminifera and skeletal fragments of coral, echinoid spine, pelecypods,and gastropods are described in seven samples collected from the Darzila section. Based on the distribution of the larger-benthic foraminifera andother skeletal grains, two assemblage biozones of the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene age have been recognized. According to the paleoecological parameters,such as temperature, nutrients, depth, and salinity in the study area, the Anah Formation hasdeposited the euphotic zone, abundant imperforate foraminifera are present, sub-tropical waters under oligotrophic to mesotrophic middle ramp environment with normal to a higher salinity inner ramp setting and at water depths that ranged from 40 m to 80 m, anda temperature about 18–25ºC.


This paper highlights several properties of large urban networks that can have an impact on machine learning methods applied to traffic signal control. In particular, we note that the average network flow tends to be independent of the signal control policy as density increases past the critical density. We show that this property, which so far has remained under the radar, implies that no control (i.e. a random policy) can be an effective control strategy for a surprisingly large family of networks, especially for networks with short blocks. We also show that this property makes deep reinforcement learning (DRL) methods ineffective when trained under congested conditions, independently of the particular algorithm used. Accordingly, in contrast to the conventional wisdom around learning-based methods promoting the exploration of all states, we find that for urban networks it is advisable to discard any congested data when training, and that doing so will improve performance under all traffic conditions. Our results apply to all possible grid networks thanks to a parametrization introduced here. The impact of the turning probability was found to be very significant, in particular to explain the loss of symmetry observed in the macroscopic fundamental diagram of the networks, which is not captured by existing theories that rely on corridor approximations without turns. Our findings also suggest that supervised learning methods have enormous potential as they require very little examples to produce excellent policies.


Introducing a concept to increase productivity and predict the crops from the diseases. To find the leaf characteristics using image processing to detect the diseases and pests that are present in leaves. In agriculture the main important aspect is to take proper steps to increase the production, which means to know the state of leaves condition in the field. In this undertaking the programmed system recognizes the qualities of the leaves. The programmed leaf attributes recognition is basic one in observing extensive fields of yields, and to naturally distinguish indications of leaf attributes when they show up on takes off. The basic leadership framework uses the picture portrayal and managed classifier of Neural Network. Picture preparing procedures for this sort of choice examination includes preprocessing, highlight extraction and characterization organize. In this procedure, the picture is taken and that can be resized if required the locale of intrigue choice can be performed. Here, shading and surface highlights are extricated from a contribution for organize preparing and grouping. Shading highlights like mean, standard deviation of HSV shading space and surface highlights like vitality, differentiation, homogeneity and connection. The framework will be utilized to order the test pictures naturally to choose leaf attributes. For this approach, programmed classifier Neural Network (NN) is utilized for grouping in light of learning with some preparation tests of that same classification. This system utilizes digression sigmoid capacity as portion work. At long last, the mimicked result demonstrates that utilized system classifier gives least blunder amid preparing and better exactness in order. This helps to read the classifier (Characteristics difference of the input image).By using the Threshold values we can detect the pests/diseases and also helps to give the required data about the diseases, details of pesticides and other like required quantity of the pesticides and displays the present market prices for the selected crop.