Background: Most of the research indicates the requirement for xation since the posterior malleolus
fracture is an intra-articular fracture of the ankle joint. On the best xation strategy, there is not any
consensus in the literature. The study's goal is to evaluate the functional, radiological, and clinical results of low-prole T plate
xation of a posterior malleolus fracture. To evaluate the xation of posterior malleolus fracture w Aim: ith low prole T plate.
Objectives: To investigate the clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes of posterior malleolus fracture xation with plate.
Method: This prospective study comprised 20 patients who visited the orthopaedic department with ankle fractures involving
posterior malleolus fractures. The Haraguchi classication method was used to classify the posterior malleolus fractures using
computed tomography. The posterior malleolus fragment was xed with a T plate using a posterolateral technique. The
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score is used for a follow-up of 24 weeks for clinical assessment.
Results: Most cases presented were in the age range of 31 to 51 years, and out of 20 cases, 80% were of the posterolateral type
and 40% were medial extensions on CT scans. All the cases achieved union, none of the patients had intra-articular defects
after xation. At 24 weeks, the mean AOFAS score was 84.39.75. The outcomes according to the AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot scale
were excellent in 14 (70%) of the cases, good in 5 (25%) of the cases, and fair in 1 (5%) of the case based on the criteria utilised.
Conclusion: To achieve anatomical reduction, absolute stability and rigid xation, direct visualisation of the fracture fragment
with minimal wound complications is needed. These factors all show the benet of xing posterior malleolus fracture with T
plate using a posterolateral approach.


A sensitive procedure for the determination of trace amounts of palladium by enrichment of its acenaphthenequinone dioxime complex on microcrystalline naphthalene is described. The complex adsorbs readily on the naphthalene surfae formed in situ in the pH range 1.5–5.1 after vigorous shaking for a few seconds. The naphthalene-sorbed palladium complex is separated by filtration and dissolved in butylamine-dimethylformamide solution. It is then quantified by flame atomic-absorption spectrophotometry using an air-acetylene flame at 247.6 nm. Beer's law is obeyed for 4–90 µg of palladium in the final 10 ml of butylamine-dimethylformamide solution. The sensitivity for 1% absorption is 0.16 µg ml–1. For ten replicate determinations of 60 µg of palladium the relative standard deviation does not exceed 1.27%. The interferences due to diverse cations and anions have been determined and the use of the procedure has been demonstrated for the determination of palladium in some synthetic alloy samples.


Temperature is one of the main critical factors during fabrication of Indium tin oxide(ITO) film using Rf-magnetron sputtering.The object of our task is to obtain stable film properties with exceptional low resistivity and high ransmittance in the visible and infrared spectrum range.The electrical and optical properties of ITO films are improved by using varied deposition temperature.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) is used to analyze the surface morphology of ITO thin films.It could be found that the grain size of ITO increased with substrate temperature increasing from 50 ℃ to 200 ℃.After post-annealing,the electrical property of multi-crystalline ITO films could be effectively improved.ITO films with the resistivity as low as 2.18×10~(-4) Ω·cm and transparency of 94% at 800 nm are obtained after vacuum annealing at 300 ℃ for 2 h,while deposited at a working pressure 1 Pa,substrate temperature 200 ℃,and input power 200 W.


The main objective of this article was to discuss on microencapsulation in drug delivery system for cancer diagnosis. Microencapsulation is a process by which solids, liquids or even gases may be enclosed in microscopic particles formation of thin coatings of wall material around the substances. To obtain maximum therapeutic efficacy, it becomes necessary to deliver the agent to the target tissue in the optimal amount in the right period of time there by causing little toxicity and minimal side effects. The reasons for microencapsulation are countless. It is mainly used to increase the stability and life of the product being encapsulated, facilitate the manipulation of the product and control its liberation in an adequate time and space. In some cases, the core must be isolated from its surroundings, as in isolating vitamins from the deteriorating effects of oxygen, retarding evaporation of a volatile core, improving the handling properties of a sticky material, or isolating a reactive core from chemical attack. In other cases, the objective is not to isolate the core completely but to control the rate at which it leaves the microcapsule, as in the controlled release of drugs or pesticides. For over a half a century now, microencapsulation and encapsulated products have played a very important role in numerous industries like agriculture, chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and the food industry.


The effects of age, height, and gender on magnetic central and peripheral motor conduction times (CMCT, PMCT) were analyzed using a multiple regression model.


In industry, predictive maintenance has become a strategic concept. Economic interest of online diagnosis of faults in electric machines gave rise to various researches in that field. This paper proposes a local approach to tackle the problem of breaking bars and end-rings of squirrel cage in induction machines based mainly on the signature of the local variables, such as the normal flux density. This allows a finer analysis, by use of a finite element based simulation.


Statistical mechanics involves probabilities. At the same time, most approaches to the foundations of statistical mechanics— programs whose goal is to understand the macroscopic laws of thermal physics from the point of view of microphysics—are classical; they begin with the assumption that the underlying dynamical laws that govern the microscopic furniture of the world are (or can without loss of generality be treated as) deterministic. This raises some potential puzzles about the proper interpretation of these probabilities. & 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. When citing this paper, please use the full journal title Studies in History and Philosophy of


An internal hernia is a protrusion of bowel through a normal or abnormal orifice in the peritoneum or mesentery and the resulting hernia remains intraperitoneal. The para-duodenal type is the most common type of congenital internal hernias. We reported a case of left paraduodenal hernia, who presented with recurrent attacks of severe abdominal pain and occasional vomiting. The case was diagnosed as a left huge paraduodenal hernia, and prepared for a laparoscopic repair after which he made uneventful recovery and remained free of symptoms when he was seen for follow up in surgery outpatient clinic.


As a result of screening of spore-forming bacteria, a B-13186 strain with a wide spectrum of antagonistic activity identified as Brevibacillus laterosporus by the analysis of sequences of variable sites of 16S rRNA was selected. Morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics of the strain were studied. A distinctive feature of the strain is the presence of a canoe-like inclusion formed in sporangia and attached to the mature spore, as well as the ability to synthesize round-shaped crystalline inclusions. The strain was shown to be active against various species of gram-positive bacteria including A search for strains capable of simultaneously producing high amounts of several biologically valuable compounds and/or having high biomass productivity has been carried out. The growth characteristics and biochemical composition of 12 microalgae and cyanobacteria strains from the IPPAS Collection in the exponential and stationary growth phases were studied. All the strains had high growth rates (doubling time 6-22 h). The strains of Cyanobacterium sp. IPPAS B-1200, Chlorella sp. IPPAS C-1210, Nannochloris sp. IPPAS C-1509, Cyanidium caldarium IPPAS P-510 and Vischeria sp. IPPAS H-242 demonstrated the highest biotechnological potential and can be used for the production of various types of biofuel, pigments, feed and food additives, including those with high content of eicosapentaenoic (20:5 Δ5,8,11,14,17) acid content. microalgae, cyanobacteria, biochemical composition, fatty acids, valuable metabolites, growth characteristics This work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation [no. 14-14-00904]


Abstract : With growing awareness of the incremental frequency with which difficulties are encountered in recompression treatment of severely injured patients, and the grossly inadequate decompressions now characterizing the civilian diver casualty population applying to USN recompression facilities, evaluation and clinical trials of therapeutic procedures, alternative to USN treatment tables, were undertaken. These techniques are particularly suitable for recompression management of aviators' dysbarism when descent to sea level has not provided complete palliation. The proportion of good results obtained with initial recompression trials with these procedures has significantly exceeded that obtained in recent years, with the Diving Manual tables, although the current series of 79 cases surpassed comparable casualty groups in average case severity. Hypothetical and practical aspects of the treatment concept and technique are presented, and contraindications noted. There were no adverse responses to the 2.8 atmospheres absolute PO2, and nine normal volunteer subjects showed no impairment of timed vital capacity following test exposures. (Author)


Includes: "The Lament for Arthur Cleary" by Dermot Bolger, "Low in the Dark" by Marina Carr, "Misogynist" by Michael Harding and "The Hamster Wheel" by Marie Jones.


This research departs from the large demands for performance, where universities are expected to be able to produce output from quality performance. Therefore, this study is intended to describe the influence of work attitudes and work culture on performance by being moderated by motivational variables. This research is an empirical study conducted at the Muhammadiyah University of Makassar. As for data collection using survey methods through questionnaires aimed at Muhammadiyah University Makassar lecturers / employees as many as 60 people were selected by purposive sampling. The analytical method used is Multiple MRA (Moderated Regression Analysis). The hypothesis proposed is based on the expectation of the influence of work attitudes and organizational culture on the performance of higher education by being moderated by motivational variables. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant influence between work attitudes and organizational culture on performance. The existence of the moderating variable namely the motivation variable further strengthens the interaction of the influence of work attitude variables on performance, as well as the interaction of the influence of organizational culture variables on performance.


An Euler code has been developed for calculation of noise radiation due to the interaction of a distributed vortex with a Joukowski airfoil. THe time-dependent incompressible flow field is first determined and then integrated to yield the resulting sound production through use of the elegant low-frequency Green's function approach. This code has several interesting numerical features involved in the vortex motion and in continuous satisfaction of the Kutta condition. In addition, it removes the limitations on Reynolds number and is much more efficient than an earlier Navier-Stokes code. Results indicate that the noise production is due to the deceleration and subsequent acceleration of the vortex as it approaches and passes the airfoil. Predicted acoustic levels and frequencies agree with measured data although a precise comparison would require the strength, size, and position of the incoming vortex to be known.


Review(s) of: Crime, culture and violence: Understanding how masculinity and identity shapes offending, by Katie Seidler, Bowen Hills, QLD, Australian Academic Press, 2010.


Aroma flavor-producing substances were extracted from the by-products in liquor-making including yellow water,waste distilled grains and liquor tailings etc.by supercritical CO2 extraction technique.The extract was reused in liquor production to reduce production cost and to improve product quality.The experimental results showed that such technique had the advantages such as high extraction rate,high quality product,high safety,and remarkable social benefits and economic benefits.(Tran.by YUE Yang)


ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important nutrients for barley, and at the same time excessive N fertilization can have a negative impact on the environment. A 2-year field study was conducted with the objective to determine the relationship of N Use Efficiency (NUE) and its components N utilization efficiency (NUtE), and N uptake efficiency (NUpE) with N diagnostic tools N nutrition index (NNI) and chlorophyll meter (CM) readings of barley. CM readings were negatively correlated with NUE and NUpE. NNI varied from 0.79 to 1.00 across years and cultivars. This study provides new information about the effect of N application on NUE and its components and its relationship with CM readings and NNI of barley which can be used for proper N management and protection of the environment.


Cherokee presents a major reorientation of French thinking about the massive influx of American products and culture in the aftermath of World War II. Although a large-scale fear of how these elements would threaten the French Way of Life remained prevalent, the novel maintains that French culture is strong enough not only to absorb these influences, but to rebrand and integrate them into mainstream French culture.


An image management apparatus capable of sharing images taken while protecting the privacy of the subject. A log acquires the shooting-related information acquiring unit that acquires imaging information associated with the image data or the image data obtained by photographing an object, the log data which is information relating to the operation of a predetermined moving object data an acquisition unit, and the image data or the shooting information, and log data, based on, comprises a processing unit for evaluating the relevance of the subject and the moving object, the information processing apparatus is provided. .FIELD 1


(22) Filed: May 31, 2013 Related U.S. Application Data An Image processing device includes: a reading unit to read information stored in a detachable storage medium; a trans (63) Continuation of application No. 1 1/678,692, filed on mission unit to transmit image data outwardly; a determina Feb. 26, 2007, now Pat. No. 8,479,280. tion unit to determine, in a case where the transmission unit O O transmits the image data, whether or not the information (30) Foreign Application Priority Data stored in the detachable storage medium is necessary; and a control unit to execute, in a case where the determination unit Feb. 27, 2006 (JP) ................................. 2006-050744 determines that the information stored in the detachable stor Publication Classification age medium is necessary, control to maintain a state capable of reading the information stored in the detachable storage (51) Int. Cl. medium until the reading unit reads from the detachable H04L 9M32 (2006.01) storage medium the information necessary to transmit the G06F2L/34 (2006.01) image data.


Which uses of historical analogies help us compose an intelligible picture of international relations and which ones mislead us? This paper deals with this question on three levels. First, my epistemological argument makes a case for a rhetorical-pragmatist stance on historical analogies. I contend that critical discussion and adjudication make it possible to extract leads for a better understanding of the world from historical analogies. Second, my methodological argument proposes a frame of guiding questions for such discussions. These address the repertoire from which we select historical interpretations for analogies, the manner in which we interpret them, the similarities and differences between the past and present phenomena that the analogy compares, and the new insights that this comparison generates. Third, I employ these questions to put under scrutiny the historical analogies that the protagonists of the American Empire use to make their case for the supposedly benign American imperialism.


Nicosan (formerly called Niprisan) is a multiple herbal drug that has been approved in Nigeria for the treatment of sickle cell disease. This phytomedicinal-based drug was developed by traditional healers in Nigeria and has recently been the subject of in vitro studies and clinical trials. Nicosan is an extract mixture of four plants, Piper guineenses, Pterocarpus osun, Eugenia caryophyllum, and Sorghum bicolor, which grow wild or are cultivated in West Africa. In this chapter, we will discuss the development history of this herbal drug and its chemical properties.


Since the publication of the writer's "Revision of the Aphelininæ of North America" (Bulletin 1, Technical Series, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, 1895), the discovery of new forms, and especially of new genera, has been of very infrequent occurence. Species have been received from all parts of the world, owing to the extraordinary and world-wide development of interest in scale insects, which are the principal hosts of the Aphelininæ, yet nearly all of the forms thus received have been species already described, which have been carried with their hosts upon live plants to many different regions. It is, therefore, interesting to discover a new genus, even from a country like Chile, whose parasitic Hymenoptera are so little known. A most interesting feature of the discovery is that the new genus was reared from Aspidiotus hederœ (nerii) together with three of the cosmopolitan forms, namely, Aspidiotiphagus citrinus (Craw); Coccophagus immaculatus, How., and Prospalta aurantii, How. The writer is indebted to Mr. Edwyn C. Reed, of Rancagua, Chile, for this sending, as well as for many other favours.


Agriculture and the related primary industry is an increasingly energy demanding sector. Energy is needed to different extent in all the stages of the agri-food chain. In many cases, energy cost may represent a significant proportion of the total agricultural production cost, including the cost of manufacturing and transportation of various chemicals and fertilisers. A modified and standardized energy analysis and benchmarking process is described in this paper. It is shown that energy use in agriculture varies considerably, depending on the cropping enterprise and the farming systems. Opportunities to reduce energy use and costs and greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture are discussed.


Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are intrinsically complex pieces of software in terms of both development and maintenance effort since titles of this game genre demand financial resources in order to provide a computational infrastructure to support their execution. Recent studies point out that MMORPGs are dying. Such hypotheses largely reflect the establishment of a repetitive gameplay format that reduces the interest of players in this genre. That said, it is important to understand and to analyze success cases in order to identify development and content expansion strategies that possibly help to maintain the player community engaged and paying to play the game. In this paper, we propose a methodology to analyze how MMORPG content evolves with time in order to grasp the aforementioned insights. We introduce the concepts of horizontal and vertical growths concerning both level design and game mechanics. Results arising from the application of the proposed approach to the long-living title Ragnarök Online as a case study are also discussed in this work.


Automated Fiber Machines (AFP) can manufacture composite panels with curvilinear fibers. The stiffness of the panel depends on the spatial location. This can be tailored to improve the structural performance. In this work, the buckling performance of composite panels with curvilinear fibers and grid stiffeners is optimized using a genetic algorithm. To this end, the objective is to maximize the critical buckling load. The skin is composed of layers in which the fiber orientation varies along one spatial direction. Two design variables define each unique layer: the fiber angle at the center and side of the panel. The stiffener layout is parametrized by other two design variables, which are the stiffener location and its curvature. Manufacturing constraints in terms of maximum curvature allowable by the AFP machine are imposed for both skin and stiffener fibers. The effect of manufacturing-induced gaps in the laminates is also incorporated. The finite element method is used to perform the buckling analyses. The skin is modeled with shell elements and the stiffeners are idealized by beam elements. The panels are subjected to in-plane compressive loads and shear loads under several boundary conditions. Optimization results show the use of curvilinear fibers for both skin and stiffeners can increase the buckling load. The improvement over the straight fiber design depends on the load case and boundary conditions. The optimization framework developed can help the designer to evaluate in which scenarios grid-stiffened curvilinear fiber composite panels provide the greatest benefit for the critical buckling load.


We studied the distribution of lipid material and organelles in the epidermal layers of toe pads from two species of lizards representing the two main lizard families in which adhesive scansors are found (gekkonids and polychrotids), the dull day gecko, Phelsuma dubia and the green anole, Anolis carolinensis. Although lipids are a conspicuous component of the mesos layer of squamate reptiles and function in reducing cutaneous water loss, their distribution has not been specifically studied in the highly elaborated epidermal surface of adhesive toe pads. We found that, in addition to the typical cutaneous water loss‐resistant mesos and alpha‐layer lipids, the Oberhäutchen (including the setae) on the most exterior layers of the epidermis in P. dubia and A. carolinensis also contain lipid material. We also present detailed histochemical and ultrastructural analyses of the toe pads of P. dubia, which indicate that lipid material is closely associated spatially with maturing setae as they branch during the renewal phase of epidermal regeneration. This lipid material appears associated with the packing of keratin within setae, possibly affecting permeability to water loss in the pad lamella, where the surface area is from 4–60‐fold greater compared with normal scales. J. Morphol., 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Burning mouth syndrome is characterized by a burning sensation in the tongue or other oral sites, usually in the absence of clinical and laboratory findings. BMS often occurs with a range of medical and dental conditions, from nutritional deficiencies and menopause to dry mouth and allergies. The treatment of burning mouth syndrome is usually directed at its symptoms. Studies generally support the use of low dosages of clonazepam chlordiazepoxide and tricyclic antidepressants. This report presents the case of a 55-year-old woman presented to the clinic with burning mouth symptoms. Clinical and laboratory evaluations allowed us to make a diagnosis of burning mouth syndrome. Because she suffered from depression we consulted a psychiatrist and initiated treatment with paroxetin (20 mg/day). After two week the patient reported a 20% improvement (a decrease from seven to five on visual analogical scale). After six weeks of treatmnet the burning symptoms disappeared.


OVER A PERIOD of years many studies in edu cation and psychology have been conducted in which statistical techniques involving the correlation of averages have been employed. Few basic statistical texts have devoted sufficient coverage to the dangers inherent in the use of this technique. A survey of ten basic statistics texts indicated that seven of the ten texts included no cautions concerning the correlating of averages. One of the texts pointed out the possi bility of obtaining coefficients that were spuriously high (2), and two texts emphasized the fact that the correlation among means might actually be reversed in sign from the correlations within the samples (3, 4). Garrett (2), in his treatment of the correlation of averages, cites correlational studies containing state or occupational averages as illustrations of spurious ly high correlations resulting from the canceling out of factors which ordinarily reduce correl ations. There is ample justification for the assumption that, in general, correlations among samples tend to re sult in higher coefficients than correlations with in dividual scores. It is important to note, however, that with certain variables in education the reverse tendency might prevail. This would be particularly true in correlational studies involving teachers' marks. Teachers seem to have a tendency to utilize the class as aframe of reference, so that in a school system in which traditional grading practices are employed, a boy of average intelligence in a bright class will not fare nearly so well as does his counter part in a dull class. Under ordinary circumstances such relativism in grading practices would lead to a situation in which the correlations within classes would be of greater magnitude than the correlation among the classes. This would be particularly true in school systems which feature homogeneous group ing. There is also a distinct possibility that although correlations within classes are positive and high that the correlation among the classes might be negative. Lindquist (4) in his discussion concerning the possi ble reasons for the correlation among the means being negative while correlations within the samples are positive and high, states that such an occurance would be very rare. If the possibility of sucha phen omenon occuring is as rare as Lindquist assumes, there would be little need for extended coverage of


BACKGROUND: Prediabetes prevalence in the world is increasing, and is estimated to reach20.6% in 2025. Prediabetes prevalence in Indonesia is almost double the prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Prediabetes often does not cause symptoms, but has already started to occur with both microvascular and macrovascular complications in some patients. Stress is a disorder of the body and mind caused by changes and demands of life. Stress that occurs at this time, is part of the effects of modern life, and cannot be avoided, both in the work environment, and school, as well as family and society. In the state of stress the secretion of the hormone cortisol increases, which pushes the pancreas to produce insulin, so that there is an increase in blood sugar levels.OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted with the aim to know the relationship of stress level in prediabetes sufferer and know the description of stress level of prediabetes patient in Sleman Yogyakarta area.METHODS: This research was a quantitative studywith a cross sectional design, done in the working area of first health facility of Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. Sampling was done by simple random sampling, and research subjects were patients in the working area of Puskemas in Sleman that fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria then examined.RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was 46.7 years (SD 11.02). The distribution of subjects of the study was 121 females (78.1%), and 34 males (21.9%). Based on a total of 155 respondents, 19 respondents (12.3%) were diagnosed with prediabetes based on TTGO results and 136 people (87.7%) had normal TTGO results. Based on a total of 155 respondents, 69 respondents (47.1%) had a mild stress level, 80 respondents (49%) moderate stress level and 6 respondents (3.9%) had severe stress level. The result of bivariate analysis showed that there was no correlation between stress level and prediabetes occurrence in Sleman Yogyakarta and p = 0.825 (CI 95%: 0.879-1.67) was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Prediabetes prevalence was 12.3% in the study population.CONCLUSSION: There was no correlationbetweenstress level with the occurrence of prediabetes in Sleman Yogyakarta area. Stress levels were moderate among prediabetes sufferers more than mild and severe stress levels.


An image device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to simplify the manufacturing method of image element and to reduce a step height between first to third color filters so that a planarized layer for planarizing the color filters is not formed. An image device includes a first color filter(110) having a first melting temperature, and a second color filter(120) contacting a side of the first color filter and having a second melting temperature lower than the first melting temperature. The second color filter is flush with the first color filter. A third color filter(130) contacts the side of the first color filter, and has a third melting temperature lower than the second melting temperature. The first to third color filters are supported by a pixel array substrate(100), and a micro lens is formed on each of the first to third color filters.


The strategy of system approach contributes to complete reflection of environmental education. Environmental education forms its own system. Environmental education is an integral process it is a continuous process of training, education and development of a person, which is aimed to from ecological word view, ecological perception, activity and behavior, which provide responsible attitude for surrounding social and natural environment and health.


Developing the Nation's discovered oil and gas resources This article begins with a background discussion of the for production is a complex process that is often methods used to estimate proved oil and gas reserves characterized by initial uncertainty as regards the and ultimate recovery, which is followed by a discussion ultimate size or productive potential of the involved of the factors that affect the ultimate recovery estimates reservoirs and fields. Because the geological and of a field or reservoir. Efforts starting in 1960 to analyze hydrological characteristics of the subsurface cannot — and project ultimate resource appreciation are then for the most part — be directly accessed, indirect briefly discussed, as are future directions for research techniques and procedures must be used to develop regarding the analysis and projection of ultimate estimates of the size and recoverability of these recovery appreciation. The terms "estimated ultimate discovered resources. While new or improved recovery" and "ultimate recovery appreciation" are used technologies that allow more accurate assessment of the throughout the article. They are defined as follows: involved parameters have, over time, lessened some of the risks associated with the in-field exploration and "Estimated ultimate recovery" (EUR) is the sum development process, significant uncertainties of the estimate of proved reserves at a specific nevertheless remain. Estimates of proved reserves and time and cumulative production up to that time. ultimate recoveries during the early years of a field's or a reservoir's productive life span are, as a result, "Ultimate recovery appreciation" (URA) is the generally conservative. generally observed increase of EUR over time. 1 Estimates of the volumes that will ultimately be produced from reservoirs and fields tend on average to increase substantially over time. Rather than the discovery of new fields, it is this phenomenon — the increase of estimates of ultimate recovery from a field or group of fields over time due to the extension of proved reservoir area(s), in-field discovery of one or more new reservoirs, and several other factors - - that accounts for the majority of both current domestically-sourced oil and gas supplies and current additions to domestic proved oil and gas reserves. This phenomenon is often called "reserves growth," a colloquial label which is not accurately descriptive of what is actually happening. 2 This article therefore uses the older, more accurate label "ultimate recovery appreciation" (URA) to refer to the phenomenon.


Achieving a reasonable homogeneity of the coating deposition rate within a low-pressure plasma process is a challenge, especially in large volume chambers. The local gas flow behavior is one key parameter in the coating deposition. Basically, with the exception of the product geometry and the electrode design, there are two main influences on the gas flow distribution inside a large volume chamber: 1) gas feed-in system and 2) gas exhaustion system. This work focuses on the gas exhaustion system with the aim to reduce its influence on the gas flow behavior inside a large plasma coater. In this sense, a solution with a perforated plate, named "Baffle-Plate", is created. Thereby relevant construction parameters are identified and investigated to understand their influence in respect to the homogeneity of the gas exhaustion. Number of holes, hole diameter, distance of the Baffle-Plate to the top of the chamber, gas flow and chamber volume are evaluated parameters. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used as a tool to determine velocity and pressure distribution inside the PECVD-chamber and, consequently, to evaluate the layout parameters of the Baffle-Plate. Additionally, practical coating experiments with and without the Baffle-Plate installed are performed. The results show a correlation between the gas flow distribution and the homogeneity of the coating deposition rate. With these results construction guidelines have been formulated. Hence in future developments correct technical layouts of the Baffle-Plate can be applied, easily.


With 5G set to arrive within the next three years, this next-generation of mobile networks will transform the mobile industry with a profound impact both on its customers as well as on the existing technologies and network architectures. Software-Defined Networking (SDN), together with Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), are going to play key roles for the operators as they prepare the migration from 4G to 5G allowing them to quickly scale their networks. This dissertation will present a research work done on this new paradigm of virtualized and programmable networks focusing on the performance management, supervision and monitoring domains, aiming to address Self-Organizing Networks (SON) scenarios in a NFV/SDN context, with one of the scenarios being the detection and prediction of potential network and service anomalies. The research work itself was done while participating in a R&D project designated SELFNET (A Framework for Self-Organized Network Management in Virtualized and Software Defined Networks) funded by the European Commission under the H2020 5G-PPP programme, with Altice Labs being one of the participating partners of this project. Performance management system advancements in a 5G scenario require aggregation, correlation and analysis of data gathered from these virtualized and programmable network elements. Both opensource monitoring tools and customized catalog-driven tools were either integrated on or developed with this purpose, and the results show that they were able to successfully address these requirements of the SELFNET project. Current performance management platforms of the network operators in production are designed for non virtualized (nonNFV) and non programmable (non-SDN) networks, and the knowledge gathered while doing this research work allowed Altice Labs to understand how its Altaia performance management platform must evolve in order to be prepared for the upcoming 5G next generation mobile networks.


IN A recent study (Tepperman and Tepperman, 1947) it was found that the treatment of immature rats with a commercial gonadotrophin of pituitary origin (Gonadophysin) resulted in an accumulation of cholesterol ester in the testis. Chorionic gonadotrophin (CG) had no such effect, but, in animals primed with Gonadophysin, treatment with chorionic gonadotrophin resulted in a diminution in testis cholesterol ester associated with a marked enhancement of androgen output. Since Gonadophysin produced a marked increase in testis weight and comparatively small changes in seminal vesical weight, it was regarded as predominantly FSH. Chorionic gonadotrophin powerfully stimulated androgen production and the authors, in common with other workers (for example, see Burrows, 1949) believed that the terms "chlorionic gonadotrophin," "LH," and "ICSH" were virtually interchangeable designations in the male animal. The design of, the studies reported in 1947, then, was based on these evaluations of the only preparations avail...


Received ; accepted – 2 – ABSTRACT We present the results of the detailed surface photometry of a sample of early–type galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field. Effective radii, surface brightnesses and total which are compared with the predictions of chemical-spectrophotometric models of population synthesis. Spectroscopic redshifts are available for 23 objects. For other 25 photometric redshifts are given. In the < µ e >–r e plane the early–type galaxies of the HDF, once the appropriate K + E corrections are applied, turn out to follow the 'rest frame' Kormendy relation. This evidence, linked to the dynamical information gathered by Steidel et al. (1996), indicates that these galaxies, even at z ≃ 2 − 3, lie in the Fundamental Plane, in a virial equilibrium condition. At the same redshifts a statistically significant lack of large galaxies (i.e. with log r kpc e > 0.2) is observed.


Abstract On April 28, 1980, TIROS I obtained pictures of an exceedingly sharp-edged cloud deck over the Pacific Ocean west of Chile, of cirrus associated with the jet stream on the west coast of South America, and of a mature cyclone in the central South Atlantic. Surface, upper-air, and cross section analyses are presented and compared with pictured cloud features. Because of the wide spacing of the data, the locations of double jet streams had to be deduced by examining the horizontal temperature gradients associated with Northern Hemisphere jets and assuming that the same general relation holds in the Southern Hemisphere. An operational surface analysis is shown to be inconsistent with the pictured data in the oceanic region where the analysis was based on a single ship report. A modification of the analysis is suggested to illustrate the potential of meteorological satellite data in data-sparse regions.


Lipton Diet Decaf Instant Tea Mix, Lemon 3-Ounce (Pack of 6) see review, you will get discount or special price this product


Piero Giordanetti's book is a vigorous effort to overturn this negative view. In addition, he proposes a reconstruction of Kant's musical aesthetics by delving into his unpublished remarks generally known as Reflexionen. He also places Kantian musical aesthetics in its historical-theoretical context, which leads him to discuss the influence that Leonhard Euler and Pietro Verri, for example, may have had on Kant.


The prevalence and common clinical manifestations of the mitochondrial DNA 3243A > G mutation in children in a defined population in Finland were studied at the Universities of Oulu and Turku and other centers.


In this talk I summarize a part of the work done in a recent collaboration with C. Burgess, J. Cline, D. London and E. Nardi \cite{b96}. We analyze the observed discrepancy between $R_b(\equiv\gb /\ghad )$ as measured at LEP and its standard model value for signals of new physics. The focus is thereby put on new physics that manifests itself through heavy quark mixing. Heavy quark mixing affects the measured value of $R_b$ in two ways: at tree level (bottom mixing) and at one-loop level (top mixing). One finds that whereas the latter cannot account for the deviation, bottom mixing can in principle do the job.


Provenance tests of 6 exotic pines were conducted in Nanhai Forest Farm in Huilai county by using Hepu slash pine as control group.Through analyses of growth of 18-year-old experiment forest,result shows that:better provenances than control are Pinus caribacavar Hondurensis(No.4),Pinus caribacavar Hondurensis(No.3),Pinus caribacavar Caribaea(No.5) and Pinus caribacavar Caribaea(No.1).Their timber volume is 116.6%,86.2%,50.8% and 41.8% respectively more higher than that of control.Their wind resistance and preserving rate are better than that of the others.Then,the 4 provenances are adapt to grow on fixed sand.


Recent advances in genomics, proteomics, and biotechnology have provided unprecedented opportunities for translational research and personalized medicine. The data that can currently be gathered from human bio-specimens can be used to detect diseases and identify molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Thus, high-quality specimens annotated with relevant clinical information and collected with scrupulous attention to ethical, legal, and social concerns are integral to reliability of study results.


SUMMARY This paper aims to clarify the properties of the ordering systems of the international co-operative knockdown production systems (ICKDPS) for mutual country's development. The ICKDPS consists of a three-stage production, inventory and transportation system. Two types of ordering models based on the pull-type ordering system are formulated, and the relations between the transportation lead time and variations of ordering quantity and inventory quantity are analysed in an attempt to improve the productivity and reliability of the ICKDPS.


Abstract One hundred seventy-eight grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were stocked in seven ponds and evaluated as game fish based on catchability and organoleptic properties. In over 427 hours fishing with four types of baits, only nine fish were hooked and two landed. Organoleptic properties of grass carp were generally acceptable to a 28-member taste panel; the species was significantly less preferred (5% level) to channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), but not to bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) or largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Indications are the grass carp has limited potential as a game fish in East Tennessee ponds.


Background More than 88 million Americans are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The National Diabetes Prevention Program's Lifestyle Change Program (DPP LCP) has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of progressing from prediabetes to T2DM. However, most individuals who could benefit from the program do not enroll. Objective The aim of this trial is to test the real-world efficacy of 3 mobile phone–based approaches to increasing enrollment in the DPP LCP including a best-practice condition and 2 novel approaches. Methods We will conduct a 3-armed randomized clinical trial comparing enrollment and 1-month engagement in the DPP LCP among adults with prediabetes from 2 health care settings. Participants in the best-practice condition will receive SMS-based notifications that they have prediabetes and a link to a website that explains prediabetes, T2DM, and the DPP LCP. This will be followed by a single question survey, "Would you like the DPP LCP to call you to enroll?" Participants in the 2 intervention arms will receive the same best-practice intervention plus either 2 mobile 360° videos or up to 5 brief phone calls from a health coach trained in a motivational coaching approach known as Motivation and Problem Solving (MAPS). We will collect measures of diabetes-related knowledge, beliefs in the controllability of risk for T2DM, risk perceptions for T2DM, and self-efficacy for lifestyle change pre-intervention and 4 weeks later. The primary outcomes of the study are enrollment in the DPP LCP and 4-week engagement in the DPP LCP. In addition, data on the person-hours needed to deliver the interventions as well as participant feedback about the interventions and their acceptability will be collected. Our primary hypotheses are that the 2 novel interventions will lead to higher enrollment and engagement in the DPP LCP than the best-practice intervention. Secondary hypotheses concern the mechanisms of action of the 2 intervention arms: (1) whether changes in risk perception are associated with program enrollment among participants in the mobile 360° video group and (2) whether changes in self-efficacy for lifestyle change are associated with program enrollment among participants in the MAPS coaching group. Finally, exploratory analyses will examine the cost effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions. Results The project was funded in September 2020; enrollment began in February 2021 and is expected to continue through July 2022. Conclusions We are conducting a test of 2 novel, scalable, mobile phone–based interventions to increase enrollment in the DPP LCP. If effective, they have tremendous potential to be scaled up to help prevent T2DM nationwide. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04746781; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04746781 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/28884


In this paper, characterization of log-periodic fractal Koch antenna in series iteration and equipped with balance-unbalance (balun) unit is investigated numerically and experimentally. The proposed antenna which is deployed an FR-4 Epoxy dielectric substrate using printed-antenna techniques is designed based on Koch fractal geometry in series iteration to minimize its transversal dimension. Since the proposed antenna is a balanced antenna type, then it requires a balun circuit to be available being fed from a coaxial type transmission line. Prior to realization and experimental characterization, some basic antenna parameters including VSWR, impedance characteristic, gain, and radiation pattern are investigated numerically to obtain the optimum architectural design. Moreover, the number of antenna elements as well as the effect of balun unit is also analyzed numerically. From the result, it shows that the proposed antenna has a dimension of 120mm x 150mm, working bandwidth from 0.7GHz–2.6GHz for VSWR 1.6GHz.


Ultrahigh-speed wavelength-division-multiplexing transmission at 5times320 Gb/s/single channel is successfully demonstrated over 525 km using time-domain optical Fourier transformation (OFT). The modulation format is optical time-division multiplexing/differential phase-shift keying. We first suppressed signal distortions by using dispersion management and principal state of polarization launch, where the power penalty was 3.3-4.2 dB. Then, by further applying OFT, the transmission performance was greatly improved, in which a power penalty as small as 1.3-2.1 dB was achieved for all channels without using forward-error correction.


A method for forming a semiconductor structure and to a transistor, wherein the method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate by chemical oxidation process forming a first dielectric layer on the semiconductor substrate surface; said first medium a surface layer forming a high-K dielectric layer; after forming a high-K dielectric layer, performing a first thermal annealing, removing the first dielectric layer, said first thermal anneal gas is nitrogen; after the first thermal annealing , a second thermal annealing, forming a second dielectric layer between the high-K dielectric layer and the semiconductor substrate, said second thermal annealing gas is nitric oxide. High-K dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer formed dense, fewer defects, so that the performance of the transistor is formed is improved.


In this paper we introduced a novel Linear Programming framework to model sensor network lifetime when data reduction through compression is utilized. Comparative analysis of three data compression and forwarding strategies show that neither data compression nor flow balancing can achieve the maximal possible sensor network lifetime when optimized independently. The comparisons reveal that jointly optimizing data compression and load balancing results in up to an order of magnitude longer network lifetimes than nonoptimized data compression and load balancing. 1. Giri�


Shorewatch is a citizen science project, managed by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), that records the occurrence of cetaceans during regular, standardized watches from a series of locations along the coast of Scotland (United Kingdom). Observer training and a clearly defined protocol help deliver a valuable source of information about cetacean occurrence and activity along the coast. Between 2005–2018, over 52000 watches generated over 11000 sightings of at least 18 cetacean species. Generalized Additive Models based on sightings for the five most commonly sighted species (bottlenose dolphin, harbor porpoise, minke whale, Risso's dolphin, and common dolphin), at those sites with the longest time series, demonstrated seasonal, geographical and year-to-year differences in their local occurrence and relative abundance. Bottlenose dolphins are mainly present at observation sites located on the east coast of Scotland, being uncommon on the west coast, while harbor porpoise and minke whale are principally present at sites located on the west coast. The seasonality observed in cetacean occurrence is consistent with peak abundance in summer months described by previous studies in the area. Mean depth around the observation sites is the static variable that apparently has the greatest influence on species presence and number of sightings, except for Risso's dolphin. All the species except bottlenose dolphin showed upward trends in occurrence and number of sightings over the period 2012–2018. Evidence of temporal autocorrelation was found between results from consecutive watches at the same site on the same day as well as between results from consecutive days at the same site. The power to detect declines in local abundance over a 6-year period depends on the underlying sighting rate of each cetacean species, the number of watches performed and the rate of decline. Simulations performed to determine the power to detect a decline suggest that the current intensity of observation effort in some observation sites, of about 2500 watches per year, may offer good prospects of detecting a 30% decline of the most frequently sighted species (95% of the time) over a 6-year period, although a more even distribution of observation effort in space and time is desirable. The data could potentially be used for monitoring and 6-yearly reporting of the status of cetacean populations.


Abstract : The problems associated with the control of large intelligent space structures with many sensors and actuators has previously led to the development of a hierarchic control architecture. This control arrangement consists of a two level combination of a centralized global controller and a set of local controllers which are distributed to complement the dynamic behavior of the structure. Four decentralized control methodologies which are suitable for implementation at the lower level of the hierarchic architecture are developed and analyzed in this thesis. The first design only allows colocated feedback. The second design allows feedback from within a region of the structure. The third allows communication between adjacent local controllers so that information from neighboring regions can be used for the feedback. The last employs a distributed implementation of the full state feedback. The simulation results for the control of a long beam in bending show that employing the more complicated decentralized designs at the lower level of the hierarchic architecture will slightly improve the overall performance. However, the implementation costs for these more sophisticated designs are shown to increase dramatically. The most efficient hierarchic design for this beam example is one which combines a good flobal design with a simple colocated feedback. This conclusion may change for structures which require more performance at the local level. Keywords: Active control; Distributed; Hierarchic control; Local control designs.


On a blog entitled "Pandemic", I suppose I should be proud to say I may have helped to "infect" it with some #Indieweb goodness?!


The study was conducted to know the heart rot infestation status of Pasur ( Xylocarpus mekongensis ), trees in the Sundarbans. The tree species is affected by heart rot problem locally known as "dhor". The study showed the highest incidences at Kalabogi (64%) followed by 62% at Bojboja and lowest 17% at Supati (Fresh water zone). It is characterized by the gradual death of the crown, starting first with small twigs and then gradually larger branches die. This is a great loss to the forest ecosystem and the country.


With the development of commodity economy and improvement of public aesthetic standard,packing design has been attracted by all walks of life.The visual sense brought by information transmission and format composition are being discussed and researched by designers and consumers more than one times.This article analyzed the artistic charm of blank space in modern packing design.


Background: Focal firing sources derived from the pulmonary vein (PV) have been suggested to be necessary for the initiation and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it has also been ...


NO 2 detected experimentally in many combustion processes has been considered as a result of a 'quenching effect', not as being formed in combustion processes themselves. With a radiative burner generating a laminar one-dimensional premixed combustion flame, a remarkable NO 2 -peak was measured directly above the burner surface. Extensive theoretical investigations were performed based on this phenomenon by means of a Chemkin program Premix as well as the Glarborg-Hadvig or Miller-Baumen reaction mechanism, also considering measuring errors of the sampling system including 'quenching effect'. Results show that the four NO 2 -related reactions in Chemkin code and their kinetic data are not adequate for quantitative simulation of the NO 2 -profile in the combustion process; and that the reaction responsible for the 'quenching effect' is not sufficient to explain the measured NO 2 -peak at the radiative burner. Through those discussions and further experimental results it can be concluded that there must be other mechanisms of NO 2 formation in the flame which are until now not understood.


... The account of ·the post-independence period in Prof. Misra's treatment is a picture of limping local governments and preponderance of wily politicians more interested in private gains than public welfare (see PP• 341 an~ 346). The bureaucracy is credited with 'administrative skill' and 'functional expertise' (p.341). Local governments are, by contrast, 'caste-ridden' and 'backwardlooking'. Politics, to Prof. Misra, epitomises irrationality, as it "filters down to the rational level of administration" (p.380). No doubt, a naive expression of a belief in politics-free national bureaucracy! At another place, Prof. Misra seems to have been championing the cause of local government and advocating the supremacy of the elected element vis-a-vis. the district collector (p.326). There is thus an ambivalence in Prof, Misra'a historiography as he swings between twp opposites bureaucratic field administration and democratic local government. To sum up, it is a great book by one of our eminent social historians depicting the entire panorama of district administration as it had been evolving during the long course of British rule in this country. History is a historian's forte. So Pr~f. Misra excels in this part. The post-independence phase la, by contrast, hurriedly surveyed and contains a strange mixture of documented 'facts' and personal 'opin.ion'. To err is human, as the proverb goes; but the commentator can never have the requisite divinity to forget!


The impact of two-phase flow onto the flux of the permeate in microfiltration of two sorbents-Bentonite and Lewatit S1468-with and without adsorbed zinc, was examined. Two different types of membrane, single-and multi-channel, based on I±-Al2O3, were used. In single-channel membrane application of aeration increased the permeate flux by 13 and 29% without adsorbed zinc and by 22 and 25% with adsorbed zinc for Bentonite suspension and by 4 and 5.5% both with and without adsorbed zinc for Lewatit S1468 compared to single-phase (without aeration) flow at 1.4 and 2.2 m s-1 of the gaseous phase rate, respectively. In multi-channel membrane the permeate flux increased not significantly without adsorbed zinc and by 22 and 25% with adsorbed zinc for Bentonite and by 12 and 13% without adsorbed zinc and not significantly with adsorbed zinc for Lewatit S1468 at 0.4 and 1.1 m s-1 of the gaseous phase rate, respectively.


The temperature‐dependent endogenous metabolism model of single species continuous culture dynamics is utilized in the computer simulation of the Kalman filter state estimation technique. Parameters of the nonlinear equations can be "tracked" while variance in measured states can be damped. The state estimator is illustrated in, the context of conventional control strategies.


In current Spanish political discourse, claims to victim status are uniquely persuasive, particularly when they involve political violence. As such, victims constitute a paradoxical source of power. Configured as the site of noble and heroic resistance against assaults on democracy, victimhood has taken on the status of an "empty signifier" (in the sense of Laclau and Mouffe's now classic formulation1) which vying political factions scramble to define on their own terms and thus to use as a means of disqualifying opponents' agendas. Indeed, the figure of the victim is mobilized almost universally in Spain, not only by those claiming to speak on behalf of the victims of ETA, but also through the recent flurry of "victim testimonies" of the Spanish Civil War,2 the political mobilization of the recently excavated mass graves from those years, and even suspected ETA members' public denunciations of police torture and the self-victimization of convicted prisoners' high-profile hunger strikes. After the Madrid bombings of March 2004, the battle to assign a political meaning to the lot of victims (to scavenge the symbolic spoils of political violence) was so fierce that the visibly exasperated spokesperson for the Asociacion de Afectados por el n-M, Filar Manjon, voiced an impassioned indictment against politicians and pundits for having "utilizado [a las victimas] como arma arrojadiza" and "con fines partidistas."3 What appeared to truly trouble Manjon was how the impression of compassion and goodness garnered from alliances with victims can sometimes be disingenuous, if not downright dehumanizing. She was right.Still, the discourse of victimhood is so ubiquitous that a reasonable response to Manjon would be that, nowadays, one can only enter the political sphere by speaking through the victim of one form of political violence or another. For politics in Spain presents itself as an imagined dispute among victims, at times resembling a competition to pile up dead bodies and leave them at an opponent's doorstep, and other times a morbid theater of ventriloquists-or, in the words of the leader of Spain's right-wing Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, a "guerra de esquelas."4 Competing modes of enshrinement and moral traps built around victims seek to outdo one another in an ongoing negotiation of what Judith Butler, in a different context, recently called a public "hierarchy of grief" (32). This article does not purport to endorse a specific group of victims as such or to propose a more proper ranking based on academic argumentation. Nor do I wish simply to accuse an entire country of practicing "victimism" as Charles Sykes did in A Nation of Victims, his influential commentary on culture in the U.S. Instead, my goal is to interrogate the symbolic mechanisms by which, again following Butler, "a life becomes, or fails to become, a publicly grievable life," and to question how and why a victim is constituted as such and made to act as "an icon of national self-recognition" (34).Since some of the lives that are becoming publicly grievable in Spain date back to the Civil War, this article inevitably touches on the hot button issue of "historical memory."5 Leftists as well as Basque and Catalan nationalists in Spain increasingly insist-and rightly so, I think-upon the need to unearth (sometimes literally) information and evidence about the atrocities committed and concealed by the Franco regime and, to a lesser extent, by the current constitutional monarchy. Important historical, archaeological, and forensic work has made great strides in this direction.6 Given that the project of historical memory has blossomed in the context of a media obsession with the "lucha contra el terrorismo," though, it is important to be conscious that those killed, wounded, tortured, and imprisoned by Nationalist violence and postwar repression, as they become publicly constituted as victims, implicitly enter into an imagined dialogue with the victims of ETA. …


Dear Editor in ChiefNon-communicable diseases are the major cause of death in the world. The latest report from the WHO about the status of non-communicable diseases in the world showed that about 28 million of the 58 million global deaths in 2012 are related to non-communicable diseases. It is worth noting from which 16 million deaths occurred among ages under 70 years. In addition, about 82% of premature deaths in developing countries occur due to non-communicable diseases (1).Cancers, are among non-communicable diseases that as the second leading cause of death in developed countries, and the third cause of death in developing countries (such as Iran), lead to death of a large population annually. Forecasts indicate that, by 2030, the number of deaths resulting from cancer in the world, increase by 45% )2).One of the problems of medical science in the face of a variety of non-communicable diseases (including cancer) is early detecting them, because in the late diagnosis, the disease becomes chronic and the probability of successful treatment decreases. Diagnostic tests in addition to imposing a large financial burden on the governments and families sometimes take much time.In recent years the use of advanced statistical models to predict diseases in the health sector significantly increased, among which a variety of advanced regression models and artificial neural network models can be noted. Hidden Markov Model, is among statistical models developed in recent years as an excellent model used in the field of detection and prognosis of various diseases (such as breast cancer, Parkinson, infections, cardiovascular diseases, etc.). The Hidden Markov Model offers the highest possible resolution to the existing mathematical and statistical models in all cases. Strong mathematical structure embedded in the model, has led to the high accuracy, therefore, it has great popularity to the point that some experts have named it as Physician Assistant System (3-9).This model enjoys a learning memory, in the beginning, receives, and processes the previous referrals' data and their final experiments results to obtain client information. Then, depending on the outcome of the tests, classifies information in the memory. After a short time, the intended model with investigating complex relationship between the variables is trained quite accurately.Then to provide new referrals' information and experiments to model, by comparing information in the memory, it will predict the best and most accurate way to predict the results of the tests. Since, doing all of the tests for the disease is timeconsuming and costly, the model can predict the ultimate outcome of the tests by accepting the minimum information of people in the shortest possible time. In short, using the mentioned model in order to diagnose a variety of non-communicable diseases can significantly reduce the costs of the health system. …


Seminar series can address cutting-edge topics not covered in existing courses, but it is time-consuming for interaction between students in large-enrolled seminars. To promote student interaction without compromising course goals, a large blended seminar series course was designed by combining traditional offline lectures and online discussions for Educational Technology Frontiers course. The study collected posts from online discussion forums. Social network analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze students' interaction. The study also conducted three surveys to investigate students' perceptions of course success on the aspects of subject understanding and active learning. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine significant differences of students' subject understanding before and after class. Descriptive statistics were used to explore students' active learning. The results showed that the course promotes students to participate in interaction and students show a high level of enthusiam in interaction. The study also documented a strong and positive influence on students' perceptions of their subject understanding and active learning. INTRODUCTION A seminar course can address topical areas considered essential elements of the curricula that do not easily fit with any existing courses (Romanelli, 2008). Further, research shows that seminars encourage students' development of interpersonal communication skills (Popovich, & Jackson, 2004), improve student satisfaction (Porter & Swing, 2006), and enhance students' development of self-efficacy (Popovich, Katz, Iramaneerat, & Smith, 2007). However, the classroom discussion and interpersonal interactions are a practical challenge for course design. Students' interaction in seminars is a time-consuming task, and it is greatly influenced by the amount of quality time (Popovich, & Jackson, 2004). Recently, professors have used online discussion forums (ODFs) to supplement classes (Alzahrani, 2017) and to facilitate social interaction among students (Cho, & Tobias, 2016). Online discussion allows time for learners to reflect and respond to issues being discussed (Havard, Du, & Olinzock, 2005), which promotes student understanding of a topic (Cho, & Tobias, 2016). Further supporting the value of ODFs, research shows that most students like the atmosphere of peer discussion outside of class (Dao, & Zhu, 2014) . Students' interaction in large-enrolled seminar course is limited. BL in seminar course is highly effective (Extavour & Allison, 2018). Combining the advantages of seminars and online discussions, we designed a blended-learning seminar series course (BSSC) to promote interaction among students, which combined largeenrolled offline lectures and online discussions in a seminar series on the course of Educational Technology Frontiers. The stdudy is to explore the interaction among students and the overall perceptions of course success of the students who participated in the BSSC. Three research questions of the study are specified as follows: • How do students interact in a BSSC? TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – July 2019, volume 18 issue 3 Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 89 • What level of enthusiam for participation in interaction do students show in a BSSC? • Is there a change and if so how do students perceive the BSSC success on the aspects of subject understanding and active learning? LITERATURE REVIEW BLENDED LEARNING (BL) Learning is developed through interactions (Vygotsky, 1978). Online discussion promotes the communication and collaboration among students (Al-Ibrahim & Al-Khalifa, 2015). It provides authentic learning opportunities that are not readily available in a classroom setting. BL refers to the integration of such online communication into courses (Alzahrani, 2017; Extavour & Allison, 2018). BL can improve students' flexibility in learning and encourages interaction among students (Ellaway & Masters, 2008). Research on BL shows that it promotes student learning, especially facilitating students' interaction with peers (Extavour & Allison, 2018). Course designers have taken several approaches to designing seminars that use BL. Roseth et al. (2013) blended synchronous face-to-face and computer-supported cooperative learning in a doctoral seminar. Meretsky and Woods (2013) designed a seminar combining students, remote experts, and practitioners together via a virtual space, which helped students gain additional insight into their field of practice. STUDENTSTUDENT INTERACTION Student-student interaction plays a vital role in learning (Jacobs & Ward, 2000; Sher, 2009), supporting maximal achievement, socialization, and healthy development (Johnson, 1981). They are also significant contributors to student satisfaction (Sher, 2009) and perceptions of course effectiveness (Flottemesch, 2000). Many researchers have found that online discussion enhanced students' learning and facilitated their interaction (An, Shin, & Lim, 2009; Hew & Cheung, 2013; Hrastinski, 2008). Social network analysis (SNA) is often used to analyze the networks of student interaction. It's an effective method to analyze interaction among students in ODFs (eg. Zheng & Warschauer, 2015; Suraj & Roshni, 2016). STUDENT PERCEPTIONS Prior research has demonstrated that student perceptions can be both reliable and predictive of learning (Wallace, Kelcey, & Ruzek, 2016). Further, students' perceptions shape their learning motivations (Spearman & Watt, 2013). Research on students' perceptions of different course designs has generally been conducted through surveys. Brunton et al. (2015), for example, evaluated students' perceptions of seminar and lecture-based teaching in restorative dentistry. Their survey on effectiveness, self-development, and interaction showed that students preferred the seminar format to the lecture format. Gajbhiye et al. (2014) evaluated the perceptions and attitudes of graduate students towards seminars from the aspects of satisfaction, collaboration, and understanding. They concluded that the postgraduate seminar method is effective and well-accepted among postgraduate students. Ruchi et al. (2012) investigated students' perception of seminars of first year medical subjects, and the majority of students felt that their school should continue to offer seminars in the future. Extavour and Allison (2018) assessed students' perceptions of BL in a pharmacy seminar course. Questions addressed the effectiveness of learning resources, course activities, the instructor, and the blended delivery, as well as perceptions of the development of critical-thinking. COURSE CONTEXT This study was based on the BSS course, Educational Technology Frontiers, which was offered in the Fall semester in 2017. The purpose of the course was to share cutting-edge research areas in the field of educational technology. The instructors consisted of a professor and an assistant whose responsibility was to contact with guest speakers, record offline attendance, and organize online discussions. LARGE-ENROLLED OFFLINE LECTURES In light of research showing that guest speakers bring value to courses (Popovich & Jackson, 2004) in particular in seminar series (Zorek et al., 2011), we invited nine famous guest speakers at home and abroad in the field of educational technology to carry out 14 offline lectures. One lecture shares one subject, so there are 14 subjects included in the course. The course was open to all graduate students in a university in China. There were 106 students enrolled in the course. Course meetings took place once a week with a duration of 90 minutes. ONLINE DISCUUSION The online discussion for the course was carried out on Daxia, an online learning platform based on Blackboard. After each offline lecture, the teaching assistant uploaded the lecture slides to Daxia and created an ODF TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – July 2019, volume 18 issue 3 Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 90 corresponding to the subject of the lecture. According to Dao and Zhu (2014), imposing a deadline for students to contribute is crucial to maintaining student participation to create an active discussion. Therefore, each ODF was open for a week. A WeChat group was also created by the assistant to release learning materials and course notices to all students. METHOD ACTION RESEARCH According to Butz and Stupnisky (2017), an online discussion intervention in hybrid course can improve students' feelings of relatedness with others, which contributes to increasing interactions among students. To design the intervention, a sequence of events that take place at various time points over the course should be incorporated (Butz & Stupnisky, 2017). Action research emphasizes on intervention (Warden, Stanworth, Ren, & Warden, 2013), and involves important issues over long periods of time (Eden & Huxham, 1996) to improve the cycles of action. Therefore,we conducted an action rearch based on students' performances and feedbacks to promote students' interaction, which included three stages of teaching interventions throughout the course, as follows: Stage 1 (weeks 1-4): • In each offline lecture, students are required to fill out the attendance form. • In each ODF, each student must post at least three times. • ODF discussion topics are freely created by students, but they should be related to the subjects of that week's lecture. Problems arising in stage 1 : • Although almost all students took part in the discussion, most students posted less than three times. • There was minimal student interaction because students were more inclined to create their own topics than to reply to others' posts. • Many topics were duplicated. Stage 2 (weeks 5-8): • Each student must reply at least twice in each week's ODF. • Students should contribute comments to existing posts instead of creating


A 57-year-old man with a previous history of myocardial infarction was admitted to the emergency department complaining of chest pain, mild dyspnoea, and lower limb oedema. Serum troponin levels were normal. Computed tomography ( Panel A ) excluded any acute aortic or pulmonary pathology, but detected mitral annular calcification (black arrow), coronary artery calcifications (black arrowhead), and a …


The length of the review should be about 3 to 4 pages (1000 words), typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins on both sides, top, and bottom. The paragraphs should be left justified with the first line indented 4 or 5 spaces; this will leave the right side of the paragraphs ragged. There should not be an extra space or line between paragraphs. The content below should be organized in the body of the essay with an orienting introduction and a summarizing conclusion.


The heat transfer trough EHD (eletrohydrodynamic) heat pipes can be controlled by electric field intensity. In order to study its applying effects in micro satellite thermal control system,dynamical models for the temperature changes of both controlled object and cooling device were built up, the control effects, which use different thermal control strategy, were also simulated and analyzed. The simulation results show that combining the EHD heat pipes and traditional PID control law together can successfully control the temperature change of electronic equipment. The dynamical equations presented here provide a convenient mathematical model for micro satellite's EHD thermal control system's simulation and design.


The paper introduced the characteristics and reasons of roof management on transportation lane safety exports in opposite pulling faces,proposed the responsible measurement according to the spot circumstance,which obtained valuable results and had the certain promotion and the application value.


In this paper, we compute the Wigner operator and Wigner function on the Euclidean motion group of rank three. The Wigner quasiprobability distribution is one of the main ingredients in phase space quantum mechanics and has found numerous applications. Generalizations of it in the Lie group setting remains an important problem in physics and mathematics, to which this work makes a contribution.


Crises in the tourism and hospitality industry are a topic of some concern in view of their increasing prevalence in the modern world. Planning for and handling such situations has thus become essential and this paper discusses issues of organisational crises and their management with specific reference to hotels in Singapore. Case studies of selected properties based on interviews with general managers are analysed and overall conclusions are presented about perceptions, origins and impacts of crises. Insights are also afforded into strategies for dealing with crises and the importance of planning and learning lessons from previous experiences are highlighted.


Where there is no impervious natural soils, a compacted mixture of sand with bentonite has been used to form barrier of fluids, with success. Laboratory test results are presented in this paper, to show the permeability behavior of Atlantic Ocean shore sand/bentonite mixture. One dimensional consolidation and falling head permeability tests were conducted to evaluate permeability at 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% bentonite content bye weight in ocean sand. Laboratory results show that the coefficient of consolidation is inversely proportional to the consolidation. The coefficient ofvolume change is more susceptible to changing stresses and is inversely related to it. The permeability of ocean shore sand reduced significantly after addition of bentonite. Permeability values from falling head and one dimensional consolidation test are in good agreement. Copyright © IJEATR, all rights reserved.


This paper investigates the intriguing impact of surface V-shaped defects on the electrical and optical characteristics of GaN-based LEDs, particularly under reverse bias conditions. These defects introduce unique luminescence phenomena, notably giant dot-like luminescence (GDL), and exert significant influence on device performance. The size of these V-shaped defects plays a critical role: larger defects generate more indium-rich regions at their base, resulting in elevated tensile stress. This heightened stress promotes carrier tunneling, increasing reverse leakage current and leads to GDL formation. However, even with multiple V-shaped defects present, localized failure predominantly occurs at the defect experiencing the highest tensile stress, substantially reducing the breakdown voltage. Micro-Raman analysis further reveals distinct Raman shifts and increased tensile stress in these regions. These findings underscore the complexity of V-shaped defects' effects, highlighting their importance in GaN-based LED design and optimization. Recognizing their influence on electrical and optical properties can significantly impact device reliability and performance, particularly in reverse bias conditions.


Perform computed tomography (CT) three-dimensional (3D) mapping analysis of the ipsilateral olecranon tip to determine its suitability as an autograft for unrepairable coronoid fractures. CT was evaluated using Mimics 13.0 and 3-matic software (Materialise, Inc., Leuven, Belgium). Coronoid fracture fragment was measured from the medial sublime tubercle to the halfway point of the proximal radioulnar joint. Ipsilateral olecranon tip graft was measured at the equivalent height of the coronoid fragment and the angle of graft "cut" necessary to match the coronoid fragment was measured. The overall width of each graft site was measured in thirds and the congruity of surface geometry was measured by overlapping both fragments. The ipsilateral olecranon tip lateral facet which rotates to become the coronoid medial facet was also measured. The olecranon tip and coronoid fragments were similar in average maximum height and width. The average angle of graft cut needed to match the coronoid fragment was 86°. The average difference between the medial facet of the coronoid and lateral facet of the olecranon was <2 mm. The ipsilateral olecranon tip can be harvested through the same surgical incision and function as a local autograft during reconstruction of unrepairable coronoid fractures.


It is the contention of this paper that this area is a key weakness in system development. Problems are sometimes stated, but only weakly examined. Problem diagnosis and formulation are poorly performed, if at all. Commonly, solutions are proposed in the form of a system request without any examination of the problem situation whatsoever. Furthermore, agreement about problems may not be sought. Solutions are then accepted without consideration of effectiveness in solving the unstated problem or addressing the needs of various different stakeholders.


about Japan's politics, are rather in the nature of old men's hobbies ' (p. 234). Equally he believes that no academic study of politics can or should be divorced from political reality, any more than it can be free from bias. ' In the political world there can be no observer who is not also an actor. " Strict neutrality " is also a political position ' (p. 238). It follows that the political scientist must concern himself with the recent history of Japanese society, as well as with a theoretical framework derived from the study of other societies. It also follows that he is as a person concerned with the ends of politics. That Professor Maruyama is so ' involved' is clear again and again in his choice of terminology. Yet he achieves the rare distinction—rare especially in Japan— of avoiding the kind of ' commitment' that would undermine the academic value of what he writes. For this reason his essays are worth reading, both for what they say directly about Japanese politics, and also for what they reveal indirectly about the man who wrote them. They help the reader towards an understanding of Japan, in fact, as much by what they are as by what they say.


The high voltage (HV) pulse speed is investigated for voltage multiplier based HV power supply. The key factors which influence the HV pulse rise and decay response time for HV power supply such as switching frequency, load resistance, and voltage multiplier capacitance are studied. When the stage number of voltage multiplier is determined, the switching frequency is the key influence factor for the HV pulse rise time. High switching frequency will lead to short HV pulse rise time. From the voltage multiplier HV pulse rise time simulation results, assuming sufficient power supply power rating, the load resistance and filter capacitor have little influence for the HV pulse rise time. The high voltage pulse decay time is proportional to load resistance and multiplier capacitance. Though switching frequency has indirect relation to decay time, multiplier capacitance can be decreased with higher switching frequency. So higher switching frequency can effectively decrease the both high voltage pulse rise and decay time. The experimental results of a 2kV output HV power supply switching at 300 kHz with 2-stage half-wave series voltage multiplier prototype verify the analysis and simulation results. The practical design guidelines for achieving desired HV pulse rise & decay time is provided finally.


Automatic recovery of unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) is one of key techniques in development of UAV,it is the problem which in dire need of resolving also.First,several domestic and international automatic recovery technique are introduced and their performance are analyzed.Then,combined the characteristics and concrete request of certain UAV,optical electronic precision guiding recovery system are introduced,including work principle,structure and workflow of this system.Lastly,locating precision in the recovery process is simulated.The results show that,locating become more precise continuously along with the distance between UAV and recovery net reduces gradually.Locating errors can satisfy the requirement of net recovery.


The root of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd.,which belongs to Bupleurum in Umbelliferae,has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine.Saikosaponin is its functional ingredients.In this paper,the lead acetate precipitation method was used for ultracytochemical localization of saikosaponin in B.scorzonerifolium root.The relationship between structural development and saikosaponin accumulation in the root was observed using transmission electron microscope.The primary and secondary structures of root of B.scorzonerifolium resembled those of the usual dicotyledons.In the primary meristem,saikosaponin was distributed in the dermatogen and periblem,especially,in parenchyma cells of the epidermis,cortex,pericycle,primary phloem and protoxylem.Pericycle and primary phloem are the main storage region.In the secondary structure,saikosaponin was mainly distributed in parenchyma cells of the pericycle and secondary phloem.Cells of the secondary xylem and vascular cambium also contain a small amount of saikosaponin.Dictyosomes might be related to the synthesis of saikosaponin,plasmodesmata participate in the transport of saikosaponin.The saikosaponin content in the primary structure was more than that in the secondary structure,but the total content in the primary structure was lower than that in the secondary structure.


The invention discloses a device for preparing semisolid-state slurry of an aluminum alloy. The device comprises a stirring machine, thermoelectric coupling, a crucible, a heater, liquid aluminum, semisolid-state aluminum and a funnel, wherein an inductive heating device is used as the heater, the opened crucible is arranged in the inner cavity of the heater to form the inductive heating furnace, and the liquid aluminum is contained in the inner cavity of the crucible. The funnel is arranged on the crucible in an inclined manner to form a feeding structure, wherein the semisolid-state aluminum is fed into the crucible through the funnel. Blades of the stirring machine are extended into the inner cavity of the crucible from top to bottom centrally, and the stirring machine rotates to form a mixing structure of the liquid aluminum and the semisolid aluminum. The device for preparing the semisolid-state slurry of the aluminum alloy disclosed by the invention has the advantages of simple structure, low preparation cost, convenience for operation and uniform mixing, and especially is suitable for preparing a plurality of kilograms of high-strength aluminum alloy castings.


The topicality of the article is due to the need to improve the motivation system of employees, increase staff productivity and profit. The system of motivation of personnel at the enterprise plays one of the most important roles for achievement of the purposes and increase of profit of the enterprise. The ability to develop an effective system of personnel motivation will increase productivity and improve the financial and economic condition of the enterprise. The goal of the article is to research and improve the administration of the personnel motivation system of the enterprise.
In the article was considered and analyzed the literature sources related to the system of personnel motivation. The experience of countries and leading corporations around the world in the field of encouraging employees to improve their efficiency are analyzed. An alternative causal relationship between the increase in employees' salaries and the financial results of the enterprise is highlighted.
The scope of motivation directly depends on the financial condition of the enterprise, its place in the market, management structure, strategy, goals and the relationship between departments.
In the article were considered some alternatives to improve the system of staff motivation: transfer of office workers to remote work; introduction of a flexible work schedule; creating conditions for communication with the management of the enterprise; introduction of a grading system.
In modern society, one of the most popular types of motivation is the ability to work remotely. In terms of COVID-19, it is one of the most effective motivators in the company, the essence of which is to perform their duties outside the office.
Another intangible way to motivate staff, which shows its effectiveness in modern conditions, is the introduction of a flexible work schedule. The ability to independently set the start and end time of work is a strong motivating factor, as the employee can adjust the work to their biological rhythm, distribute the time between rest and work according to their needs, etc.
With the help of communication of employees with the management of the company you can prevent professional burnout. The general symptoms of burnout were also analyzed.
An innovative method such as grading also helps to effectively solve the problem of employee motivation, the essence of which is the hierarchical ranking of positions based on their value and impact on the company's performance to ensure transparency of the remuneration system, the size of which depends on the value of the position.


Global water scarcity is an imminent problem caused by the increasing water demand arising from population and economic growth. Against this background, technologies for water resource man-agement and treatment have been developed steadily to meet the water demand targets. However, further advances are necessary for securing environmental and economic sustainability. The man-agement of saline water and wastewater is one of the focus areas to tackle the problems of water scarcity and sustainability in the context of water desalination. Hybrid desalination is one of the most practical and efficient technologies that can afford environmental and economic sustainability. Hybridization of multiple processes maximizes the advantages of individual technologies and minimizes their drawbacks. The overall research on desalination and research on hybrid desalination, in particular, increased by a compound annual growth rate of 16.6% and 21.8%, respectively, from 2011 to 2020. Meanwhile, in 2020, 10.7% of scientific articles and reviews dealt with hybrid technologies. Moreover, the advances in hybrid technology are not limited to academic research; they have been widely implemented in the desali- nation industry. Reverse osmosis–multistage flash (RO-MSF) hybrid technology has been adopted To evaluate the performance of the FO-MD hybrid system for produced water treatment, syn- thetic produced water streams were prepared according to water quality references from a conventional oil and gas production facility. Separate FO and MD experiments were conducted to study the membrane-fouling phenomena of different produced water qualities. In addition, the FO-MD hybrid system is operated with varied combinations of produced water streams for sustainability evaluation. The experimental results demonstrate the great potential of the FO-MD hybrid system for sustainable produced water treatment. Long-term operation of the hybrid system and experiments with real produced water samples are necessary for scaling up and optimizing the technology. Investigating the water–energy nexus related to the desalination technologies integrated with renewable energy is one approach to broaden the applications of hybrid desalination technologies. Such a study will emphasize the advantages of hybridization despite the complex challenges. The benefits of hybrid technologies in terms of greater water production, higher recovery, and cleaner water quality will be synergized with less energy consumption by their integration with renewable energy. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI)-based process design, optimization, and control will be an important tool to address the complexity of hybrid desali- nation technologies and will provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges, for which the conventional experimental and theoretical studies are still limited. AI algorithms, such as machine learning and artificial neural network algorithms, are the leading approaches to the advancement of AI-assisted smart desalination.


The Arab Spring was one of the most important events that took place in the Middle East in the 21st century. Massive protests overthrew the longtime leaders of Arab states or forced some reforms on the authorities. The West expected this event to contribute to the democratization of this region of the world, but a decade after the Arab Spring, its outcome seems to be tragic. The aim of this article is to present the changes that, contrary to popular opinion, occurred in the political systems of Arab states after the Arab Spring, and which testify to the evolution of these systems. The author, starting with a diachronic analysis of state institutions in the Middle East from classical times to the present day, shows the way of understanding the state in the Arab world, as well as its various models distinguished on the basis of the style of government. It also presents the relationship between the course of the Arab Spring and the transformations that followed, and the type of regime exercised. The analysis carried out in this way is intended to show that the evolution of the political system took place in each of the Arab states, but due to cultural and historical conditions it has a different character from the democratic transformations expected by the West.


Stress field near the interface crack tip of orthotropic bi-materials under pure bending load is studied.By constructing special deflection functions and using the composite complex function method of material fracture,the governing equations of the crack tip are transformed into generalized bi-harmonic equations.Considering the boundary conditions of bi-materials plate,the generalized bi-harmonic equations can be converted to two systems of homogeneous linear equations.When the discriminations of secular equations are more than zero,solving these equations,we can get the formula of bending moment,torque and stress,in which the stress formula contains two singular exponents.As a special example,when the upper and the lower half-planes are of the same parameters,the stress field near the crack tip under pure bending of orthotropic single materials can be obtained.Finally,the derived results are compared with FEM analysis.