Introduction: The success of the Kepler mission has inspired a wave of studies addressing the geophysical regimes of terrestrial exoplanets, e.g., [1 and references therein]. Given the limited knowledge regarding exoplanet geochemistry—and in particular, the suite of long-lived, heat-producing radioactive isotopes that heat silicate mantles—assumptions must be made for those model parameters. Here we present the results of a study that integrates galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models with knowledge of our own solar system in order to constrain radiogenic heating in chemically Earth-like exoplanets as a function of their age. Radiogenic heating: The radionuclides K, Th, U, and U provide heat to silicate mantles over billion-year timescales. As a planet ages, however, that heat contribution declines as the nuclides decay towards extinction. Earth itself has ~25% of the radiogenic heat output that it had at its formation (ca. 4568 Ma). Constraining this parameter is important for geophysical models due to its role in modulating a planet's tectonic regime [2]. Of particular relevance is the suite of geochemical and geophysical parameters that permit plate tectonics. Radiogenic heating is one such parameter that has been addressed before [3], but here we provide new, more rigorous constraints. Galactic chemical evolution: To address the problem of how the Galaxy has chemically evolved with time, GCE models have been formulated to describe changes in its bulk chemistry in both time and space as old star perish and new generations arise, enriching the interstellar medium (ISM) with heavy elements [4]. A GCE model must take into account both primary and secondary species: primary species are produced via nucleosynthesis in stars of pure H, while secondary species are produced from pre-existing seed nuclei created in previous generations of stars. Model: Although there are a number of detailed numerical GCE models [4], an analytical model by [5] parameterizes galactic infall in a computationally convenient but realistic way that reproduces the Galactic age-metallicity relation as observed in G dwarf stars. The Clayton model allows for straightforward computation of species mass fractions as a function of Galactic age using the following simplifying assumptions: 1) the instantaneous recycling approximation (IRA: stars that die and return gas to the interstellar medium do so instantaneously) and 2) instantaneous mixing approximation (IMA: stellar ejecta mix instantaneously with the bulk interstellar medium). Because there is a radial chemical gradient in the Galaxy, we limit our results to solar systems within the solar annulus. The model is fit to the elemental and isotopic abundances of the solar system at time of formation [6], and the Galactic disk age is taken to be 12.5 Ga [7]. Analysis: We ran the Clayton model for the isotopes of interest as well as important major planetforming elements: C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, and Ni. Output is given in terms of gas mass fractions of a species. Clouds of such gas collapse to form solar systems, and from the IMA it follows that the gas is well-mixed and thus solar systems should match the chemistry of the gas from which they form. However, translating the bulk chemistry of a solar system to that of its planets is far more challenging, even just for our own solar system, e.g., [8]. As such, we consider here mantles that are Earth-like in their chemistry, i.e. that the ratio of a species' abundance in bulk solar system material (ignoring volatiles such as H, He, Li, and the noble gases) to the mantle of an Earth-like exoplanet is identical to the carbonaceous chondrite [6] to bulk silicate Earth [9] ratio. Concentrations of K, Th, U, and U were calculated by dividing their modeled mass fractions into the sum of those for O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, and Fe.


The study sought to establish the level of parental involvement and learners' academic performance at P.L.E in rural government- aided primary schools in Sissa Sub-County, Wakiso District, Uganda. Three specific objectives guided the study thus; · To establish the level of home-based parental involvement in rural government-aided primary schools in Ssisa Sub county, Wakiso district. · To establish the level of school-based parental involvement in rural government-aided primary schools in Ssisa Subcounty, Wakiso district. · To examine the relationship between parental involvement and learners' academic performance at PLE in rural government-aided primary schools, Wakiso district. The study employed a descriptive research design using a mixed methods approach. The study also adopted a cross- sectional research method to gather the data from headteachers and teachers. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were applied in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Results indicated that the level of home-based parental involvement in government aided primary schools in Sissa Subcounty was high at a mean of 3.64 with a standard deviation of 1.23. The results of school-based parental involvement in government aided schools in Sissa indicated that there was a high level of parental involvement with a mean of 3.66 and a standard deviation of 1.2. Results also revealed a positive and significant relationship between parental involvement and learners' academic performance at (r = -.120, N = 102, p = .230 > 0.05). The study recommended that; Parents should; provide a conducive learning environment to their children at home, provide quality supervision to children when given homework and show a positive attitude to their learners in home-based activities since it enhances performance of these children at P.L.E. The education department at the dsitrict should fully sensitize the public about the relevance of parental involvement and how it enhances performance. School administrators should create close partnerships between parents and learners.


ABSTRACT Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Christianity that places primary emphasis on gifts of the Holy Spirit, joyful worship, exorcism and discourse on prosperity and the "born again" experience. African Pentecostalism is a segment of African Christianity that is proliferating at an exponential rate. It is the most widespread form of non-Roman Catholic Christianity in Africa today. In Ekitiland, which is predominantly a Christian milieu, indigenous Pentecostalism has become an increasingly prominent feature in the religious and political landscape of Ekiti-kete. The growth of indigenous Pentecostalism in Ekiti Communities has been particularly dramatic since the 1980s. Suffice it to say that, much of the worldviews underlying the important expressions of indigenous Pentecostalism in Ekiti communities like healing, "deliverance" exorcism and belief in spirits resonate with traditional African philosophical thoughts. This is an important factor that contributes to the growth of Indigenous Pentecostal Churches (IPCs) in Ekitiland.


We report 2D-ACAR experiments and KKR CPA calculations on alpha-phase single-crystal Cu/sub 1-x/Pd/sub x/ in the range x less than or equal to 0.25. The flattening of the Fermi surface near (110) with increasing x predicted by theory is confirmed by our experimental results. 16 refs., 2 figs.


Long-term variability of nonseasonal ocean heat content (OHC) in the upper 500 m in the East/Japan Sea (EJS) exhibits a distinct east-west contrast during the recent 30 years. The contrasting OHC variations are revisited and investigated more in detail by analyzing two observational data sets, the gridded data from 1976 to 2007 and in situ data from 1976 to 2011 in the southwestern EJS that covers the zone of western boundary current. The OHC variability shows in-phase and predominant decadal variation in both east and west regions before 1995, but uncorrelated and predominant interannual variations after 1995. Heaving effects due to major branches of warm currents in the EJS, the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) in the western part and other two branches in the eastern part, mainly contribute to the OHC variations. The heaving effect in the western EJS is shown to be associated with changes in winter wind-stress curl field in the northern EJS. Weakening of the subpolar gyre due to weakening of positive wind-stress curl in the Japan Basin related with wintertime Western Pacific teleconnection pattern and Siberian High appears to enhance the northward penetration of the EKWC resulting in an increase of OHC in the western EJS. The heaving effect in the eastern EJS is significantly correlated with the Siberian High, but the causative mechanism is inconclusive. This study also demonstrates the importance of using highly resolved data sets for areas affected by strong and narrow boundary currents in computing and understanding the OHC variability.


This paper studies multi-robot cooperation mechanism as the research object,proposing an improved type contract net algorithm based on traditional contract net method,namely the contract-acquaintance network mechanism.Contract net method is more sensitive to communication,especially communication failure or part of the news lost in the contract negotiation process,which might even lead to loss of system failure;and speed of acquaintances net response will be certain influence.Therefore this paper combines the two methods and put forward a cooperation mechanism that more adapt to the dynamic environment task.This method solves task allocation mechanism under the dynamic environment of global and local dynamic which is based on the contract net combined with acquaintances cooperation mechanism.Finally this paper,by using the simulation test,proves the effectiveness of the improved type contract through the simulation results of MATLAB7.0 and VisualC++ 6.0.


In modern economic societies, the government not only enacts rules to support smooth operation of the market, promotes competition, but also carries out redistribution of income, various policy complementary activities that are difficult to solve with market order. The most important rule is to develop institutional framework of public services to support the smooth functioning of the living economy, especially financial inclusion for the populace who are easily neglected in financial life. Government's institutional efforts to support the stabilization of the financial life of the populace whom are difficult to normalize their financial life, are not only a rehabilitation program for the financial vulnerable groups, but also serve as an essential infrastructure to create a mature economic environment. For this, the government is trying to reduce the difficulties of the financial life of the populace by supporting the transaction conditions such as interest rates by utilizing various policy funds. Through public institutions and financial institutions that are closely related to the lives of populace, it helps low-income self-employed and underprivileged people in financial life by not only providing loans or special guarantees for business funds, living funds, housing funds, and education expenses but also turning high-interest loans to low-interest loans. In addition, the government also provides limited support for matching-type savings products, micro-insurance, and micro-credit card products that add a certain amount of premiums to help those people to draw up a sum of money. Current financial support system for the populace is mainly composed of loan products, because it has been developed by expanding the private micro-credit loan business to the public sector in the policy dimension during overcoming the IMF economic crisis. From the standpoint of the public, who can not raise funds for business, education, and living, loans can be the most urgent support. However, loans do not fill the structural defects of the economy of populace. Although it may be able to turn off the fire of the foot right now, it leads to the deficiency of the repayment burden of the principal and the will to make money, and it makes them to miss the opportunity of economic independence. In order for the future financial support system of populace to stabilize the lives of the populace and to help them to move away from the low-income low-net status to the middle class, it is necessary to change from the debt-dependent type to the savings-oriented type. Addition to that, various insurance functions specialized in the living environment of the populace should be systematically expanded so that those populace can be protected from the various financial crises and achieve predictable and stable economic life. In the long run, it should be supported by investment products that have enhanced stability by complementing market limitations. In order to secure the effectiveness of the system, it is necessary to concentrate on creating the right financial habits. For this, information provision and product application channel should be simple and unified, also education and counseling should be mandatory. It is the most important to policy makers to aggressively change the paradigm of budget allocation from the viewpoint that the stability of life of financial underprivileged forms the basis of stable growth by resolution of social conflicts and healthy market formation.


Rationale: Medulla oblongata dysplasia is an extremely rare form of neurodevelopmental immaturity in premature infants. Intracranial hemorrhage in premature infants may be closely related to neurodevelopmental immaturity. Diagnoses: We report a female premature infant who succumbed to intracranial hemorrhage caused by medulla oblongata dysplasia. Patient concerns: The infant was born at 31 weeks gestation. The onset manifestation was symptomatic epilepsy associated with subependymal hemorrhage. Interventions: Levetiracetam and sodium valproate were administered. During the hospitalization, hydrocephalus developed and the intracranial hemorrhage aggravated. Outcomes: The infant died on day 171 after birth. Lessons: Early identification and prompt treatment should be emphasized. Clinicians should be aware of this condition, as it can potentially cause neonatal intracranial hemorrhage.


Gaskets 1 of said type have sealing layer (s) 3, 4 with beads 5, 6 which are assigned to passage opening (s) 2, and stopper layer (s) 7 with a stopper 8 which limits the resilience of the bead(s) 5, 6. The stopper is composed of a plurality of directly successive ridge-shaped elevations 11 and groove-shaped depressions 12, both being trapezoidal in cross section and both being formed in on both sides 9, 10 of the stopper layer 7, with setting angles 14 of the trapezium flanks 13. The trapezoidal elevations 11 of the one side are situated opposite the trapezoidal depressions 12 of the other side. A cross section 17 (Q1) which is delimited by opposing trapezium flanks 13 which are adjacent to one another is the same or greater than a cross section 18 (Q2) which is delimited between the opposing depressions of the two sides. Here, the forces are to be absorbed entirely by those partial regions of the stopper 8 which are defined by the cross section 17 (Q1) which additionally find insufficient purchase in the weakened cross section 18 (Q2). Such a stopper construction also requires a lot of space.


The fluoride anion sensing properties of BNB-t4 and BNBC-t8 consisting of hydrazide and azobenzene moieties both in solution and gel state, and the involved binding mechanism have been systematically investigated in this work. The remarkable changes in the absorption of receptor BNB-t4 with a terminal hydroxyl group demonstrate a colorimetric chemosensor with a higher sensitivity in sensing fluoride anions than that of BNBC-t8 with a terminal methoxy group. The detection limit of BNB-t4 for the analysis of F− can reach as low as 4.27 × 10−8 M, while this value is 2.02 × 10−6 M for BNBC-t8. The results indicate that the F− ion interacts with the amidic –NH and hydroxyl proton of BNB-t4 via hydrogen-bonding to give the stable 1 : 2 complex at the first equilibrium state, and further addition of F− can induce deprotonation by forming HF2− to establish a second equilibrium state. Meanwhile, the gel–sol transition of BNB-t4 has been successfully applied in sensing fluoride anions and thus makes BNB-t4 a naked-eye sensor. The color change of BNB-t4 induced by binding fluoride anions can be safely switched off with the addition of HSO4−, demonstrating an OFF–ON–OFF colorimetric sensor with a good reversibility.


Learning multi-organ segmentation from multiple partially-labeled datasets attracts increasing attention. It can be a promising solution for the scarcity of large-scale, fully labeled 3D medical image segmentation datasets. However, existing algorithms of multi-organ segmentation on partially-labeled datasets neglect the semantic relations and anatomical priors between different categories of organs, which is crucial for partially-labeled multi-organ segmentation. In this paper, we tackle the limitations above by proposing the Cross-Class Query Network (CCQ). CCQ consists of an image encoder, a cross-class query learning module, and an attentive refinement segmentation module. More specifically, the image encoder captures the long-range dependency of a single image via the transformer encoder. Cross-class query learning module first generates query vectors that represent semantic concepts of different categories and then utilizes these query vectors to find the class-relevant features of image representation for segmentation. The attentive refinement segmentation module with an attentive skip connection incorporates the high-resolution image details and eliminates the class-irrelevant noise. Extensive experiment results demonstrate that CCQ outperforms all the state-of-the-art models on the MOTS dataset, which consists of seven organ and tumor segmentation tasks. Code is available at https://github.com/Yang-007/CCQ.git.


There are numerous rivers in Sichuan,but Sichuan basin is deficient in safe and sanitary drinking water resources because of inhomogeneous distribution of water resources and deficiency of drinking water engineering and its unsuitable distribution.Only when surface water,underground water and precipitated water are used simultaneously and both principal and secondary aspect are treated can rural drinking water development be sustainable.


Desegregation issues continue to be the focus of court litigation in public schools. Since the "Brown v. Board of Education" decision, federal courts have consistently upheld that legally compelled racial segregation of students is a denial of equal prctection under the Fourteenth Amendment. Since public school principals play a vital role in implementing court rulings, school board regulations, and state laws, their attitudes toward desegregation litigation is important. This study focused on principals' perceptions, because a 1983 study indicated that Texas schools continue to segregate Mexican-American children. The study attemp:.s to determine the extent of agreement or disagreement toward desegregation rulings by a randomly chosen sample of 600 Texas principals. Using chi-square and other techniques, the study found that a significant percentage of principals agreed with the court decisions. Years of experience and ethnic origin we:c variables influencing principals' agreement or disagreement with selected court decisions. Sex, type of school, and school district sf_ze did not seem to affect agreement or disagreement. Research is needed to determine whether principals' knowledge of school law influences their level of agreement or disagreement. Included is a table analyzing principals' perceptions and seven references. (MLH) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the test that can be made * * from the original document. * ******x************A*************************************************** THE PERCEPTIONS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TOWARD SELECTED UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISIONS CONCERNING DESEGREGATION ISSUES


In this paper,a nonlinear generalized predictive adaptive control method based on neural networks and mul- tiple models is proposed for a class of uncertain nonlinear discrete time dynamical systems.This approach is composed of a linear robust generalized predictive adaptive controller,a neural network nonlinear generalized predictive adaptive controller and a switching mechanism.The linear robust generalized predictive adaptive controller can ensure the bound- edness of the input and output signals in the closed-loop system and the neural network nonlinear generalized predictive adaptive controller can improve the performance of the system.The purpose of using the switching mechanism is to obtain stability and improved system performance simultaneously.Stability and convergence analysis of the proposed adaptive method is given.Finally,simulation examples are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


The caloric value and carbon content rate of the trunk wood and bark of six arbor tree species grown in Kelamayi area,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were determined.The six tree species were Ulmus pumila,Elaeagnus angustifolia,Populus euphratica,Populus russkii,Populus bolleana,and Populus alba×Populus bolleana.The results showed that the caloric value of Ulmus pumila's trunk wood was 19.272 kJ/g,which was the greatest of the six tree species.The carbon content rate of Elaeagnus angustifolia was the highest by 49.66%.There were no significant differences in caloric value of the trunk wood between Populus euphratica and Populus russkii,neither between Populus bolleana and Populus alba×Populus bolleana.Whereas there were significant differences in the caloric value of trunk wood among any other pairs of the species.There were significant differences in carbon content rate of the bark between Ulmus pumila with the rest five tree species.According to the comprehensive analyses of the biomass per hectare,the capacity of carbon sequestration and caloric value,the six arbor tree species were ranked in the order as Ulmus pumila,Populus alba×Populus bolleana,Populus bolleana,Elaeagnus angustifolia,Populus euphratica and Populus russkii regarding the capacity of carbon sequestration and bio-energy producing efficiency in Karamayi area.


will say, that the town is interested in the disposal of garbage, or sewage. Now shou-ld our doctor be informed on the crematory method, we will say of New York City, for the burning of garbage; or the septic tank method for handling the sewage of the city of Glasgow-then surely his giving notice that a practicing physician amongst them understood these things would not be amiss. Nor would it be improper should a public meeting be called at the opera house for him, if invited, to speak on such subjects. Alas! it sometimes happens that when a physician really commences to follow the principles of medical ethics as outlined in Chapter 3, Sections i, 2, 3, 4, and 5 regarding his duties to the public, that he will be accused of trying to advertise himsel'. Indeed, I sadly fear that if a physician really lived up to and carried into daily practice the principles of medical ethics as adopted, recommended and promulgated by the A. M. A. in its three Chapters, six Articles and fifty-three Sections, it might raise from some quarters such a storm of protest and indignation as to endanger his very license.


The purpose of this paper is to highlight the unparalleled rapidity of Igbo success in post-Civil War years in Kano. Several questions arise - Why did Igbo businesses recover in such a short time? What factors were involved? What was the Role of the Igbo Community Association? Was the success of the Igbo the outcome of the new opportunities that arose in Kano after the Civil War? Were the Igbo successful because of their business strategies? These and other questions are answered in this study.
(Humanities Review Journal: 2003 3(1): 58-66)


Non‐specific abdominal pain (NSAP) may have a detectable psychological component that could be used to predict outcome. To test this hypothesis, 131 patients aged 14–40 years admitted with acute abdominal pain were assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, and a structured interview. Of 61 patients with NSAP, more had a psychosocial problem identified by the admitting registrar (P < 0.01) and marginally more had high questionnaire scores. The risk of having NSAP was high if an abnormality on interview accompanied high questionnaire scores (relative risk 1.93 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 1.35–2.77)) or if prodromal pain had lasted > 7 days (relative risk 2.13 (95 per cent c.i. 1.55–2.92)). After 2 years, patients with continuing pain had higher HAD and Spielberger Anxiety Trait scores (both P < 0.02); NSAP was associated with persisting pain (relative risk 2.22 (95 per cent c.i. 1.10–4.48)). Psychosocial factors are implicated in NSAP and in chronic pain, but the sensitivity and specificity of questionnaire assessment are too low to be useful in diagnosis.


Over the past three legislative sessions, the Texas State Legislature enacted laws that have accelerated the integration of technology into public education. Significant efforts to build technology infrastructure in Texas is evident through the thousands of public school awards provided by the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board (TIF), the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund grants and the E-Rate discounts. With such an influx of funding into technology education, the following question was posed to guide this inquiry. What technology resources have been put in place in schools as a result of these awards? The telecommunications infrastructure in the public schools across Texas has changed significantly across the past five years with over 96% of classrooms in Texas public schools having Internet access. Also, technology professional development activities for Texas classroom teachers have received additional support. Yet much still needs to be accomplished, because just 18% of the districts indicate their teachers use online resources in their instruction.


Growth in reading ability varies across individuals in terms of starting points, velocities, and decelerations. Reading assessments vary in the texts they include, the questions asked about those texts, and in the way responses are scored. Complex conceptual and operational challenges must be addressed if we are to coherently assess reading ability, so that learning outcomes are comparable within students over time, across classrooms, and across formative, interim, and accountability assessments. A philosophical and historical context in which to situate the problems emerges via analogies from scientific, aesthetic, and democratic values. In a work now over 100 years old, Cook's study of the geometry of proportions in art, architecture, and nature focuses more on individual variation than on average general patterns. Cook anticipates the point made by Kuhn and Rasch that the goal of research is the discovery of anomalies—not the discovery of scientific laws. Bluecher extends Cook's points by drawing an analogy between the beauty of individual variations in the Parthenon's pillars and the democratic resilience of unique citizen soldiers in Pericles' Athenian army. Lessons for how to approach reading measurement follow from the beauty and strength of stochastically integrated variations and uniformities in architectural, natural, and democratic principles.


Vascular injuries are anomalies of vascular components that show up upon entering the world or in earliest stages. Cutaneous inherent vascular injuries are the most well-known pediatric skin colorations and can be partitioned into two distinct classifications: hemangiomas and vascular deformities. Hemangiomas tend to involute, as the kid becomes more seasoned while other vascular abnormalities will in general persevere. Inborn vascular injuries are discovered most normally on the head and neck and can be secluded or part of an innate condition like Klippel-Trenaunay disorder, Sturge-Weber condition and others. Vascular injuries, particularly on uncovered locales, can cause critical mental misery for patients and relatives.


Male S.D rats weighing 200g were used(as experimental animals).Moxibus-tion at Shenque(RN 8)was performed for 15 minutes each day.The course lasted for weeks.In ratsundergoing oral infusion of taurocholate,index of gastric mucosal injury were 9.0±6.1 and 4.6±2.5 in two and four week groups respectively.Compared with control group(index:16.8±7.6),Pwas less than 0.05 and 0.01.This indicated that moxibustion had protective effect on gastric mucosalinjury.Time-effect relationship also existed.In experiment of analysis about mechanism of moxibustion,we found that moxibustion.1.stim-ulated the secretion of gastric mucus(P<0.001);2.increased the PGE 2 content in gastric mucosa(P<0.05);3.increased the number of β-endorphin-like immunoactive cells in gastric mucosa(P<0.05);4.enhanced the transformation of lymphocytes(P<0.01);5.reinforced the function of an-tibody-producing cells in the spleen.The results suggested that protective effect of moxibustion might result from the increase in mu-cus,the PGE 2 and the endogenous β-endorphin.It might also be related to the reinforcing effect ofmoxibustion on transformation of lymphocytes and antibody-producing function of spleen cells.


Introduction Biological changes that occur in the elderly can affect nutritional status including reduced muscle mass, increased fat mass, decreased intestinal mobility, number of missing teeth, decreased sense of sight and reduced kidney capacity to excrete large amounts of water (Hutapea, 2015). As compensation for the decline in physiological functions, adequate nutrition must be provided to suit the activities of the elderly. Balanced nutritional intake is very necessary for healthy and sick elderly to maintain their quality of life and is needed in the healing process and prevent further complications from the disease (Siti, 2015). The family has an important role in maintaining the health status of the elderly through the fulfillment of balanced nutritional needs because the family is the closest party to the elderly.Methods:The research design used is a correlation research type because this study aims to determine the existence of a relationship between the role of the family and the nutritional status of the elderly with a Cross Sectional approach. The population is the elderly aged 60-90 years and over in Klinterejo Village, Sooko District, Mojokerto Regency as many as 52 samples with simple random sampling technique. Variable measurement instruments use questionnaires and KMS sheets. The statistical test uses Chi-Square with a value of = 0.05. Result: The results showed that almost half of the respondents (44.2%) had less family roles as many as 23 respondents and as many as 36 respondents (69.2%2 with poor nutritional status). Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it is expected that the optimal role of the family in providing a balanced menu according to the needs of the elderly so that the nutritional status of the elderly is not in poor condition.


ABSTRACT Here, we report the genome sequence of Staphylococcus aureus LYO-S2, an isolate with sequence type (ST) 45 that was isolated in 2001 from a prosthetic joint infection.


This study examines one of the main hottest legal topics concerning the proof before the International Criminal Court (ICC), by which it is reached the power of proof before the ICC is limited to the Prosecutor, and this authority is not absolute but is restricted by the authorization of the Pre-Trial Chamber. This study has divided into two parts, the first one analyzes the burden of proof as an absolute power of the Prosecutor, and the second is Prosecutor's powers of indictment. While the second part deals with the Pre-Trial Chamber's control of the Prosecutor's powers of proof by examining the need for the Prosecutor to obtain prior authorization when undertaking certain powers of investigation and evidence, and the Pre-Trial Chamber control of the work of the Prosecutor during the indictment phase.


The discussion in the scientific community around the subject repressed memories has for a long time been extensive.

The Swedish rules of evidence validation give the court the possibility of freely taking in consideration everything they find of value for the judgement. It is therefore up to the courts to decide whether or not to trust repressed memories as evidence.

The purpose of this essay has been to look at the questions of repressed memories from different views and to look into some of the criminal cases in which these discussions are held.

What does a psychological expert know, that is important for the court's judgement? And even more importantly; how does the expert explain her conclusions and what these conclusions are based on to the court? These questions are discussed in the essay, which also states that psychological scientists have different answers to the question; do repressed memories actually exist?

The essay concludes the following:

• The courts are not consistent in their judgements
• The role of experts in Swedish courts are highly uncertain
• The experts sometimes do the job the courts are supposed to do
• The legal security is threatened

Some suggestions of improvement are then made:

• The courts should always hire experts in these cases
• The experts should be given clear instructions
• The court should always hire an extra expert, if the first one leaves any doubt
• The authorities should make a list of experts, from which the courts can pick experts for the different cases
• The validation of evidence should be made by the court, not by the expert
• The courts needs to write clear judgements
• If in doubt: in benefit of doubt
• The court should be very restrictive when validating repressed memories as evidence


We study the mass-radius curve of hybrid stars, assuming a single first-order phase transition between nuclear and quark matter, with a sharp interface between the quark matter core and nuclear matter mantle. We use a generic parameterization of the quark matter equation of state, which has a constant, i.e. density-independent, speed of sound ("CSS"). We argue that this parameterization provides a framework for comparison and empirical testing of models of quark matter. We obtain the phase diagram of possible forms of the hybrid star mass-radius relation, where the control parameters are the transition pressure, energy density discontinuity, and the quark matter speed of sound. We find that this diagram is sensitive to the quark matter parameters but fairly insensitive to details of the nuclear matter equation of state.
We calculate the maximum hybrid star mass as a function of the parameters of the quark matter EoS, and find that there are reasonable values of those parameters that give rise to hybrid stars with mass above $2\,M_\odot$.


Millimeter wave (mmWave) communications can support huge data rate growth and wide bandwidth in the new 5G era, and a hybrid precoding architecture can effectively handle the high hardware cost and energy consumption problems. A crucial goal is to optimize the system's spectral efficiency (SE) by effectively designing the digital precoder and the analog precoder. In this article, we review the conventional hybrid precoding schemes in mmWave systems, and then investigate several novel systems with index modulation (IM) techniques as well as their hybrid precoder designs. With the advantages of IM, higher SE can be achieved with limited radio frequency chains in mmWave systems. Simulation results demonstrate that two types of IM-aided systems both outperform conventional mmWave systems, which proves that IM is an enabling technique in practical SE-driven mmWave systems. Finally, we discuss the limiting factors and outlook of IM-aided mmWave systems in beyond-5G wireless communications.


The author analyzes the criminalistic aspects of the tactics of a suspect (accused) interrogation, considers the peculiarities of the establishment and maintenance of a psychological contact with a suspect (accused), the tactical techniques of influence on an interrogatee, as well as the prerequisites of psychological contact formation, and determines the criteria and grounds for the classification of the tactical techniques of influence on a suspect (accused) and the essence of the notion of psychological contact.


................................................................................................................. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 2 1. OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH ..................................................................... 5 1.1 Background to the project .................................................................................... 5 2. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND METHODS ........................................................... 8 2.1 Project design and methods ................................................................................ 8 2.2 Report structure ................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Economic framework for adaptation ................................................................... 11 2.4 Institutional Analysis and Development framework ............................................ 12 2.4.1 Action/adaptation situations .............................................................................................. 14 2.4.2 External variables ............................................................................................................. 16 2.4.3 Interactions ....................................................................................................................... 17 2.4.4 Outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 18 2.5 Statistical analysis of climate change ................................................................. 18 3. RESULTS AND OUTPUTS ................................................................................. 21 3.1 Understanding rapid climate change .................................................................. 21 3.1.1 Recent events and climate risks ....................................................................................... 21 3.1.2 The science of rapid climate change ................................................................................ 24 3.1.3 The anatomy of rapid climate change ............................................................................... 28 3.2 Gradualism: current approaches to assessment ................................................ 34 3.2.1 Current narratives and their influences ............................................................................. 34 3.2.2 Standard assessment methods and gradualist narratives ................................................ 37 3.2.3 Orthodox economics of impacts and adaptation .............................................................. 39 3.2.4 Current policy overview..................................................................................................... 45 3.3 Economic responses to rapid change ................................................................ 51 3.3.1 Heat stress and transfer.................................................................................................... 51 3.3.2 Fire risk ............................................................................................................................. 54 3.3.3 Assessing risks and risk propagation ............................................................................... 58 3.3.4 Adaptation clusters ........................................................................................................... 62 3.3.5 Understanding the problem at the national scale ............................................................. 65 3.3.6 Key factors for assessing and valuing rapid change ........................................................ 67 3.4 Evaluating the solutions ..................................................................................... 75 3.4.1 Valuing adaptation ............................................................................................................ 75


Mutations in the gene CEP290 cause an array of debilitating and phenotypically distinct human diseases, ranging in severity from the devastating blinding disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) to Senior LÃ ̧ken Syndrome, Joubert syndrome, and the embryonically lethal Meckel-GrÃ1⁄4ber syndrome. The pathology observed in these diseases is thought to be due to CEP290's essential role in the development and maintenance of the primary cilium, but despite its critical role in biology and disease we know only little about CEP290's function. Here we identify four novel functional domains of the protein, showing that CEP290 directly binds to cellular membranes through an N-terminal domain that includes a highly conserved amphipathic helix motif, and to microtubules through a domain located within its myosin-tail homology domain. Furthermore, CEP290 activity was found to be regulated by two novel autoinhibitory domains within its Nand C-termini, both of which were also found to play critical roles in regulating ciliogenesis. Disruption of the microtubule-binding domain in the rd16 mouse LCA model was found to be sufficient to induce significant deficits in cilium formation leading to retinal degeneration. Taking these findings into account, we developed a novel model that accurately predicts patient CEP290 protein levels in a mutationspecific fashion. Predicted CEP290 protein levels were found to robustly correlate with disease severity for all reported CEP290 patients. All these data implicate CEP290 as an integral structural and regulatory component of the primary cilium and provide insight into the pathological mechanisms of LCA and related ciliopathies. Our findings also suggest novel strategies for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of CEP290-based disease that, if fully realized, would be the first treatment available for the many patients suffering the devastating effects of CEP290 dysfunction. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Jean Bennett


Some highlights: New for the 90's: 36 case stories related to preteen/teenage youth. The book is divided into Four Parts: I-Family Issues, II-Peer Relation ships, in-Special Problems, IV-Personal Problems. Some of the problems are related to: diet-anorexia; alcohol; giftedness; single family parents; pregnancy; suicide; cults; homosexuality; drugs; cliques, and many others. Discussion questions follow each story.


Localized critical dimension (CD) error has been a major threat of the photomask industry. Because sampling is used as the methodology to perform CD measurements, it is impossible to detect 100% localized CD errors on the production line. On the other hand, since sensitivities of current inspection tools, such as Orbot RT8000 or KLA351, are larger than 0.2 μm while CD requirements are less than 0.04 μm, it is also impractical to detect this type of CD defects through inspection tools. Without a proper control, this issue can certainly affect product performance and overall yield dramatically. In this paper, localized CD errors introduced by particles and contamination will be discussed in detail. Wet processes have been used extensively in the photomask industry. The surface chemical flow at the proximity area of a particle is slower therefore local develop or etch rate is changed accordingly. Contamination or chemical stain can block chemical from the surface therefore reduce the reaction rate. Localized reaction rate changes introduce localized CD errors. CD errors larger than 150 nm were found in many cases. Several methods to address this issue on production line will be proposed. It also suggests that dry etching, class-1 (or better) environment and tight protocol are extremely important for the high-end mask process.


The invention provides a computer having a function of transmitting system upgrade files, and a method of transmitting system upgrade files. The method is applied to computers connected with mobile terminals. The computer transmits a system upgrade request of a mobile terminal to a system upgrade server, receives and stores a software upgrade package downloaded from the system upgrade server. The computer also executes the following steps: getting a segmentation table from the mobile terminal; according to file names of upgrade files, determining a corresponding file storage block in the segmentation table to each of the upgrade files; updating the segmentation table based on a comparison result of the size of each of the upgrade files and that of the corresponding file storage block in the segmentation table so as to generate a new segmentation table; and transmitting upgrade files which are in the software upgrade package and different from softwares that have been installed in the mobile terminal to the mobile terminal. In such way, only softwares having content changes are upgraded when operating system upgrading of the mobile terminal is carried out, thereby saving upgrade time.


The transition from deciduous to boreal forest is abrupt regionally and topographically in Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. The northern range limit of Acer saccharum is coincident with the forest transition to boreal forest. The goal of our study was to characterize the distribution of A. saccharum seedlings at the transition zone to determine variability in seedling demographics and genetics with topographic position and along a short north-south gradient. Seedling density, size, age, and growth were evaluated in permanent plots across the regional transition zone, and at the south-facing, ridge top and north-facing limits across the topographic transition. Growth over 5 yrs. was determined by measuring the distance between terminal bud scars, and compared with regional climate data. Genetic material was collected and analyzed from two of these sites. No significant differences were detected in density or growth of Acer saccharum across the regional transition but mean age increased and height decreased as the limit was approached. Across the topographic transition, ridge top seeding densities were greater than the south-facing or north-facing limits. Genetic variability is great with no cohort preference for topographic position detected.


In solving engineering optimization problems; very special cases of the problems can be solved in polynomial time while, most of them are considered as hard combinatorial optimization problems "NP-hard", and most of the solution algorithms for these problems are based on numerical linear and nonlinear programming methods that require substantial gradient information and usually seek to improve the solution in the neighborhood of a starting point. Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm is a global convergence guaranteed algorithms, which outperforms original PSO in search ability but has fewer parameters to control. In this paper, we propose an improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization with new beta value according to fitness values of the particles. It is shown that the improved QPSO has faster local convergence speed, resulting in better balance between the global and local searching of the algorithm, and thus generating good performance. The proposed improved QPSO, called beta damping algorithm (MQPSO) approach for engineering optimization problems with both continuous and discrete designed variables, is tested on several benchmark functions and compared with QPSO. The experiment results show the superiority of MQPSO.


It is attempted to interpret quantitatively energy losses of keV electrons reflected from targets with a simple phenomenological approach. In the case of a thin layer film on a thick substrate, loss intensities can be represented by a superposition of loss data on both the film and the substrate materials. The results are applied to Si-SiO 2 couples (oxide thickness up to ∼60 A), which show that the present approach leads to a good agreement between experimentally obtained loss spectra and calculated or synthesized ones. In the calculation, the dependence of inelastic mean free path λ of electron on electron energy E is proposed as λ∝ E 0.7 ±0.1 . Also from the curve fitting, it is demonstrated that the loss data give the film thickness within 5% errors.


A workpiece to be treated by using glow discharge is mounted in a container which contains a corresponding gas or gas mixture. The container and the workpiece are respectively connected to different terminals of an electrical source, and the resulting electrical potential gradient produces ions which are accelerated for a bombardment of the exterior surface of the workpiece for hardening the exterior surface area thereof. In order to measure an equivalent of the temperature of the workpiece, a thermal sensor element is mounted within a testpiece in heat-conducting relationship therewith. The sensor element is operative for generating a signal in dependence upon the temperature detected. Wires are connected with the sensor element for conducting the detected signal from the sensor element towards the exterior of the container. These wires are located remotely from the field so as to prevent undesirable electrical interference between the field and the detected signal. The testpiece is mounted on the inside wall of the container and is connected to the negative terminal of the source so as to be treated by glow discharge, too.


A series of(95-x)TeO2-5Bi2O3-xNb2O5(x=0%,x=5%,x=10%,x=15%)glasses were prepared.The density,refractive index,the transition temperature,crystallization temperature,absorption spectra,IR spectrum of samples were measured.Direct and indirect allowed transitions were determined from the absorption spectra.Energy band gap was also measured.The effects of content of Nb2O5 on refractive index,stability,optical band gap and energy band gap of the glasses are discussed.This tellurite glass system has good thermal stability and large refractive index.The refractive index of the glasses increases with increasing Nb2O5 content.


The metabolism of hymexazol (3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole) in soil was studied by using 14C-labeled chemical (14C-labeled at the 3 position on the isoxazole ring) to obtain fundamental information on its persistence in disease controlling activity and on residue analysis. Radioactive hymexazol was degraded in the unsterilized soil, and three radioactive metabolites were identified with carbon dioxide, acetoacetamide, and 5-methyl-2(3H)-oxazolone. The amount of 14CO2 evolved from radioactive hymexazoltreated soil increased with time, whereas those of the other metabolites decreased. The breakdown of hymexazol in unsterilized soil is biological, since only a trace of 14CO2 was evolved from the sterilized soil. Production of 14CO2 was remarkable in submerged condition compared to that in moist one. The amount of 14CO2 evolved from radioactive hymexazol treated soil increased with increasing temperature levels from 15C to 35C. Hymexazol was also degraded to CO2, acetoacetamide, and 5-methyl-2(3H)-oxazolone in the soil infested with Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces griseus, Aspergillus niger, Arthrinium sp., or Penicillium sp. A certain portion of hymexazol and/or its metabolites were so tightly adsorbed by the soil that it could not be removed by extraction with 1N HCl and subsequent elution with 1N NaOH or methanol. Since acetoacetamide and 5-methyl-2(3H)-oxazolone were found to be less effective than hymexazol against Fusarium wilt of cucumber, the metabolism of hymexazol in soil can be considered as a detoxication step.


We have enhanced the apertureless scattering‐type scanning near‐field optical microscope by two improvements which together achieve a recording of the true near field without any height‐induced artefact. These are the use of interferometric detection of the scattered light on one hand, and the use of higher‐harmonic dither demodulation of the scattered signal on the other. Here we present the basic rationale for these techniques, and give examples measured with two different experiments, one in the infrared (10 µm wavelength), the other in the visible (633 nm). The latter operates in a fully heterodyne mode and displays simultaneous images of optical near‐field phase and amplitude, at below 10 nm resolution.


This chapter recounts how foreign policymakers operate in a world shaped by the end of the Cold War when the Soviet flag was lowered one last time over the Kremlin in 1991. It traces the events from 1985 to 1991 as the story of a crumbling Soviet Union and a United States that inexorably headed for its unipolar moment. It also elaborates why Washington has not done as it pleased in the world, such as expanding NATO eastward and dismissing Moscow's protestations. The chapter explores how expanding the temporal scope of the end of the Cold War makes for a very different story as taking five earlier years into account changes the picture. It highlights the Soviet Union trying desperately to stop its decline and remain a coequal superpower to the United States, and the United States being keen to speed Moscow's decay, which is a dramatic reversal of fortunes that left an indelible mark on the minds of Kremlin policymakers today.


Published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND licence The world community of sampling has reasons to celebrate. The 10th World Conference on Sampling and Blending (WCSB10) took place between 31 May and 2 June 2022 in Kristiansand, Norway. It was the first physical gathering of members of the international sampling community in 2.5 years. A total of 121 in-person attendees from 20 nations together with 19 online attendees who, for one reason or other, could not travel to Norway. In the summer of 2021 when prospects for in-person gatherings of this magnitude were distinctly bleak, the organisational committee nevertheless made a deliberate decision to prepare for success and to go all out for an in-person conference. As it turned out, this paid off beautifully; a total attendance of 140 is right on par with several earlier conferences. From many personal reactions and statements, it was clear that the international sampling community had been starved of physical interaction. Again and again, delegates declared their excited satisfaction over simply being together again and being able to freely interact vis-à-vis one-another—to the delight of the scientific and organising committees.


Visual acuity (VA) --- a measurement of the fineness or coarseness of vision --- correlates with the size of an animal, with larger species often possessing sharper vision. However, it is unknown whether the same relationship between visual acuity and size holds within a species when individuals differ consistently and substantially in size, such as through a sexual size dimorphism. Here we examine the visual acuity of three species of sexually dimorphic band-winged grasshoppers, in which females are the larger sex (Arphia pseudonietana, Dissosteira carolina, and Spharagemon equale; total n = 98). Using a radius of curvature estimation method, we find that females have ∼21% finer vision in the most acute region and axis of the eye than do males. Further explorations of the eyes of the species showing the greatest size dimorphism (D. carolina) suggest that this VA dimorphism is driven by females having larger eyes with more ommatidia. In contrast to many flying insects where males have finer vision to acquire mates, our study is one of the first to demonstrate a female-biased sexual dimorphism in acuity. Given the number of species in which females are larger than males, our results suggest that differences in VA between the sexes may be more common than currently appreciated.


The response of The Institute of Physics to the Finniston report was published in the June issue of Physics Bulletin. I should like to present a rather different approach – that of a physicist in a university department concerned with applied physics, electronics and electrical engineering.


"The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $1,308,179contract to Meteorology Research, Inc., of Altadena, Calif., for five summers of airborne cloud-physics research under the High Plains Cooperative Program, a joint Federal-State research project to refine the technology of cloud seeding."


Congestion control in the Internet consists of two main components: the TCP Additive-Increase Multiplicative-Decrease (AIMD) mechanism on sending windows implemented by end-users, and the Active Queue Management (AQM) scheme implemented in the routers which improves the effectiveness of congestion control. TCP connection is regarded as a feedback control system. Comparably, AQM is classified as a flow controller. There are several kinds of time delays in the network, such as propagation delay, queuing delay in the buffer of the router, etc. The time delays cause degradation of performance and instability of the network. A Smith Predictor is commonly used in feedback control of plants with significant time delays to implement effective compensation. In this paper, a Smith Predictor-based PI-controller for AQM (SPPA) is proposed, which uses a TCP reference model and an average Round-Trip Time (RTT) to reduce unfavorable effects of time delays in TCP networks. The drop probability is calculated by a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller based on the prediction error. When a mismatch exists in between the actual model of the TCP process and the reference model employed by the SPPA, we demonstrate conditions under which the network is stable. The performance, robustness and effectiveness of the proposed SPPA are all evaluated using simulations. The performance of the SPPA is compared with some typical AQMs, such as the Adaptive RED, the PI-controller, and the Proportional-Differential (PD) controller.


This paper demonstrates a methodology based on a combined deterministic and probabilistic approach for bulk system adequacy assessment considering proposed wind power generation addition in the Northern Region of British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) System. The paper illustrates a technique for assessing effective load carrying capability (ELCC) and generation capacity equivalence (GCE) based on generation system adequacy assessment (HL-I analysis). A traditional deterministic approach is utilized initially to grant the GCE value obtained in the HL-I analysis as the amount of additional transmission system transfer capability (TC) required for wind power generation. A composite generation and transmission system adequacy assessment (HL-II analysis) is then used to verify the adequacy of the increased TC that is capable of maintaining the same level of system reliability. In addition, an economic analysis for providing an additional TC for wind power generation is also illustrated in the paper.


The law of photosynthetic changes of our familiar vegetables under different weathers in greenhous e,such as eggplant, pepper and lettuce, were studied and compared. With the index of net photosynthetic rate, th e quantitative relationship among it and temperature, intensity of light, was established. By analysising the result s of the photosynthetic production function we can see that each vegetable showed a given law and the interacti on among the environmental factors were remarkable.


During the progress of the "seventeen-years" Chinese films,the film creation has shown several up-and-downs.But there always has been an orientation of the strong preaching that lays emphasis on the serving the mainstream ideology.While the evolution of the aesthetic form in the film creation embodies the complexity of the reality,there appears a high national will.


It is shown that, in tokamak plasmas, finite drift/banana-orbit width (FOW) effects play crucial roles in the nonlinear evolution of kinetic/geodesic acoustic modes (KGAM/GAM). In particular, it is found that, in contrast to the negligible second-harmonic generation, KGAM/GAM can generate appreciable zero-frequency zonal flow (ZFZF) due to the FOW effects. On the other hand, ZFZF is found to have negligible effects on the dynamics of GAM/KGAM. This route of generating ZFZF has important implications to the nonlinear dynamics of zonal flows and, consequently, drift wave turbulences.


Objective:  We recently described early rigid retrograde endoscopic realignment of the disrupted urethra under caudal anaesthesia in the outpatient setting. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate our medium‐term results.


. This paper aims to develop a non–commutative geometrical version of the theory of Yang–Mills and space–time scalar matter fields. To accomplish this purpose, we will dualize the geometrical formulation of this theory, in which principal G –bundles, principal connections, and linear representations play the most important role. In addition, we will present the non–commutative geometrical Lagrangian of the system as well as the non– commutative geometrical associated field equations . At the end of this work, we show an illustrative example. MSC


This paper analyses the cause of the present pollution in Qionghai and the problems in the course of its control and puts forward some countermeasures:the improvement of the quality of Qianghai ecological ,rainwater and comprehensive environment.


The utility model discloses a lifting device of a star-shaped tent and the star-shaped tent with the lifting device. The lifting device comprises a center upright post, and a hand shank, wherein the center upright post comprises an outer pipe; the hand shank is fixed on the outer pipe; a bevel gear 1 is fixed on the hand shank; the bevel gear 1 is connected with a bevel gear 2; the bevel gear 2 is fixed on the screw; locating elements are arranged at two ends of the screw; the locating elements are fixed on the outer pipe; a drive nut is arranged on the screw; a guide plate is fixed on the nut; the guide plate slides up and down along a locating guide rod; two ends of the locating guide rod are respectively fixed on two locating elements; a lifting pipe is arranged on the guide plate; and the upper end of the lifting pipe resists against a cover cloth. The lifting device disclosed by the utility model is arranged on the star-shaped tent, and then can ascend by rotating the hand shank, so as to achieve the target of tightening the star-shaped tent; the service efficiency of the star-shaped tent is effectively increased; and the durability is also improved.


Export-import transactions became one of the most important activities for the development of the Indonesian economy. Palm oil is one of Indonesia's leading export commodities. This result was doing with the aim of analyzing the competitiveness and influence of production, international prices and exchange rate on Indonesian palm oil exports. The data used in this study is time series data from 1989 to 2016. Analysis tool used in this research is Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and regression with Error Correction ModelBased on the results of RCA analysis shows that RCA value is greater than 1, this indicates that the export of Indonesia's palm oil have a strong competitiveness in the international market. Based on the results of ECM analysis indicates that production has an impact on palm oil exports in the long term, but in the short term production has no impact. International price and exchange rate have an impact on palm oil exports both in the long term and in the short term.


The anisotropy and pulse frequency dispersion of the spin–spin relaxation time TCP2E from Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill pulse sequences is employed to evaluate the major contribution to transverse 2H spin relaxation in bilayer membranes. Analysis of the experiments is achieved in terms of a density operator formalism, employing the stochastic Liouville approach. From a comparison of the observed angular and frequency dependences of TCP2E with those predicted for order director fluctuations, we conclude that collective lipid motions constitute the dominant transverse relaxation process. Computer simulations provide the viscoelastic parameters of the lipid membranes. For 1,2‐dimyristoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine bilayers at T=318 K an average elastic constant of K=2×10−11 N and an effective viscosity of η=0.1 P have been determined. Using the experimentally accessible value for the long wavelength cutoff of the elastic modes, one obtains the mean square amplitude of the director fluctuations 〈θ20〉=0.04. This ...


This article aims to discuss and present a proposal to map, in terms of representation and authorship, what we call lesbian geographies. This mapping has two reading processes at its core. First, the distant reading, according to Moretti (2008), for general cartographies and then the reading as an aesthetic act (Jouve, Genette, Barthes) for the emergence of spatialities and landscapes in the narrative that presents lesbian characters as a point of view. The proposal of mapping with the north of the lesbian subject is to create deviant geographies that question dominant models of representations and even of authorships in diverse scopes of the literature. In this sense, we also rely on Collot (2014) and Westphal (2007), as far as the discussion on literary geography is concerned.


Subcutaneous emphysema is a relatively common finding in clinical practice. It rarely leads to fatalities. The few reported deaths in the literature have all been associated with pneumothorax. We present the case of a 61-year male who developed a fatal massive subcutaneous emphysema on a background of end stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Type 2 respiratory failure.


Speciation of Zn, Mn, Fe, Ca, Mg in Ligusticum wallichii Franch was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry.The forms of free ions and non free ions of Zn, Mn, Fe, Ca, Mg in filtrate were obtained by using cation-exchange resin, and the method of separating and analyzing two speciation was established.The results showed that Zn existed on free ions form and hadnt any non free ions form.A few Ca and Mg existed on non free ions,more than 50% of Mn and Fe existed on non free ions.


Abstract Introduction: Communication is an inevitable aspect of nursing care of patients and the elderly and an essential factor in attaining positive aspect of treatment. Removing communication barriers can have a significant role in improving quality of care in the elderly and facilitating recovery of patients. Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to determine communication barriers from nurses' and elderly patients' points of views at medical-surgical wards of hospitals affiliated to Isfihan Medical University. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire completed by was used for data collection. Subjects included 110 nurses and 110 elderly patients. The nurses and patients were selected by randomization and convenience sampling methods respectively. Different statistical tests were used for data analysis. Results: Communication barriers from nurses' points of views included tiredness of nurses (%89.8), speaking too fast (%88.9), forgetfulness and weak memory of the elderly patient (%92.6), auditory and visual disorders (%89.8), badly injured patients in the wards (%97.2) and crowdedness of the wards. The points of views in the elderly patients mostly included lack of respect to their dignity (%98.2) and lack of attention to their questions (%93.6). Conclusion: With respect to the findings, nursing authorities should pay attention to the working condition of nurses and provide facilities for them. Nurses should be supported to be able to dedicate their time and energy for effective communication. In addition, continuing education programs regarding communication skills with the elderly and regular evaluation of these programs can be helpful. Geriatric nursing education should also be integrated in the baccalaureate program of nursing. Keywords: Communication barriers, Nurse, Patient, Old person.


An accurate gas turbine performance model is important for system performance evaluation. To minimize the simulated performance error, an adaption method using coefficients of scaling factors is applied to tune the component characteristic maps and make the gas turbine model meet measurements of a few randomly sampled points. However, the field data are non-homogeneously distributed. In this situation, randomly selecting a few sampling may lead to the inappropriate correction of the component characteristic maps and lower the prediction accuracy of model. Firstly, the coefficients of scaling factors are introduced to construct the performance adaption optimization problem of the gas turbine model. Secondly, the k-means clustering algorithm is applied to divide the 146 field data points into 10 different categories, and then the points closest to the cluster centers are selected to form the sampling set. Thirdly, a particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to search the optimal scaling factors. As a result, the model error decreases from 2.947% to 0.610%. Finally, the proposed method is validated with the remaining field data of a real E-class gas turbine. The average predicted error is 0.466%. Compared with the performance results obtained by random sample, the model based on cluster sampling shows a better accuracy.


The article is dedicated to the development of analytical model of loads four-wheels travelling cranes loads. The design values of mathematical expectation, variance and standard for vertical and horizontal component of crane load were received. Numerical example has shown that the values of analytical numerical characteristics are very close to the experimental values of loads, and can be applied in the reliability estimation. Analytical numerical characteristics are used in the of steel framework one-storey industrial building columns calculation reliability. The time factor and the stochastic nature of the loads and the strength of steel were considered. The effect of different parameters (cranes capacity and the mode of travelling cranes, columns step, type of connection the column and girder, the type of roofing and the values of wind and snow loads) on the reliability of steel frameworks was considered.


Abstract : VIPS is a program (implemented in LISP 1.5) which embodies a psychological theory of visual imagery and form perception. An experimental task was designed which required subjects to perform perceptual activity over an extended time frame. The subject was required to move a small viewing hole about a presented line drawing until being able to produce a verbal recall description and drawn reproduction of the whole picture. The subject was also instructed to 'think aloud' during the hole movement procedure. Transcriptions of selected video-tape protocols served as the immediate basis for VIPS design. Relevant research results of cognitive psychology provided additional design criteria. Behavioral correspondences between protocols and equivalent traces of VIPS activity indicate theory sufficiency. The theory proposes that visual form perception is a constructive activity involving the coordinated use of several memories and processes, which are defined.


The investigation of the effective factors on strength of flui-dized-bed spray granules is very meaningful because the granule's strength is an important factor of evaluating product quality.With gela-tin liquor as adhesive and wheat meal as granulation material,the eff-ects on spray granule's strength of fluidizing gas velocity,bed tempera-ture,nozzle air pressure and adhesive concentration were studied exper-imentally in a batch conical fluidized bed spray particle generator.The experimental results showed that the bed temperature and the adhe-sive concentration and especially the fluidizing gas velocity had great influ-ence on the granule's strength.Variations of the granule's strength ver-sus above operation parameters were non-monotone,and that versus the nozzle air pressure was consistent.


Color removal efficiency on several dyes by potassium permanganate was investigated. The influence of several factors, i.e. initial pH value and dose of potassium permanganate on color removal efficiency is discussed. The result indicates that strong acid condition may do good to color removal. For most dyes in the experiment, permanganate has obvious effect on color removal when pH11. The color removal efficiency increase when reaction time and dose of potassium permanganate increase. The UV-Vis spectra of Rhodamine B show that potassium permanganate can significantly decrease the absorbency under strong acid solution. But the terminal absorbency increases at neutral or basic solution. It indicates that potassium permanganate can not fully mineralize this dye.


A comparison is given between hydrogen-like and Hartree-Fock calculated and experimental absorption data for Silicon. Some values omitted in an earlier paper are added


The significance of the black student union in the past décade (1965-19.75), 'both for black students and for the white college, and. some reasons for the apparent decline experienced by , black student'unions in recent years are-,the concern of this paper. Its focus is on reviewing some 6f'the functions, activities and .impacts of the black student union during it's most active years, and " reviewing some of the internal factors which seem to have played a role in its current decline. Several functions served by the student unions are suggested. Their goals and change oriented activities center on five. general areas and their implementation and impact upon. white college vary, both in degree and permanence. Two sets of influences seem important in the apparent decline of black student union and the black student population, and those internal to them; ' four such iríternál factors are emphasized in the .discussion. A final cautionary note is sounded, indicating that despite apparent decline and a Seemingly apolitical stance in many collegeS•and universities,. 'black student unidns.,have not disappeared, and retainthe Capacity for renewed vitality and'activism. (Author/AM) BLACK STUDENT UNIONS, 1965-1975: A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE LAST DECADE


The behaviour of the spin chain compound Ca3Co2O6 in an applied magnetic field has been the subject of a detailed single-crystal neutron diffraction study. The low-temperature magnetisation process is shown to be accompanied by clearly visible steps in the intensity of the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Bragg peaks. The field and temperature dependence of the long-range and the short-range components of magnetic order in Ca3Co2O6 have been studied. Detailed measurements have shown that the presence of the short-range correlations cannot account for the reduction in intensity of the antiferromagnetic peaks at low temperatures.


ABSTRACT:  It is envisaged that there will be a considerable demand in the near future for modified starches. To meet the demand, the chemical modification of starch, including cross-linking, has been widely used to obtain desirable traits that are suitable for various food applications. Radiation processing, being a physical process, is an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical modification. It is economically viable, safe, and possesses several advantages over other conventional methods employed for modification and cross-linking. Irradiation of starch leads to the attainment of such desired functional attributes as reduction of viscosity, high water solubility, and others. This review provides insight into the impact of gamma, electron beam, and ultraviolet irradiation on the physicochemical and functional properties of starch. It also highlights the importance and the exciting new opportunities afforded by radiation treatments as a physical means for the modification of starch.


A case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma within an intracranial meningioma is presented. The pathological and radiological findings are discussed.


At very high power levels pulsed microwave beams can generate air-breakdown plasmas which may limit the fluence that the beam can transport through the atmosphere. Conventional air breakdown is an avalanche process wherein free electrons, driven by the microwave fields, produce ionization through collisions with air molecules. Propagation of a beam is affected when the plasma electron density approaches the critical density for the particular microwave frequency. The rate of growth of the plasma depends on the competition between the ionization probability and electron loss processes such as attachment and diffusion. The physics of the avalanche process is reasonably well understood, and fluence limits can be fairly accurately predicted, so long as there are free seed electrons to initiate the breakdown. At sea level and low altitudes, seed electrons are, in fact, expected to be fairly rare, and air breakdown, and the consequences for beam propagation, must be treated as a statistical problem; the effective fluence limit may be much greater than would be predicted on the basis of conventional breakdown thresholds. The statistical effects are currently being investigated. 13 refs., 2 figs.


The ultraviolet (UV) photodissociation dynamics of several free radicals were studied using High-n Rydberg H-atom time-of-flight (HRTOF) spectroscopy, including the nitrogen contain aromatic radicals o-pyridyl and m-pyridyl, cyclohexyl which is a cyclic alkyl radical, and four isomers of the unsaturated C4H7 radical system. The four isomer studied where 1-methylallyl, 2-methylallyl, 2-buten-2-yl, and 2-methyl-1-propenyl radicals. The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodissociation dynamics of methanol was also studied.The first chapter discusses photodissociation dynamics as well as the experimental methodology. The HRTOF experimental technique used in this research is explained in detail.The second chapter investigates the UV photodissociation of o-pyridyl radicals in the region of 224-246 nm. The H-atom product translational energy release indicates the production of cyanovinylacetylene + H. The H-atom product yield spectrum, product angular distribution and photodissociation mechanism were also obtained.Chapter 3 investigates the UV photodissociation of m-pyridyl radicals in the region of 224-246 nm. The H-atom product translational energy release distribution indicates the production of cyanovinylacetylene + H. The H-atom product yield spectrum, product angular distribution and photodissociation mechanism were also obtained.Chapter 4 investigates the UV photodissociation of cyclohexyl radicals in the region of 232-262 nm. The H-atom photofragment yield spectrum is in good agreement with previously reported UV absorption spectra. The production translation energy release distribution indicates a non-statistical photodissociation process to produce cyclohexene + H. The product angular distribution showed an anisotropic distribution. The photodissociation mechanism was obtained.Chapter 5 investigates the UV photodissociation of the 1-methylallyl, 2-methylallyl, 2-buten-2-yl, and 2-methyl-1-propenyl radicals. The H-atom time-of-flight spectra of three of the four C4H7 radicals showed a bimodal feature indicating two photodissociation mechanisms while the 2-methyl-1-propenyl radical showed a single feature. All of the isomers showed a statistical H-atom product channel while 1-methylallyl, 2-methylallyl, and 2-buten-2-yl also showed a non-statistical photodissociation H-atom product channel. The H + C4H6 product translational energy distributions and the photodissociation mechanism were obtain for each of the radicals.Chapter 6 discusses the VUV photodissociation of CH3OH and CH3OD at 121.6 nm. The H-atom product TOF spectrum of CH3OH and D-atom spectrum have a bimodal distribution. The photodissociation mechanisms and branching ratios were obtained.Chapter 7 will briefly discuss the results of a related system, 3-cyclohexenyl radical, and general conclusions.


This project considers a benefit model for on-line preemptive multiprocessor scheduling. In this model, each job arrives with its own benefit function and execution time. The flow time of a job is the time between its arrival and its completion. The benefit function determines the benefit gained for any given flow time. The goal is to maximize the total benefit gained only by the jobs that meet their deadlines. In order to achieve this goal, a variety of approximation algorithms and their applications in multiprocessor scheduling were studied. A greedy algorithm with 2- approximation ratio is proposed to be added to an existing benefit based scheduling algorithm, in order to reduce the delay of each job, by assigning it to the processor with least utilization so far. This method will decrease the flow time of the jobs, resulting in higher benefits gained by each job. Also, evaluation of this approach shows that it uses the CPU cycles more efficiently by providing more balanced distribution of the jobs between the processors. Therefore, more jobs can meet their deadlines and add their gained benefits to the total benefit. In addition, the proposed method is computationally less expensive than the existing benefit based method.


Our preferred screening protocol consists of liver function tests and abdominal ultrasonography every 6–12 months. There is controversy as to whether such screening should be undertaken in all patients or only in those at high risk of metastatic disease. Chest radiography has very low additional yield and is performed only at baseline and if pulmonary symptoms develop. If metastatic disease is detected, PET/CTscanning is useful for identifying any extra-hepatic metastases thereby avoiding futile hepatic therapy.


There have been no large‐scale epidemiological studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution of common warts in Japan. A total of 213 patients with common warts (104 males and 109 females) in Japan were studied to detect HPV genotype distribution by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing analysis. The results were as follows: 94 HPV‐1a (44.1%), 35 HPV‐4 (16.4%), 30 HPV‐65 (14.1%), 13 HPV‐27 (6.1%), 13 HPV‐2a (6.1%), 9 HPV‐57b (4.22%), 3 HPV‐16 (1.41%), 2 HPV‐6a (0.94%), 2 HPV‐63 (0.94%), and 1 case for each of HPV‐3, ‐5, ‐5b, ‐7, ‐10, ‐21, ‐29, ‐47, ‐56, ‐57, ‐62, and ‐92 (0.47%, respectively). Four cases (1.88%) were found in which two different HPV types were detected within the lesions: one case of HPV‐1a with HPV‐16, one case of HPV‐1a with HPV‐65, one case of HPV‐6a with HPV‐8, and one case of HPV‐65 with HPV‐16. There were seven cases of mucosal types (3.3%), that is, two HPV‐6a, three HPV‐16, one HPV‐56, and one HPV‐62, and three cases of epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV)‐related types (1.41%), that is, one HPV‐5, one HPV‐5b (both of which belonged to a high‐risk group), and one HPV‐47 (which belonged to a low‐risk group). To date, this is the largest sequencing‐based study of HPV for common warts in Japan. It is said that common warts are induced predominantly by HPV‐2, ‐27, and ‐57 in European population. However, the present results showed that in Japan they were induced mostly by HPV‐1, ‐4, and ‐65. This suggests that regional differences in HPV genotype distribution may exist between European and Japanese populations. J. Med. Virol. 77:107–112, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This deliverable report examines the outcome of the construction of functional or partly functional prototypes or mock-ups of Personalized Interior Intelligent Environment Units (PI²Us) for demonstration and testing purposes, associated with Task T5.4. The first part of this document will give an overview of the relation of this task to other tasks of WP5, other work packages, and the larger framework of the REACH project. The second part sets out the details of the progressive development from early concepts to the current prototyping stage. Moreover, the subsequent lab-based testing is described in the third part of the report. This includes both already carried out and planned testing activities for either early stage validation or final demonstration in a naturalistic test environment. Finally, part four summarizes the results and puts the different prototypes in perspective to the respective touchpoints and the overall REACH engine functionality.


Researchers developing drugs to treat brain disorders face a major hurdle: crossing the blood-brain barrier. What will it take to translate billions of dollars of research into therapeutic success?


Composition for promoting a production of hyaluronic acid containing at least one of kaempferol and quercetin is disclosed. Kaempferol or quercetin according to the present invention is to increase the hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS) expression of a gene present in the skin cell line of human epidermis, the property of promoting a production of hyaluronic acid in human cells. Therefore, a composition comprising at least one of kaempferol and quercetin according to the present invention, the composition for promoting a production of hyaluronic acid, increase in the elasticity of the skin, preventing drying of the skin, or to prevent skin aging cosmetic composition for, or are useful in pharmaceutical compositions for treating or preventing osteoarthritis.


The disclosure provides a method and system for reducing channel switching delay of an IPTV. The method comprises that: an IPTV system plans a multicast association mode; the IPTV system determines, after receiving a message of requesting to access a multicast group from a terminal, other multicast groups associated with the multicast group which the terminal requests to access according to the multicast association mode and makes the terminal synchronously join in the multicast group which the terminal requests to access and other multicast groups associated with the multicast group which the terminal requests to access; provides normal multicast streams of the multicast group which the terminal requests to access, and provides no multicast streams or Low-Definition Television (LDTV) multicast streams of the other multicast groups associated with the multicast group which the terminal requests to access, and when the terminal switches channels, the IPTV system provides the terminal with normal multicast streams of the multicast group of a channel to which the terminal requests to switch when determining that the terminal has joined in the multicast group of the channel to which the terminal requests to switch. The method can reduce the channel switching delay of the IPTV and further improve the QoS of the IPTV service.


We study the response of switched particle detectors to static negative energy densities and negative energy fluxes. It is demonstrated how the switching leads to excitation even in the vacuum and how negative energy can lead to a suppression of this excitation. We obtain quantum inequalities on the detection similar to those obtained for the energy density by Ford and co-workers and in an `operational' context by Helfer. We revisit the question `Is there a quantum equivalence principle?' in terms of our model. Finally, we briefly address the issue of negative energy and the second law of thermodynamics.


ABSTRACT: A foraging dichotomy among sexually mature females has been reported for severalpopulations of loggerhead sea turtles, where large adult females forage primarily in neritic habi-tats and smaller adult females forage primarily in oceanic habitats. The prevalence of neritic for-agers has been considered a consequence of much higher food availability in neritic foraginggrounds than in oceanic habitats. However, previous satellite tracking suggested that oceanic for-aging is prevalent among the adult females in Cape Verde. We used stable isotopes to assess theactual proportion of neritic and oceanic females in this population and used carapace length,clutch size and egg volume to assess differences in their fitness. Stable isotope ratios confirm thatthe adult female population in Cape Verde is dominated by oceanic foragers that avoid the oligo-trophic region west of the archipelago. The proportion of oceanic and neritic foragers did notdepart significantly from that expected if turtles settled opportunistically between the archipelagoand mainland Africa at the end of their developmental migration, without any preference for thecontinental shelf. However, adult neritic foragers had a higher fitness, as revealed by larger cara-pace length and clutch size. Furthermore, they were older than adult oceanic foragers, thus indi-cating that some animals shifted from oceanic to neritic habitats with age, most likely due to ahigher accumulated probability of detecting the African shelf over time. In conclusion, most of thefemales nesting in Cape Verde do not select the best available foraging grounds, but settle oppor-tunistically in the highly productive area between the archipelago and Africa when they returnfrom their developmental migration.KEY WORDS: Sea turtles · Foraging strategies · Stable isotope analysis · Cape Verde


This paper introduces key points of the electrical design of the use of diesel generators as emergency power supply in building engineering, including diesel generator capacity selection,diesel engine room equipment layout and distribution system.


A study was made of 110 cases of viral hepatitis diagnosed by general practitioners between 31 May 1982 and 30 June 1984. Hepatitis A was diagnosed in 53 patients, hepatitis B in 18 patients, hepatitis of both types A and B in one patient, and--by exclusion--hepatitis non-A non-B in 38 patients. Hepatitis A appears to be generally acquired by contact with infected persons or by travelling in endemic regions. In more than 50% of the hepatitis B cases, a hospital stay and/or ambulatory treatment were mentioned. All patients with hepatitis A became negative for anti-HA/IgM within 9 months after the diagnosis. 30% of the patients with hepatitis B remained positive for HBs Ag 9 months after diagnosis.


Coconut husk fiber-based activated carbon was synthesized using ZnCl2. Analytical technique such as SEM was used for the characterization of the developed activated carbon obtained from the carbon husk. Effects of various influential parameters are optimized using the Taguchi experimental design. The optimization of SBET with the percentage removal of 4-nitrophenol, methylene blue and acid red-27 dye were applied as standard responses, the optimized parameters for SBET were activation temperature of 800 °C, concentration of ZnCl2 of 50 % w/v, nitrogen flow rate of 100 cm3/min, activation time of 2 h and carbonization temperature of 300 °C. 4-Nitrophenol optimized conditions were: carbonization at 400 °C, impregnation with 5 % w/v ZnCl2 solution and activation at 700 °C for 2 h with nitrogen flow rate of 200 cm3/min. Except for the impregnation ratio, nitrogen flow rate and activation time in the case of methylene blue, the ideal conditions of the percentage removals of methylene blue and acid red-27 are almost equal to that of the SBET. The surface characteristics of the samples produced under optimal conditions were examined. There are no pores available in the surface of the coconut fiber compared to the surface of the other two samples prepared under ideal conditions. Moreover, the activated carbons prepared under these optimized conditions contain small amounts of oxygen and have neutral surfaces.


We invite every thin man, woman, and child here. Every Person in the British Isles to Eat With Us at Our Expense. Other extracts are: This is an invitation that no thin man or woman can afford to ignore. We'll tell you why. We are going to give you a food that helps digest the other foods-a food that puts good solid flesh on people who are thin and underweight, no matter what the cause may be. A food that makes brain in five hours and blood in four-a food that puts the red corpuscles in the blood which every thin man or woman so sadly needs.... Chew one up with every meal, and in five minutes after you take the first concentrated tablet 'Of this precious food it will commence to unfold its virtues,'and it'will by actual demonstration often increase the weight at the rate of one pound a day.


Abstract Catalogers and library educators have long articulated the importance of preparing entry-level catalog librarians for the profession. The professional literature suggests that graduates of accredited LIS distance programs will perform at an equivalent level with those from accredited residential programs. This case study of a beginning cataloging class offered in virtual and traditional formats is one contribution to the effort of assessing virtual distance education. A rigorous content analysis methodology was used, with selected differences between the descriptive cataloging proficiencies among traditional-class and virtual-class students being identified. Study findings suggest that traditional-class and virtual-class students will perform at a similar level—that library educators cannot determine that either type of instructional delivery system is more likely to prepare students for successful careers within the community of catalogers.


Charles's position in Colbert's orbit offered the family new ways to act in the social world. This chapter concentrates on the ways the Perraults drew upon their access to Versailles in a variety of contexts, from the dissections of exotic animals in the Academy of Sciences to their literary sociability, as it served as a library of sorts. By tracing how Versailles became an object in the Perraults' extended network, this chapter suggests a new model for understanding cultural patronage and Versailles' role in the cultural politics of Louis XIV's France. Not simply a radiant palace that stunned visitors by its splendor, the court's reputation grew through appropriations by men of letters, which benefited the Perraults in their Parisian endeavors while they promoted the king's glory.


This paper emphasizes certain issues and problems that arise when a statistical analysis must be undertaken on complex and evolving data, under tight constraints of time. In such circumstances, it typically is not possible to develop extensive or problem-specific methodology, yet an answer may be required almost immediately, and must be correct, defensible, understandable, and carry impact. It must also be able to withstand the test of comparison with analyses yet to come. We illustrate these points by presenting the background to, and an analysis of, the State of Florida results in the 7 November, 2000 U.S. Presidential elections with emphasis on Palm Beach County. The analysis we discuss was carried out in the days immediately following that election. The statistical evidence strongly suggested that the use of the 'butterfly' ballot in Palm Beach County had resulted in a significant number of votes having been counted for presidential candidate Pat Buchanan which had not so been intended. The design of the 'butterfly' ballot suggests that many of these votes had likely been intended for the Democratic candidate A1 Gore. This confusion was sufficient to affect the overall outcome of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, conferring the office to George W. Bush, and this result is statistically significant.


Expander codes where introduced in (1996) by Sipser and Spielman. These codes are related to low-density parity-check codes (LDPC-codes) from (R.G. Gallager, 1963) and other codes described in (R.M. Tanner, 1981), but with the restriction that any code symbol is involved in only two check equations. Gallager showed in (1963) that this is not suitable for constructing LDPC-codes. Therefore we generalize expander codes by using hypergraphs. Good expander graphs are obtained by using algebraic constructions from (G.A. Margulis, 1973) and (A. Lubotzky, et al., 1988). Since such constructions are not very flexible, we present a simple probabilistic method for constructing expander codes.


With almost four billion sensor-equipped mobile devices on the planet, the way is open for a variety of new context-based applications and services. However, this new opportunity creates concerns over privacy and access control and necessitates a robust and scalable solution. We propose the MediateSpace middleware which is a decentralised tuple space with contextual mediation capabilities for both data distributors and consumers. Distributors may restrict access by requiring the satisfaction of a contextual condition and consumers may restrict which data enters their computer (tuple conditions). Distributed X-Trees (a development of R-Trees) are used to achieve decentralisation.
 The system also provides Restricted Context Sharing, Triggers (performing actions upon matching certain conditions or data patterns), Module Handlers (simplifying the processing of received messages), Context Scripting (allowing the dynamic addition, removal or augmentation of structures such as triggers) and State Management (allowing state to be read and stored semi-persistently).
 MediateSpace could be used to support a myriad of possible applications such as context dependent data collection, collaborative tools for geographically co-located individuals and context-aware file-sharing.


A method basing on high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)was developed for determining the antiseptic residues in tobacco.The analytes extracted from tobacco samples were separated on C18 column(150 mm×2.1 mm×3 μm)using acetonitrile-water(containing 0.1% formic acid)as mobile phase.The antiseptics were determined by a tandem mass spectrometer with internal standard under multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.The 145 domestic and imported tobacco samples were determined with this method.The results showed that: 1)The linear range was 5-200 ng/mL(R20.999).The average recoveries ranged from 85.3% to 118.8% with the relative standard deviations(RSD)less than 7.7%.2)No antiseptic residue was detected in 52 tobacco samples and 30 cigarette samples,which accounted for about 52% of all leave samples and 66.7% of all cigarette samples;all the mentioned antiseptics,except benomyl,were detectable in samples.This method was suitable for the fast determination of the residues of the 6 antiseptics in tobacco and tobacco products.