With the establishment of market- oriented economy system and the rising of the opening- up degree, especially after China's entrance into WTO, Chinese enterprises are faced with an unprecedented fierce competition both at home and abroad. How to improve their performance quickly and continuously by raising the level of quality management has become a serious problem to be resolved urgently by researchers and practitioners. Beginning with a discussion of the nature of TQM, this paper firstly analyses the relationship between the strategic content and strategic process of TQM and the competitive advantage of enterprises, pointing out that to maintain the competitive advantage of TQM relies on the strategic process, while the creation of competitive advantage comes from its strategic content. Then, this paper expounds the key points of TQM content under the two strategic orientations (customer orientation and operation orientation) and their relationship with the performance of the enterprises. Based on this, it makes a further analysis of the problem that how enterprises can choose the most suitable TQM content according to their strategic orientations to maximize their business performance under different external environmental conditions. This research is expected to benefit both positive researches on quality management and practical management in future.


Internet has presented a new outlook of a commercial phenomenon and customer preferences. Regularly increasing customer traffic on the web and increased turnovers of web-shops impel the companies dealing in luxuries to think about their endeavors. Internet adoption and continuous increasing e-shops motivates customers to move towards purchasing of luxury products from web-shops; but, it is still facing some structural difficulties such as security, originality of products, genuineness of a web-shop and others. In case of luxury products, most of customers prefer purchasing from physical stores after assuring the self. They don't want to buy every luxury product from e-shops even they have previous experience of buying luxuries online. Prices offered by e-shops are also put forward a cause for online purchase of luxury products. Therefore, this study has attempted to enlighten the factors associated with luxury, issues faced by luxury customers, and perceptions they have for e-commerce.


BACKGROUND
This study was performed to determine whether anhidrotic horses have altered thyroid function compared with horses that sweat normally.

HYPOTHESIS
Anhidrotic horses have normal thyroid function.

ANIMALS
Ten client-owned horses with clinical signs of anhidrosis were paired with 10 horses living in the same environment that had normal sweat production.

METHODS
Horses were diagnosed as having normal sweat production or being anhidrotic based on responses to intradermal injections of terbutaline and physiologic responses to lunging exercise. Control horses were selected from the same environment and matched as closely as possible to anhidrotic horses in terms of age, sex, breed, and athletic condition. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation tests were performed in both horses at the same time, once in the summer or fall, and once again in winter.

RESULTS
Anhidrotic horses produced less sweat in response to intradermal injections of terbutaline and exercise than did control horses. They also had greater increases in body temperature and respiratory rate in response to exercise. Resting concentrations of thyroid hormones and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were not different between anhidrotic and control horses. Thyroid hormone responses to TRH also were not different between the 2 groups of horses. However, anhidrotic horses had a significantly different TSH response to TRH compared with control horses, particularly in the winter.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
The biologic relevance of the altered TSH response to TRH in anhidrotic horses is uncertain, considering that TSH concentrations remained within previously reported normal ranges and thyroid hormone responses were not different between anhidrotic and control horses.


This paper first analyzes the characteristics of the framework of professional knowledge possessed by students of civil engineering,this paper pays attention to how the student can cultivate and exercise the ability of designing under the guide of the concept of the structure and the economic analysis,and further strengthen their theoretical knowledge;then this paper brings forward the idea of strengthening and applying the concept of the structure and the economic analysis during the whole period of graduatedesign.


In this paper, we present a neural network based method that allows the optimal selection of a data fusion policy. We build dynamically the internal layer of a functional link network (FLN), we add to the classical FLN, a pruning algorithm, that allows to find the optimal architecture of the FLN and to define an optimal fusion policy. In order to use the FLN as a universal fusion operator, the functional expansion performed by its internal layer includes fusion operators. As the FLN minimize the mean square error (MSE) during the learning step, an optimal fusion policy is reached in the sense of the MSE. Some academic simulations validate our approach.


The structural form of prefabricated holes is one of the important factors to determine the quality and reliability of cold-pressing joining between dissimilar sheets. Different numbers of holes with the same area will lead to different wall thickness distributions and joining strengths. This paper takes the cold-pressing joining between AA1100 pure aluminum sheet and SS304 stainless steel sheet as an example, the further study results show that the end of aluminum sheet has an increasing tendency along the directions of length and width in the process of cold-pressing joining. The wall thickness of joints shows a symmetrical distribution on both sides and the joining thickness decreases from the center to both sides sequentially. With the continuous increase of the punch loading pressure, the average thinning ratio of the joints becomes larger. By contrast, when the other parameters are all the same, the joining strength is the most ideal when the punch loading pressure is 250 kN. The loading pressure which is too small or large is easy to cause an insufficient joining strength or defects. This paper provides a scientific basis in this aspect for optimizing the cold-pressing joining plan and designing a reasonable joint structure. It can also promote the existing cold-pressing joining technologies to be mature, and enrich the existing solid-state joining technology.


The chemical reactor is the most important part of a chemical process. Its performance defines the effort, hence the costs of the downstream product separation. Besides unwanted side-products, which directly reduce the efficiency of the chemical conversion, also unconverted reactants have to be recovered in the downstream process. These unconverted reactants can be recycled to the reactor, which yields a feedback system of reactor and downstream process. Due to this central role of the reactor, its design should be performed as integrated system. Especially in solvent-based reaction systems which also involve solvent regeneration, such an integrated design is promising. The work presented in this thesis was part of the DFG-funded collaborative research cluster SFB-TR 63, "Integrated Processes in Liquid Multiphase Systems". Based on a representative reaction system, hydroformylation of long-chain olefins in thermomorphic solvent systems, this thesis provides a "best practice" example for the integrated design of reactor and process. The work flow can be transferred to other reaction systems, especially those involving strong feedback of reactor and process. The backbone of the design procedure is a mathematical model of reactor and process, comprising balance equations, thermodynamics, constitutive equations, and connectivity equations. The predictability of the model however, depends highly on the kinetic parameters, which should be obtained at a representative operating point, e.g. account for possible recycling conditions. Hence, in the first part of the thesis it is shown how mathematical optimization can be used to define process relevant working points for parameter estimation yielding a predictive kinetic model applicable for dynamic optimization. Using the predictive model optimal reaction routes with respect to different objective functions, which represent chemical engineering performance measures, are calculated for the stand-alone reactor. It can be shown that these objectives are mostly contradictory and that weighting factors need to be known in order to find an objective that represents a suitable measure of process-wide optimality. On the stage of the stand-alone reactor the ideal recycle composition can already be calculated, which


The publisher of these tracts, knowing that the Honorable Robert Boyle had not left unconsidered the natural history of the sea, of which subject the late, and these present papers, have entertained the reader as to the observables of its flux and reflux; He was on this occasion instant, with that gentleman to impart to him, for publication, these heads of inquiries, he had drawn up, touching that subject: which having obtained (though the author desires, they may be lookt upon as unfinisht) he thus subjoyns.


Abstract Norms and values embedded in what is referred to as 'institutionalised gender,' defined by the distribution of power between genders in the political, educational, religious, medical, cultural or social institutions of a society, exist even today. The above mentioned influential institutions shape societal norms that define, reproduce and justify differing expectations and opportunities for women, men, girls and boys. Using qualitative methods, 41 semi-structured interviews among employed people with deafness/hard of hearing (DHH), blindness/low vision, motor disabilities, or chronic pain from three administrative regions of Québec (Montréal, Outaouais, and Montérégie) were analysed. The results show that while gender is omnipresent in participants' remarks, it is not necessarily associated with exclusion from employment, but most certainly with perpetuating some forms of inequity in work situations. Solutions to raise awareness among ergonomists working with people with disabilities are suggested. Practitioner summary: Based on 41 semi-structured interviews among employed people with disabilities, a relationship between the gender of the participants and factors facilitating or inhibiting their integration into employment were established. Solutions to raise awareness among ergonomists working with a doubly marginalised population—women with disabilities—are suggested. Abbreviations: DEPPI: disability, employment, and public policies initiative; DHH: deaf or hard of hearing; LSQ: québec sign language; M: men; P: participant; s/g: sex and gender; W: women


The present invention is, after viral / bacterial infection, acute / chronic bronchitis, COPD, methods and formulas for the treatment of respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and inflammatory diseases (1) and / or formula (2) shown the related compound or an inorganic or organic salts and compositions thereof their pharmaceutically acceptable. Applicants compound or an inorganic or organic salts their pharmaceutically acceptable formula (1) and / or formula (2) is damaged by repairing the sialyl glycoconjugates on airway cells We have found that it is possible to accelerate the restoration of viability of the cells.


The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) has paved the way for complex tasks such as role-playing, which enhances user interactions by enabling models to imitate various characters. However, the closed-source nature of state-of-the-art LLMs and their general-purpose training limit role-playing optimization. In this paper, we introduce RoleLLM, a framework to benchmark, elicit, and enhance role-playing abilities in LLMs. RoleLLM comprises four stages: (1) Role Profile Construction for 100 roles; (2) Context-Based Instruction Generation (Context-Instruct) for role-specific knowledge extraction; (3) Role Prompting using GPT (RoleGPT) for speaking style imitation; and (4) Role-Conditioned Instruction Tuning (RoCIT) for fine-tuning open-source models along with role customization. By Context-Instruct and RoleGPT, we create RoleBench, the first systematic and fine-grained character-level benchmark dataset for role-playing with 168,093 samples. Moreover, RoCIT on RoleBench yields RoleLLaMA (English) and RoleGLM (Chinese), significantly enhancing role-playing abilities and even achieving comparable results with RoleGPT (using GPT-4).


Background Eczema is a pruritic skin disorder of exogenous or endogenous nature. Allergic contact dermatitis is of exogenous nature and can be caused by many allergens including plants. Patients and methods In this quasi-experimental study, 50 patients presenting with extensive eczematous eruption were enrolled. They were patch tested with fresh crushed extract of flowers of Parthenium hysterophorus . Three patch test readings were taken at 48 hours, 72 hours and 120 hours. Patch test readings were read according to ICDRG criteria.  Results Forty four (88 %) out of 50 enrolled patients were male while 6 (12%) were female with male to female ratio of 7.3:1. Average age of the patients was 56.8 years with S.D ±12.6 years. Fifty four percent of enrolled patients showed positive patch test reactions to fresh crushed extract of flowers of P. hysterophorus with a male to female ratio of 5.7:1. Conclusion P. hysterophorus is a leading cause of extensive eczematous eruption of exogenous type in a specific group of patients


It is well known that the most energy demanding stage in the cement industry, is the sintering process. The decrease of the energy consumption during the sintering can be brought about either by the improvement of the kiln design and performance or by the addition of mineralising or fluxing agents that accelerate the solid reactions and/or lower the melting point of the clinker liquid phase. It has been found that certain foreign elements, despite their low concentration in cement raw mix, may accelerate the sintering reactions and improve the reactivity of the cement raw mix. The subject of this paper is to investigate the possibility to introduce small amounts of minerals, containing these elements, in the cement raw mix. The minerals, iron rich wolframite, stibnite and a wolframite-stibnite assemblage, were selected in order to introduce W, Sb and S in the cement raw mix. One reference and twelve modified mixtures, prepared by mixing the reference sample with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 % w/w of the above minerals, were studied. The effect on the reactivity of the raw mix is evaluated on the basis of the unreacted lime content in samples sintered at 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450C. It is concluded that minerals containing Sb promote the consumption of the free lime, in the most effective way. In addition, the sintering reactions in all samples were recorded by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA). As it is shown, the added minerals affect mainly the final stages of the sintering and specifically the reactions that proceed in the presence of the liquid phase. This fact indicates that the constituents of the added minerals affect mainly the formation and the properties of the melt and therefore change the reactivity of the mixture at high temperatures. Introduction The manufacture of cement requires a high degree of energy utilization. Among all the processes involved for cement manufacture, the most energy demanding stage is the sintering process. The decrease of the energy consumption during sintering can be brought about either by the improvement of the kiln design and performance or by the addition of selected materials that they can act as mineralizing or/and fluxing agents, accelerating the solid reactions and/or lowering the melting point of the clinker liquid phase [1]. Secondary materials that can be used as mineralizers or fluxes are industrial by-products (blast furnace slag, spent catalysts etc.), industrial wastes and minerals [2]. As a precondition, secondary materials must satisfy a number of requirements, regarding the properties and the performance of the clinker and the cement made, as well as the uniformity and stability of the production process. Furthermore economical incentives should stimulate their use [3]. Previous work carried out in our laboratory has led to the conclusion that certain foreign elements exert a positive effect during burning by accelerating sintering reactions and by improving the reactivity of the raw mix, despite of their low concentration [4]. This work belongs to a project concerning the use of selected Greek minerals as burning aids in cement raw mix. In this paper, their effect on the burnability of the raw mix is discussed. Their effect on the structure of the produced clinker is presented in Part II. Experimental The minerals wolframite, stibnite and a wolframite–stibnite assemblage (coming from Kilkis region, Greece) were selected in order to introduce the elements W, Sb and S in the cement raw mix. Table 1 presents the mineral name, the principal constituent and the chemical composition of the samples. Table 1. Codification, principal constituent and chemical composition of the selected minerals. Code Mineral name Principal constituent Chemical composition (w/w) 1 Wolframite FeWO4 WO3: 60%, Fe2O3: 40% 2 Wolframite-stibnite assemblage (FeMn)WO4Sb2S3 WO3: 47%, Sb2O3: 20%, Fe2O3: 13% 3 Stibnite Sb2S3 Sb: 72%, S: 28% The chemical composition of the raw mix as well as the mineral composition (according to Bogue) and the moduli of the obtained clinker are presented in Table 2. Table 2. Characteristics of the raw mix and the produced clinker. Raw mix Clinker Chemical composition (% w/w) Mineral composition (Bogue) (% w/w) Moduli SiO2 13.76 C3S 71.1 LSF 0.981 Al2O3 3.23 C2S 7.7 SM 2.42 Fe2O3 2.45 C3A 6.9 AR 1.32 CaO 43.11 C4AF 11.6 HM 2.22 MgO 0.55 K2O 0.28 LOI 35.62 One reference and twelve modified mixtures, prepared by mixing the reference sample with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 % w/w of the above minerals, were examined. The samples were pressed to form pellets and were thermally treated up to 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450C for 20 minutes in an electrical furnace. The effect on the burnability is evaluated on the basis of the unreacted lime content in samples sintered at the above mentioned temperatures. The sintered pellets were ground and analyzed by the ethylene glycol method in order to estimate the free CaO (fCaO) content. In addition, the sintering reactions in all samples were recorded by means of Differential Thermal Analysis using a Mettler Toledo TGA/SDTA 851 instrument. The temperature was raised at a constant rate (10C/min) from ambient to 1450C. The experiments were conducted in a static atmosphere. Results and Discussion Using the fCaO values of sintered samples, the burnability of the raw mix can be estimated from Eqs. (1) and (2), as following: C=fCaO1000+2fCaO1100+2fCaO1200+3fCaO1300+4fCaO1350+4fCaO1400+2fCaO1450 (1)


This paper postulates that the effect of unemployment benefits on the hazard rates changes considerably using a traditional duration model that uses only unemployment insurance (UI) data, or deals with unemployment assistance (UA) as a mere extension of UI, instead of an extra time duration model that accounts separately for transition rates to work of the unemployed who receive UI and UA. For UI recipients the hazard rate rises dramatically when UI benefits lapse approaches. On the contrary, for UA recipients the hazard rate remains flat or even has a slight fall nearby the UA lapse. Finally, there is a group of unemployed qualified for UA that quit UI due to the income fall that they will experience when they pass from UI to UA.


An algorithm for converting a Grr obner basis, G 1 of an arbitrary ideal from one ordering < 1 to a Grr obner basis G 2 with respect to another target ordering < 2 is presented. Its behavior does not depend upon the dimension of the input ideal and it works for any positive or zero dimensional ideal. The target ordering can be any ordering including elimination orderings such as pure lexicographic. The algorithm is similar to the FGLM algorithm for basis conversion of zero dimensional ideals in the following sense: it incrementally constructs (i) a set T of terms, (ii) a set G of polynomials by computing the normal forms of the terms in T with respect to < 1 and solving some linear equations similar to those in FGLM. However the order in which terms are generated in T is not completely determined by the target ordering < 2. If < 2 does not have the property that for every term t, there are only nitely many terms smaller than t, then an enumeration ordering < e is built using < 1 and < 2 such that it has that property. For termination condition, it is rst checked whether all the polynomials in G 1 reduce to 0 modulo G, and if so, then check if G is a Grr obner basis. We prove that there is a T which will be generated within a nite number of steps for which the termination condition would succeed. The algorithm has been implemented in GEOMETER and has been successfully tried on a number of examples. It seems to work better than computing a Grr obner basis directly for ideals with small dimensions. Planned extensions include development of heuristics for developing good enumeration orderings as well as an eecient termination check. For the latter, the use of a Hilbert function of an ideal is being investigated.


With TiCl_(4) and urea as the raw materials,the mix-crystals of rutile and anatase TiO_(2) were prepared at 100 ℃ by means of microwave irradiation method.The effect of pH on the ratio of the nanometer TiO_(2) mix-(crystal) was discussed.The crystal structure was determined by XRD.TEM indicated that the TiO_(2) was spherical particles,and the average diameter of the particles was 15 nm.The photocatalytic experiment showed that the mix-crystal material had better photocatalytic activity than the singleness TiO_(2).The compound could completely degrade the blue dye in 50 min under the sunlight.


Separation performances of micellar enhanced ultrafiltration process in Cr(III) and Cr(VI) removal has been evaluated. The neat as well as sulfonated and aminated derivatives of polyethersulfone were tested as the material for membrane preparation while hexadecylpyridine chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate served as surfactant. It was shown that modified membranes can better reject both forms of chromium in the micellar enhanced ultrafiltration than their neutral analogues. In all cases, the surfactants should be applied at the amounts that give 5 critical micelle concentration. Any additives that reduce the cmc value are also profitable from the operational point of view.


Euphorbia candelabrum Welwitsch (1855) is an endemic Angolan species for which N. E. Brown (1912) substituted the superfluous name E. conspicua N. E. Br., and which antedates E. candelabrum Kotschy (1857), nom. illegit., an entirely different species from the Sudan. A detailed and well documented argument was presented (Leach, 1974) establishing the validity of Welwitsch's E. candelabrum and the consequent illegitimacy of that of Kotschy. It is surprising therefore that a controversy has arisen and that writers who in correspondence have sought to show that E. candelabrum Welw. was not validly published continue to use Kotschy's illegitimate name in publications and determinavit labels without any comment or attempt to justify its continued use. In view of the almost pan-African distribution of taxa belonging in the same complex as E. candelabrum sensu Kotschy it is considered to be essential to resolve this nomenclatural controversy as it is of considerable importance both practically and in relation to the correct interpretation of the Code. The name was first used by Welwitsch in a letter (originally written in German) addressed to Richard Kippist Esq. A translation of this was read at a meeting of the Linnean Society in June 1854 and subsequently published in volume 2 of The Proceedings of the Society in the following year. An abbreviated extract is as follows:


We obtain improved fractional differentiability of solutions to the Banach-space valued Finsler $\gamma$-Laplacian defined on a $\sigma$-convex, $\tau$-smooth Banach space. The operators we consider are non-linear and very degenerately elliptic. Our results are new already in the $\mathbb R$-valued setting.


Graphene-related materials such as graphene oxide (GO)/exfoliated graphene oxide (XGO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) recently achieved much interest in nanocomposite research. In this study, we report the synthesis of RGO by a green route, and its efficacy as a potential filler for radiation-vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL) was explored. The synthesised XGO and RGO suspensions were characterised. The mechanical, morphological and electrical properties of the RVNRL-XGO/RGO nanocomposites were evaluated as a function of filler content. The percolation threshold of the RVNRL-RGO composite was 0.1 wt%. Compared with gum RVNRL, significant improvements in tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained for RVNRL-XGO nanocomposites at 1 wt% XGO loading, indicating increased polymer–filler interaction. The morphological results showed aggregation of filler particles at a concentration of 1.25 wt%.


We always think that John Dewey despise knowledge and make too much of activities in schooling.This is a misunderstanding of Dewey's teaching theory.From the standpoint of pragmatism,an activity is not only muscular movement but an intellectual and social activity;knowledge is an instrument,and the relation of knowledge to activities is not opposite but continuous and unified.The creative activity is a media in unifying knowledge and activity.In schooling,the unity of knowledge and activity means that a teaching activity is a creative and democratic activity where teachers and students participate equally and communicate freely.So,Dewey's teaching theory is a democratic teaching theory.Not only John Dewey united knowledge and activity on theory,but also he transcended dualism of knowledge and activity by the method of creative inquiry in Dewey's Laboratory School.


Electrochemical polymerization of poly(O-methoxyaniline) (POMA) thin films was carried out under cyclic voltammetric conditions. The cyclic voltammograms (CV) of the POMA films in the presence and absence of monomer in the aqueous solution of 1M H2SO4 were studied. The electrochemical degradation of the POMA films was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible spectroscopy. It was observed that the rate of degradation is strongly dependent on the applied potential. UV-visible spectroscopy revealed no significant chemical modification or phase change from the degradation. The temperature dependence of the voltammetric response of the POMA films in the aqueous solution of 1M H2SO4 was also investigated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3009–3015, 1999


The contemporary emphasis of criminal justice policy on incapacitation of felony offenders has ironically opened up a window of opportunity for the expansion of alternatives to incarceration, including community corrections. This study analyzes the organizational diffusion of state-mandated community corrections policy in Connecticut, Colorado, and Oregon. Specifically, we measure the degrees of implementation in each state and analyze the organizational conditions that contribute to successful implementation. Also, we present a model of transformative rationality that points to the theoretical underpinnings of successful implementation. It identifies organizational conditions that are necessary to maintain a commitment to the fundamental premises of policy while simultaneously encouraging constructive adaptation of the policy to local environments.


Software-defined networks have been widely used in information infrastructure deployment due to the programmability adapting to the flexible changing of network requirements. Distributed multi-controller architecture enhances the scalability and reliability of SDN. Static association between controllers and switches cannot adapt to the change of loads on controllers. In this paper, a dynamic association strategy is proposed, which takes controller load balancing and the request overhead of switch as the optimizing goals. An improved Hungarian algorithm is utilized to adjust the association. Then Nash equilibrium is used in further optimization. This strategy can keep a small volume of controllers and switches involved in adjustment, saving network link and time costs, while reaching the load re-balance of controllers. Experiments show that it achieves satisfactory load balancing between controllers in various topologies, and has good scalability and performance in large-scale networks.


This work had as a general aim at the application of techniques based on the common-reflection-surface stack (CRS), and a specific aim at trace interpolation using the CRS-partial stack in order to analyse the effect on spatial aliasing to garantee that the total spectrum content be limited to the two main spectral quadrants. For this, two synthetic tests were constructed that stayed close to the paraxila ray theory, and to validate the hipotheses, by deleting traces, reconstruction of section, and the addition of noise. Introduction The quality of reflection seismic data is an important aspect in seismic processing and imaging, and part of its analysis is performed in the spectral domain, starting with the field survey paramenters, the processing, the velocity analysis, the inversion and up the migration. Factors like the inhomogeneities in the subsurface, the presence of fault structures and strong velocity contrasts lead to a decrease of the S/N ratio and to a more complicated work flow to precondition the data for velocity analysis, velocity model building, and other processes (Baykulov and Gajewski, 2007). Regularization of seismograms and filling the gaps in cases of missing data usually are performed using different binning and interpolation techniques, as described, for instance, by Brune et al. (1994), Yilmaz (2000), and Fomel (2003). This research topic is part of the CRS stack method, as described by Muller (1999), Jager (1999) and Mann (2002), to improve both the quality of the pre-stacked and stacked sections as measured by the spectrum content by a consistent interpolation process. According to Muller (1999) and Jager (1999) the CRS stacking surface aproximates the traveltime of seismic reflection data more accurately than NMO/DMO stack; therefore, the application of the CRS stacking surface to produce regularized data can be superior to methods based on the conventional techniques of NMO/DMO and binning/interpolation as described by Brune et al. (1994). CRS stack The CRS stack method simulates a zero-offset (ZO) section from multi-coverage seismic reflection data for 2D media without explicit knowledge of the macro-velocity model. The CRS stack surface, as illustrated in Figure 1, is an operator that approximates the true subsurface reflector by a reflector element that locally has the same curvature as the true reflector. The traveltime t(xm,h) of primary reflection events is described by three parameters, α , RN and RNIP, in the hyperbolic form, as: t(xm,h) = ( t0 +2 sinα0 v0 (xm − x0) 2 +2t0 cos2 α0 v0 ( (xm − x0) RN + h2 RNIP )


This paper reports on collaborative teaching between two academic literacy (AL) specialists and two lecturers teaching first-year students Information Systems (IFS) 131/132 during the 2012 and 2013 academic years in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Western Cape. The aim of the collaborative teaching was to embed AL skills into the first-year IFS curriculum in order to ensure that the transfer of skills was taking place effectively. The objective was to determine whether the skills taught were enabling the students to pass their IFS modules well, thereby ensuring access for success. The theoretical framework used in this paper draws on Barton's 'ecology' approach to literacy and learning; the social learning theory of Wenger; and the views of Bransford, Brown and Cocking on how people learn and transfer knowledge.


Measurements of angular correlations of hadrons with a (semi)hard trigger hadron in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC show large angular structures opposite to the trigger which were a priori unexpected. These away side large angle correlations were first observed in two-particle correlations [S. S. Adler et al. (PHENIX Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 052301 (2006) and J. Adams et al. (STAR Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 152301 (2005)] and have recently also been investigated in three-particle correlation measurements [J. G. Ulery (STAR Collaboration), Nucl. Phys. A774,581 (2006) and F. Wang, arXiv:nucl-ex/0610027]. We show that the correlation signal can be understood in terms of sonic shockwaves ('Mach cones') excited by hard partons supersonically traversing the medium. The propagation of such shocks through the medium evolution is treated in a Monte Carlo (MC) framework [T. Renk and J. Ruppert, Phys. Rev. C 73, 011901(R) (2006) and Phys. Lett. B646, 19 (2007)]. We demonstrate that two- and especially three-particle correlations offer nontrivial insight into the medium-averaged speed of sound and the evolution of flow. Our findings imply that the assumption of "deflected jets" is not necessary to account for the observed correlations.


Introduction: Laparoscopic port site metastases are recurrent nodular lesions developing locally in the abdominal wall within the scar tissue of one or more trocar sites. We are reporting an extremely rare case of delayed multiple port site metastases 3 years after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. In this case, 3 port site metastases appeared 3 years after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Case Description: A 65-year-old man was evaluated for lower urinary tract symptoms and found to have raised serum prostate-specific antigen of 9.06 ng/mL. Transrectal ultrasonography-guided biopsy of the prostate revealed an adenocarcinoma of the prostate (Gleason score 3 4 7), with 5 of 12 cores positive for tumor. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed localized disease with no involvement of seminal vesicle or lymph nodes. The bone scan was normal. He underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for localized carcinoma of the prostate. He developed 3 port site metastases 3 years after surgery. In view of multiple port site metastatic disease, bilateral orchiectomy was done. The patient is doing well after 1 year of follow-up. Conclusion: We report an occurrence of delayed multiple port site metastases after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The 3 sites of metastases in our case included the extraction site, the most active instrument site, and the drain placement site.


Narcotics crime is a crime that is growing very rapidly along with thedevelopment of social and economic life of the international community, which is verydetrimental to state crime and society itself. But the trouble is that when the polemics ofgranting clemency to convicted narcotics President made widely public tantrum. Oneside of the apparatus to work with communities to fight drug trafficking, but on theother hand the specific reasons need to forgiveness as outlined in the clemency decision.


It depends on the type of school education that the educated must pay a certain amount of tuition fee,which is common at all times and in all countries.The education cost should be defined scientifically and reasonably.And the ability of the educated to pay the fee should be taken into consideration.The difference should be reflected and the collecting fees system should be perfected,so that the standard of collecting fees can be settled.


The aim of this work was to develop chickpea sweet and evaluate its physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological quality. Six formulations (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, and F6) were used in the preparation of the sweet. After production, the sweets were packaged and stored at room temperature for further microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory analyses. Microbiological analysis of the sweets in different formulations indicated a low presence of microorganisms. The total and fecal coliform values were below 3.0 MPN/g, and the mold and yeast values were below 10 UFC/g. Physicochemical analyses showed that the chickpea sweets in different formulations did not present a significant difference in their composition, except for formulation F5, which had a lower pH value and total soluble solids, and higher moisture and ash content. Sensory analysis indicated that all formulations were well accepted by the panelists, with average ratings ranging between "liked moderately" and "liked very much" on the hedonic scale. It can be concluded that the chickpea sweet resulted in a product of good microbiological and physicochemical quality, and it was well accepted sensory by the consumers. This indicates that chickpea has good technological potential for use in sweet processing.


A novel standing wave linear ultrasonic motor with single driving foot and by asymmetric exciting has been developed.The laminated plate stator consists of one rectangular brass plate,which has the size of 26 mm×13 mm×2 mm(X,Y,Z),and two piezoelectric ceramic plates bonded on the surface of the stator.The motor has onlyone mode and is excited by one frequency.Elliptic motion is formed on the driving foot by asymmetric exciting.The motor has simple structure.The dimensions of the stator are determined carefully using the finite element method.The motion of the motor is analyzed by harmonic response analysis.Then,the prototype motor is tested experimentally.The test result is close to the design.When a sine signal with driving voltage of 150 V and driving frequency of 151.9 kHz is applied,the velocity reaches 260 mm/s and the maximum thrust force reaches 0.855 N.


Compressed sensing is a new area of signal processing. Its goal is to minimize the loss of sampling site that need to be taken from signal reconstruction. Construction of a compressive sensing matrix is one of the key technologies of compressive sensing. On the basis of the study of the predecessors,a novel construction algorithm of compressive sensing measurement matrix,that is the construction algorithm of circulant compressive sensing measurement matrix based on Logistic chaotic Bernoulli sequence and circulant matrix( CCNMM),is presented. This algorithm employs circulant matrix for its advantage in high calculation speed and chaotic sequence for its ability of the effective combination of internal certainty and external randomness. A variety of simulation studies have been done and simulation results demonstrate that,compared with Bernoulli random measurement matrix and Gaussian measurement matrix,one-dimensional and two-dimensional signals can be better reconstructed by CCNMM,which powerfully proved the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of colon dialysis using Chinese traditional herbal drugs on chronic renal failure(CRF). Methods CRF patients(n=200) were randomly and evenly divided into therapeutic group(n=100) and control group(n=100) and all the patients received the treatment of routine Chinese herbal drugs and western medications.Patients in the therapeutic group received additional colon dialysis of the renal failure formula and patients in the control group,additional herb retention-enema.The changes of symptoms and signs and the levels of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen before and after the treatments were observed. Results The symptoms and sings and the seurm creatinine and urea nitrogen in both groups were improved significantly(P0.01) and the therapeutic group had a better therapeutic effect than the control group(P0.05).There was a significant difference of the total effective rate between these two groups(P0.05). Conclusion The therapy with Chinese herbal drugs has a actual therapeutic effect on chronic renal failure,especially combined with colonicdialysis using traditional Chinese medicine.


Background: Congenital anomalies are a major cause of stillbirths and neonatal mortality. The pattern and prevalence of congenital anomalies may vary over time or with geographical location. The aim of this study is to determine the proportion and types of congenital anomalies in live newborns and to study maternal and perinatal risk factors. Methods: This prospective study was conducted over a 1 year period (March 2014 to February 2015) in the department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynaecology at Patliputra Medical College, Dhanbad, Jharkhand during the period of May 2014 to April 2015. All the live born babies born in this hospital during this period were included. The newborns were examined for the presence of congenital anomalies and mothers were interviewed for socio-demographic variables. Results: During the study period, 8546 babies were born, of which 246 had congenital malformations, making the prevalence 2.19%. Most of the women (57.8%) belonged to the age group between 21 and 30 years. Congenital anomalies were seen more commonly (3.3%) in the multiparas in comparison with primiparas (1.8%). The predominant system involved was Musculo-skeletal system (33.2%) followed by gastro-intestinal (GI) system (15%). Talipes (17.1%) was the most common one in musculoskeletal group and likewise cleft lip and cleft palate in GI system. Congenital anomalies were more likely to be associated with low birth weight, prematurity, multiparity, consanguinity and cesarean delivery. Conclusion: Public awareness about preventable risk factors is to be created and early prenatal diagnosis and management of common anomalies is strongly recommended.


Realize the success of sustainable development and spatial order, it is necessary to control policy space utilization. RTRW should be instrumental in managing the city hall in an attempt to control and environmental balance. Crystallization of the product of the policies contained in the various laws and regulations that apply hierarchical and spatial. Establishment of a shopping center belonging to the Lippo Group in 2014 by dismantling the former office of Regent Buton controversy by some elements of society which location should be an office area turned into trading business district is considered contrary to the applicable provisions of the Regulation.This study aimed to describe the use of space-control policy, determine the factors that affect the implementation, as well as the know-policy strategy of spatial planning in the Baubau city.


The goal of this study was to validate measures and assess the effects of collaborative group-learning methods in real classrooms on 3 specific dependent variables: feelings of campus connectedness, academic classroom community, and effective group processing (2 factors). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate a 4-factor model. Using hierarchical linear modeling techniques, results indicated that campus connectedness and collaborative learning (compared with no collaborative learning) predicted positive academic classroom community. For classes using more formal cooperative group work, campus connectedness and group processingndash;evaluation predicted positive academic classroom community. Suggestions for further applications of the measures are discussed.


Mathematics is a rigorous, logical, and instrumental subject. Many concepts in chemistry learning is inseparable from mathematics. This study aims to determine the relationship between student learning performance in learning mathematics and chemistry. This research adopted literature analysis, statistical analysis, and interview (from subjective and objective aspects). The data of this study used the mathematics and chemistry scores of 452 students from 6 third-level grades at a secondary school in the city of Guilin. SPSS22.0 software was used to analyze comprehensive data in exploring the correlation between math scores and chemistry scores from various perspectives. Then, several students were interviewed to verify the results of the data analysis from emotional perspectives. The results of the research objectively indicate that there is a strong positive linear relationship between students' mathematics learning achievement and subjectively, students agree that good mathematics performance can improve chemistry scores. Accordingly, mathematics learning performance is related to chemistry learning performance. Teachers can strengthen chemistry knowledge through mathematical knowledge. So, it is recommended that teachers adopt and use appropriate teaching strategies, and strengthen the application of mathematical knowledge in chemistry learning.


【 Abstract 】 Objective: To study and analyze the role of high-quality nursing services in the nursing of senile cerebral infarction. Methods : This experiment spanned the period from January 2020 to October 2021. Researchers conducted a study on 124 elderly patients with cerebral infarction. The researchers grouped the subjects of this experiment according to the principle of double-blind control. The control group selected 62 patients to provide basic nursing services, and the experimental group selected 62 patients to provide high-quality nursing services. The neurological deficit scores of the control group and the experimental group were recorded. (NIHSS), motor function score (FUGL-MEYER), patient relatives' nursing satisfaction, and comparative analysis of relevant data. Results : Before the nursing intervention, there was no significant difference in the NIHSS score and FUGL-MEYER score between the control group and the experimental group (p>0.05). After the nursing intervention, the NIHSS scores of the two groups were (5.4±1.9). ) Points and (3.1±1.4) points. The FUGL-MEYER scores of the two groups were (30.8±10.2) points and (44.3±12.7) points respectively. The relevant data were compared and analyzed, and the differences were large (p<0.05); Among the 62 relatives of patients selected in the group, 52 were particularly satisfied and generally satisfied with the nursing work, accounting for 83.87% of the number of patients selected in the group, and the corresponding number in the experimental group was 60, accounting for 96.77% Analyzed the data related to the care satisfaction of the relatives of the two groups of patients, and there was a big difference (p<


Background: Health system in India is multifaceted and is influenced by a conglomeration of several factors. The diversity in the system coupled with disparities in the taxation system, makes it incredibly challenging to manage and consequently, the health system takes a toll. As a result, the infrastructure, as well as quality of healthcare, is in a poor state. Non-affordability of quality healthcare is another issue as many are not covered by insurance, and without it, they are susceptible to catastrophic health expenditures. This paper tries to explain the central role of these dual roadblocks: discrepancies in the taxation system and insufficient health insurance coverage as attributable factors of a number of issues in the Indian health system. Further, this paper analyses the health system of the Netherlands and draws ideas of implementing some ideas of the same in India. Although the two complexities threaten the healthcare system of the country, India can incorporate certain strategies that have yielded good results elsewhere for the betterment of the healthcare sector of the country.


The effect of reflex inhibiting postures (R.l.P.) on voice production of six spastic cerebral palsied children was examined. Voice samples made before and after the utilization of R.l. P. indicated that the procedure had a positive effect on the subjects' voices, particularly in the areas offrequency and intensity. Voice change was determined by ratings of a panel of speech clinicians as well as by measurementsfrom a visicorder oscilloscope. INTRODUCTION Reflex inhibiting postures (R.I.P.) are considered to have a positive effect on voice and speech production of children with cerebral palsy. (Crickmay 1972). Crickmay explains the effect of R.LP. as follows: "When he (the child) is fully adjusted to these 'reflex inhibiting postures', his respiratory musculature, free from spasticity, begins to work normally. As a result, he produces a greater volume of air, with a consequent strengthening of vocal tone." Marland (1953), reports "in R.I.P., grimacing and drooling improve and babbling noises and simple words appear". She goes on to say that "the R.t P. eases production of phonation and therefore improves inflections and articulation". To this point, judgments have been made purely on the basis of SUbjective listening since instrumental calibration of voice parameters is not readily available in most clinical settings. The intent of this study is twofold. Firstly, to evaluate the effect of R.I.P. on the voice of children with cerebral palsy and secondly, to compare subjective auditory evaluations with instrumental readings using a visicorder. PROCEDURES The study included six severely handicapped spastic quadriplegic children with cerebral palsy, ranging in age from one year, four months (I :4) to five years, eleven months (5: 11). All of the subjects were involved in multidisciplinary treatment programs (See Table I).


The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading mode of global climate variability on interannual timescales. On longer time-scales, decadal variability in the Pacific is responsible for modulating the rate of global warming (Meehl et al 2013, Maher et al 2014 Henley & King 2017). Whether Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV) modulates ENSO teleconnections is an important research question that has largely been investigated using the observational record. PDV is shown to modulate Australian rainfall (Power et al 1999, Arblaster et al 2002, Verdon et al, 2004, King et al 2013), which has impacts for flood frequency (Franks and Kuczera, 2002, Kiem et al, 2003, Pui et al 2011). PDV has also been shown to modulate ENSO precipitation teleconnections over Africa (Dong & Dai 2015), Texas (Khedun et al 2014), and Europe (Zanchettin et al 2008) as well as ENSO temperature teleconnections over New Zealand (Salinger et al 2001). While these observationally based studies suggest connections between ENSO teleconnections and PDV, the short observational record contains only two PDV phase changes. In addition, calculating PDV using a lowpass filter on the region that contains ENSO could also cause statistical artefacts in the results (Power at al, 2006, Westra et al 2015). These limitations can be addressed using climate models. Arblaster et al (2002) use atmosphere only simulations and find similar results to observational studies over Australia. Dong and Dai (2015) further investigate global modulation using 4 ensemble members of a single model. These modelling studies are limited in their use of single models and while they include a larger dataset than the observational record, previous work has only used small ensemble sizes. In this study, we address both the issue of small datasets and the dependence on results on the model used by utilising four single model initial-condition large ensembles.  Each model ensemble has a minimum of 20 members enabling investigation of multiple realizations of PDV and ENSO covariability. Over the historical period, using one ensemble member results in a record that is indeed too short to accurately quantify the influence of PDV on ENSO teleconnections. We then composite events for different phases of the PDV and ENSO using all ensemble members. Initial results show that PDV strongly influences ENSO temperature teleconnections over North America.  We find that stronger teleconnections occur when an El Niño occurs during a positive phase of PDV or a La Niña occurs in a negative phase of the PDV. Similarly, PDV phase affects precipitation over Australia, where co-occurring El Niño and positive PDV phases and La Niña and negative PDV phases have larger precipitation anomalies. Finally we investigate whether this modulation of ENSO teleconnections by the PDV is projected to change under strong anthropogenic forcing. We find greater inter-model agreement for precipitation teleconnections than for temperature teleconnections.  Ongoing work will assess the underlying physical mechanisms behind these results.


Hand alphabet is an important sign language for disability people for a long time. This communication is also necessary for a normal people to understand the meaning as well. Hand language interpretation by applying a hand image posture classification is an active research theme to solve obstacle. In this research, we propose a promising technique to apply a B spline curvature concept for supporting a triangular-based feature extraction element in a hand interpretation process. Area, inner angle and adjacent area ratio which derived from a curvature reference set are created a feature string for each alphabet posture in the template. By testing with all 24 hand alphabets, our system provides a promising result in identification satisfactorily.


With the upcoming extended deadline for the Brexit, UK political leadership has a major decision to make; How would the London Financial Hub will operate after Brexit? Still being unable to finalise an Agreement with the EU and its member states, UK is being pressured internally for a no-deal Brexit, which will have direct impact on the economy of the Country for the next several years to come. UK has to have regulations, guidelines, licenses and authorities in place by 01st November 2019, in order to put the Country into the pre-EU stage if the Government wishes to exist in the political map of UK.


(I) Academic research

(A) Seismological observation—The Chiufeng Seismological Observatory was founded in 1929. It had a complete set of Wiechert seismographs for recording earthquakes of east Asia, and a complete set of the newest type of Galitzin seismographs for recording the remotest quakes. Observation work was headed by Dr. S. P. Lee since the very beginning. A monthly bulletin was published which provided valuable data for many foreign seismological stations. During 1929 to 1937 more than 2300 earthquakes were recorded, 500 of which can be used for the study of subcrustal conditions of the Earth. When Peiping fell to the Japanese in the summer of 1937, the Observatory was lost and observational work suspended.


The leakage current behaviour of a high-k tantalum-pentoxide capacitor on a rugged poly-Si bottom electrode with CVD-TiN as a plate electrode was studied to determine the leakage current mechanisms. Both the rugged poly-Si electrode and the CVD-TiN electrode significantly affected the leakage current, particularly under negative voltages. These effects and the leakage current mechanisms are discussed, taking the dielectric/electrode interface and the electrodes' surface morphology into account. We found that tantalum pentoxide with a SiO/sub 2/-equivalent thickness of 1.5 nm enables a sufficiently low leakage current, even with this electrode system, for use in 256-Mbit DRAMs.


In the January issue of the JOURNAL OF LAW & EDUCATION, Scott Ferrin, an education professor at Brigham Young University, argued that "English only" policies, such as California's Proposition 227 and Arizona's Proposition 106, 1 violate the language rights of Native American students. 2 Specifically, he cited the native American Languages Act (NALA), 3 which declares, as a matter of federal policy that Indian tribes and other Native American governing bodies have the rights to 1) "use practice and develop Native American Languages," 2) "use the Native American Languages a medium of instruction in all schools funded by the Secretary of the Interior," 3) express themselves through Native American languages without restriction "in any public proceeding, including publicly supported education programs," and 4) to give official status to their Native American languages. 4 Although admitting that the Act lacks express enforcement provisions and has had an inauspicious impact, 5 he advanced the qualified assertion that "it is possible that official English statutes that do not take Native Americans' language rights into account are already violative of the Supremacy Clause, having been superseded by the [NALA]." 6 Similarly, he concluded that NALA requires that "efforts to develop a federal law based on Proposition 227 must include an exception for Native American students." 7 Recognizing that the courts have interpreted more general language-related federal statutes with wide latitude for school officials, 8 he distinguished Native Americans from national origin minorities in terms of their "unique political, perhaps even treaty-based status" and their special threat of language extinction. 9 Identifying reinforcement for this view in the Bilingual Education Act (BEA), 10 he bootstrapped on the findings and policy statements of NALA to conclude that the deference of the pertinent case law does not apply to public school programs vis-A-vis Native American children. 11 Similarly, in response to the practical problems, including the cost of providing Native American language instruction in public schools, Ferrin pointed to "encourage[ment]" in NALA to waive teacher certification requirements. 12 Finally, in support of his suggestion that "[e]ducational leaders . . . must recognize that Native American students' language rights are more extensive and more specifically prescriptive than those of other language minorities," 13 he warned that the only missing ingredient thus far saving school leaders from his predictions are that "Native Americans have not been aggressive yet." 14 Alternatively making a moral appeal, 15 he urged school leaders to do what he regards as the right thing, "[w]hether or not NALA mandates it." 16 In the accompanying Counterpoint, Jim Littlejohn, who is the former policy director for the U.S. Office for Civil Rights (OCR), decries both Ferrin and OCR for their relentless and, in his view, unwarranted promotion of bilingual education, whether for Native American students specifically or language minority students generally. Although providing a converse sampling of the relevant research, Littlejohn is particularly critical of Ferrin's characterization of NALA and the predecessor caselaw. …


IVUS images are complicated medical datasets suffering from some artifacts caused by the data acquisition method of immersive heart inspection. Data reconciliation, which removes tracing and tracking uncertainties of these datasets, is an important step for the medical application of remodeling the arteries in virtual reality to aid diagnosing and treating heart diseases. This paper provides an empirical data reconciliation method, which fuses the features of the coronary longitudinal movement with motion compensation model. It explains the distortion of the data set well and provides a method to analyze and reconcile the dataset


This short essay aims to move beyond hagiographic, monumentalising cele - brations of The Communist Manifesto, to reflect on what lessons can be drawn from the specific forms of its failed realisation. Against the cliche that the Manifesto is a prophetic text, we should explore the dis - junction between the incisive forecast of the 'prose' of capitalism and the thwarted antici - pation of the 'poetry' of revolution. This essay argues that the analytical and political limitations of the Manifesto are to be located in the excessive linearity and homogeneity with which if frames capital's powers of abs - traction. To the extent that capital proceeds through a dialectic of homogenisation and differentiation, spatial expansion and divi - sion, corrosion of tradition and its cynical refunctioning for the purpose of shoring up domination, the tasks of working class unity and internationalism set by the Manifesto become all the more politically pressing, and anything but inevitable.


In the light of the serious situation of water resource shortage at present, this paper advances some suggestions on the water-saving design and water-saving facilities in building's water supply and drainage.


Purpose: to analyze the levels of cytokines in intraocular fluid (IF) and blood plasma of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) previously untreated by intravitreal therapy before and after the therapy by angiogenesis inhibitor or a corticosteroid. Material and methods. We examined 90 people — 47 females (52.2 %) and 43 males (47.8 %), mean age 64.54 ± 11.30 years. Of these, 60 had DME, and 30 formed the control group. The levels of 41 cytokines/chemokines in IF were determined by Milliplex® Map Human Cytokine/ Chemokine Panel; while the concentration of IL-18, MCP-1/CCL2, EPO, IL-10, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IFNα, VEGF-A in blood plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (Vector-Best, Russia). Patients with DME received intravitreal injections of an angiogenesis inhibitor (aflibercept. 50 eyes) or a corticosteroid (dexamethasone implant, 30 eyes). Results. Significant differences were revealed in 10 cytokine concentrations between the DME patients and the control group. The concentrations of IL-7, IL-15 and MCP-1/CCL2 levels in IF of DME patients were, respectively, 20.5, 20.3, and 11.02 times higher, than in the control group (р ˂ 0.05). Besides, a pairwise comparison of cytokines concentrations in IF of patients from either treatment group with the controls demonstrated a statistically significant increase in GROα/CXCL1 level. The pairwise comparison also revealed significant differences between the control and the corticosteroid therapy for systemic concentrations of IL-18 (p = 0.017), MCP-1/CCL2 (p = 0.009) and VEGF-A (p = 0.016). Conclusion. A pronounced and significant increase of the levels of a number of cytokines (e.g., IL-7, IL-15. FRACTALKINE/CX3CL1) were only sparsely reported before or remained undetermined at all. Our results on systemic cytokines levels may serve as prerequisite for further research into the role of systemic inflammation in DME pathogenesis. The analysis of associations of our results with those of other clinical biomarkers will contribute to the development of individualized treatment strategies.


Purpose:To evaluate the therapeutic effect of paclitaxel and platinum containing chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin) in women with epithelial ovarian cancer.Methods:We assigned 16 cases with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer after initial surgery to receive paclitaxel and cisplatin or carboplatin. Pcalitaxel (135 mg/m 2,over a period of 10 hours ) was administered iv once every 3 to 4 weeks, 24 control cases were treated with "CAP" or "CVP" regimen. Results:The overall median survival was significantly longer in the paclitaxel platinum group than in the cisplatin cyclophosphamide group (median, 35 vs. 22.5 months, P 0.025). Among 16 women with measurable disease, 75 percent in the TP group responsed to therapy, as compared with 41.7 percent in the CP group ( P 0.05). Conclusions:Paclitazel and platinum agent are effective in the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.


Most of Korea National Archives among the mountain exposed to forest fire environments, therefore, people has worried about their burn-out from neighbouring forest fires. It is necessarily protected from both flame radiant and flying fire-flakes. It has investigated that special water-screen protection system become one of the alternatives for preventing them from neighbouring forest fires due to limitation on extinguishing ability of fire regional fire departments. This study has focused on a development and assessment of various water-screen protection system formed by drencher nozzles for prevention the Nara national archive facility from igniting flame radiant and fire-flakes. Because a water-screen protection system using water-splash nozzles installed on surrounding roof-top line only has proved very effective, we could accept the effect of binding capacity of splash water droplets in terms of screening films`s quality.


This paper has three objectives. First, we investigate the effects of perceived stress on the academic performance of accounting students. Second, we examine the association of Facebook use with perceived stress. Third, we investigate the effect of Facebook usage on accounting students' academic performance. To measure the perceived stress we used the Perceived Stress Scale developed in the prior research for the shorter version and used it to collect data from accounting students at two universities. We found that female accounting students reported higher stress scores than their male counterparts. In addition, the results indicated that this phenomenon affected their academic performance negatively. African American accounting students were more likely to report higher stress scores than their non-African American counterparts. Further investigation showed that African American students are more likely to live alone or to live in the dorm. They are also more likely to be working while going to school. Our analysis shows that higher Facebook use is associated with stress and the respondents in our sample, who used Facebook while studying, reported higher levels of stress and were less in control of things. Finally, our results show that accounting students who use Facebook while studying experienced lower academic performance after controlling for stress.


Growing crops in conservation tillage and multiple cr op ping systems is efficient, cost pr oductive, and envir on mentally beneficial. This experiment was designed to evaluate the potential of ten triple-cr opping systems to produce forage. A split-plot design was used with main effects as two winter crops and sub-effects as five fallplanted crops. The winter crops were rye ( Secale cereale L.) and lupin ( Lupinus angustifolius L.), and the fall crops consisted of soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.), cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.), sorghum x sudangrass ( Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), and corn (


The conventional wisdom holds that security in Iraq only improved after Gen. David Petraeus implemented a new counterinsurgency doctrine that stressed population security instead of aggressive operations against insurgent forces. This interpretation is strikingly similar to the historiography of the Huk Rebellion, the Malayan Emergency, and the Vietnam War. In each case observers criticized initial efforts as brutal and counterproductive, only to be rescued when enlightened new leaders arrived on the scene. This article challenges the familiar hero narrative, arguing that critics routinely exaggerate the importance of leadership changes because they view conflicts as experiments in counterinsurgency rather than exercises in state-building. Whereas counterinsurgency (COIN) theory emphasizes issues like public security and government legitimacy, theorists of statebuilding describe a bloody and protracted competition for power under conditions approaching anarchy. The upshot is that the ''heroes'' of latestage COIN might actually depend on the earlier ''villains'' who did the dirty work of establishing political order and coercing the population into obedience. V iolence in Iraq leveled off after a period of extraordinary bloodshed in 2006-2007. According to the conventional wisdom, security improved because General David Petraeus and his staff implemented a new COIN doctrine that stressed population security instead of aggressive operations against insurgent forces. The Petraeus team, we are told, took steps to scale back the misguided conventional operations of previous leaders and focused on gaining public support instead. Counterinsurgency operations during the ''surge'' in 2007 helped reverse the course of the terrible civil war gripping Iraq and gave the government in Baghdad the chance to solidify its legitimacy. This interpretation of events is strikingly similar to the historiography of the Huk Rebellion (1946-1956), the Malayan Emergency (19481960), and the period of major U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (19641973). In each case, observers have criticized initial efforts as brutal and 2012 Published for the Foreign Policy Research Institute by Elsevier Ltd.


To investigate the influence of resistance training (RT), aerobic training (AT), or combination training (CT) interventions on the body composition, muscle strength performance, and insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) of patients with sarcopenic obesity.


As an extension of the neoclassical urban systems theory (Henderson, 1974), we develop a general theory of regional (inter-city) price dispersion which also explains the i°subnational Penn effect,i± i.e., cross-city correlations among population size, prices, real income and human capital stock. The model is also a theory of international price dispersion that is observationally equivalent to and more appealing than the Balassa-Samuelson theory, implying that the (international) Penn effect may simply be an aggregate result of the i°subnational Penn effect.i± Furthermore, it shows that, contrary to the popular view, economic integration can increase as well as decrease spatial price variation.


This is an important book for a number of reasons. First, it delineates a period of Shakespearean production in South Africa scarcely investigated. Secondly, the study takes trouble relating the productions under scrutiny to their socio-political milieu (not always successfully). And thirdly, it is written by someone who actively enjoys Shakespeare and the theatre. Shakespeare in Southern Africa Vol. 15 2003: pp. 83-90


With the goal of using externally polluted white dwarfs to investigate the water fractions of extrasolar planetesimals, we assemble from the literature a sample that we estimate to be more than 60% complete of DB white dwarfs warmer than 13,000 K, more luminous than 3 × 10−3 L☉, and within 80 pc of the Sun. When considering all the stars together, we find that the summed mass accretion rate of heavy atoms exceeds that of hydrogen by over a factor of 1000. If so, this sub-population of extrasolar asteroids treated as an ensemble has little water and is at least a factor of 20 drier than CI chondrites, the most primitive meteorites. Furthermore, while an apparent "excess" of oxygen in a single DB can be interpreted as evidence that the accreted material originated in a water-rich parent body, we show that at least in some cases, there can be sufficient uncertainties in the time history of the accretion rate that such an argument may be ambiguous. Regardless of the difficulty associated with interpreting the results from an individual object, our analysis of the population of polluted DBs provides indirect observational support for the theoretical view that a snow line is important in disks where rocky planetesimals form.


Abstract This paper presents a flow control approach for the speed control of hydro turbines. Power can be controlled by manipulating the rotary motion of the spear valve or the linear motion of the sluice gate. In this paper a flow control based model is proposed for the automatic control of small hydro power plants. In the proposed model a servomotor is used to control the flow of water by controlling the rotational motion of the spear valve. The spear valve causes a "continuous" control of the flow of water. "Discrete" flow control is achieved by the use of a sluice gate, which is activated by a relay. The suitability of servomotors for the control of small hydro power plants is discussed and PI controllers are used to further enhance their governing capability. State space representation is used to mathematically model the proposed approach. Extensive simulations are performed to analyze the behaviour of the proposed model. Parameter optimization is performed using artificial neural networks.


It has generally been accepted that the Manchidani formation unconformably overlies the Osaka group proper in the marginal part of the Osaka basin. But, the writers had begun to have some doubt about the erosional surface beneath the Manchidani formation. As a result of our detailed investigation, the Manchidani formation in the Senpoku Hill was confirmed to belong to the Osaka group itself.Consequently, the Manchidani formation at Manchidani and Hirakata had to be reexamined. The conclusion on the basis of observations at these fields is as follows (Fig. 6).1. The Larix bed at Manchidani and the Pinus korciensis bed at Hirakata (Shinkori) correspond to the horizon between Ma 6 and Ma 7.2. The Syzygium bed at Uegahara and Hirakata correspond to the Ma 8 horizon.3. The Tomistoma bed at Machikaneyama corresponds to the horizon beneath the Syzygium bed.


In order to have high efficiency in a metal arc discharge, the metal vapor pressure has to reach an optimum value, and this requires a minimum wall temperature. Therefore, if one can effectively use the thermal energy for heating purposes, the efficiency of the lamp can be improved. In this paper the author will discuss the effectiveness of selecting a low emissivity material for the arc tube, and reducing the effective emissivity of arc tubes by using transparent heat shields to conserve heat. Simplified formulas for the wall temperature calculations with such heat conservation systems are included.


A comparison between first pulse and last pulse laser scanner data in building detection was carried out. The automatic building detection method included region-based segmentation of a laser scanner derived digital surface model and classification of the segments by using the laser scanner data and an aerial ortho-image. Visual and numerical quality evaluations showed that the correctness of the results improved when last pulse data were used instead of first pulse data. According to a pixel-based comparison with a building map, the improvement was about 8 percentage units. The number of classification errors in the surroundings of the buildings decreased as a result of less vegetation. The number of false detections also decreased. These improvements were clearly shown by a building-based quality evaluation, where the inner part and surrounding area of each reference building was investigated and the number of false detections was calculated. For many buildings, the last pulse data with smaller buildings also corresponded better to the reference map, which improved correctness. The completeness of the results decreased slightly (about 2 percentage units according to the pixel-based comparison). One reason for this was the smaller buildings in the last pulse data.


We adopt improved Superpave method to design AC-20 C mixture grading curve into S-type,so as to obtain the interlocked-dense structure and guarantee that the mixture has good structural strength and composition homogeneity. We adopt Marshall Method to determine that the best asphalt-aggregate ratio is 4. 2%.We select SBS modified asphalt and 0. 5% anti-rutting agent to improve the high-temperature performance of asphalt mixture. The laboratory test research shows that the water stability performance and low-temperature performance of asphalt mixture can meet the standard requirement,the dynamic stability index exceeds 7000 times /mm,and the high-temperature anti-rutting performance is good.


Obergefell emphasizes the importance of marriage for dignity and emotional well-being as well as recognizing all the economic and legal benefits that accrue to marriage. The marriage equality movement in general aims to end economic disadvantage and cultural stigma towards nontraditional families. Families with disabilities should also fulfill this mandate. Suggested remedies include removing the marriage penalty for receiving federal disability benefits, increased training and accommodation for supporting parents with disabilities, and specialized care, housing, and laws for people with mental disabilities who wish to have sex, parent, or marry.


Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes have been associated with susceptibility and protection against a number of cancers. Here we used an immunogenetic epidemiological approach to evaluate the overall influence of 127 HLA Class I and II alleles on 30 types of cancer. We found a preponderance of protective alleles (negatively correlated with cancer prevalences), especially for HLA Class I. Of the 30 cancers investigated, 13 were associated with mostly protective HLA effects whereas only 2 were associated with mostly susceptibility HLA alleles. Taken together, these findings highlight the broad influence of HLA on cancer and the complexity of HLA-cancer associations.


This concise guide sets out to improve nurses' confidence and ability to conduct nursing research using historical analysis. As a nursing professor with expertise in teaching at all levels of qualitative research, Mary de Chesnay is well placed to write about this topic.


Introns and transposons exhibit many similar features, but the connections between them have yet to be firmly established. Group I introns have commonalities with DNA transposons, while group II introns share many features with retrotransposons. Here, we report the results of an analysis of 214 introns (including group I, group II, group III, twintrons, spliceosomal, and archaeal introns) from members of seven major taxa (within Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea) that all have direct repeats at or near both exon/intron borders, indicating that they were inserted via transposition events. Border sequence analysis indicates that after splicing, most mature transcripts would be functionally compromised because they do not restore the DNA sequence information before intron insertion. Transposons and introns thus appear to be members of a diverse assemblage of parasitic mobile genetic elements that secondarily may benefit their host cell and have expanded greatly in eukaryotes from their presumed prokaryotic ancestors. Author Summary Introns are found in all domains of life. While they are limited in prokaryotes, they have greatly expanded in number and diversity in eukaryotes. We found direct repeat sequences at or near both exon/intron borders for all 214 introns analyzed among eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea. We infer that all introns were inserted into genes via transposon-like mechanisms and are members of a large family of mobile genetic elements.


In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-templated binuclear metallophthalocyanines (MTAPcCF_3)_2C (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) assemblies (MTAPcCF_3)_2C–COOH–CNTs are designed and obtained. Whereafter, the structure and morphology of target products are analyzed by many means such as infrared, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic performances of lithium-thionyl chloride battery catalyzed by (MTAPcCF_3)_2C–COOH–CNTs were carried out. The result shows that all catalysts can improve the battery performance including the discharge time and the initial voltage. The catalytic performance of (MTAPcCF_3)_2C–COOH–CNTs is ordered following the central metal: Mn > Fe > Ni > Co > Cu > Zn. The cell capacity catalyzed by optimal catalyst (MnTAPcCF_3)_2C–COOH–CNTs can expand to 28.08 mA·h, with increase by 142.07%, and the (MnTAPcCF_3)_2C–COOH–CNTs can extend the discharge time to 551.6 s. Besides, the reaction mechanism is presented on the basis of cyclic voltammetry measurements.


During subject–verb agreement (SVA) computation, the conceptual or notional number of the subject can affect whether speakers choose a singular or a plural verb, potentially overriding the grammatical number of the subject's head. The influence of notional number has hardly been investigated in bilinguals, however. Most previous research on bilingual agreement computation has focused on agreement errors, and less is known about agreement computation in cases where multiple licit options exist. One such phenomenon is pseudo-partitives (German: eine Tüte Nüsse 'one bag of nuts'), for which a verb may agree with either the first or the second noun phrase. We present data from 150 L1 speakers of German and Turkish–German early bilinguals who performed a sentence-completion task. While both groups showed awareness of the optionality in agreement, both preferred the first noun phrase as the agreement controller. Interestingly, notional plurality affected bilinguals' verb choices more than those of L1 speakers, whose responses were influenced by notional plurality only in the most challenging number conflict condition. We suggest that increased cognitive demands during bilingual SVA computation may render bilinguals more susceptible to conceptual effects.


An automatic method base on reengineering of general CMM for tiny radius inspection is introduced in this paper.Benefit on heuristic search method with per setup 3D date of inspection target and adaptive data process algorithm,the inspection at leading and trial edge tiny radius reach more high precision.Comparing with other inspection technology,etc.scanning and CCD,the method got advantage at total efficient of data process,higher precision and more widely application area.


The present study aims to identify the teaching-learning practices that primary education teachers have assumed in the face of the health emergency and how these conFigure the teacher's role. The practices observed have been part of an educational care strategy required by the health contingency due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, which required the closure of schools and the suspension of face-to-face education. The study focuses on rescuing the practices observed from the teaching-learning activities of the teacher at a basic education level, the fourth year of primary school. The observation method was used to have a descriptive methodological approach to the particular reality [1] and answer the questions: ¿How did the teachers carry out the teaching-learning processes in a remote environment during the emergency? How was the teaching role shaped in their daily practice? The main functions of the teaching role were outlined in 6 activities: planning, synchronous facilitation, synchronous monitoring, closure; feedback, and follow-up. The assumed teaching role is a rupture of traditional techno-pedagogical interactions to open up new interactions created, and agreed upon by teachers due to the pandemic. The routines of daily school life changed as a result of new regulations on the use of time, organization of activities, and use of school space. These made up the pedagogical space and time, implying more hours of teaching work than that contemplated in the face-to-face school day. The interactions were modified through the mediation of synchronous and asynchronous tools, however, the interaction style, although affective, and close did not strengthen the construction of interpersonal ties and the sense of community. It should be emphasized that the affective bond made it possible to remain in the class and was emotional support during the emerging educational proposal. Socialization reproduced linear, passive dynamics based on order and control. The invitation remains open to rethink the educational structure to act in times of change and uncertainty, giving value to socialization where the respectful recognition of difference and the value of own opinion are encouraged.


HighlightsComputational fluid dynamics modeling was an effective tool to simulate conditions on transport trailers in holding broilers for slaughter, to understand the performance of existing and alternative system configurations;Model simulation and measurements indicated that less than 32% of airflow generated by the cooling fans in the existing fan configuration in this study actually penetrated through the bird-occupied spaces;Simulations suggest that higher air velocity in the bird occupied zone within the modules can be achieved by alternative fan configurations at the holding shed, such as employing one fan per module, or with the addition of a transition enclosures from each fan outlet to the face of the receiving module. Abstract. The configuration of cooling systems in commercial holding sheds, where live broilers wait in cage modules for slaughter, varies between processing plants, with cooling system efficacies largely unknown. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate airflow through cage modules in a poultry trailer in a typical holding shed configuration. Three alternative design configurations were simulated in order to better understand the air velocity profiles and to explore potential improvements for better cooling performance. Experimental data were collected within modules in a poultry trailer, parked in an existing commercial holding shed during warm summer conditions. Results from the CFD model had reasonable agreement with measured field data. Simulated air velocities were mostly within one standard deviation of measured values. Simulation of airflow through modules in the base configuration showed that less than 32% of airflow from the fans actually penetrated through the bird-occupied space. Module tiers experienced different airflow penetration due to the ad hoc positioning/alignment of the fans relative to the modules. In the base industry configuration, fans were in fixed positions and the number of fans and their centerline discharge axes did not align with the modules on the trailer. Regions not aligned with the faces of the fans, such as the uppermost and bottommost tiers, and horizontal locations offset from the fans, received the least airflow through the modules. Sections of modules experienced lower air velocity with increasing distance from the fans. Simulation of Design Alternative 2 (which added additional fans so that a fan was centered on each row) predicted an improved fan airflow of 3.08 and 3.05 kg s-1 through the cages in two adjacent rows, compared to 1.52 and 2.15 kg s-1 predicted for the original configuration. The increased air velocity using the alternative design illustrates the potential improvement and need to further optimize the design of these holding sheds. This research showed that a CFD model is an effective tool to simulate airflow conditions on poultry trailers in holding sheds to explore various holding shed cooling configurations and strategies. Keywords: Air velocity, CFD, Poultry Transportation, Poultry welfare.


The synthesis of a bis-zwitterionic lamellar hybrid material containing ammonium carboxylate groups is described. Cation-exchange properties of this material towards transition metal and lanthanide ions were studied as well as the regeneration and reuse of the material.


This article describes how proficiency tests administered to senior high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District were modified for visually handicapped students with the aid of a committee composed of experts in the fields of education and blindness, students, and parents. The authors discuss (1) the legislative mandate for the revisions, (2) concerns with the validity of administering the regular tests to visually handicapped students, (3) the committee's resolution of controversial issues, (4) its recommendations concerning proficiency tests in general and the SHARP and WRITE tests in particular, and (5) the procedures followed to develop, modify, and field test the SHARP.


Now that the UK has left the EU, and the transition period following this departure is over, we have a clearer view on the implications of Brexit on intellectual property rights and the consequences for UK based pharmaceutical companies.  Although little has changed for UK applicants wishing to obtain a European patent via the European Patent Office, the UK's withdrawal from the Unified Patent Court and Unitary Patent is a huge blow to the realisation of the long awaited Unitary Patent system.  Meanwhile, breaking away from the EU has also had effects on how UK pharmaceutical companies can apply for supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), with further intricacies due to the Northern Ireland Protocol.  The introduction of a new manufacturing waiver for medicinal products protected by SPCs in the UK and EU will allow pharmaceutical companies more leeway with regards to stockpiling and export provisions. Perhaps most interesting of all is how UK and EU laws will diverge over the following years, now that the UK is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union.


Title of Document: DO ECONOMICS TRUMP CULTURE? EFFECTS OF WOMEN'S WORK AND RELATIVE ECONOMIC RESOURCES ON MARRIED WOMEN'S AUTHORITY IN HOUSEHOLD DECISIONMAKING IN JORDAN Gheda Khodr Temsah, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Sonalde Desai, Department of Sociology The effects of work on women's household decisionma king authority have been documented in many empirical studies. However, few studies have explored its effects in a social context where women's labor for ce participation is low. Little is known about the conditions through which women's wo rk enhances authority within the household. Using 2007 Jordan Demographic and He alth Survey I explore the effects of women's work and relative economic resou rces on their authority in household decisionmaking net of culturally relevant sources of power. The country has enhanced its human capital base, developed new industries and promoted women's work, but it also remains a bastion of trad i ional gender norms. Drawing on resource theory, gender performance theories, theor ies f institutionalized patriarchy and bargaining approaches, I argue that women's wor k and relative economic resources matter more for some dimensions of househ ld decisionmaking than others. Engagement in the labor market confers exclusive co ntrol over matters of personal wellbeing, while enhancing women's leverage to part icipate in family management decisions. However, only women in nuclear household s experience the benefits of productive work on authority in household decisionm aking. Results confirm the multidimensionality of household decisionmaking pow er, and a possible causal effect of work participation. While individual factors mat ter, regardless of women's economic resources and other characteristics, livin g in regions with high socioeconomic development and less patriarchal norms is a sociated with greater decisionmaking authority. The results of this resea rch contribute to our understanding of women's empowerment by empirically demonstrating he conditions under which economic resources may trump cultural scripts, when cultural factors may matter more, and when the two interact. DO ECONOMICS TRUMP CULTURE? EFFECTS OF WOMEN'S WORK AND RELATIVE ECONOMIC RESOU RCES ON MARRIED WOMEN'S AUTHORITY IN HOUSEHOLD DECISIONMAKING IN JORDAN


The current fiscal decentralization system worsens the local government fiscal deficit.Under the condition of the constrained autonomy in income,local government can only rely on the land finance to alleviate the fiscal deficit.The current performance appraisal system and the imperfect budget system result in land finance.In this paper,we take J province as an example,which is the less-developed areas in central provinces,and verify that the local fiscal deficit plays positive impact on the land finance.Finally,we advise the government to cure the problem of land financial by improving the existing system of fiscal decentralization,giving local governments more financial power,improving the budget management system,enhancing the normalization of the budget,and building a performance evaluation mechanism of people-oriented and promoting the scientific development.


Objective: To verify the scientificity and feasibility of the index system through practice based on the construction of urban public hospital credit index system.Methods: Scene questionnaire survey and statistic methods.Results: In the analysis of the reliability and validity of the index system,the overall Cronbach's αwas 0.6524 and the score of content validity was 0.76.Conclusions: The urban public hospital credit evaluation index system was of better reliability and validity and could evaluate the credit situation of public hospital quite effectively and reliably. public hospital;credit;evaluating index


As different users provide different reviews for a product/service, it has become increasingly difficult for common people to understand the customer reviews found on various apps or websites. People are sometimes too lazy to read reviews on various subjects all the way through before making a judgement, despite the fact that they can take time. Even if they wanted to, people cannot read every line of a review. As a result, a text summary model would greatly simplify this process. The purpose of a text summary is to draw out the most significant data from a long document and leave out any that are superfluous or uninteresting. This text summarizer will automatically produce a useful summary from reviews using LSTM. Sentences from the input text will be separated and converted into vectors. A material summary is a process of reducing a large body of text while preserving its original context. The summary should read easily. In this project, our goal is to create a model that accepts reviews of foods as input and outputs a summary of the review. This helps the people who are ordering the food if they want to know about the food that they are looking for.


We have developed readout electronics for the central drift chamber (CDC) of the Belle-II detector. The space near the endplate of the CDC for installation of the electronics was limited by the detector structure. Due to the large amounts of data generated by the CDC, a high-speed data link, with a greater than one gigabit transfer rate, was required to transfer the data to a back-end computer. A new readout module was required to satisfy these requirements. This module processes 48 signals from the CDC, converts them to digital data and transfers it directly to the computer. All functions that transfer digital data via the high speed link were implemented on the single module. We have measured its electrical characteristics and confirmed that the results satisfy the requirements of the Belle-II experiment.


This Article builds upon a similar, lengthier effort that I published in the Tax Lawyer in 2009.1 While there is overlap, this Article contains much new material. Important case law and tax proposals from the House Ways and Means Committee have come out in the interim. Due to space limitations, unlike my Tax Lawyer effort, this Article attempts to avoid prolixity. It assumes the reader has good knowledge of both Subchapters S and K and the tax entity selection process. If you are not that reader, a review of my Tax Lawyer article or Professor Mann's article in this symposium edition2 will fill in the gaps. Generally speaking, I recommend repealing Subchapter S, but integrating its more legitimate benefits into Subchapter K. I also make Subchapter K available to most nonpublic C corporations, putting most closely held businesses on a level playing field.


The present invention relates to a compound of the formula (I) synthesis. The present invention relates to the application of from Ceiba bra Dean (ivabradine), the addition of acid and acceptable chemical pharmaceutically salt thereof, and a hydrate of the synthesized.


This paper extends the analyses of Brandão et al. (2013) which applied the three-mature-stages (receptive, calving and resting) model of Cooke et al. (2003) to photo-identification data available from 1979 to 2012 for southern right whales in South African waters, by taking five further years of data into account. The lower counts of calving females over 2015 to 2017 are indicated to be a reflection of time variability in the probability that a resting whale rests another year, rather than of any mass mortality. The 2017 number of parous females is estimated to be 1 765, the total population (including males and calves) 6 116, and the annual population growth rate 6.5%. This reflects a small decrease to the 6.6% increase rate estimated previously; even in the instance of lesser numbers seen in recent years than estimated previously. Information from resightings of grey blazed calves as adults with calves allows estimation of first year survival rate of 0.852, a slight increase from the previous estimate of 0.850, compared to a subsequent annual rate of 0.988. INTRODUCTION This paper updates the results of Brandão et al. (2013) of a photo-id based assessment of southern right whales in South African waters using the three-mature-stages (ovulating also termed "receptive", calving and resting) model of Cooke et al. (2003). The application of the approach is near-identical to that of Cooke et al. (2003), except that here the starting population is not assumed to reflect a steady age-structure corresponding to the Leslie matrix model describing the population dynamics. The photo-id data for grey blazed calves, which are known to be female and are identifiable when giving birth themselves, are used to link the dynamics of the mature females with the output of their reproduction by allowing for estimation of parameters for first-year mortality and the maturity ogive. The data used to fit the models has been described in detail in Brandão et al. 1 MARAM (Marine Resource Assessment and Management Group), Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. 2 Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa. 3 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Zonnebloem, Cape Town, South Africa


In this paper several multibody models of a tilting four wheeler are described. The models were conceived in the framework of the European Project RESOLVE (Range of Electric SOlution for L-category VEhicles). In the models, the actual masses and inertia of the real vehicle parts were implemented, as well as the suspension and steering system characteristics and the tire to ground actions. The rider was implemented through the actions exerted on the handlebar, computed on the basis of purposely developed controllers. Several simulations were carried out reproducing reference maneuvers in order to get the loads on structural components and the actions of the rider on the handlebar. The effect of the longitudinal forces on vehicle dynamics was also investigated (torque vectoring). The results confirmed the prototype feasibility and its similarity to conventional two wheelers.