Combined vector quantization (VQ) and two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding of images is discussed. An algorithm for bit allocation for a composite source is developed. This algorithm is used to vary the bit allocation of the transform encoder based on the VQ outputs. An important feature of the scheme is that the bit allocation map used for the scalar quantization of the 2D DCT coefficients varies according to the VQ output-one bit allocation map per VQ codevector. Thus, the VQ achieves two purposes: (1) it performs bit rate reduction, and (2) its output is used to determine the bit-allocation map for the 2D DCT coding. To exploit the interblock correlation, a two-dimensional interblock noiseless coding is used to encode the VQ outputs. Simulation results indicate that performance improvements over several other image-coding schemes can be obtained. The improvements are more noticeable at lower bit rates.<<ETX>>


This article is an attempt to trace the course and developments in Biblical research and in the teaching of the Bible in Italy from the stimulus given to them by the Second Vatican Council and in particular by the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum.


As we have previously seen, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is an essential part of coop- erative driving as messages need to be disseminated over large interest areas with on-board communication devices. Vehicular networks are shared environments where each vehicle competes for a share of the bandwidth, thus when sending general purpose message that could potentially interest every driver in a certain area, broadcast-based communication is more adapted to the characteristics of this environment. Yet the role of the vehicle is expanding and is not limited to inter-vehicular communication. New functionalities are introduce that exploit the inherent properties of this environment. Although vehicles enjoy a high degree of freedom, their mobility can be predicted to a certain extent. Vehicles are generally restricted to the use of the road-infrastructure that links geographically distinct points of interests situated tens, hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart. They are fulfilling a purpose by carrying a 'load' from a source to a destination. Therefore, the road-infrastructure is constituted of a network of intersecting roads on which transiting vehicles respond to the requirements of their owners. By taking advantage of these characteristics, new applications can be developed that exploit the technologies present in the modern car. We direct our attention towards the large volume of data that transit the internet everyday. A large part of this data tolerates a certain amount of delay before it is being 'consumed'. Disruptive solutions could ease the burden on the legacy internet infrastructure by considering vehicles as a future data delivery alternative.


Purpose: As EPIDs are increasingly used for IMRT QA and real-time treatment verification, comprehensive quality assurance (QA) of EPIDs becomes critical. Current QA with phantoms such as the Las Vegas and PIPSpro™ can fail in the early detection of EPID artifacts. Beyond image quality assessment, we propose a quantitative methodology using local noise power spectrum (NPS) to characterize image noise and wavelet transform to identify bad pixels and inter-subpanel flat-fielding artifacts. Methods: A total of 93 image sets including bar-pattern images and open exposure images were collected from four iViewGT a-Si EPID systems over three years. Quantitative metrics such as modulation transform function (MTF), NPS and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) were computed for each image set. Local 2D NPS was calculated for each subpanel. A 1D NPS was obtained by radial averaging the 2D NPS and fitted to a power-law function. R-square and slope of the linear regression analysis were used for panel performance assessment. Haar wavelet transformation was employed to identify pixel defects and non-uniform gain correction across subpanels. Results: Overall image quality was assessed with DQE based on empirically derived area under curve (AUC) thresholds. Using linear regression analysis of 1D NPS, panels with acceptable flat fielding weremore » indicated by r-square between 0.8 and 1, and slopes of −0.4 to −0.7. However, for panels requiring flat fielding recalibration, r-square values less than 0.8 and slopes from +0.2 to −0.4 were observed. The wavelet transform successfully identified pixel defects and inter-subpanel flat fielding artifacts. Standard QA with the Las Vegas and PIPSpro phantoms failed to detect these artifacts. Conclusion: The proposed QA methodology is promising for the early detection of imaging and dosimetric artifacts of EPIDs. Local NPS can accurately characterize the noise level within each subpanel, while the wavelet transforms can detect bad pixels and inter-subpanel flat fielding artifacts.« less


In this paper, we discuss the implementation of the checkout/checkin mechanism in object-oriented database systems. Objects are no longer modified directly in the public database. Each user has a private workspace and hidher tasks are peg5ormed in the workspace. When the tasks are done, the user checks in modified objects in the public database. We introduce several classes of longduration locks in order to allow users to lock objects for a long time. A composite object, version, versionable object, or sirrple object may be the granularity of a checkout operation. Especially, we maintain effectively the version derivation graphs in a public database and workspaces and manage checkouts of composite objects.


In recent years so many new technologies have been developed. Most of the technology has the main importance is regarding to the speed, accuracy, less power consumption. Most of the DSP processors, Math processors and various scientific applications require Booth multipliers. In the booth multiplier the booth encoder plays an important role. It occupies most of the area and also generates the signals which must be useful for generating the partial product. So booth encoder must accurate as much possible. In our paper we mainly concentrate on the delay of each signal and the number of transistors we used. Obviously so many way to implement this but we have chosen the CMOS technique which is comparatively faster than traditional ones. The recent time is of nanometer technology so we have chosen 45nm technology. The tool which we have used is TANNER EDA 15.


The article focuses on the factors which national and international courts take into consideration when making distinction between extreme speech and legitimate expression. It is often difficult to draw the line between these expressions. There are no general rules which can be automatically applied in such cases. However, certain factors, which can serve as guiding principles for courts, have been developed in the jurisprudence: the context of extreme speech, its content, the speaker's intent, the position of the speaker and audience, the scope and outreach of extreme speech, and the likelihood of resulting harm. The article explores the application of these factors in particular cases, mostly the ECtHR cases as this court has the most developed case-law on this matter. The authors give their critical opinion on certain decisions and, finally, evaluate the real significance of these factors.


Summary By definition, disengaged literary exegesis, vigorously pursued since the advent of Anglo-American New Criticism (and avidly recycled in various guises in the aftermath of the deconstructive spin), retreats from the prospect of integrating "art" and "life" (to revert to an older, belletristic idiom). It retreats, too, from the prospect of investing the discipline of literary studies with existential purpose or propensity. Although recent orientations such as ethnic and embodiment studies are routinely interfused with standard, often Levinasian, animadversions concerning moral and cultural circumstances and the amelioration of socio-political ills, the professional pursuit of interpretative fecundity compels their exponents to sorn upon the artefact and to treat the activity of reading ontolophagously – as an opportunity to infiltrate shopworn "theories" and viscid banalities into tedious and wearisome recensions of the literary text. The article proposes an exegetical model which has its source in a desire to rediscover the paradoxes, perplexities, and polarities – the unaccountable amalgam of dispossession, intimacy, and spectatorship – inherent in the act of reading. Beyond characterisation, beyond narrative progression, beyond action and reaction, even beyond the artifice of syntax and semantics, the reader is preoccupied with the singularity of consciousness as it seeks to organise experience. The article explores some of the ways in which consciousness is represented to consciousness, and some of the ways in which readers "model" consciousness in order to make it available to itself.


Antisnoring agent for oral or local application in the nasal/pharyngal cavities comprising an active content of a secretolytically and/or secretoproductively effective substance, as the active ingredient, together with carrier substances for diluents which are compatible with mucous membranes.


Combining the new spectroscopy results of 144Tb and previous spectroscopy studies of neighboring nuclei, a systematic investigation on the low-lying spectra in N = 78 ~ 80 isotones is performed. Good systematics have been found for the coupling patterns which couple the odd nucleon(s), such as πh11/2, , to the 2+, 4+, 6+ and 3- core excitations. It is found that the relative excitation energies of the states formed by coupling h11/2 proton(s) to the 2+, 4+ core excitations are pushed up, in contrast with those formed by coupling h11/2 neutron hole(s) to the 2+, 4+ core excitations, which are pulled down. According to the systematics, the interpretation that the 17/2+ states observed in 141Sm and 143Gd are the fully aligned member of coupling the odd h11/2 neutron hole to the octupole 3- core excitation, is explored to the isotones 145Dy, 142Eu, and 144Tb.


Simple Summary The balanced matching of air and blood flow in the lungs is crucial for maintaining oxygen levels and clearing carbon dioxide. In patients with severe respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, this matching is interrupted, precipitating life-threatening consequences. It has become increasingly evident that disturbances in the matching of air and blood flow may also contribute to the worsening of lung injury. In this review, we discuss classic and novel methods for measuring the adequacy of air and blood flow equilibration as well as clinical and experimental data that demonstrate a mechanistic link between mismatch and lung injury. Abstract Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains an important clinical challenge with a mortality rate of 35–45%. It is being increasingly demonstrated that the improvement of outcomes requires a tailored, individualized approach to therapy, guided by a detailed understanding of each patient's pathophysiology. In patients with ARDS, disturbances in the physiological matching of alveolar ventilation (V) and pulmonary perfusion (Q) (V/Q mismatch) are a hallmark derangement. The perfusion of collapsed or consolidated lung units gives rise to intrapulmonary shunting and arterial hypoxemia, whereas the ventilation of non-perfused lung zones increases physiological dead-space, which potentially necessitates increased ventilation to avoid hypercapnia. Beyond its impact on gas exchange, V/Q mismatch is a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with ARDS; more recently, its role in ventilation-induced lung injury and worsening lung edema has been described. Innovations in bedside imaging technologies such as electrical impedance tomography readily allow clinicians to determine the regional distributions of V and Q, as well as the adequacy of their matching, providing new insights into the phenotyping, prognostication, and clinical management of patients with ARDS. The purpose of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology, identification, consequences, and treatment of V/Q mismatch in the setting of ARDS, employing experimental data from clinical and preclinical studies as support.


Aims: Kloeckera apiculata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast species are dominant, respectively, at the early and at the following stages of wine fermentation. In the present study, PCR fingerprinting and NTS region amplification and restriction were applied as techniques for monitoring yeast population performing Aglianico of Vulture grape must fermentation.


Two-year-old young trees of 'Guoqing No.4', satsuma mandarin whose rootstocks were red tangerine +trifoliate and red tangerine +rough lemon somatic hybrid, Troyer citrange and Swingle citrumelo sexual hybrid, trifoliate(CK)were used to study on the effects of rootstocks on the growth and the contents of mineral nutrients in leaves through potted experiment. The results revealed that the four kinds of treatments grew more vigorously than CK; The flower number of Red tangerine +Trifoliate was higer than that of CK, and the other three were lower than that of CK.The rootstocks did not influence the annual changes of N, K, Ca, Mn and Mg in leaves. Rootstocks notably influenced the annual changes of P, Fe and Zn in leaves. During different periods, the rootstocks remarkably influenced the contents of mineral nutrients in leaves. The utilizations potential of two varieties of hybrids were intensively discussed.


Knowledge of the distribution of dark-matter in our Galaxy plays a crucial role in the interpretation of dark-matter detection experiments. I will argue here that probably the best way of constraining the properties of the dark-matter halo is through astrophysical observations. These provide constraints on the spatial structure (density profile, shape, local density), on the velocity distribution function and on the presence of substructure (streams or lumps of dark-matter).


Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition characterized by difficulty in social interaction, in addition to affecting the development of language and communication. Food selectivity is one of the outstanding characteristics in this group, generating significant nutritional deficiencies in children and adolescents with ASD. The objective of this integrative review was to verify, through the available literature, aspects related to the eating behavior and health of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Developed in was developed in six steps: 1. elaboration of the research question, 2. definition of the sources of selection of primary studies and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 3. definition and extraction of data, 4. evaluation of the included studies, 5 • critical analysis of the results, 6. presentation of the synthesis of the evidence found. According to the results presented, about eating problems, it was evidenced that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are more prone to the development of food selectivity and micronutrient deficiency than children with typical development. In addition to requiring greater involvement and frequency of their parents/caregivers concerning their peers during meals. As is evident the presence of risky eating practices within this group, occurring more frequently among children with ASD than among neurotypical children. Thus, it is suggested the production of more studies on the subject and the development of public policies that cover this group.


As the satellites are limited by the deficient hardware resources and the difficulty of hardware upgrading. A location-aware load balancing routing is an effective way to prolong the lifetime of satellites by decreasing the charging and discharging rate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite battery during the eclipse period. The proposed algorithm direct the traffic load to solar-period satellites to avoid using battery-eclipse satellites as relay. By tuning some tunable coefficient, this algorithm can provide a trade-off between the operational lifetime of the satellite networks and the propagation delay of the selected routes. A better distribution of traffic among satellites can be guaranteed as well. The proposed scheme is dubbed: Location-Aware Load Balancing (LABRA) scheme. Through simulations on Iridium-like constellation, the proposed scheme is shown to achieve better load balancing, and can especially increase the battery lifetime, guarantee better throughput and lower packet loss. Furthermore, results from the implementation complexity analysis demonstrate that with the aid of space orbit parameters, LABRA has lower on-board computation, storage and zero exchange signaling between satellites than other on-board routing schemes.


The rich archival research conducted for these articles led many of the authors to emphasize the diversity of experiences rather than attempt to draw larger conclusions; a more extended introduction might have allowed for at least some synthesis or generalization. Notwithstanding, the volume is a successful effort to bring together historical work produced by an internationally diverse group of scholars and not easily accessed elsewhere.


The methods for solving structural dynamic responses by using viscous damping and complex damping models are discussed. With equal damping ratio,complex damping model and viscous damping model are used to calculate the responses of two frame structures under various seismic ground motions separately,and the contrast of the results is made and the influence of structural dynamic responses between two different damping models is analysed.It is shown that the damping has great influence on the structural dynamic responses.


Encouraged by the promising results of SOI device-based studies, CMOS on SOI has recently been suggested for the low power digital applications. In this paper, the crucial effects of SOI device characteristics on switching circuits is investigated, and the relative merits of SOI and bulk devices for circuit applications are compared. As a result, the impact of the floating body on SOI circuit performance and the related device solutions are discussed.


The present invention relates to a method of etching the gate electrode to be directed to a tungsten or tungsten nitride etching method in the semiconductor structure, in particular, the precise control required in the etching process. The inventors have much better selectivity, for example, 175 to tungsten or tungsten nitride etch than the adjacent oxide layer: found 1 or more, and provide a precise etch profile control is possible tungsten or tungsten nitride etching method. Generally, the oxide is selected from silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride (silicon oxynitride), tantalum pentoxide (tantalum pentoxide), zirconium oxide, and combinations thereof. The method may doedeunji deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) doedeunji deposition, or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to be applied to the tungsten or tungsten nitride, regardless. In particular, the initial chemical etching reactor used for tungsten or most of the process (main etching step) of etching the tungsten nitride is to use a plasma source gas, wherein the chemical functionality etchant teujong generally sulfur hexafluoride (SF At the end portion of the main etch process it is used the second chemical etching reactor, wherein the chemical etchant function teujong is generated from Cl The last part of this etching process, since the etching to the bottom surface of at least tungsten or tungsten nitride, also referred to as an "over-etch" process. However, this second chemical etching reactions optionally can be divided in two steps, wherein a plasma source gas oxygen content and the plasma source power is increased as the second step.


Given a set of points in two dimensional space, statistically significant hotspot detection aims to detect locations where the concentration of points inside the hotspot is much higher than outside. Statistically significant hotspot detection is an important task in application domains such as epidemiology, ecology, criminology, etc. where it may reveal interesting information for domain experts. However, significant hotspot detection is challenging because of a lack of a generic technique for different hotspot patterns (i.e. shapes) and thus a large number of candidate hotspots to be enumerated and tested. Previous hotspot detection techniques focus on specific shapes (e.g. circles, rectangles, ellipses) to identify hotspot areas, but they cannot be used interchangeably which cause a vast variety of complicated and sometimes confusing techniques for each individual hotspot pattern. For example, a circular hotspot detection technique can not be used to discover a rectangular or an elliptical hotspot. In this paper, we propose a generic dual grid based pruning approach for hotspot detection that can be used for different hotspot patterns. We also present a cost analysis, a simplified experiment on the dataset size and a case study on a synthetic dataset to show the applicability of our proposed approach to circular hotspots.


We discuss the role of «connectors» between two rubber blocks or between a rubber and a solid. Early descriptions of these systems were restricted to very dilute connectors, working independantly. ln the present work, we investigate theoretically the role and the limits of the surface concentration of connectors. Two cases are discussed: a) mobile chains at a rubber/rubber interface b) grafted chains facing a rubber


The familiar error-correction codes allow a reduction in the required signal-to-noise ratio at the expense of an increase in bandwidth. Here we reverse the problem and investigate codes that permit a reduced bandwidth at the expense of an increase in the required signal-to-noise ratio. Theoretical properties of these bandwidth compaction codes have been published previously. This paper emphasizes the tradeoff between bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio when the codes are used. The inherent error detection and error correction properties of the codes are also explored.


The purpose of this contribution is four-fold. First, it seeks to provide an answer to the questions that have recently been posed, if not for the first time, by David Harvey (2000, p. 13). He recognises that globalisation "is now one of the most hegemonic concepts for understanding the political economy of international capitalism. And its uses extend far beyond the business world to embrace questions of politics, culture, national identity, and the like. So where did this concept come from? Does it describe something essentially new?" I provide an answer to the first question in section 2, arguing that globalisation neatly captures two intellectual trends, the common retreat from the excesses both of neo-liberalism and of postmodernism. Globalisation represents a return in emphasis to the study of material realities, how the world is organised and functions internationally and nationally, and a departure from a virtual world of increasingly free and unconstrained markets and imaginations.


Purpose: Implementation of radiochromic film, such as GafChromic EBT2 film, as a quantitative 2‐dimensional dosimeter requires an array of equipment calibrations and corrections. We have developed a holistic model‐based calibration/correction mechanism for radiochromic film dosimetry. Methods: One challenge of using radiochromic film is that most of the densitometry scanners in use are designed for qualitative, not quantitative use. We performed careful characterization and quantification of the systematic and random components of all temporal and spatial optical density variations. In the proposed workflow, the spatial‐dependent dose response is estimated in the calibration stage under a novel model‐based optimization framework. A benchmark calibration process has been developed for the full (optical density, space) calibration map. For improved robustness, a simplified model that assumes separability of spatial variation and dose dependence was developed. The corresponding QA tool utilizes a consistent correction principle and maps the observed pixel intensity value based on the estimated spatially varying calibration map. The developed method has been tested on seven plans (both IMRT and VMAT) and compared with commercial software correction results. Dosimetry accuracy was validated against EDR2 film by comparison with treatment planning system calculated dose distribution using 3%‐3mm gamma criterion.Results: Under equivalent test conditions, the proposed method achieves gamma passing rates with EBT2 that are comparable to or better than a correction method of a commercial counterpart. Such corroboration is consistent for both IMRT and VMAT plans under gamma tests Conclusions: We have developed a systematic approach to comprehensively calibrate and use EBT2 film, accounting for temporal and spatial dose response variations. Specifically, a formal generative model and an estimation methodology was developed to achieve good balance between measurement sensitivity and robustness. This process has been implemented with in‐house software. Research supported in part by AACR career development award.


The present thesis aims to evaluate the curriculums of higher education for 36 university institutes of the country and the position of the Environmental Education in each of them. To accomplish this a research is done and data related to the lessons of postgraduate and graduate programs of the universities faculties. Data processing is done by the help of statistical package SPSS.


We describe a factorization theorem for holomorphic maps from a compact manifold M into the loop group of U(N). We prove that any such map is a finite Blaschke product of maps into Grassmann manifolds (unitons), satisfying recursive holomorphicity conditions; each map being attached to a point in the open unit disc. This factorization is essentially unique. Using a theorem of Atiyah and Donaldson, we construct a stratification of the moduli space of framed SU(2) Yang-Mills instanton over the 4-sphere, in which the strata are iterated fibrations of spaces of polynomials, indexed by plane partitions; and the unique open stratum of "generic" instantons of charge d, is the configuration space of d distinct points in the disc, labelled with d biholomorphisms of the 2-sphere. Introduction. Let ΩU(N) = {γ: S -» U(N)\γ real analytic, y(l) = /} be the real analytic loop group of the unitary group U(N). By using Fourier series expansions, ΩU(N) may be given a Kahler manifold structure (cf. [A]). In this paper we study holomorphic maps (or, more generally, rational maps (cf. the definition in §2), from a compact complex manifold M into ΩU(N). The motivation for this study comes from two different results, both in the realm of gauge theory and twistor geometry. (1) By a theorem of Atiyah and Donaldson (cf. [A]), for any classical group G, the parameter space of based holomorphic maps S -> ΩG is diίfeomorphic to the space of Yang-Mills instantons over S, modulo based gauge transformations. The instanton number corresponds to the degree of the map, defined via H(ΩG, Z)^Z. (2) Uhlenbeck [17] associated a holomorphic map F:S-+ΩU(N) to any harmonic map/: S -> U(N), using methods from the theory of completely integrable systems. She gave a recursive procedure, similar to a Backlund transformation, to generate new F's from given ones by the choice of appropriate holomorphic vector bundles over S, called unitons. Then she proved a unique factorization theorem of any such F as a product of unitons. Moreover, generalizing the paper of Uhlenbeck, Segal [Seg] has showed that any holomorphic map from a compact manifold into ΩU(N) has values in the space of rational loops. But it is relatively well known that any based rational matrix valued function, unitary on the circle, has a finite factorization as a "Blaschke product" (cf. [G]).


—Automatic caption generation from images has be- come an active research topic in the field of Computer Vision (CV) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). Machine generated image caption plays a vital role for the visually impaired people by converting the caption to speech to have a better understanding of their surrounding. Though significant amount of research has been conducted for automatic caption generation in other languages, far too little effort has been devoted to Bangla image caption generation. In this paper, we propose an encoder-decoder based model which takes an image as input and generates the corresponding Bangla caption as output. The encoder network consists of a pretrained image feature extractor called ResNet-50, while the decoder network consists of Bidirectional LSTMs for caption generation. The model has been trained and evaluated using a Bangla image captioning dataset named BanglaLekhaIm- ageCaptions. The proposed model achieved a training accuracy of 91% and BLEU-1, BLEU-2, BLEU-3, BLEU-4 scores of 0.81, 0.67, 0.57, and 0.51 respectively. Moreover, a comparative study for different pretrained feature extractors such as VGG-16 and Xception is presented. Finally, the proposed model has been deployed on an embedded device for analysing the inference time and power consumption.


In creative education, student, as the object of teaching, is an initiative subject to participate in study and creation under the guidance of teachers rather than a passive individual. In terms of the scores of exam, the effort of creative education is likely to be inferior to that of traditional examination-oriented education in the early or short period, but it will produce potential and huge impact on students' service and contribution for the society in future. Therefore, colleges and universities should be granted more decision-making power to create favourable conditions for creative education, extricating them from the examination-oriented education.


The research development of catalysts for synthesis of cyclohexanol and cyclohexan-one by cyclohexane selective oxidation at home and abroad was reviewed.The catalysts were summerized and analyzed.The result showed that developing new,cheap,efficient and clean catalysts was the trend of technical development.


In this case, the deployment of policies, the availability of resources and the commitment of the actors in the educational process can be determinant in achieving inclusion, so it was necessary to carry out a comparative analysis to identify the similarities and differences within the framework of this approach. From this perspective, this article was carried out with the aim of learning about the experiences and perspectives of actors (teachers, students, families of children with disabilities) with respect to inclusive education in different Latin American countries. For this purpose, an exploratory and descriptive research methodology was applied under a documentary modality, through which documents were searched in repositories and indexed journals related to the topic analysed, which were subsequently synthesised and discussed in order to establish the relevant conclusions. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied for the selection of sources, so that a total of 8 publications were reviewed. The results showed that there is a perception that the measures implemented to promote inclusive education have not been sufficient to eliminate the multiple barriers that still exist, it is also recognised that in many cases there are no clear policies, the resources available to teachers are often insufficient and training and support is required for educators to be able to respond satisfactorily to the needs of children with disabilities.


This paper presents a detection method based on path search providing soft decision outputs for MIMO systems. The number of paths searched is reduced in comparison to tree search in List Sequential Methods. As an example, we consider 16QAM signaling with 2 transmitting and 2 receiving antennas. The proposed method, Soft Output Path Detector (SOPD), shows BER performance similar to Sphere Decoder (SD) [2], but the SOPD has lower complexity than the SD at low SNR. Soft decisions provided by the SOPD noticeably improve performance in MIMO systems with channel coding.


Future energy-harvesting (EH) brain-machine interfaces (BMI) present fundamental design challenges to analog-to-digital converters (ADC) for neural signal digitisation and recording. Ultra-low power (ULP) consumption, maximised area density, bandwidth and dynamic range as well as amenability to ultra-low voltage (ULV) supply are all desirable performance specifications. This article presents a digitally intensive openloop voltage-controlled-oscillator (VCO)-based ADC operating at an ULV supply of only 0.2V in 28nm CMOS. We introduce a novel design framework harnessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of coupled oscillator ensembles (COE) for open-loop voltage-to-frequency (V -to-f) analog linearisation, as applied to high impedance input transconductor-driven VCOs. A machine learning (ML)-driven foreground calibration engine employing gradient descent automatically optimises the integrated digitally programmable 'tuning knobs' of the COE network to guide its self-adaptive linearisation. A Verilog-A calibration engine integrated with the transistor level COE was developed to perform full-system transient simulations (lasting several miliseconds) which reduced the dominant third-order harmonic distortion (HD3) from −35dBc to −70dBc for a near rail-to-rail differential input voltage swing of ±180mV, verifying the calibration process.


Based on the analysis of facial occlusion handling various algorithms,a automatical multi-value mask PCA face reconstruction model(MMPCA model) was proposed.First the facial features are extracted,and the eigenface difference between a test face and a standard face is calculated to judge the facial occlusion accurately and determine the facal occlusion type.Then a occlusion mask is estimated with a M estimator,and the pixel's amplitude parameters are estimated,and the multi-value occlusion mask is generated.Last three half secondary-type functions are used to ensure optimal synthesis coefficients is only and convergent,and then the optimal synthesis coefficient is obtained to reconstruct the face.The experimental results show that the occlusion region is restored and the occlusion influence to face recognition accuracy is weaken through using the automatical multi-value mask PCA face reconstruction model.


This work deals with the making of bio-models of jaws of patients using rapid prototyping from the data obtained from CT scan images. The bio-model was made with an intention of increasing the safety of dental surgeries and implant placement and aiding diagnosis and treatment planning. The bio-model made was used for planning an implant placement surgery on the patient whose CT scan data had been taken. A mock surgery was performed by making holes using drills and after that the implants were placed and screwed into the bio-model to secure their positions, as is done in an actual surgery.


In this work, the effect of carbon content on static tensile and fatigue crack initiation behaviour was investigated on four different types of carbon steels with nearly equal ferrite grain sizes by the plastic replica method. Static tests and fatigue tests had been performed using the universal testing machine and the rotating bending fatigue testing machine, respectively. Fatigue tests were mainly performed under the stress level larger than the fatigue limit of each material by the same magnitude. Experimental results show that. for tensile tests, the cracks of materials with low carbon content exist in the boundaries beiween pearlite block and ferrite grain or in their neighborhood. On the other hand, those of materials with medium carbon content cracks also exist in pearlite. For fatigue tests, the carbon content of each material affects the crack initiation behaviour under the same stress amplitude for four types of carbon steels, comparing with that under the stress level larger than the fatigue limit of each material by the same magnitude. In addition, the carbon content of steel hardly affec~s the crack propagation behaviour . A plain carbon steel, being excellent due to low cost and machinability, is m c of the carbon steels for machine structural use. Therefore. various types of carbon steels have been widely used and examined extensively [lo]. Nevcrthclcss. there are several problems unresolved. For example. it seems that the research on static crack initiation has not been reponed. In addition. although the fatigue crack initiates from a ferrite grain, yet, i t is not thoroughly clear why the htigue limit of each material with the same ferrite grain size is dependent on carbon content . Manuscript received from Dr .A.M. ABO EL-AINENE on : 25/5/2000 Accepted on : 13/6/2000 Engineering Research Bulletin, Vol 23,No 3, 2000 Minufiya University, Faculty of Engineering, Shebien El-Kom , Egypt, ISSN 1110-1180 So, it is the purpose of the present work to investigate the effec,bof carbon content on static tensile and fatigue crack initiation by using four different types of carbon steels with the same ferrite grain size . 2. MATERIALS AND EXPER1MENTAL:PROCEDURE The materials used were four types of carbon steels, 0.15% C, 0.25% C, 0.35% C and 0.46% C. Tables (I) and (2) list the chemical composition, the procedure of heat treatment and the mechanical properties of the materials, respectively. The microstructures of the materials after heat treatment are shown in Fig. (1) . Fig. (2) shows the shape and dimensions of specimen for fatigue tests. Round bar tensile tests using a specimen with 6 mm diameter and 30 mm gauge length were used. The specimens were cut out from the heat treated rod. All specimens have nearly equal ferrite grain sizcs of about 20 pm in diameter, according to the heat treatment conditions as shown in Table (2). After machining, the specimens were polished with emery paper and then finished by buffing. Before testing, all specimens were re-annealed at 600 ' C for 1 hr to remove residual stresses. Furthermore, all specimens were lightly ekhed . Every specimen for fatigue tests has a partial shallow notch at the middle of the testing part as shown in Fig. (2). This shallow notch localizes the crack initiation site and does not affect for its fatigue strength at all. The observation of micro-crack initiation and measurement of crack length were adopted by succcssive -taken replica method in the circumferential direction at the specimen's surface. The taken replicas of the specimens were examined using metallurgical microscope. Static tests and fatigue tests had been performed using the universal testing machine and the rotating bending fatigue testing machine (under the cyclic speed of 2880 R.P.M), respectively. ! I times) I -..' n y : Yield strength o,, : Tensile srrength ow,, : Fatigut litnit ' I J : Reduc~ion of a m A.C : Air cooling F.C : Furnace cooiing 3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Crack Formation Behaviour Under Static Tensile Loading. Figure (3) shows stress-strain curves for tensile tests. The mechanical properties taken from these curves are summarized in table (2). Figure. (4) shows the representative results of successive observation of crack initiation and propagation under static tensile loading. As shown in this figure, the values of plastic strain E, for the slip band initiation in 0.15% C steel (material A) and 0.25% C steel (material B) are about 6.3% and 3.4%, respectively. In addition, the micro-cracks of these materials initiate in the boundaries between pearlite block and ferrite grain or in their neighborhood when the plastic strain for both materials increases up to about 9.1% . Furthermore, it is clear that the crack length does not increase with increasing plastic strain. While, the slip band for 0.36%C steel (material C) and 0.46%C steel (material D) appear when plastic strain is 3.4%. Then, the crack initiation of 0.36%C steel (material C) is similar to those of O.l5%C steel (material A) or 0.25%C. steel (material B) that is to say, it initiates in the boundaries between pearlite block and ferrite grain or in their neighborhood at E,= 6.3%. Cracks initiate when the plastic strain is about 4.8% for 0.46%C steel (material D). Cracks are formed not only in the boundaries between pearlite block and ferrite grain or in their neighborhood but also in pearlite block. From the above result, it is obvious that the critical plastic strain, in which slip bands and crack initiate, decreases according to the increase in carbon content. In addition, the crack under static tensile loading shows the tendency to exist not only in the boundaries between the pearlite block and ferrite grain but also in pearlite block with increasing carbon content. This is probably due to the difference in, mechanical properties between pearlite block and ferrite grain. That is, it is considered that the plastic deformation in low carbon steels mainly meets with the elongation of ferrite grain. Therefore, thecracks in low carbon steels are initiated in the boundaries between pearlite block and ferrite grain, where appears much difference of elongation between both structures. On the other hand, the plastic deformation of medium carbon steels shares not only the defonnation of the ferritic grain but also that of pearlite block because the ratio of ferrite grains decreases with increase of carbon content. Therefore the cracks in these stecls are initiated not only in the boundaries between both structures but also in pearlite block. Figure (5) shows the change in density of cracks with thenominal stress. As shown in this figure, thc dcnsity of cracks of each material increases with increasing the nominal stress. The density of crack under the same nominal stress condition decreases with the increase in carbon content. However, as mentioned above, static tensile cracks hardly propagate and only the number of cracks increases. . .. 3.2 Crack Behaviour Under Alternative Cyclic Loading Figure (6) shows S-N curves for fatigue tests. As shown in this figure, it can be seen the fatigue strength depends on carbon content. That is, the fatigue limit of these materials increases in accordance with carbon content, regardless of the same mean ferrite grain size. The fatigue limit of each material is listed in table (2). Fig. (7) shows the representative results of successive observation of fatigue crack initiation under the stress amplitude of 0, = 280 MP, , which is larger than each fatigue limit. It can be seen from this figure that the slip bands are generated in ferrite grains at an early stage of stress repetitions. Then, the grain boundary becomes like a black band in the above area, and finally turn to a micro-crack. Therefore, it is clear that the fatigue crack initiation behaviour is different from the crack behaviour in the tensile process. Namely, the cracks in the cyclic loading process initiate in ferrite grain boundaries or in its neighborhood, being irrespective of carbon content. In addition, the tensile crack length does not increase with increasing plastic strain. On the other hand, the fatigue crack increases with increasing number of cycles. Figure (8) shows the relation between the main crack length and the number of cycles under csa = 80 MP,. It is known that fatigue strength is propertional to the mean grain size by Hall-Petch's equation [ l l ] . All specimens have the same ferritic grain size in these tests. Nevertheless, it can be seen from this figure that the fatigue crack is greatly dependent on carbon content. Namely the properties for fatigue crack initiation and crack growth rate at an early stage show the tendency to be retarded in accordance with increase of carbon content. Figure (9) shows the surface micrographs before fatigue test and at 1x10' cycles under the stress amplitude of fatigue limit. For the material with low carbon content, non-propagating cracks are blocked by the boundaries of ferrite grain. On the other hand, for the material with medium carbon content, cracks show a tendency to be blocked by pearlite.


We consider the asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the p-system with linear damping on the half-line R+=(0, ∞),vt−ux=0,ut+p(v)x=−αu, with the Dirichlet boundary condition u|x=0=0 or the Neumann boundary condition ux|x=0=0. The initial date (v0, u0)(x) has the constant state (v+, u+) at x=∞. L. Hsiao and T.-P. Liu [Commun. Math. Phys.143 (1992), 599–605] have shown that the solution to the corresponding Cauchy problem behaves like diffusion wave, and K. Nishihara [J. Differential Equations131 (1996), 171–188; 137 (1997), 384–395] has proved its optimal convergence rate. Our main concern in this paper is the boundary effect. In the case of null-Dirichlet boundary condition on u, the solution (v, u) is proved to tend to (v+, 0) as t tends to infinity. Its optimal convergence rate is also obtained by using the Green function of the diffusion equation with constant coefficients. In the case of null-Neumann boundary condition on u, v(0, t) is conservative and v(0, t)≡v0(0) by virtue of the first equation, so that v(x, t) is expected to tend to the diffusion wave v(x, t) connecting v0(0) and v+. In fact the solution (v, u)(x, t) is proved to tend to (v(x, t), 0). In the special case v0(0)=v+, the optimal convergence rate is also obtained. However, this is not known in the case v0(0)≠v+.


Liberec 2006 7 Lukáš Steiger Abstract The aim of this thesis is to check and classify mut i-anode photomultipliers which will be used as a part of the read-out system of th e RICH detector. The RICH detector is a part of the Compass experiment, which is being upgr aded at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva. The theoretical part contains a description of the photomultipliers and basic information about upgrading the RICH detector. Used control and measuring apparatus is also described. The experimental part is aimed on the retrieved res ults and their processing. Testing of multi-anode photomultipliers and first data proc essing took place at the FriedrichAlexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. The main tested parameters of the photomultipliers were dark current in each channel, r lative quantum efficiency, signal shape and uniformity of the channels. All measureme nts (except dark current measurement) were made for two wavelengths and diff erent voltages.


Background: Biological methods for nanoparticle (NP) synthesis using microorganisms, enzymes, and plants or plant extracts have been suggested as possible eco-friendly alternatives to chemical and physical methods.
Aim: The aim of the current study is to synthesize Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) mediated by Abies webbiana and to evaluate its antioxidant activity.
Materials and Methods: Bio-mediated synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles using A. webbiana is a promising alternative to traditional chemical synthesis. The antioxidant activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs was synthesised using DPPH radical scavenging assay.
Results: The ZnO NPs were  identified by  dark brown  color  and  the  surface  plasmon resonance  was  positioned at a peak  at  290  nm. Finally, the current study has clearly demonstrated that the ZnO NPs are responsible for significant high antioxidant activities.
Conclusion: Therefore, the study reveals an efficient, eco-friendly, and simple method for the green synthesis of ZnO NPs using a green synthetic approach.


Futures studies such as technology foresight and backcasting are concerned with changes in society and technological transformation in a long-term perspective, but are also recognising the importan ...


This paper is a study on the delirium and the artwork of Bispo do Rosario as ways to treat the Real, solutions that the subject might find when confronted with whatever seems to be inapprehensible. From the interviews made with the artist himself and the reading of his artworks, we propose a new approach to delirium, based on another inter pretation of Bispo's mission. Understanding this mission as the representation of "different materials existing on Earth for the use of humans", it was possible to highlight the address of this artwork not only towards God, as it is usually described, but also towards human beings. By highlighting the mundane destination of the objects he created, we demonstrate the ways through which his works acted as a supplement strategy of the delirium, allowing better possibilities of social bond. Far from reducing this artwork to delirium, we will aim at the complexity which defines the connection between them, in the specific case of Bispo do Rosario


Activation of lipid peroxidation, increasing during the elevation of clinical symptoms of Y. pestis intoxication and hypoxic syndrome development, is the efferent link in cytopathogenic effects of toxic and enzymatic factors of this microorganism. Absolute or relative insufficiency of enzymatic mechanisms of blood antioxidant protection systems is the main pathogenic factor in lipid components of biomembrane destruction leading to the haemorrhagic syndrome development in Y. pestis intoxication.


Zn(CN)2 is known to have an isotropic negative thermal expansion (NTE) coefficient (about -51 x 10-6 K-1) over 10-370 K that is twice as large as that of ZrW2O8. We have measured the pressure dependence of the phonon spectra up to 30 meV from a polycrystalline sample of Zn(CN)2 at pressures of 0, 0.3, 1.9 and 2.8 kbar at temperatures of 165 and 225 K. The measurements enabled us to estimate the energy dependence of the ratios Gamma/B (Gamma are Gruneisen parameters as a function of phonon energy Ei at ambient pressure and B is the bulk modulus), which reflect the anharmonicity of phonons. We conclude that the phonon modes of low energy below 15 meV play an important role in the understanding of the NTE behavior in Zn(CN)2 and the measured anharmonicity can quantitatively explain the NTE.


The paper gives a fast way of attributes value reduction based on discernibility matrix. The method reduces the algorithm complexity of gaining the attributes value reduction. It has been proved feasible and effective by examples. At last the paper as a discussion on the gaining of decision rules.


Since many real applications such as web connectivity, social networks, and so on, are emerging now-a-days, thus graph databases have been widely used as important tools to model and query complex graph data wherein each vertex(node) in a graph usually contains information, which can be modelled by a set of tokens or elements. The method for subgraphs extraction by considering set similarity query over a large graph database has already been proposed, which retrieves subgraphs that are structurally isomorphic to the query graph, and meanwhile satisfy the condition of vertex pair matching with the (dynamic/fixed) weighted set similarity in a centralized system. This paper explains the efficient implementation of subgraphs extraction in a large graph database in a distributed environment by considering both vertex set similarity and graph topology which offers a better price/performance ratio and increases availability using redundancy when parts of a system fail than centralized systems in case of a large dataset (i.e., a graph with millions/billions of nodes wherein each node contains some information) by performing parallel processing.


In order to inspect mechanical behavior analysis of long-span steel truss arch bridge, the spatial finite element model was established to analyze the mechanical behavior of the structure under static load and mobile load. Static load test of three span continuous steel truss arch bridge was carried out. The strains, deflection and the tension of the slings were measured. Comparison of testing data with the theoretical values obtained from finite element analysis was carried out. The results showed that the strength and stiffness of the bridge met the design requirements, and the static load test results were basically consistent with the theoretical analysis, which verified the mechanical characteristics of the bridge.


Blood glycemic level, also known as blood sugar level or blood glucose level, especially that reaching high values (hyper glycaemia) and persisting in time, is strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes and consequently serious medical conditions such as neuropathy, cardiovascular diseases, sensitivity to infections etc. Nowadays the only effective and reliable way of monitoring blood sugar level is to directly analyze the blood (capillary or venous), interstitial or other body fluids. The former method is the most used. Its main disadvantage is puncturing of patient skin (finger pricking for example) which frequently causes pain and the risk of viruses and bacteria entering the body. The development of an effective and accurate noninvasive method for blood glucose monitoring has been recognized as a crucial goal for future studies of blood sugar and implementations of such methods into wearable devices. In this paper, we propose monitoring of blood glucose level employing skin impedance measurement. A measurement system featuring an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is presented and analyzed. The fabricated ASIC in 350 nm CMOS technology with dimensions 1223 μm x 1388 μm, typically consumes 450 μA at 3.3 V supply voltage and operates in frequency region from 5 kHz to 16 MHz. The system exhibits a good linear response for loads up to a few kΩ, making it suitable for skin impedance measurements.


This article reported that,immunomorphological study was made on 216 cases of reactive hyperplasia (RH) in lymph nodes.According to the major architecture of lymph nodes and cytological features of hyperplastic cells as well as the immune function,RH was divided into six types:follicular hyperplasia,non-follicular hyperplasia,sinus histiocytosis,blood vessel proliferation,nodular fibrosis and specific reactive hyperplasia.Each of which was further divided into several subtypes,providing respective histomorphological evidences for recognizing the characteristics of RH.


This book is a collection of the monograph and other papers of Dr. Parsa's that report his considerable experience with the use of central venous hyperalimentation at the Harlem Hospital Center. This is a worthwhile endeavor since Dr. Parsa's experience is one of the largest in this field and he has demonstrated the ability to carry on this practice in a municipal hospital. Dr. Parsa's book emphasizes his particular interests, which include subclavicular vena puncture of the subclavian vein and the use of the silicone venous catheters. These techniques generally require more skill than the infraclavicular subclavian venipuncture using a standard polyethylene catheter. The first chapter provides valuable information on the insertion of the catheter anatomy, but his emphasis would not provide the reader with a balanced discussion of the various techniques. Also, these techniques require the experience of Dr. Parsa and his co-workers. The second chapter, the complications of


The present invention is an orthogonal frequency division signal to interference noise ratio in a multi-system: reduced at a predetermined rate or less than, the number of the channel value sub-carrier according to the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for estimating (CINR Carrier to Interference Noise Ratio) Design orthogonal frequency division signal to interference and noise ratio of the received signal in a multi-system: apparatus for estimating (CINR Carrier to interference noise ratio) is a bandpass filter that blocks the signal domain from the received signal and pass the signal of the noise region, and a second power calculation unit in the first power calculation unit from said band-pass filter receives the signal in the noise region calculated by the interference and noise signal power, it calculates a total received power of the received signal, the first power calculation using the noise regions of the interference and noise signal power calculated by the unit weight to the total period of the interference and noise power Establish, characterized in that it comprises in the total received power unit ratio calculated by using the signal power of a signal domain computation by car, minus the interference and noise power of the entire length of the estimated, calculating the signal to interference and noise ratio (CINR) It shall be. CINR, FIR filter, IFFT transformation.


THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION faces what is likely to be an uphill legal battle following its rejection last week of California's plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and trucks. "There is absolutely no legal justification for the Bush Administration to deny this request," says California Attorney General Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. Brown will take the issue—backed by as many as 17 other states—to federal court as soon as legally possible. After delaying the decision for two years, EPA announced its rejection of California's plan on Dec. 19, just hours after President George W. Bush signed new energy legislation into law. That law requires new vehicles to meet a 35 mpg average fuel economy by 2020. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson says the agency denied California's request because the new statute creates a "national solution" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. Federal courts have repeatedly rejected the argument that fuel ...


Detection of semen anti‐human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies within the cervico‐vaginal secretions from a non‐HIV‐infected woman who has had a recent sexual intercourse with an HIV‐infected man is theoretically possible since the seminal fluid from all HIV‐infected men contains a high titer of IgG antibodies to HIV. We report the case of an HIV‐seronegative African woman whose cervico‐vaginal secretions contained IgG antibodies to HIV, including antibodies to HIV‐env‐encoded glycoproteins. This woman had also detectable prostatic specific antigens and acid phosphatase in her cervico‐vaginal secretions, establishing the persistence of semen. In order to confirm whether anti‐HIV antibodies in seminal fluid could be detected in vitro when mixed with cervico‐vaginal secretions, 10−1 to 10−6 10‐fold dilutions of seminal fluid from HIV‐1‐seropositive donors were realized with a pool of HIV‐negative cervico‐vaginal secretions as diluent. Six commercial enzyme immunoassays or rapid tests were compared for semen anti‐HIV detection in the secretions. At a 10−1 dilution of the mixture, all assays were markedly positive for all tested semens and the greatest dilutions of seminal fluid showing positivity ranged from 10−3 to 10−5. The IgG immunocapture assay appeared to be the most sensitive test. The rapid tests permitted the detection of semen IgG antibodies to HIV at dilutions ranging from 10−1 to 10−3 suggesting their potential value in emergency situations. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We report on an Italian patient with growth excess, course face and normal psychomotor development, who had a diagnosis of Simpson-Golabi-Behmel. The clinical difference between this syndrome and lysosomal diseases and other syndromes with overgrowth is discussed.


Obesity‐induced insulin resistance is a problem of utmost clinical significance. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key player in the regulation of the metabolic homeostasis. Peroxynitrite, a toxic metabolite of NO, is elevated in diabetic patients, but its pathophysiological significance is not known. We hypothesized that peroxynitrite contributes to high fat diet‐induced insulin resistance. To test this hypothesis, we assessed insulin sensitivity in high fat diet‐fed mice treated with FeTPPS, a peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst, or vehicle. The major new finding was that FeTPPS significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as evidenced by decreased fasting plasma glucose (8.6 ± 0.5 vs. 10.9 ± 0.6 mmol/l, p<0.05) and smaller increase of plasma glucose levels after an intraperitoneal glucose challenge (18.4 ± 1.6 vs. 23.4 ± 1.1 mmol/l, p<0.01). Furthermore, intraperitoneal insulin injection induced a more than twofold larger fall in plasma glucose levels in FeTPPS‐treated than in control mice (24 ± 4 % vs. 9 ± 4 % from baseline 15 min after injection, p<0.05). Finally, FeTPPS markedly improved insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake in isolated skeletal muscles (63 ± 7 % vs. 12 ± 6 % increase, p<0.05). These data demonstrate for the first time that peroxynitrite significantly contributes to high fat diet‐induced insulin resistance in mice. It does so, at least in part, by causing insulin resistance in skeletal muscle tissue.


Field observers reported that two 260-ft (80 m) high stacks of a sulfur recovery plant exhibited significant levels of vibration in winds with velocities between 35 and 45 ft/sec (10 and 13m/sec). A static and dynamic Finite Element (FE) analysis of the stack was conducted to determine the natural frequency and stress in the stack. A flowinduced vibration analysis indicated that the vibration would occur at the coincidence of the vortex shedding frequency with the predicted natural frequency (0.5 to 0.7 Hz ) of the stack. Field measurements were conducted to quantify the natural frequency and damping of the stack by exciting the stacks with an attached cable and then measuring the rate and frequency of the free decay. These measurements confirmed the natural frequency predicted by the FE analysis. The measured damping factor of between 0.015 and 0.009 corresponds to a predicted response amplitude near the observed 0.5-ft (0.2 m) vibration amplitude. Analysis of the stresses in the stack and a field inspection showed that this level of vibration is not damaging to the stack or refractory lining.


Using a fixed point theorem in cones, a sufficient condition is obtained, which ensure the two-second three-point boundory value problem has at least one concave positive solution. Where


136 Abstract— A simple robust method for calculating dispersion curves of surface modes in layered media containing an inhomogeneous metamaterial is presented. The metal properties employed in the metamaterial are defined by published experimentally determined optical constants. The numerical procedure is based on solving the Helmholtz's equation. The approach is demonstrated on examples that are of the current technological interest. These include metamaterial/air and metamaterial/semiconductor structures. The main outcomes of this paper, i. e. the surface plasmon characteristics, may provide wide avenues for creating plasmon devices for integrated optoelectronic applications.


Ken Harrison's 1981 profile of Johnny Gimble and his life in Western Swing. Johnny Gimble received an NEA National Heritage Award in 1994.


This study was conducted to analyze the water quality parameters and biological data of the southern Caspian Sea during two phases, Phase 1 (1996-97) and Phase 2 (2005). The invasion of the southern Caspian Sea by the alien species (Mnemiopsis leidyi) occurred between the two phases. This study highlights the advantage of multivariate statistical analyses to better understand a complex water system. On the basis of a canonical discriminant function analysis (CDFA) on water quality parameters and phytoplankton abundance at the euphotic layers, the southern Caspian Sea can be discriminated into four groups that are related to the four seasons of the year. The results also showed that the most significant variables that play the principal role in the classification comprises of temperature, salinity, DO, SD, and nutrient variables. A principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that the variables within each factor (PCs) could vary among seasons. An overall analysis showed that the first factor comprises nitrogen compounds, denoting the importance of nitrogen in this area during the phytoplankton proliferation (in spring and autumn). During Phase 1 and 2 of the study, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) suggested that the most of the dominant phytoplankton taxon can substantially tolerate fluctuation in water quality variables.


According to Nikitin (1986) there are two principal approaches to the evaluation and interpretation of geophysical data: the deterministic and the statistical. The deterministic approach is based on the principle of causal nexus between the values of the measured physical field and disturbing bodies (inhomogeneities in the crust, atmospheric and cosmic effects, etc.). The anaytical methods associated with this approach are based on potential theory (magnetometry, gravimetry, D.C. geoelectric methods), on Maxwell equations (EM methods), and on the theory of elasticity (seismic methods). In favourable cases they not only help us find the disturbing bodies, but also help us evaluate their parameters. The statistical approach to geophysical data has been widely developed in recent years. It is assumed that geophysical measurements at individual points may be considered mutually independant, and that noise due to measurement errors, small inhomogeneities, field variations, etc creates field data which are random in character using statistical methods, it may be possible to separate the useful information from the noise even if the intensities of variations due to 'real' effects and to noise are comparable.


We study oblique diffraction of arbitrarily polarized plane waves by a uniform homogeneous bianisotropic cylinder with arbitrarily shaped smooth boundary. Following a boundary integral equations formulation we develop a 4 × 4 system of combined field integral equations and another 4 × 4 system of Müller-type Fredholm integral equations. Both these systems, having the tangential to the surface of the cylinder components of the electric and magnetic fields as the unknowns, are of the second kind and uniquely solvable. Efficient discretization via simple and rapidly converging Nyström algorithms enables one to obtain highly accurate results even for electrically large objects. The proposed solution technique: a) fully accounts for the singular nature of the kernels; b) yields simple closed form expressions for all matrix elements; and c) appears to converge exponentially versus matrix size. The analogous diffraction problem for an arbitrarily shaped smooth chiral cylinder may be treated as a simple special case of the present analysis.


Flavanoids are shown to react with mercaptoacetic acid at both benzylic positions, C-2 and C-4. Flavan-4-ols bearing no substituents in the B-ring undergo substitution (SN1) to yield (flavan-4α-ylthio)acetic acids. 4′-Methoxyflavan on the other hand is attacked at the 2-position with cleavage of the heterocyclic ring. 4′-Methoxyflavan-4β-ol, which can be readily attacked at both positions, can be caused by an increase of the pH of the reaction mixture to react exclusively at the 4-position. Desulphurisation of the resulting substituted methyl mercapto-acetates occurs readily with Raney nickel and affords new routes for removal of a 4-hydroxy-group from a flavanoid or for reductive ring opening.(+)-Methyl 2,3-cis-3,4-trans-(3-hydroxy-3′,4′,5,7-tetramethoxyflavan-4-ylthio)acetate, a degradation product from Calluna tannin, has been synthesised from (–)-epicatechin via(–)-2,3-cis-3,4-trans-3′,4′,5,7-tetramethoxy-flavan-3,4-diol.


We demonstrate that the electron injection barrier (Δe) between Co and C60 can be tuned by inserting a thin Alq3 interlayer. Using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy, Δe of C60 on Alq3-predecorated Co (Δe=0.3 eV) was found to be reduced by 0.3 eV compared with that of C60 deposited directly on the bare Co metal surface (Δe=0.6 eV). Due to Fermi level pining at the Alq3/Co interface, this tuning effect is independent of the thickness of Alq3 interlayer from multilayer to monolayer. Based on the experimental results, band level alignment diagrams are proposed for C60/Co and C60/Alq3/Co interfaces with two different Alq3 thicknesses. Our findings could have potential applications for the reduction in the carrier injection barrier in organic spin valves.


Gregory's work, seven pounds in the Migne, would be nearer a hundred at the time of Bede! Ruth Mellinlcoff has interesting remarks on the rabbinic tradition in relation to Cain's monstrous progeny in Beowulf, and J. E. Cross reminds us again of the strong literary elements in the early period when he shows sensitively that CynewulPs distinctive information is derived from full accounts of the apostles. Deeper insight into literary elements is also provided by Janet Bateley who argues that among the sources of the early entries in die Chronicle are likely to be Isidore Rufinus-Eusebius {not Jerome-Eusebius) and Jerome De Viris— and not the Orosius in Latin or in Anglo-Saxon. It is pleasing to note a general increase of interest in the Latin literature of Anglo-Saxon England, and R. W. Hunt and Michael Lapidge give an acute and convincing analysis of the English role in transmitting the poetic compositions of Venantius Fortunatus. Among other contributors David Dumville gives a thorough, scholarly account of the term aetheling (royal prince but not designated heir), Molly Miller sharpens knowledge of Deiran chronology, and Caroline Brady (on weapons in Beowulf) and Gale Owen (on Wynflaed's Wardrobe) provide cool, accurate insight to the true meaning of terms relating to dress, military and ecclesiastical, and weaponry. The last long essay in the volume, by Catherine Hill, analyses with an enviable clarity up-to-date views of the archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England in the pagan period: some of the older notions concerning the break with Roman Britain, the number of migrants, the nature of the river-valley settlements merging into permanent habitation sites, seem poised ready to come back into fashion again. The splendid bibliographical guide (for 1978), for which the editor and his advisers again deserve full credit, reminds us of the intensity of effort from a diversity of disciplines that is slowly helping to make the Anglo-Saxon world intelligible to us.


The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically producing optical fiber cable net which can automatically produce hexagonal optical fiber cable net with flexible electric wire. The present invention comprises: a first electric wire supplying part installed at one side of a frame and supplying first electric wires at front and back intervals by unwinding the first electric wires from a plurality of bobbins; two electric wire twisting parts arranged at one side and the other side of an upper part of the frame respectively, having a first and a second slider moving backwards or forwards on a lower and an upper part, having multiple pairs of a first and a second semi-circular pinion laid over a lower and an upper part between the first and the second slider, forming a first electric wire passage hole at each of the second semi-circular pinions, and forming a second electric wire passage hole at each of the first semi-circular pinions positioned at the other side; a plurality of second electric wire supplying parts traversely arranged at front and back intervals between the two electric wire twisting parts, connected to the first two semi-circular pinions of both sides each of which faces the opposite, and supplying the second electric wire to the second electric wire passage hole by unwinding the second electric wire by no-load rotation; a slider moving unit for moving the first and the second slider backward and forward and repetitively changing the positions of the first and the second wire; a pinion rotating unit for repetitively rotating the first and the second semi-circular pinions to twist the first and the second electric wire; a net drawing & discharging part arranged at the other side of the frame for pushing the upper and the lower part of the optical fiber cable net with hexagonal mesh openings; and a controller for controlling the apparatus.


The National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation has established in its Action Plan the resource allocation to programs as of four fields. It is emphasized Science, Technology and Innovation for Social Development field, in which Social Technology (ST) is integrated and it has been the research subject. Considering public university as a ST&I production space, with fundamental role in dissemination of these technologies – which promote inclusiveness, social transformation and better life quality, the objective of this study has been to analyze the role of Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) for ST developing. A qualitative case study of an interpretative character has been conducted, adopting documentary research, narrative interview and observation techniques. With regard to document search it has been selected nine ST from UFPE, being three organizational units, three research projects and three extension projects. Subsequently, professors from institution, who represent the selected proposals, have been interviewed to explain the actions and present their vision on role of UFPE in TSs developing. Experiments have been contextualized and analyzed as of dimensions and indicators from "TS analysis methodology" developed by the Institute of Social Technology (IST). The study has showed which these technologies result from integration of technical and scientific knowledge with popular knowledge and emphasizes the importance of inseparability among Education-Research-Extension, in particular regarding the University participation with organized civil society, in partnership with State they may establish public policies, having the ST a strong component for social development.


The explanations for the red scare of the Cold War years have often been concerned with the direction taken by anti-Communist pressures. These have sometimes been represented as welling up from below, perhaps in the form of grassroots anxieties and resentments directed at well-to-do liberals and intellectuals, or as Catholic and immigrant enmity towards the Soviet Union. Such populistic currents may be portrayed as disturbing the normal routines of American politics. More often in recent years anti-Communist sentiments have been presented as elite-inspired influences working their way down in the polity, such as the anti-Soviet rhetoric and policies of the Truman administration, or the partisan opportunism of Republican politicians. The American political process itself may then be held to account. There have been a few attempts to test these interpretations by studies at state level, although it is not self-evident that such studies will favour either of these explanations. Indeed, the more detailed the study the more it is likely to acknowledge the complexity of American anti-communism. The evidence of California suggests that the second great red scare arose out of the convergence of pressures both from above and from below, in a process involving at least three different political dimensions.


The author reveals the reasons for formation of Krasnoyarsk as an academic centre of archeology in 1918-1919, examines the of this centre in the 1920s and the first halt of 1930s and the circumstances involved in the cessation of the centre's activities. The paper characterizes main research expeditions and contains the description of the dominant concepts common among archeologists of Krasnoyarsk engaged in studying the problems of Metal Age. New archive documents are made known for all the specialists concerned.


Affi liations: From the Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, and Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University. Financial/nonfi nancial disclosures: The author has reported to CHEST that no potential confl icts of interest exist with any companies/organizations whose products or services may be discussed in this article . Correspondence to: Hsiu-Nien Shen, MD, Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, No. 901 Chung-Hwa Rd, Yong-Kang District, Tainan, Taiwan; e-mail: email@example.com © 2014 American College of Chest Physicians. Reproduction of this article is prohibited without written permission from the American College of Chest Physicians. See online for more details. DOI: 10.1378/chest.13-2644


Scholars have briefly examined the substantial impact of shyness on sexual attitudes and behaviors in emerging adulthood. However, shyness is only one form of social withdrawal that has been identified. Building on previous research, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between three distinct forms of social withdrawal—shyness, avoidance, and unsociability—and the sexual attitudes and behaviors of emerging adults. Participants included 792 undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the United States gathered as a part of Project READY. Results revealed that each form of social withdrawal was uniquely associated with sexual attitudes and behaviors, with shyness leading the subtypes in its reach of influence across outcomes and gender.


Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare chronic disease that significantly affects patients' ability to perform daily activities, decreasing physical and mental well-being and social functioning. Symptoms of the disease increase as it progresses, leading to disability and death. In addition, the quality of life of patients deteriorates as the disease progresses and may reflect the effectiveness of the therapy used. Most questionnaires used in PAH clinical trials are generic quality-of-life (QoL) measures that may do not adequately reflect the clinical status and symptoms, changes in health status, or prognosis of patients with PAH. The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Polish version of the PAH-SYMPACT questionnaire to reflect the severity of symptoms and their effects on patients' daily functioning. Material and methods: The study included 55 patients with PAH treated, as part of a pulmonary hypertension treatment program in Poland. Validation of this questionnaire met the guidelines for translation and validation of questionnaires, which are set out in the document on the process of translation and adaptation of World Health Organization tools. Reliability was tested using a measure of internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability. Correctness was confirmed using known group validity.Results: Moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's) was found for all questionnaire domains (cardiopulmonary symptoms α=0.706; cardiovascular symptoms α=0.806, physical effects α=0.904, psychological effects α=0.817) and test-retest reliability was satisfactory. The PAH-SYMPACT questionnaire (PL) met all validation criteria and can be used to assess quality of life in patients with PAH.Conclusion: Psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the PAH-SYMPACT (PL) indicates that it is a reliable and valid measure tool to detect quality of life patients with PAH.


According to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (www.vmd.gov.uk) and based on European Community law, a veterinary medicine is defined as: (a) any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in animals; or (b) any substance or combination of substances which may be used in or administered to animals with a view either to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action or to making a medical diagnosis. The most frequently used routes of administration of drugs are: oral, by injection, intraosseous, intranasal, rectal, transdermal, topical, inhalation. This chapter also details the proper handling of veterinary medicines.


An organ performance supporting device which has means for detecting ON signals of actuating switches of combination units to provide control code signals, means for setting signals indicating the individual operative states of the switches by the switch-ON detecting signals, a read-only memory for storing coded control signals necessary for the presetting and selection of registrations, the coded control signals being selectively read out in reply to the detected control code signals, a combination registration memory composed of a writable memory and a read-only memory, the combination registration memory storing registrations required by the combination unit and selectively read out in reply to the detected control code signals, a register supplied with a signal from a stop switch and reading out the writable and read-only memories in a predetermined operative state to store the state of the combination unit and the ON-OFF state of the stop switch, a register for storing the registration output from each combination unit for synchronization with an external system, and means for indicating the state of each combination unit and the ON-OFF state of the stop switch.


Studies of insect olfactory processing indicate that odors are represented by rich spatio-temporal patterns of neural activity. These patterns are very difficult to predict a priori, yet they are stimulus specific and reliable upon repeated stimulation with the same input. We formulate here a theoretical framework in which we can interpret these experimental results. We propose a paradigm of ``dynamic competition'' in which inputs (odors) are represented by internally competing neural assemblies. Each pattern is the result of dynamical motion within the network and does not involve a ``winner'' among competing possibilities. The model produces spatio-temporal patterns with strong resemblance to those observed experimentally and possesses many of the general features one desires for pattern classifiers: large information capacity, reliability, specific responses to specific inputs, and reduced sensitivity to initial conditions or influence of noise. This form of neural processing may thus describe the organizational principles of neural information processing in sensory systems and go well beyond the observations on insect olfactory processing which motivated its development.


The main objective of NDT in many applications consists in the assessment of current or residual strength properties and safe operation term of an object under inspection. NDT results have evidently statistical features: depends on the Probability of defect detection (POD) and probability of false detection. Calculated on the such NDT results residual strength assessment has statistical features also, their statistical range should be estimated. At the same time statistical character of applied mechanical models should be considered also. This problem is being discussed on the example of steel wire ropes, with residual rope strength as main mechanical property. It is especially actual for ropes subjected to high dynamic loading and intensive wear such as calf line of drilling rigs.


This chapter examines how radio communications and broadcasting became essential to the prosecution of the new war. It argues that the conflict became a chilling "wizard war," waged with ever more sophisticated scientific instruments of destruction. The chapter investigates the shift from searchlight flashes and semaphore flags to the use of radio and electronics. The Germans began navigating their planes through fog and cloud by fixing them on radio signals transmitted from stations on the continent. The British responded by deflecting the signals with transmissions of their own and sending the planes off course. Radio brought this war into American homes with a vividness and speed never known before. The chapter reveals how radio went across the oceans, too, delivering reports from home to U.S. troops around the world. It then introduces the "alert receiver," a device that would turn on a radio automatically and ring a bell to summon listeners to hear announcement of an attack.


This paper introduces twelve health human resource allocation methods such as trend extrapolation as well as health need and demand method.The objective of the efforts is to provide references for allocating health human resource on the basis of more reasonable and scientific.


Sealed RFPs are invited by the Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, Assam from the intended bidders to participate in a Two Bid ( Part-I: Technical Bid & Part-II : Price Bid) System for setting up and operationalising a Super-speciality Hospital in PPP mode in Kamrup District of the State. The complete set of RFP/bid documents may be obtained from the office of the Mission Director, NRHM, Assam during office hours from 03.03.12 up to 23.03.12 and also may be downloaded from the official website – www.nrhmassam.in from 03.03.12 up to 23.03.12. Last date of submission of RFP is 24.03.12 up to 2.00 PM.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is the result of an abnormal communication between the subarachnoid space and the sinonasal cavity, through a skull base defect. The vast majority of traumatic leaks will heal with conservative measures with surgical intervention reserved for patients who fail to respond to conservative management due to risk of meningitis. A careful diagnostic work up includes testing nasal fluid for Beta trace protein and identifying the site of leak with high resolution CT and or MRI imaging. Intracthecal injection of fluorescein can be extremely helpful in the diagnosis and also used intraoperatively to aid repair. The results of transnasal endoscopic repair have high success rates and are usually the first line treatment strategy. J ENT Masterclass 2019; 12 (1): 62 66.


Significance Wearing face masks and maintaining social distance are familiar to many people around the world during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Evidence suggests that these are effective ways to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it is not clear how exactly the risk of infection is affected by wearing a mask during close personal encounters or by social distancing without a mask. Our results show that face masks significantly reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to social distancing. We find a very low risk of infection when everyone wears a face mask, even if it doesn't fit perfectly on the face. There is ample evidence that masking and social distancing are effective in reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, due to the complexity of airborne disease transmission, it is difficult to quantify their effectiveness, especially in the case of one-to-one exposure. Here, we introduce the concept of an upper bound for one-to-one exposure to infectious human respiratory particles and apply it to SARS-CoV-2. To calculate exposure and infection risk, we use a comprehensive database on respiratory particle size distribution; exhalation flow physics; leakage from face masks of various types and fits measured on human subjects; consideration of ambient particle shrinkage due to evaporation; and rehydration, inhalability, and deposition in the susceptible airways. We find, for a typical SARS-CoV-2 viral load and infectious dose, that social distancing alone, even at 3.0 m between two speaking individuals, leads to an upper bound of 90% for risk of infection after a few minutes. If only the susceptible wears a face mask with infectious speaking at a distance of 1.5 m, the upper bound drops very significantly; that is, with a surgical mask, the upper bound reaches 90% after 30 min, and, with an FFP2 mask, it remains at about 20% even after 1 h. When both wear a surgical mask, while the infectious is speaking, the very conservative upper bound remains below 30% after 1 h, but, when both wear a well-fitting FFP2 mask, it is 0.4%. We conclude that wearing appropriate masks in the community provides excellent protection for others and oneself, and makes social distancing less important.


This dissertation has for prime theme the exploration of nonlinear econometric models featuring a hidden Markov chain. Occasional and discrete shifts in regimes generate convenient nonlinear dynamics to econometric models, allowing for structural changes similar to the exogenous economic events occurring in reality. Thefirst paper sets up aMonteCarlo experiment to explore the finite-sample properties of the estimates of vector autoregressive models subject to switches in regime governed by a hidden Markov chain. The main main finding of this article is that the accuracy with which regimes are determined by the expectation maximixation algorithm shows improvement when the dimension of the simulated series increases. However this gain comes at the cost of higher sample size requirements for models with more variables. The second paper advocates the use of Bayesian impulse responses for a Markovswitching vector autoregressive model. These responses are sensitive to the Markovswitching properties of the model and, based on densities, allow statistical inference to be conducted. Upon the premise of structural changes occurring on oil markets, the empirical results of Kilan (2009) are reinvestigated. The effects of the structural shocks are characterized over four estimated regimes. Over time, the regime dynamics are evolving into more competitive oil markets, with the collapse of the OPEC. Finally, the third paper proposes a method of testing restrictions for Granger noncausality in mean, variance and distribution in the framework of Markov-switching VAR models. Due to the nonlinearity of the restrictions derived by Warne (2000), classical tests have limited use. The computational tools for posterior inference consist of a novel Block Metropolis-Hastings sampling algorithm for estimation of the restricted models, and of standard methods of computing the Posterior Odds Ratio. The analysis may be applied to financial and macroeconomic time series with changes of parameter values over time and heteroskedasticity.


Using iron(III) chloride hexahydrate as a catalyst, chalcones were efficiently prepared from acetophenone and benzaldehyde in ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) for the first time. Compared with the known methods, this novel access to chalcones has the advantage of being a green process together with good yields and mild reaction conditions.


We have investigated the magnetic properties of vanadium oxide nanotubes (VOx-NTs) of various V4+ concentrations. Ferromagnetic response was observed at ∼100 K only in the V4+-rich water-intercalated VOx-NTs, whose saturation moment is close to that of Li-doped VOx-NTs, a recently-reported room-temperature ferromagnet. The ferromagnetism may have to do with charge localization as well as the spin concentration giving rise to removal of spin frustration according to our previous study.


This research work was carried out in farmers' fields that sow oca in the hamlet of Cachulla Baja - Santiago de Chuco, with the objective of describing the agronomic management of Oxalis tuberosa Mol. The variables evaluated were: Cultivated area, land preparation, seed, planting, fertilization, irrigation, major pests and diseases, phytosanitary control and, yield; These data were obtained by applying surveys to producers. It is concluded that the farmers of the Caserio de Cachulla Baja, use a low technological level for the production of Oxalis tuberosa, which is characterized by the low consumption of agricultural inputs that lead to determine poor yields despite the good adaptation of the cultivated varieties to the environmental conditions of the area. The work of preparing the land as fallow, champered and furrowed or sowing is done manually and with animal traction. For planting, densities of 5 to 10 kg per plot are managed and yields between 5223 to 5080 kg.ha-1, and no farmer records production costs.


Screening for prostate cancer is highly controversial. There is far-reaching consensus that available screening techniques should not be applied to the general population unless ongoing randomized studies show a reduction in prostate cancer mortality [1]. On the other hand, screening for prostate cancer has become widespread in many parts of the world including the USA [2, 3], Japan and many countries in western Europe. Screening cannot be denied if requested by well-informed men who have decided that they wish to undergo testing. In both situations, screening upon request (opportunistic screening), and within the large ongoing randomized screening studies, optimization of screening regimens is desirable to avoid unnecessary anxiety and physical damage through unnecessary biopsies. PSA driven screening allows the detection of prostate cancer at earlier stages, with prognostic factors that give the possibility of cure to a large proportion of cases and by advancing the time of diagnosis for probably 6–10 years [4–6]. On the other hand, there is an inherent risk of overdiagnosis by finding and treating cancers which due to their own natural history or due to the natural history of the host may not pose a direct threat to the patient's life [8, 9]. Changes of Screening Procedures – Suggestions


The case of Cyprus embodies an island destination with an embryonic event industry, which raises the question whether the emergence of new events can contribute to the sustainable tourism development of the island. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of participants about the characteristics and attributes of two nascent smallscale sport events, the Limassol Marathon and the Tour o Cyprus Cycling Challenge, with a focus on their prospects for creating outcomes that can contribute to the rejuvenation of Cyprus as a tourism destination and its sustainability.


This project presents a study to assess the contamination effects of composite adhesive bonds on composite bonds between metal and epoxy film adhesive. A repeatable and controllable disbond procedure was developed by inducing a controlled distribution of polytetrafluroethylene spray to replicate a contaminate onto the surfaces of aluminium alloy 2024-T3 substrates using different contamination areas, then bonded together using FM300 epoxy film adhesive. The Boeing Wedge Test was utilised to qualitatively assess the durability of the composite adhesive bonds and the surface preparation, while the single lap shear test was utilised to gather quantitative data. Additionally, this project aimed to experimentally establish the critical value for failure transition from cohesive fracture to adhesive failure, which was identified to lie between 33% and 46% contamination open areas.


The prevalence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) infection in dairy goat herds from Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, was estimated, and the predisposing factors to the infection were identified. An epidemiologic survey was held to collect information on educational level of the owner and origin of the animals, and on sanitation and vaccination practices, diseases, morbidity and mortality rates in the herds. The prevalence of CAE virus infection was 11%, and CAE was always observed in some goats in all studied municipalities.


ABSTRACT
Yuni M. Lestari Sianipar
Effective Behavior of Nurses as Clinical Educators While Giving Clinical Guidance in Tugurejo General Hospital Semarang

xv + 76 pages+ 3 tables + 2 pictures + 14 attachments

The nurse was a professional who has the ability, responsibility, and authority to
provide nursing care. While in the hospital, a nurse serves as a functional nurse who provides nursing care to the patient, but some of them also act as clinical educators who provide guidance to students who are in clinical practice. Work as functional nurses and clinic educators lead to excessive workloads that make
clinic educators unfocused. The un-focus experienced by the clinic educator gives a bad effect for the students such as students experiencing anxiety and stress. This
study aims to determine the behaviors of clinical educators who are effective in providing guidance based on the perspective of clinical educators themselves in
RSUD Tugurejo Semarang. The research design used was qualitative with phenomenology approach through in depth interview. Determination of the sample used purposive sampling with the number of participants as much as 5
clinic educators. The result of the research shows that the general appearance of effective behavior is considered important because it gives effect to the students, the clinic educator as an exemplary figure, the clinical educator behavior will be embedded in student's memory, become the reflection of the future student and
describe the nature and attitude of the professional nurse.

Keyword: clinical educator, effective behaviour, clinical learning
Reference : 49 (2003-2017)


The use of digital and remote teaching has expanded in higher education and reached a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing the social component of the learning process may increase students' isolation, loneliness, and dropout rates. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of student peer mentors who participated in a mentoring program that was implemented to increase student well-being and prevent dropping out among first-year Bachelor of Nursing students at a university in Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven semi-structured interviews were carried out with student peer mentors. Using a thematic analysis, four themes were identified: being someone who can ease the transition, defining roles and boundaries, developing communication strategies, and developing their own professional competence. Knowing how difficult the transition to higher education was and being a student during the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging for the mentors to set boundaries. It was also challenging to develop effective ways to communicate with the first-year students. Being a mentor was considered beneficial for developing professional skills such as empathy and communication and to gain self-confidence. There is a need for more knowledge about how to support mentors in clarifying the peer mentoring role, setting boundaries, and coping with the emotional labor involved in peer mentoring.


Hemineglect is a neuropsychological syndrome observed in adults as a consequence of right hemisphere damage, affected patients tend to neglect objects located on the left side of the visual field. The present work reviews available data that have documented hemineglect in children. This syndrome occurs in children as a consequence of brain damage or as a maturational delay during development. Hemineglect produces specific type of learning disorders, which interfere with the acquisition of reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia) or numeric calculus (dyscalculia). It is important to develop better detection, diagnosis, and treatment strategies of this syndrome in children.