We study the relationship between entanglement and spectral gap for local Hamiltonians in one dimension. The area law for a one-dimensional system states that for the ground state, the entanglement of any interval is upper-bounded by a constant independent of the size of the interval. However, the possible dependence of the upper bound on the spectral gap {Delta} is not known, as the best known general upper bound is asymptotically much larger than the largest possible entropy of any model system previously constructed for small {Delta}. To help resolve this asymptotic behavior, we construct a family of one-dimensional local systems for which some intervals have entanglement entropy which is polynomial in 1/{Delta}, whereas previously studied systems had the entropy of all intervals bounded by a constant times log(1/{Delta}).


No cases of familial massive fibromatosis of the maxillary antrum were found in a careful inspection of the Quarterly Cumulative Index Medicus . Two such cases were met in my practice, and because others had not been recorded it was decided to present these. GENERAL COMMENT Von Recklinghausen's disease, or multiple neurofibromatosis, is not rare. It is familial and sometimes congenital. Schroder 1 stated that heredity is involved in 17 per cent of the cases. The familial incidence has been reviewed by Castellino, 2 who observed the disease in a brother and a sister. Cockayne, 3 in reviewing the inherited abnormalities of the skin, stated that the defect is inherited in a few families as a dominant. Clinically the disease is characterized by the association of multiple tumors of the nervous system, including the sympathetic, motor and sensory nerves, and sometimes abnormalities of the endocrine and vascular systems. It is not infrequently associated with


The primary therapy for biliary atresia is a surgical hepatic portoenterostomy, known as Kasai procedure, which has been shown to reduce mortality. Patients that undergo this procedure often develop complications such as ascending cholangitis and biliary cirrhosis. In case of recurrent cholangitis, surgical revision and percutaneous biliary drainage are the most used techniques, while in rare cases endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been used. Here we report a case of a patient with intrahepatic lithiasis and secondary sclerosing cholangitis after Kasai procedure, successfully treated with percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS)-assisted lithotripsy.


a pyrazole derivative represented by the general formula [I] or a salt thereof: wherein R1 represents a C1 to C6, R2 represents a haloalkyl group C1 to C3, R3 represents a C1 to C3 which may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen atoms, a -SH group, and -SC (> = NH) NH2, R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a haloalkyl group C1 to C3.


When we want to apply the general linear model to a set of data, we have various methods to choose from to estimate the model parameters.  The most popular one is the method of least-squares.  This method, however, has weaknesses.  Alternative regression methods are available which restrain the influence of outlying data points.  The least-squares method of regression performs best if the population of errors is normally distributed.  If there is a reason to believe that the distribution of errors may not be normal, then least-squares estimates and tests may be much less efficient than those provided by robust alternative methods such as the least-absolute-deviations (LAD), or M-estimators.  Moreover, when the sample size is fixed, and no additional data can be obtained to support normal approximation, then the "bootstrap method" (Davison, 1997) may be used.  The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of the bootstrap method in estimating the variances and biases of selected robust estimates of the parameters of a linear model.  Specifically, three robust estimators are considered. Generally, the simulation results reveal that the least-squares method still performs quite well for slight contamination while the robust methods perform better for moderate and high contaminations. Keywords: Linear models, Robust alternatives, Bootstrap, Jackknife, Simulation


In the previous studies, a mu-omega method was presented and generalized with mixed real/complex dynamic pressure perturbation to improve mu's continuity. mu-omega method simply utilizes frequency-domain mu analysis to make a flutter solution, thus its accuracy highly depends on mu's continuity. However, only purely complex uncertainty theoretically guarantees the continuity of mu. In this paper, a generalized mu-omega method is established with purely complex perturbation to dynamic pressure, and a physical interpretation is given. Updated algorithm is formulated and validated by numerical examples. It is demonstrated that a generalized mu-omega method with purely complex perturbation to dynamic pressure is more applicable than the original real or mixed muomega method, and the conservatisms introduced by complex perturbation will reduce to a minimum as the initial guess airspeed approaches to the true flutter speed.


Bahia state harbours an immense diversity of plant species with several cases of endemism, especially in the savanna wetlands, typical ecosystems where most Lentibulariaceae representatives occur. In this context, we aimed to improve the characterization of these savanna wetlands in terms of species richness of Lentibulariaceae, their phytogeographic patterns, endemism, forms of rarity, threats to their habitats, and conservation efforts. Herein we present the synopsis of the 42 species of Lentibulariaceae that occur in Bahia state, providing short diagnostic characterization, photographs of living specimens, updated geographic distribution displayed in maps, new records, and discussion concerning phytogeographic patterns, endemism, rarity, habitat characterization and current scenario of threats and conservation. Our results show a disjunct distribution and similarity in Lentibulariaceae species composition between savanna wetlands, corroborating previous hypotheses of vegetation connections during moister climatic conditions in the past. Moreover, differences in species composition among different restinga areas are consistent with biogeographical and paleomodelling studies pointing the São Francisco River as a geographic barrier influencing speciation and genetic diversity. Finally, we emphasize the situation of abandonment in some Protected Areas, lacking proper infrastructure, managers, management plans and board, and insufficient results for the effective conservation and protection of the environment and species.


ONCE picked up, Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine can be quite tricky to put down. Considering this book features 221 questions, it is wise to invoke proper planning and preparation to get the best out of it – settle somewhere quiet with a notebook, pen and a cup of tea.

After the preface, which provides some insight into the experience of the authors and their passion for the specialty, the book heads fairly quickly into the clinical cases. The first section is noticeably …


This study was designed to clone and analyze the cDNA encoding TGFαfrom SD rats.The PCR method was developed to clone the TGFαcDNA.A full-length cDNA and CDS sequences of SD rat were 970 and 483bp,which had been accepted by GenBank(accession number:KF366251).TGFαprotein encoded by this gene was composed of 160 amino acid residues.The identities of coding sequences of TGFαgene were 98.6%,95.0%,85.5%,85.3%,85.5%,86.3%,86.3%,73.2%,73.2% and 56.8% by homologous comparison among SD rat and other species,and in amino acid sequences were98.8%,96.9%,90.6%,90.6%,91.2%,91.9%,91.9%,72.6%,72.6%and 38.8%,respectively.The results suggested a certain degree of conservation of the TGFαgene among different species,but there were some specificity in function among different species.The results derived from information searching by BLAST program revealed there were 7SNPs sites in the sequences of TGFαgene coding sequences between SD rats and BN rats in GenBank.The results provided new data for SNPs in TGFαgene.


This book contains 15 selections. Some of the titles are: Thermomechanical fatigue of Type 304 stainless steel; Development of an uniaxial constitutive mode for a strain induced softening material; Thermal fatigue analysis of air-cooled gas turbine nozzle; and Design and life prediction of furnace tubes in the creep range.


SummaryGeneralizability of results is an important issue in academic research. We have attempted to identify some of the major issues related to this topic and to propose consequent guidelines for research practices. Any working researcher knows all too well how difficult it can be to gain access to data and get good samples. Fortunately, academic research can make good use of imperfect samples, but it is incumbent on us to be aware of this issue and make our best efforts.


Abstract Droplets of water and water + oil emulsions from a spinning disc were sampled simultaneously at 10, 30 and 200 cm below the disc on magnesium oxide coated slides. The addition of oil affects the initial droplet size and reduces the change in size due to evaporation of the water.


The Tangut manuscript Танг 1621 is recorded evidence of the Tangut shamanistic tradition that existed in the Xixia state, but had originated from the religious beliefs of the Tanguts ancestors. This text was discovered among unidentified Tangut texts in the process of cataloguing work. Prior to this this discovery, we came across some indirect references to Tangut shamanism in various sources such as historical documents (The Tangut Codex), ritual or religious text fragments. Most likely, the text in question is an original Tangut text that had originally existed in verbal tradition and was later recorded. Structurally, it consists of 14-syllable verses, including archaisms, unclear metaphors and symbolism. It is a complete manuscript with a title, a short preface, and a logical ending. The titles translation can be only interpreted tentatively, as it literally means The Origin of [Religious] Ecstasy (Russian kamlaniye). However, I guess that to translate the Tangut word 影 as [religious] ecstasy would not be entirely correct in this case, because we find in this text a description of a shamanistic ritual that includes kamlaniye only as its part. The main goal of the rite described here is to defend the world of living beings from the disasters that astral spirits visit on some tribes or ethnic groups for being neglectful of the rules of sacrificial rites or for damaging sacred items. Therefore, this ritual, when it was performed for the first time, was aimed at procuring Heavens support for people. On can assume that, once performed, this rite had laid the foundation for a ritual tradition that preserved the wealth and stability of the community that observed it, and later it became the most basic, principal ritual of the state. I can also assume that it was this archetypal rite that emperor Yuanhao performed as he proclaimed himself emperor of the Xixia State. I should add that the above-mentioned linguistic traits pose a serious challenge to the textual research into this sourcefirst of all, to its proper translation. That is why this study is only a preliminary one. The main goal of interpreting this text is to determine the place of the Tangut shamanistic tradition within the context of the long-time scholarly definition of such religious beliefs.


The category of Lie algebroids has proved useful in the formulation of problems in applied mathematics, algebraic topology, and differential geometry. In the context of Mechanics, Alan Weinstein proposed a program for the formulation of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems on Lie algebroids. In this course, I will review recent results about such formalism, including a symplectic and a variational description, and several extensions developed in recent years by many authors. Applications to the reduction of such systems will be presented.


A new synthetic approach to hexa hydroisoindol - 4-ones is reported, based on the formal (3+2) cycli zation reaction between N-arylsulfonylimines and cyclic conjugated dienes, under phosphine catalysis. Key substrates are 3-vinylcyclohex-2-enones with electr on- withdrawing substituents (ester, amido, cyano, phos phoryl and keto groups) on the exocyclic double bond, whic h afford the three atom synthons for the construction of the pyrroline ring. Total syn stereoselectivity is observed in these annulations. The scope of the reaction has be en demonstrated and mechanistic issues are considered, based on deuteration experiments and DFT calculations.


The developed drilling monitor and control system is mainly consisted of transducers, acquisition unit, drill floor display unit and computer unit. Drilling equipment monitor and control are implemented through data communication. Technical characteristics mainly include frequency multiplication circuit, average algorithm filter and error calibra-
tion.


Leak localization is of great importance for pressurized vessels for reasons of safety and maintenance. This paper presents an experimental study using an Acoustic Emission sensor array coupled with a hyperbolic positioning algorithm for continuous leak localization. The study aims to detect continuous CO2 leak from an isotropic flat-surface structure on a pressurized vessel in the Carbon Capture and Storage system. The proposed approach consists of four main stages. In the first stage, empirical mode decomposition is deployed to extract the useful signal from the noise. The second step is concerned with the estimation of the time differences of the sensor array in conjunction with correlation signal processing. The third stage estimates the distance difference between the sensing elements from the measured time differences and wave speed. Finally, a hyperbolic positioning algorithm is used to locate the leak source on the flat-surface structure. Results obtained from experiments on a 100 cm × 100 cm stainless plate demonstrate that the mean full-scale error in the leak localization is 4.9%.


The ozonisation and ozonolysis of the following compounds have been investigated: furan, 2-methylfuran, 2,3-, 2,4- and 2,5-dimethylfuran and 2,3,5-trimethylfuran. When dissolved in chloroform, these compounds take up about 1.6 mol of ozone per mol of furan derivative at –60°, and resinification is practically absent under these conditions. On decomposition of the resultant ozonides under a variety of conditions, dicarbonyl compounds are produced and they have been determined both qualitatively and quantitatively. Glyoxal, which may be produced from either the two β-C atoms or one α- and one β-C atom of the furan nucleus, is the sole dicarbonyl compound produced in the ozonolysis of furan. The same holds, mutatis mutandis, for the ozonolysis of 2,4-dimethylfuran, where methylglyoxal is the sole dicarbonyl compound produced. In the ozonolysis of the remaining furan derivatives along with dicarbonyl compounds produced from the two β-C atoms in the furan nucleus, there are produced also those derived from an α- and a β-C atom of the furan nucleus. Thus, for example, in the ozonolysis of 2,3-dimethylfuran, glyoxal and dimethylglyoxal are produced as well as methylglyoxal. Besides dicarbonyl compounds, considerable amounts of formic and acetic acids are also produced in the decomposition of the ozonides and these have been determined approximately.

The experimental results may be explained by assuming that two different reactions occur in the interaction of ozone and the furan derivatives examined. In the first reaction two molecules of ozone are taken up on the two α-β-bonds of the furan nucleus. On decomposition of the diozonide obtained there is produced a dicarbonyl compound containing the two β-C atoms of the furan nucleus. In the second reaction only one molecule of ozone is absorbed. The mono-ozonide on decomposition produces two dicarbonyl compounds, which contain one α- and one β-C atom of the furan nucleus. During the decomposition of the ozonides hydroperoxides derived from the dicarbonyl compounds are produced as by-products. The hydroperoxides partly decompose by peroxide transformation into carboxylic acids.

A reaction mechanism put forward by Bailey and Colomb to explain the occurrence of dicarbonyl compounds containing an α- and a β-C atom from the furan nucleus, must be rejected for the furan derivatives we have studied on the fact that the take up of ozone was found to be 1.6 mol per mol of furan derivative.


The design of mirrors for use in EUV maskless lithography is presented in this paper. We propose a novel nanomirror system with a linear comb actuator, which has favorable stability and performance. A bias voltage and resistor are provided to introduce electrical damping while a modulation voltage turns on/off the nanomirror. The issue of transient optimization to minimize the settling time and overshoot of time response is discussed. Two important control parameters are obtained which lead to specification of an optimal resistor and operating position.


A classical conjecture by Graham Higman states that the number of conjugacy classes of Un(q), the group of upper triangular n × n matrices over Fq, is polynomial in q, for all n. In this paper we present both positive and negative evidence, verifying the conjecture for n ≤ 16, and suggesting that it probably fails for n ≥ 59. The tools are both theoretical and computational. We introduce a new framework for testing Higman's conjecture, which involves recurrence relations for the number of conjugacy classed of pattern groups. These relations are proved by the orbit method for finite nilpotent groups. Other applications are also discussed.


The nodule province is abundant of polymetallic nodules.Microbes are believed to play roles in the metal cycling in many environment,but the microbial community in the pacific nodule province has never been studied.Based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis,together with bacteria cultivation,we aim to study the microbial populations in this station.It is found that amount of microbes is most at E2003-01 station and gradually decreases with depth.Bacterial 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that bacteria belonged to three group Protebacteria,including α?β?γ subgroup,Actinobacteria,Firmicutes.However,the 16S rDNA of 12 strains has similarity between 97% and 95%,which imply that they are new species,4 strains are similarity less than or equal to 95%,which imply they are new genus.


SummaryA double-blind trial was carried out in 30 industrial workers presenting either with Tinea pedis or Tinea cruris. Patients were treated at random with either 1 % clotrimazole or 1% tolnaftate creams, applied twice daily, for up to 4 weeks. Patients were assessed clinically and skin scrapings were taken for mycological examination. The results showed that Tinea cruris responded better to treatment with both agents than did Tinea pedis. Clotrimazole appeared to act faster than tolnaftate since many patients were clinically clear at 2 weeks.


The adjustment of agricultural composition (AAC) is the focus of work in current agriculture and rural economy. Giving full play to the comparative advantage and advancing AAC of typical regions is the development of the strategic adjustment in national agricultural composition. The paper discusses the achievements and problems in AAC, expresses the ideas about four main typical regions and offers policy measures accordingly.


The aim of the thesis is to understand the Fijian land issue and relate it to the ethnical tensions that dominate the society. To theoretically understand the problem, Horowitz's theoretical tools are used together with Fijian scholar work, such as Ratuva's assessment on the Fijian understanding of land. Out in the field, material was gathered to enlighten the situation on a micro perspective through interviewing legally non-acknowledged settlers. The studied settlers? situation is put in relation to the land policy and the ethnical tensions. This task was, due to the political situation in Fiji, completed through the gathering and analyzing of materials taken mainly from official sources on the Internet.

The interviewed settlers? situation is a consequence of the land policy, which in turn is a result of the ethnical tensions, owning much to the historical colonial administration. The conflicting groups? views of today are clearly diverging, since the ethnical groups in Fiji are unranked and under the influence of the centrifugal force. None of the political attempts to solve the land crisis have been clearly beneficial. However, all parties now agree that the land must be utilized more efficiently, which will require the involvement of both ethnical groups.


The majority of available evidence indicates that glucocorticoids do not lower ICP or improve outcome in severely head-injured patients. The routine use of glucocorticoids is not recommended for these purposes.


We publish below extracts selected by us from a lecture delivered at a conference which was organised, under the title "Immigrant or Citizen?";, by the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants at Leicester from September 17 to 19, 1965. It is printed here by kind permission of the author and of the National Committee. Dr. D. Stafford‐Clark, MD, FRCP, DPM, is Consultant Physician in Psychological Medicine, Guy's Hospital; Director of the same hospital's York Clinic; also Consultant Physician to the Bethlehem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals and the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London.


9 November 1999 marked the ten-year anniversary of the German Wende, the peaceful revolution that preceded the unification of East and West Germany. The impact of this change on East German library collections, the book market, and higher education cannot be overestimated. The relative importance of public and university libraries shifted as these institutions integrated themselves into West German librarianship, shaped by democracy, federalism, and capitalism. The resulting changes in collection development, particularly in terms of acquisitions budgets, are still being felt today.


The paper deals with determination of modal parameters by two software applications. Experimental modal analysis was performed by the commercial system Pulse® designed for vibration analysis of mechanical structures. The system was used to obtain excitation signals and corresponding response signals. The measurement data were subsequently processed in Pulse ReflexTM software and Matlab 2017, of which the signal processing toolbox provides the new functionalities specially aimed for modal analysis. The toolbox contains functions to calculate frequency response functions and to estimate modal parameters. The aim of the article is to compare the results achieved by both softwares when the first approach realized using commercial system is considered as reference. The subject of this work is to evaluate the validity of the obtained results and to point out the possibilities that the new Matlab toolbox provides.


The purpose of this paper is to point out and explain the fundamental role that the formation (Bildung) of the individual plays in Hegel´s practical philosophy and, particularly, in one of his most important works: Elements of the Philosophy of Right. To this end, a formative reading of his theory of Ethical Life will be carried out, in order to demonstrate how the formation is articulated in an essential way with fundamental themes and concepts of this theory, such as the family, civil society, freedom, recognition and, especially, with the exercise of citizenship within the State.


The concept of bounded rationality is not well-defined. Several aspects of bounded rationality are discussed. Two different kinds of bounded rationality are distinguished. First, rationality may be bounded in the sense that the player cannot perform all the necessary calculations within the time frame of the game. This applies not only to numerical calculations but also to any kind of information processing, for example, figuring out logical consequences, or self-examination of preferences. Recent studies on the effect of bounded rationality concentrate on this type, studying the effect of limited computational capability on the set of Nash-equilibria of the game. Some objections to the approach taken in these papers in dealing with the question of bounded rationality are presented. In the second type, players may simply not accept that Nash-equilibrium is a necessary consequence of rationality. Such players challenge the Nash-equilibrium simply because it rules out some desirable outcomes. An example is presented followed by a proposed notion of approximate equilibrium (stronger than Radner's) which offers some help in this direction. REMARKS ON BOUNDED RATIONALITY *


Abstract A rapid, specific and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic assay of Nalidixic acid in tablets has been developed. Reversed-Phase chromatography was conducted using a mobile phase of 0.05 M Ammonium acetate Methanol and acetonitrile, (65, 5, 30% v/v) pH 5 and detection at λ 254 nm. The recovery and coefficient of variation from six placebo tablets containing 100 mg of Nalidixic acid were 100.2% and 0.56 respectively. Replicate regression analyses of three standard plots in the concentration range 1–20 mcg/ml obtained on three different days gave a conelatioil coefficient (0.99996) and the coefficient of variation of the slopes 0.089%. The assay was precise within day and between days as indicated by ANOVA test. It is suggested that the proposed HPLC method should be used for routine quality control and dosage fonn assay of Nalidixic acid.


A number of studies have researched the effects of tourism on transportation system, hotel industry, economic efficiency and environment. This paper examines the influence of the information and communication technologies development on the inbound tourism intensity. The correlation and regression analysis has been used to identify the relationship between the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, the Information and Communication Technology Development Index and International tourism arrivals. The results demonstrate that there is a close link between the countries' tourist attractiveness and the level of their information and communication development. However, it is not equal for different countries, which are grouped by the level of intensity of tourism arrivals, the level of the country's attractiveness and its information and communication technologies development. Besides, the country's information and communication technologies development has little effect on the inbound tourism intensity


Purpose – The lack of diversity in environmental institutions has been a concern of environmental justice activists and scholars for several decades now. Although studies have been conducted on the level of diversity in environmental groups, environmental organizations, and student participation in environmental programs, little research has been conducted on faculty diversity in environmental departments. This chapter examines the status of minority faculty in university environmental programs in the United States.

Design/methodology/approach – The chapter examines results from a national survey of 2,407 faculty in several environmental disciplines.

Findings – The results were consistent with national studies of science and engineering (S&E) faculty that find that Hispanics, blacks, and Native Americans are underrepresented among the faculty in these units. The analysis also points to the fact that female faculty are underrepresented and are in a more vulnerable position than male faculty.

Originality/value – The examination of race and gender indicates that scholars should pay more attention to the interaction effects of these variables to identify the different levels of vulnerability that female faculty in these disciplines face.


The investigation results of the relation between different standard mother bamboo plant afforestation and bamboo shooting rate indicate that the Phyllostachys pubescens bamboo shooting rate on the agricultural land is 2.09 times as high as that on the mountain land,the bamboo shooting rate of the A 3B 3C 2 combination bamboo plant standard is the highest,then the A 3B 3C 1 combination and the third the A 1B 1C 2 combination.


More and younger immigrants cannot, on their own, offset the impact of low past fertility on Canadian workforce growth, old-age dependency, and incomes per person. Later retirement, higher fertility, and faster productivity growth are more powerful tools to ease the stress of demographic change on Canadian living standards.


Abstract Four types of cereals (glutinous rice, purple rice, red rice, yellow millet) were selected to produce sweet fermented grains. Flavor profiles of sweet fermented grains are comparatively studied to distinguish various flavor types by using GC-MS, electronic nose (E-nose), and sensory analysis, and the amino acid composition and physicochemical properties of sweet fermented grains were analyzed. The results showed that the volatile compounds of sweet fermented grains were significantly different. Esters and alcohols were the major volatile compounds in sweet fermented grains. The electronic nose, electronic tongue and sensory analysis jointly verified that the volatile components of sweet fermented grains had differences between them. The sweet fermented grains could be classified based on differences in volatile compounds. In the amino acids analysis, Glu, Pro, Asp and Leu were the most abundant. The difference in physicochemical properties is more helpful to distinguish different types of sweet fermented grains. Correlation analysis between antioxidant active substances and color value showed a positive correlation between with a* value, and a negative correlation with L*, b* value. Our results suggested that there were differences in the flavor characteristics of sweet fermented grains fermented from different types of cereals. The results of the study will provide valuable information for the selection of raw materials for sweet fermented grains.


The dynamic scheduling of intelligent RGV is an important factor that affecting the production efficiency of intelligent processing systems, and it plays an important role in manufacturing enterprises to improve production efficiency. This paper analyzes the dynamic scheduling problem of intelligent RGV by establishing a reasonable RGV dynamic scheduling model. First of all, it starts from the case where the machine does not malfunction, and the processing of one process and two processes is expressed by a 0-1 integer plan respectively. Secondly, the shortest time to start processing is the objective function. The single-process RGV static scheduling model and the dual-process RGV static scheduling model based on 0-1 integer plan are established respectively, and the model is solved by particle swarm optimization. On the basis of the RGV static scheduling model, the machine failure condition of the CNC is regarded as the state of continuous operation of the CNC by the case of the machine failure. This paper passes the original model in the case of possible machine failure. The constraint conditions are added, and the single-process RGV dynamic scheduling model and the dual-process RGV dynamic scheduling model are established. Finally, the practicality and effectiveness of the built model and algorithm are verified by numerical experiments, and the simulation experiments of the two models are carried out using eM-Plant software. The models and algorithms established in this paper are effective research and application of dynamic scheduling methods and optimization techniques, which play an important role in manufacturing enterprises to improve production efficiency and reduce costs.


This paper extends the application of laser induced emission techniques employed to measure soot nano-particles to turbulent flames. Such methodologies were developed to measure the evolution of soot in laminar flames with detection of nanoparticles in the range 1-10nm (Mode I), as well as larger soot aggregates, in the range 10-100nm (Mode II). The new laser based system has been specifically designed to account for the short transients of turbulent flows. It employs a 30ps laser pulse at 266nm and 6mJ/pulse. Four fast photomultiplier tubes located at the exit plane of a spectrometer are used to detect elastic scattering at 266nm, UV and visible laser induced fluorescence centred at 300nm and 450nm, and laser induced incandescence at wavelengths larger than 550nm. Preliminary measurements in laminar ethylene flames are examined and compared to previous in-situ and ex-situ measurement to verify the reliability of the experimental apparatus. Validity of the technique in a turbulent flame has been explored. Estimates of the spatial resolution and limits of applicability in terms of minimum particle number and detection limits in highly sooting flames due to excessive laser induced incandescence levels are examined.


Downgoing, velocity‐dispersed (<1 keV to 25 keV) O+ and He+ ions accelerated at the magnetopause have been observed by the FAST satellite in the polar cusp. These ions, together with H+ ions, were observed during 24 magnetic storms. In comparison, only H+ was observed during >300 cusp crossings during low activity periods. During the largest storm, the O+ energy flux was an order of magnitude larger than the H+ energy flux. Velocity dispersed H+, with a signature of decreasing energy with increasing latitude during southward IMF, are normally observed in the low altitude cusp. These ions originate in the magnetosheath and, during dayside reconnection, are accelerated along the magnetopause with some ions funneled into the cusp. Poleward convection of the plasma leads to the latitude‐velocity dispersion signature. Magnetospheric plasma can also be accelerated at the magnetopause, however the magnetosheath plasma density is much larger and magnetospheric composition is normally dominated by H+, so that distinguishing magnetospheric and magnetosheath plasma becomes difficult. During magnetic storms, auroral ionospheric outflow of O+ and He+ can be large enough to produce a significant, non‐hydrogen component in the plasma sheet. These ions are convected through the inner magnetosphere and ring current, eventually appearing at the dayside magnetopause where they are accelerated and form this atypical cusp signature.


Abstract First Peter 1.3–2.10 weaves a new familial and ethnic identity for believers through a complex series of interlocking metaphors. How does this identity influence the ethical exhortation beginning in 2.11? The current article argues that an answer is found in the Greco-Roman structures of exemplarity. First, the article identifies four explicit markers of exemplarity discourse in 1 Peter: ὑπογραμμός (2.21), the footsteps idiom (2.21), the term ἀντίτυπος (3.21) and the term τύποι (5.3). Next, it surveys how exemplarity functioned in the Greco-Roman world. Greek and Roman literature demonstrate a clear preference for domestic exempla. Similarly, as a new family and ethnic group, Christian believers require new exempla suited to their new Christian identity. In this light, 1 Peter's ethical instruction can be more deeply appreciated. Finally, this article investigates how exemplarity dynamics illuminate Jesus as exemplar par excellence in 1 Peter. First Peter depicts Jesus' passion with language of the Isaianic suffering servant (2.22–5). Jesus' exemplarity is given to slaves, who are implicitly held up as models for all believers. Exemplarity thus draws its strength from the past (the suffering servant, Jesus) as it challenges those in the present and future (slaves, all believers) to become like these models.


Research on the nature of esca started in 1898 in France and continued there until 1926. Two lignicolous
basidiomycetes (Stereum hirsutum and Fomes igniarius) were believed to be the causal organisms of an internal
wood decay. Studies conducted by Petri in Sicily in 1912 revealed that fungi of the genera Cephalosporium and
Acremonium were causing alterations around and far away from wounds. In 1959 in California, the pathogenicity of
Cephalosporium species and the wood-rotting ability of Fomes igniarius were proved. In the 90's numerous studies
were conducted in France, Italy, South Africa and California, and important advances were made in understanding
the etiology and epidemiology of the disease.


Numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the external flow around airships with different tail layout, with the help of FLUENT 14.5, based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation and SST turbulent model. The aerodynamic information of the airships with different tail layout, such as pressure coefficient, torque coefficient and pressure distribution, were analyzed, and the numerical results showed the details of the airship surface flow and changes with different attack angle. According to the results, different tail layout had important influences on the aerodynamics and stability of airship. This will help to understand the aerodynamic characters around the tails of the stratospheric airship, and provide a reference in choosing tail layouts and the stability design of airships.


Object detection in images or videos obtained in underwater environments is a very challenging task. When we talk about underwater object detection, various difficulties arise especially in domains that study the recovery of endangered fish species or the reduction of the impact on endangered species. However, state of the art object detection techniques cannot be applied in underwater environments where the images may not be in good resolution or may be dark, greatly affecting the object detection accuracy. The paper proposes a deep learning methodology, using two convolution neural network models (CNNs), to detect objects (i.e., fish) from underwater images. The first model is a Simple CNN for image classification and the second was a pre-trained ResNet50V2 model with ImageNet weights that uses transfer learning. Our proposed approach has been implemented and tested in an integrated underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) system. We have evaluated our methodology with two datasets with fish (positive dataset) and without fish (negative dataset). The experiments showed that the Simple model had 0.8988 accuracy, and thus can detect a large percentage of fish in the captured frames, while the ResNet50V2 model had 0.9929 accuracy and was much more precise in successfully detecting fish even in dark frames with poor resolution and with multiple objects in the background.


Robin Snell's paper examines the pressures on a central training function in a large organisation to conform to things that by means of its work it wishes to change. It provides a case study of how the occasion of a needs analysis for a new programme was used to develop the difficult interface between the line and development functions. A subjective assessment is given concerning how the quiet struggle is progressing. Above all, the message is that the shape of development interventions is as much a product of political forces as it is about how best to help people learn.


The presence of information and abilities that enable informed and efficient money management is known as financial literacy. The country's financial improvements and economic expansion are being aided by financial literacy. In light of these changes, it's critical to evaluate if the younger generation, particularly students who are viewed as the future investors, movers, and transformers of the economy, has the requisite understanding of financial principles. This study examines the impact of financial literacy on investing decisions among undergraduate in the Butwal area. A total of 500 students from different universities of Butwal areas are participated in this study. The current study used a few characteristics to evaluate students' financial literacy, such as their knowledge of financial products, their ability to access financial goods, their knowledge of money management, their understanding of financial investment options, and their financial abilities. The goal of the study was to determine how a student's level of financial literacy affects his or her financial beliefs, choices, and behaviors. The results showed that undergraduates investing decisions were favorably and significantly impacted by knowledge with financial product. Financial abilities were the most important component when it came to the many aspects of financial literacy. The researcher concludes by offering some recommendations for financial institutions and decision-makers in order to raise financial literacy levels and improve investment performance.


'Sharper variance upper bound for unbiased estimation in inverse sampling' By GOVIND PRASAD AND ASHOK SAHAI Biometrika (1982), 69, 286 We are grateful to Professor R. M. Korwar and to Dr D. J. Best for pointing out errors in our paper. In Table 1 the entries in brackets are those of the new upper bound; these are flanked by Sathe's bounds. Also (1) is in fact a good approximation to the true value and not an upper bound. For further discussion, see a paper with Professor Korwar to appear in Communications in Statistics A.


In this paper, a simulation method of the stiffness-damping characteristics of waves is proposed through the study of the admittance control. Firstly, a traditional six-degree-of-freedom Stewart structure is used to build a wave characteristics simulator, and numerical simulation software is used to build the wave characteristics simulator dynamics model and control framework. Secondly, the admittance control algorithm is introduced into the six-degree-of-freedom positional control to realize the passive motion simulation of the sea target after being collided. The paper focuses on the analysis and simulation verification of the stiffness-damping characteristics of the target in the vertical sea level direction and horizontal sea level direction. Finally, the study proves that the wave characteristics simulator with the admittance control algorithm can simulate the motion of the target on the waves more realistically.


A battery device and an electronic apparatus are provided to install the battery device to the electronic apparatus having different communication conditions by changing the communication conditions on the basis of the magnitude of voltage determined by a discriminating terminal. A battery device(30) is composed of a battery cell(36); a case(32) containing the battery cell; anode and cathode terminals(3402,3404) of a battery installed at the case and electrically connected to the battery cell; a communication terminal(3406) of the battery installed at the case; a communication unit(62) of the battery contained in the case to communicate with an electronic apparatus through the communication terminal of the battery, wherein communication conditions of the communication unit of the battery are changeable; a discriminating terminal(3408) of the battery installed at the case; and a control unit(40) of the battery fitted in the case to discriminate the magnitude of voltage of the discriminating terminal of the battery and change the communication conditions on the basis of the discrimination result.


Vehicle re-identification is one of the complex smart traffic issues, due to the large intra-class variation and high interclass similarity, it is hard to be solved through traditional hand-crafted features. In this paper, we proposed a vehicle re-identification system based on deep learning techniques, which is able to re-identify the vehicles through deep features under acceptable operation time on Nvidia Jetson TX2. We have collected multiple sequences captured from real-world road side units (RSU) for system evaluation experiments, and the results indicate that it is highly possible to be adopted for real world traffic applications.


We present a 58-year-old Caucasian man who spawns sebaceous neoplasms with a widely varying histopathologic pattern, the true nature of which were difficult to determine in some of the cases. In a 10-year period, the patient developed over 20 lesions that varied in size, shape, and location. The patient denied a family history of either similar cutaneous lesions or internal malignancies that would fulfill the criteria of Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC). Vigilant screening failed to reveal visceral carcinomas. The histopathologic findings of the neoplasms as well as the results of tests for microsatellite instability(MSI) in various tumors and the immunohistochemical staining for the mismatch repair genes (MMR) MSH2 and MLH1 will be discussed. Our patient has been maintained on low-dose isotretinoin since 1995.


The development of protection for high speed electrified railway is briefly outlined.The necessity of designing automation system for electrified railway and its system structure mode are analyzed.Some problems existing in communication management and display function of automation system are introduced and their solutions are proposed.


The ability of three herbaceous plants (Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC., Eruca vesicaria L. and Raphanus raphanistrum L.) from Iberian wood pastures to reduce Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands pathogen populations through allelopathic relationships is studied. The inhibitory capacity of their aqueous root extracts (AREs) on mycelial growth and production of P. cinnamomi reproductive structures is analysed in vitro. In addition, Quercus seedlings were grown in infested by P. cinnamomi-soils and with the presence or absence of allelopathic and susceptible herb species to the pathogen to assess the defensive chemical response of Quercus seedlings through their leaf phenolic compounds. Results show a strong inhibitory capacity of AREs on P. cinnamomi activity in vitro and a protective effect of these herb species on Quercus plants against P. cinnamomi in vivo. D. tenuifolia would be especially suited for biological control in the pathogen suppression.


The invention provides a method for storing the condition of variable spread-spectrum factor code tree, comprising following steps: distributing several storage units for individually storing the condition of leafage nodes of variable spread-spectrum factor code tree; initializing said storage units into available condition; when distributing one code of variable spread-spectrum code tree, arranging the storage units relative to all leafage nodes of said distributed code into the unavailable condition; and when releasing one code, arranging the storage units relative to all leafage nodes of said released code into available condition. The invention also provides a method for distributing and releasing the variable spread-spectrum code based on said storage method and the relative method. The inventive method and device can effectively utilize the storage space, simplify the operation process, reduce the processing complex and accelerate the process of distributing and releasing the variable spread-spectrum factor code. '''


The relevance of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), or the Traveling Salesperson Problem, is large and an indication of that it is the fact the present book is not the first(Applegate et al., 2006; Lawler et al., 1985; Gutin & Punnen, 2007). In this chapter we do not define the problem, neither offer new and faster way of solution, we present, instead, an application of TSP to sociophysics. The specific problem we deal here is to offer a dynamical explanation to the vote distribution of some corporations, i.e. the corporate vote. Recently, this distribution was described for the ruling party inMexico during the majority of the XX century. With the arrival of the new millennium such a party became opposition, but it keep part of the organization which gave it a large power during seven decades. In reference (Hernandez-Saldana, 2009) the distribution of votes of this political party during the newmillennium elections was described very well by the so called daisy models of rank r (Hernandez-Saldana et al., 1998). However, the physical origins of these models makes hard to establish a direct link with a socio-political phenomena. In order to explore a solution to this problem a TSP approach was proposed in (Hernandez-Saldana, 2009) and analyzed in (Hernandez-Saldana et al., 2010). In the present chapter we offer an integrated and detailed exposition of the subject. In recent years the analysis of the distribution of votes from the point of view of statistical physics has been of interest. The analysis include the proportional vote in Brazil (Filho et al., 1999; 2003; Bernardes et al., 2002; Lyra et al., 2003); India and Brazil (Araripe et al., 2006); India and Canada (Sinha & Pan, 2006); Mexico (Morales-Matamoros et al., 2006) and Indonesia (Situngkir, 2004). A statistical analysis of election in Mexico (Baez et al., 2010) and Russia (Sadovsky & Gliskov, 2007) has been realized. Several models appeared in order to understand why we vote as we do (Fortunato & Castellano, 2007) or a study of the spatial correlations of the voting patterns (Borghesi & Bouchaud, 2010). The analysis of this problem is only one aspect of two new branches in physical sciences: the sociophysics and the econophysics. For an illuminating exposition of the former topic see the book of P. Ball (Ball, 2004), and for the latter consult the book of R.N. Mantegna (Mantegna & Stanley, 2000). But, how to use TSP to model votes?. The idea is compare the statistical properties of the number of votes obtained for a political party in each cabin with the distance between cities in a TSP. The way to compare pears(votes) with apples(distances) is to map them to new variables where their statistical properties could be compared. Such a process is named, for historical reason, unfolding and we shall devote subsection 3.1 to explain carefully how this is performed. The idea is to measure in a dimensionless variable with density one. This approach has been successful analyzing fluctuation properties in a large set of problems, 16


Zambia Research Education Networks (ZAMREN) is a National research and education network (NREN) found in Zambia, registered as a non-profit entity. It currently has 56 affiliates (members) in total. Its network lies along the line of rail, essentially, connecting towns between Livingstone and Chililabombwe town. This research was an analysis of the challenges that are faced by the affiliates of ZAMREN. Questionnaires, SSPS and Microsoft excel 2010 were the instruments used for analysis in this study. Overall the results were such that 15% of affiliates described the network performance as 'Poor', 45% described it as 'fairly Well', 30% described it as 'Good" and only 10% described it as 'Very Good'. Also the results revealed that 85% of the affiliates expect ZAMREN to provide technical training and support, 70% improved quality of service, 60% reduce internet tariffs, and 40% of other affiliates require improvements in bureaucracy and financial support. Other findings highlighted that obstructions or impediments to the adoption and use of ICTs in education was largely caused by external factors at 59% whereas internal factors were at 41%.


The quince tree has always been commercially propagated by cuttings. Due to low vigor of the young plants, mainly in the first years in the orchard, a series of works was developed in Brazil in order to make possible the use of the 'Japones' quince as a rootstock. The results were satisfactory but due to lack of other informations on the propagation process, the present work aimed to of verify the ideal stratification time and germination temperature on the percentage and speed of germination of 'Japones' quince tree. Seeds were placed in Petri dishes, between moistened cotton layers in a B.O.D. type chamber at 4 oC followed by planting in sand substrate inside plastic trays, using the same B.O.D. type chamber maintained at different temperatures (15, 20, 25 and 30 oC). Counting of normal seedlings were made daily until 30 days, and at the end the speed of germination index and germination percentage were calculated. Seeds of 'Japones' quince tree should be stratified for 30 days in cold temperature and sowed when the ambient temperatures are between 15 and 20 oC, to obtain maximum germination.


Coloboma of the iris (CI) is an embryonic condition resulted from an incomplete formation of the iris which either presented unilateral or bilateral and as a single eye defect or in association of other eye anomalies. It happens either as an isolated condition or as part of syndromic features or other associations that are well reported in literatures. Coloboma of the iris has been reported in association with diaphragmatic hernia and in some syndromes with dextrocardia. It can happen in families with genetic presentation looks like autosomal dominant pattern, however other genetic pattern were also reported. The combination of CI, dextrocardia, Criss Cross Heart (CCH) which is a rare condition by itself and the congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has not been reported before. This report is about an unusual case of a boy presented after birth with left sided CI associated with dextrocardia and CCH, who presented later at the age of 16 months with left sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia that was not been diagnosed early. As far as this search for the English literatures concerned, this is the first report of this exclusive association. It is therefore, highly recommended to investigate cases of CI for an associated CDH especially if it is associated with congenital heart defects such as dextrocardia and CCH.


A novel black-box model representation and identification process is introduced, specifically designed to extract layout-scalable behavioral macromodels of passive integrated devices from sampled frequency-domain responses. An automated choice of structured frequency-domain basis functions enables extremely accurate approximations for responses characterized by high dynamic ranges over extended frequency bands, overcoming the main limitations of standard approaches. Numerical results confirm that the proposed structured approach provides robust and reliable scalable models, with guaranteed stability and passivity over the frequency band and parameter space of interest.


This paper discusses the relationship between government deficits and changes in total debt outstanding as well as the relationship between yields and real interest rates, inflation expectations and credit spreads using inflation linked swap data. This study also shows how affine term structure models (ATSMs) can be used to link the theory of the price level to term structure dynamics. When central banks are independent, increases in government deficits result in increases in the credit spreads and not necessarily in increases in the price level. Empirical results show that when modelling Spanish and Greek government yields fitted values improve significantly when credit spreads are included in the state vector. Most importantly, this study shows how affine term structure models can be used for the analysis of the time path of changes in government debt, government primary surplus and credit spreads. Finally, another novelty of this work is to apply the ATSM methodology to describe, for instance, how EU-governments' deficits deteriorate as a consequence of the time path of shocks in macroeconomic variables such as unemployment, as unemployment shocks can have widening effects on governments' fiscal imbalances and this will vary depending on the governments' risk profile.


I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by David George James Mann entitled "Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofiber Arrays as a Platform for Gene Delivery and Expression Analysis in Mammalian Cells." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Microbiology.


Beginning with the natural environment's effect on materiel, the environmental adaptability problem of the materiel was discussed. The environmental adaptability problem of the materiel the US army encountered in Iraq War and the countermeasure were in-troduced. At last, the idea to enhance the environmental adaptability of our materiel was suggested.


1. Introduction: The nature of natural What does domestication involve? Peanuts, Rye, Tomato 2. Wild things Recently domesticated crops and crops that have returned to the wild: Cranberries, Huckleberries, Currants, Kiwifruits, Cacao, Cashew nuts, Pistachio nuts, Cabbages 3. Learning to live with exotic sexual practices How plant breeding systems limit domestication: Vanilla, Beans, Figs, Hops, Avocados, Papayas, Carrots 4. Storing up trouble Plants with storage organs: Cassava, Yams, Potatoes, Taro, Akees, Onions 5. The weird and wonderful Herbs, spices and crops with exotic phytochemicals: Wasabi, Chillies, Saffron, Herbs, Willow, Tobacco, Cannabis, Durians 6. Accidents of history The role of chance events in domestication: Strawberries, Wheats, Bananas, Citrus, Rhubarb 7. Classic combinations and reoccurring themes Plant families that have been repeatedly domesticated: Grains, Legumes, Pumpkins, Spinaches 8. Ownership and theft How the economic value of crops has influenced their domestication: Breadfruits, Sugarcanes, Cloves, Rubber, Tea, Coffee, Mulberries, Monkey Puzzles, Artichokes, Pineapples 9. Fifty shades of green Nutrient rich crops and the next generation: Clovers, Ryegrass.


A smart glasses system is a computerized communicator with a transparent screen and video camera that can be worn as a pair of glasses. There have been no reports on the use of smart glasses in the prehospital setting.


Despite the significance of Great Power summitry to the maintenance and evolution of world politics and order, little attention has been allocated to this central phenomenon. One earlier exception (Galtung, 1964) did find that the volume or restrictedness of summitry (1941–1961) was associated with two key properties of the global system: polarization and predictability. However, a close examination of this study reveals serious problems vis-à-vis a shifting contextual focus and conceptual ambiguity in the handling of the independent variables. A reexamination with an explicitly geocentric perspective, a dependent variable limited to chief executive summitry (1948–1971), and a focus on the conflict intensity aspect of polarization (primarily measured by the annual rate of change in world military expenditures and secondarily by event interaction data) produced results which differ greatly with those found in the earlier study. Most of the original hypotheses receive little if any support. Additional analysis suggests the possibility of such intervening variables as time, the bloc interaction variant of polarization, capability concentration, and capability distribution fluidity. Further study, probably over a longer period of time, will be required to arrive at a more definite conclusion. Moreover, while Great Power summitry does appear to be influenced by certain attributes of the global system, the weakness of the discovered relationships suggests that summitry is a complex form of Great Power behavior that must be placed in a larger framework of global politics.


The earth sensors on the satellites measure the attitude by observing the discontinuity between earth radiance and cold space background. As IR detector technology advances, the earth sensor has evolved from traditional scanning sensor to static sensors with uncooled infrared FPA. In order to obtain high pointing accuracy of the earth center and avoid the influence of the cloud layer, the optical system should have the following characteristics such as: excellent f-theta linearity, high MTF at corresponding frequency, and high transmittance in the 14 to 16 μm range. In addition, this earth sensor is intended to be used on a LEO satellite, so the optical system must cover a wide FOV larger than 130°, and be as light and compact as possible. This paper contains the full design process of a wide-angle lens used for LWIR earth sensors from paraxial power allocation calculation to optimization of lens. The lens has a relative large image circle of 13mm, which is compatible with a 640×480 25μm uncooled FPA, and its full FOV is 180°. Its focal length is 4.177 and F number is 0.8. The f-theta distortion is less than 0.25%. By choosing chalcogenide glasses as lens material, the lens has a higher transmittance compare to Germanium lens. Also by analyzing the chromatic aberration of the lens, applying a DOE surface helps to improve the image quality, and pushes the modulated transfer function towards diffraction limitation.


The properties of thin HfO2 films grown by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition on Si substrates at various temperatures 80,120, and $160^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$ are studied in this work. For each temperature, the dependences of the growth rate per cycle on the post-plasma pumping time were determined. For the majority of temperatures, saturation of the growth rate per cycle depend of the post-plasma purge time was observed. Accordingly, the optimal times of growth stages were determined for temperatures 80,120, and $160^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$. Studies of the chemical composition of the HfO2 film by the XPS method showed that hafnium is bound to oxygen,and increasing of the post-plasma purge time reduces the content of suchimpurities as nitrogen and carbon. The electrophysical properties of HfO2 films have been measured: such asthe capacitance, the dielectric constant and theleakage current density. The values of the built-in charge in HfO2 film were 2.92 and $2.08 \times 10^{-7} \mathrm{C} / \mathrm{cm}^{2}$ for growth temperaturesof $120^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$ and $160^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$, respectively. The dielectric constant for the HfO2 film was 10.8 and 11.8 for temperatures of 120 and $160^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$, respectively.


Competitive advantage of the marketers fetch them the success. Many a times, the consumers do not exactly know the cometitive advantages of the marketers. It is promotion of the marketing mix depends on the nature of the product. In consumer marketing, advertising dominates, as effective advertisements reach the consumers at cheapest cost per prospect and can be easily understood. The adverisement effectiveness depends on media selection based on the consumers' media havits and the message. Thus, the effectiveness study enables the marketer to sketch a perfect promotional plan. This study focuses on the advertising effectiveness on motivating trial, changing or reinforcing the brand preference, and prompting to recommend and media effectiveness on reach and richness for consumable oil. This study also focuses on the media havits of the consumers and their perception on various media for advertising consumable oil.


Under a diverse teaching strategy, this study combined Situational learning and E-learning with Situationalbased E-learning. It collaborated with the industry for designing a "precision electronic instruments" course in order to discuss the effects and satisfaction of Situational-based e-learning. Moreover, the study compared differences in Situational-based elearning results between learners with different prior knowledge. Keywords-Situational learning; E-learning; Situational-based


s Kavoshnameh ٩ L2 Learners' Construction of Models of L2 Literacy in an EFL Context: A Socio-cultural Perspective Mehdi Mollaee Dr. Ali M. Fazilatfar English Dept. Yazd University


With increase of aging population, one of the most important issue is to enable for elderly people to live independently in their own house. The purpose of this study is to explore similarities and differences in several regulations and guidelines for elderly housing, especially focusing on adaptability and accessibility, to analyze inaccessible problems in the case houses, and to provide suggestions for the housing design. In some multi-family houses, it is impossible to acquire barrier free through renovation since there are absolute lacks of space, inaccessible stairs, floor level differences and the structure of houses. Therefore it is important to apply lifetime home concept in an earlier planning stage. Among the space, bath room was the most inconvenient space, which is inaccessible due to the floor level differences, improper arrangement of toilet, basin, and bath, lack of clearance of doors, and improper direction of door openings. In the multi-family house cases, limited living space, stairs, and level differences are critical problems. Based on the guidelines of Lifetime homes, Fair Housing Act and KS criteria, housing improvement features for the case houses were suggested to make it possible to renovate house that is accessible and convenient for the elderly. It is necessary to develop various accessible plan types for small housing and bathroom and kitchen standards that persons with aging, even in wheelchairs can use conveniently and live independently.


The bottle beams generated by using a conical-lens system are investigated theoretically and experimentally.The evolutions of bottle beams are illustrated simply by using geometrical structures and the paraxial ray tracing.Our study results show that the bottle beams with a dark focus surrounded by regions of higher intensity,are dependent not only on the focal length of the focal lens,but also on the radius of limiting aperture and the distance between the axicon and the lens.For a fixed axicon,we show that the radius of the dark focus of the bottle beam is proportional to the focal length of the focal lens.And the longitudinal length of the dark focus is inverse proportional to the distance between the axicon and the lens and the radius of limiting aperture.It is shown that by changing the focal length of focal lens and the distance between the axicon and the lens,the center of dark of the bottle beams can be altered effectively.


We study the problem of compositional synthesis of controllers for reactive games with linear temporal logic (LTL) specifications. A reactive game is an abstraction of the interaction between a controllable system and its uncontrolled and dynamic environment. A centralized control design for such systems under complex specifications can be computationally expensive. Instead, a compositional approach aims to synthesize a controller for a complex specification by composing the solutions for its component sub-specifications. This mitigates the issue of scalability and has the advantages of being modular and flexible. This paper solves the problem of reactive game synthesis using the compositional approach in two steps. First, we use the notion of randomized permissive strategy to reduce the strategy synthesis problem to that of identifying only the winning region for the controlled agent against the uncontrolled environment. Then, we exploit the inherent compositional nature of LTL formulas to compose the independently computed winning regions of two sub-games into a superset of the composed-game winning region. We make use of elementary set operations to construct this superset. Finally, we introduce an iterative algorithm to extract the exact winning region from the superset. We prove the correctness of our proposed method and illustrate the solution using a toy-problem and a robot motion planning example.


Parkinson's disease (PD) patients often suffer from the freezing of gait (FOG) problem, which interferes their daily life. In this paper, we develop an algorithm which uses fast time-frequency analysis methods and onset detection to detect FOG in real time. Simulations show that the specificity, the sensitivity, and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 81.83%, 82.66%, and 82.83%, respectively, which are better than existing FOG detection algorithms. Furthermore, since the asymmetric and shorter response smooth filter is applied, the time latency of the proposed algorithm is only 0.95 second, which is less than other methods. Our algorithm can help PD patients overcome the difficulty of walking and is easier to be implemented in hardware.


This paper describes the principle and design calculation of the resistance type of copper wire continuous annealing unit with heavy current,emphatically discusses the features of the copper wire continuous annealing unit and the matters needing to attention for designing AC annealing unit and DC annealing unit.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone formability of calcium phosphate glass in vivo as well as in vitro. We prepared calcium phosphate glass in the system CaO-CaF2-P2O5-MgO-ZnO through the conventional melting process. Pre-osteoblastic MC 3T3-E1 cells were cultured onto the calcium phosphate glass in α-MEM with β-glycerophosphatase and ascorbic acid. Calcium phosphate glass particles were transplante d onto the critical-sized calvarial defects of Sprague-Dawley rats. The alkaline phosphatase activity in the experimental group was enhanced by the calcium phosphate glass significantly at 10-18 days aft er incubation than that of the control group (p<0.05). The promotion of bone-like tissue formation by the calcium phosphate glass was observed after 7 days and thereafter. In vivo test, new bone was formed in the upper side of the defects as well as the defect margin and dura mater. Experime ntal group always exhibited significantly higher values in the length, area and density of the ne wly formed bone than that of the control group (p<0.05). The results of the present study indicate that the prepared calcium phosphate glass affected osteogenesis by increasing collagen synthesis a nd calcification of the extracellular matrix in vitro and promoted new bone formation in the calvarial defects in the Sprague -D wl y rats. Introduction The treatment of the bone defects resulting from trauma, neoplasm, s urgery, or infection is one of the major concerns in dentistry. The major goal is the functional, esthet ical regeneration of supporting structures already destructed by disease. Transplantation technique ha ve been used to provide a scaffold for bone regeneration, to augment bony defects resulting from trau a or surgery, to restore bone loss caused by dental disease, to prevent the collapse the alveolar ridge in recent extraction sites, to replace bone loss by periodontal disease, to augment the alveolar ri dge in implant surgery. There are autogeneous, allogenic, xenogenic and alloplastic bone-grafts in tr ansplantation. Among the alloplastic bone-graft materials, hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate has been received much attention since the mineral phase of the hard tissue has been identif ie by XRD as having an apatite structure, idealized as calcium hydroxyapatite. They are bioactive , in general, bond to surrounding osseous tissue and enhance bone tissue formation. There have been some diff iculti s to synthesize the biological apatite, since minor elements have been associated with the biolog ical apatites besides the major calcium and phosphate ions. Moreover, they are not adequate for the f illing o large bony defects due to their low degradation rate. Calcium phosphate glass obt ained from the system CaO-P2O5-Al 2O3 was firstly developed as a dental crown material since it is easily fused and has a low viscosity in the molten state. This material can be expecte d to extend application field to biomaterials for hard tissue repair because of excellent bioactivity and grea t biodegradation rate. Key Engineering Materials Online: 2003-12-15 ISSN: 1662-9795, V ls. 254-256, pp 185-188 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.254-256.185 © 2004 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-13/03/20,19:47:01) Title of Publication (to be inserted by the publisher) Methods Calcium phosphate glass with Ca/P ratio 0.6 was prepared from the s ys em CaO-CaF 2-P2O5. A molar ratio of CaO/CaF 2 was fixed as 9. MgO and ZnO were added 1% in weight percent, respe ctively. Mixed batch was melted in a platinum crucible at 1250 C and quenched to the room temperature. As-quenched glass was cut into 10 × ×1 mm for in vitro test and milled to 400 μm of mean diameter for in vivo test. Newborn C57B/6 rat calvaria-derived MC3T3-E1 cells were employed for in vitro test. The cells were maintained in α-MEM supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 100 U/ ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin in a humidified 5% CO 2 balanced-air incubator at 37 C, the media being changed every other day. In order to induce the spontaneous differentiation into oste bla ts and mineral deposition of MC3T3-E1 cells, 10 mM -glycerophosphate as well as 50 μg/ml ascorbic acid was added to the culture medium. MC3T3-E1 cells were seeded into 6-well t issue culture plates at a density of 1.0×10 5 cells/well in the differentiation medium with calcium phosphate gl ass or polystyrene and incubated for 2, 4 and 6 days. After each incubation period, the numb r of cells in each tissue culture plate was directly counted with the aid of a hemocytometer under light microscope. In order to evaluate the initial differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells quantitatively, alkaline phosphatase activity was determined every other day during 20 days. The optical de nsity at 405 nm was measured at both 0.5 and 2.5 min after mixing and compared with the value of a seri es of p-nitrophenol standards. On day 7, 12, 17 and 21, the cultures in the plates were stained f or 1 hr with 0.1% Alizarin red S to detect the calcium precipitates and followed by subsequent s taining with 0.1% light green SF yellowish for 30 min. Dual-stained samples were observed under light microscope. In vivo bone formability was carried out using 60 Sprague-Dawley rats. Rout ine dental infiltration anesthesia (2% lidocaine hydrochloride with 1/100,000 epinephrine) was used at th surgical sites. The calvarial skin was incised along the midline. The critical-s ized defects in 8 mm diameter were produced surgically using trephine bar with extreme care to avoid inj ury to the dura mater. The produced defects were filled with the prepared calcium phosphate glas s powder, whilst sutured without grafting anything in the control group. They were sacrificed at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after transplantation. The histologic, histomorphometric and radiodensitometric analyses were performed. The statistical significant differences of the results of the in vitro and in vivo tests were analyzed using an ANOVA with Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test at a level of 0.05. Fig. 1. Calvarial defect formation. Fig. 2. Sample transplantation . Results Change of cell number was exhibited in Fig. 3. Cell number was incre ased with increasing incubation time. They were increased dramatically till the 4 th day and the growth rates were somewhat diminished after the 4 th day. The level of alkaline phosphatase activity was shown in Fig. 4. A t the same incubation time, the experimental group showed significantly higher activit y than that of in the control group during 10 -18 days (p<0.05). 186 Bioceramics 16


The acceleration length and the peak energy of the electron beam are limited by the dephasing effect in the laser wakefield acceleration with uniform plasma density. Based on 2D-3V particle in cell simulations, the effects of a linearly increasing plasma density on the electron acceleration are investigated broadly. Comparing with the uniform plasma density, because of the prolongation of the acceleration length and the gradually increasing accelerating field due to the increasing plasma density, the electron beam energy is twice higher in moderate nonlinear wakefield regime. Because of the lower plasma density, the linearly increasing plasma density can also avoid the dark current caused by additional injection. At the optimal acceleration length, the electron energy can be increased from 350 MeV (uniform) to 760 MeV (linearly increasing) with the energy spread of 1.8%, the beam duration is 5 fs and the beam waist is 1.25 μm. This linearly increasing plasma density distribution can be achieved by a capillary with special gas-filled structure, and is much more suitable for experiment.


The purpose of this paper is to study the existence and approximation problem of solutions for a class of nonlinear Φ-strongly accretive operator equations f∈H(x)+T(x) in Banach spaces. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition that the Ishikawa iterative sequence with mixed errors convergens strongly to solutions. And some new fixed point theorems for a class of a Φ-hemicontractive operators are obtained.


We present a numerical method to study convective heat transfer in a high Reynolds number incompressible flow around a cylinder subject to uncertain boundary conditions. We exploit the one‐way coupling of the energy and momentum transport to derive a semi‐intrusive uncertainty propagation scheme, which combines Galerkin and collocation approaches for computing approximate statistics of the stochastic temperature field. The hybrid scheme converges rapidly and dramatically reduces the overall computational cost compared with the conventional uncertainty propagation schemes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In their dealings with retailers and suppliers, regulations and warranties ensure that consumers can seek a repair, a replacement or a refund if the good they have purchased is faulty. The evidence, however, indicates that few consumers pursue any form of compensation, suggesting that, for most consumers, transaction costs are high and providing a rationale for the role that consumers' associations play. In this paper, we analyze the monopolist's pricing and product reliability problem when consumers are entitled to product replacement and assess the implications of a decrease in consumers' transaction costs. Our results suggest that the appearance of the consumers' associations could, instead, lower product reliability. We draw empirical evidence from the pattern of recalls and complaints in the U.S. car market around 1995 (the year in which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) incorporated on-line filings) and find that it appears consistent with this prediction.


The main objective with this study was to compile a picture of the individuals granted disability pension in Sweden in 1988, 1993 and 1998. It presents an overall picture of the social and professional backgrounds of the individuals granted disability pension during these three years and discusses the trends that we observed. The data material used contains information about all individuals who received disability pension 1988 (54,000), 1993 (63,000) and 1998 (34,000). The results showed that fairly substantial changes have occurred over the tenyear period studied. During the period there has been a continuous increase in the proportion of female disability pensioners. The average age has dropped considerably while the proportion of individuals who prior to the pension year were single and/or unmarried has increased. The picture with regard to diagnoses has changed fairly dramatically, and the most marked change is that the proportion of musculoskeletal disorders has decreased, while psychological complaints account for a larger proportion of the diagnoses. Another development during the ten-year period is that fewer and fewer disability pensioners were granted full disability pension and thus, the number with partial benefits have increased. The situation concerning the educational and labour market background have changed substantially. Those who received disability pension in the late 1990s were more highly educated than was the corresponding group ten years earlier. It is primarily the proportion of individuals with 2-year Swedish upper secondary school that has increased, while those with only compulsory school education declined. These changes in educational background correspond to changes concerning social class and occupation. Although manual labourers still made up the largest proportion of disability pensioners, this proportion steadily decreased, while the proportion of white-collar workers grew. This trend is also reflected in the decreasing numbers that had worked in manufacturing occupations prior to the pension while those previously hired in professional, technical occupations accounted for a growing proportion among the disability pensioners. The comparison between the three years has thus reviled a shift towards mid-level groups in terms of both profession and education and this trend is more pronounced among women. A general conclusion that can be drawn from the comparison presented in this study is that the variation concerning pension types, diagnoses categories, social background and labour market status has increased over time. In this respect, disability pension has been diversified. At the same time, however, the results suggest that the disability pension system is placing greater emphasis on groups clearly marginalized in relation to the labour market. Individuals with clearly definable handicaps and complex social circumstances are being granted disability pension to an increasing extent, regardless of their social class and professional background.


In the early stage of 1910's a Korean new school play was taken form like the one of Japanese as the pre-model. Nevertheless the spectators had good experiences to watch the western play through the new school play, and their thoughts of the play were changed. Those who experienced the new school play had the general idea of the play script in the western play. Also the conception of the player was resulted in the change. It was shaped that the modern conception of the player - the player's role was that the player expressed an imaginary character of the drama into the one in a reality through the drama based on a text of a play. This variation in the conception of the player brought on the reduction of the phase of the classical player. The classical players were recognized that they showed only their skill.
They groped various ways to get over this crisis. These were charity performances, new school plays, and joint stages by new school players and classical players. They succeeded to improve their images more or less playing charity performances. But the classical players learned the new school play in a short time and putting the play on the stage was beyond their abilities. Even the classical players from kisaeng's house tried to look for new ways taking a Korean classical opera, they were looked away eventually from onlookers.
In spite of their effort they were pushed out. This was why proprietors ran indoor playhouses and they fixed up the plays for spectators' fondness. Those who already watched new school plays having plots didn't recognize the classical plays as plays any more. Those were only broken pieces. The classical players were strongly conscious that they were not players any more but showed onlookers their skill more and more. Therefore the classical players and new school players came to a rupture deeply.
The Actors within a classical play were described as very creative and independent. Their characterizations of the author's creations exhibited a much more coherent sense of autonomy and flow than what the author strictly wrote. In contemporary plays, however, the characters are formed not only by the actors' interpretations, but they are also strongly influenced by the director's planning and producing. In other words, a contemporary production's success is dependent not only on the independent performances of each actor, but also on mutual cooperation. The acting of a play is an active factor in constructing a play. Audience members who are familiar with new-school plays are able to recognize the difference between new-school and classical plays.


Abstract In this paper, we engage with the question of the normative content of the resilience concept. The issues are approached in two consecutive steps. First, we proceed from a narrow construal of the resilience concept – as the ability of a system to absorb a disturbance – and show that under an analysis of normative concepts as evaluative concepts resilience comes out as descriptive. In the second part of the paper, we argue that (1) for systems of interest (primarily social systems or system with a social component) we seem to have options with respect to how they are described and (2) that this matters for what is to be taken as a sign of resilience as opposed to a sign of the lack of resilience for such systems. We discuss the implications of this for how the concept should be applied in practice and suggest that users of the resilience concept face a choice between versions of the concept that are either ontologically or normatively charged.


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Plantation production began in Sri Lanka in the early 19th century under British colonial rule, when the government provided financial incentives and infrastructural support for the commercialisation and export of agricultural crops in line with promoting laissez-faire capitalism. Motivated by the possibility of making high profits, British entrepreneurs, including several officials, took up the large-scale cultivation of initially coffee, and then subsequently, tea, rubber and coconut. Keen to minimise their costs of labour, the planters recruited workers from neighbouring districts of the Madras Presidency in south India where there were large numbers badly affected by the widespread famine and indebtedness in the region. The spread of plantation production in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in a more permanent workforce, constituting the single largest and organised segment of the working class in the country. While women formed a small proportion of the early pattern of migration, their numbers subsequently increased and, by the 20th century, they comprised half the now permanent workforce on the plantations.


Efficient simulation of higher-index variable-structure DAE requires index-reduction during simulation. Hence, the performance of the implemented index-reduction method is crucial. When the same algorithm has to be calculated for slightly different inputs, dynamic algorithms can outperform their static counterparts by reusing common elements of the solutions. We present the dynamic Σ-method, a correct and efficient index-reduction method for dynamic systems. The dynamic Σ-method provides large performance gains for large, homogeneous models.


Gasturbine part manufacturers are often not involved in the design process. This means opportunities to optimize the design including manufacturing issues are missed. This paper presents a performance analysis of a microturbine centrifugal compressor from a manufacturer's perspective. A one-dimensional (1D) performance modeling tool has been devised to predict the design and off-design performance by sequentially calculating the processes in the impeller, vaneless diffuser and scroll. Part drawings have been used to obtain the geometric information. Comprehensive two-zone modeling has been applied along with a set of meanline empirical loss models integrated in the secondary zone to estimate the entropy gain. This novel methodology has allowed the calculation of individual impeller loss mechanisms instead of predicting them as bulk. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has also been used to quantify the secondary flow properties and improve the 1D model. The results have been validated through a comparison with the microturbine test data. A sensitivity analysis has been performed to investigate the influence of geometric changes upon compressor performance. The study is important to develop design for manufacturing capability and optimize the designs for cost-effective manufacturing.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Adjustable speed drives are known to generate common mode voltages which cause motor shaft voltages and bearing currents. It was demonstrated that two two-level inverters connected to either sides of an open-end winding induction motor is capable of achieving the functionally of a three-level inverter. The common mode voltage generated by a three-level inverter can be eliminated by switching only the voltage space vector combinations which do not produce the common mode voltage. A PWM switching strategy to eliminate the common mode voltages using an open-end winding induction motor drive is presented in this paper, which tends to avoid the electrostatic coupling of the stator and rotor reducing the bearing currents and leakage currents. The present scheme uses single DC-link with about 58% of the DC-voltage compared to conventional two-level VSI.


Abstract 1328 Poster Board I-350 Background Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a clinicopathologic diagnosis based on pretest clinical assessment aided by the 4T score and confirmed by laboratory testing for the presence of anti-heparin-platelet factor 4 antibody (HIT Ab). Prompt and accurate diagnosis of HIT is paramount due to an extraordinarily high risk of thrombosis, and the inherent risk of bleeding and high cost of direct thrombin inhibitors (DTI). The polyspecific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (poly-ELISA) for the HIT Ab is the most commonly available test that detects IgG, IgM and IgA HIT Ab. The IgG-specific ELISA detects only IgG HIT Ab, the antibody that is known to cause HIT. The use of a second step ELISA with high-dose heparin in the reagent improves the specificity by demonstrating heparin-dependence of the antibody detected. The 4T score was developed to predict the probability of HIT. This score takes into account the severity of thrombocytopenia, timing of platelet fall with relation to heparin use, presence of new thrombosis, and other causes of thrombocytopenia. The high negative predictive value of the 4T score has been validated in multiple studies (Bryant et al, BJH 2008). However, the polyspecific ELISA was used in most of these studies, increasing the possibility of false positive tests. Study We have collected a database of patients being tested for HIT at our institution, where the IgG-specific ELISA along with high-dose heparin inhibition is being used to detect the HIT Ab. We performed a retrospective review of the last 165 ELISAs performed and the clinical circumstances of the testing. We hypothesize that the high negative predictive value of the 4T score combined with the more specific IgG-specific ELISA could be used to rule out HIT and avoid the cost of testing and empiric use of DTI. Results 4T scores of 165 patients were analyzed and compared to the results of the HIT Ab. The distribution of optical density units of the ELISA according to 4T score is shown in Figure 1. Of the 165 patients, 107 patients (64%) had a 4T score of 0-3. Of those 107 patients, 2 patients had OD>0.4; both had no significant inhibition with the addition of high-dose heparin (Table 1). Thus none of the 107 patients had a positive IgG-specific ELISA for HIT Ab. Thus having a low 4T score has a sensitivity of 100% for IgG-specific ELISA for HIT Ab, specificity of 71%. This translates to a positive predictive value of 26%, and a negative predictive value of 100% (Table 2). Conclusion Based on our data, we conclude that patients with low 4T scores (0-3) are highly unlikely to have HIT. Therefore, we propose that patients with a low 4T score do not need the laboratory workup or empiric treatment for HIT. Since the majority of patients suspected to have HIT have low 4T scores, reserving testing and empiric therapy for patients with intermediate and high 4T scores can lead to significant cost savings, and avoidance of potentially devastating bleeding complications with DTI therapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


We were introduced to the elusive Commiphora planifrons, in the form of modest four inch bare root seedling, generously provided by John Lavranos in the summer of 2003. Along with the seedling came the directive, "see what you can do with it". At that time this plant was little known outside of the Yemeni island of Soqotra. The seedling prospered under attentive care, and in 2005 and 2006 the same donor provided us with semi-hardwood cuttings. From the start, our goal was to investigate the dynamics of both vegetative and sexual propagation. Like many of the endemics of that island, specimens were scarce. Then and now, they are highly desired by collectors. In habitat, dioecious C. planifrons is found in the croton shrubland of the western plateau (a lowland plain, elevation 500m). It is also found in the hilly Qatariyah (600m) and the Firmihin (750m) woodlands, not far from the Haggeher Mountains (figures 1, 2), often among the Dracaena (figure 3). The soils are typically limestone or granitic. The microclimate is likely intermittently moist. Certain highland regions of Soqotra are known for clouds and fogs, a detail that may have significance in terms of techniques that we eventually employed in order to achieve successful sexual propagation of the species. By contrast, Soqotra is also described as a windswept and arid environment. From an evolutionary standpoint, this may be contributory to the characteristic flat or umbrella-like form of habitat specimens. The leaflets are distinctively revolute and organized in imparipinnate fashion, with about ten pairs plus the terminal leaflet, being typical (figure 4). After a brief stint in a high humidity propagation house, the seedling came to life and exhibited healthy and vigorous growth. By early 2005 it had attained sufficient size for us to attempt to root cuttings. Employing Dip-N-Gro rooting hormone, bottom heat, a relatively light mix, reduced light exposure, and a misted propagation house environment, the six inch semi-hardwood wood cuttings prospered, and after about a year's passage had attained 12 to 14 inches in height with healthy branching (figure 5). In 2005 and 2006 our benefactor, responding to reports of our initial success, surprised us, providing additional clones in the way of more semi-hardwood cuttings. The same techniques succeeded again, and by the summer of 2006, we had five very healthy plants. (Note: our normal procedure was to establish the plants in the propagation environment, and then to transfer them to a greenhouse with better lighting and a less humid environment.)


Commercialisation activities are crucial for technology based companies to make sure that there is income to support continuing R&D activities, pay back their investors, and make a profit. Technology commercialisation performance can vary among companies, with some companies succeed in commercialising their technology, while others fail. Therefore it is important to understand the drivers of technology commercialisation performance, in order to increase the success rate and reduce the failure rate. The success of technology commercialisation can be influenced by both individual and organisational factors. Among organisational factors, the culture of the organisation is hypothesised to play an important role. Organisational culture represents the implicit aspect of the organisation. This paper will develop a conceptual model which explores this factor and its impact on commercialisation performance.


IMPLICIT in the methodology of structuralfunctional analysis, the prevailing theoretic convention among sociologists and anthropologists for describing institutions in their social context, is the demand for specification in the theory not only of the functional requisites of societies but also of functions which given parts of the whole are expected to perform in, or for, the system. The system "ends" are generally posited as (1) survival, and, as instrumental to this, if not an end in its own right, (2) the maintenance of homeostasis, or of dynamic equilibrium, within the system. The theories of Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Benedict, and Parsons may be regarded as examples of functionalist theories of this type. These theories usually envisage societies as social systems operating within a framework of necessity. They attempt to state explicitly what the requirements or "needs" of the social system are, usually as these are inferred from the conditions of human social existence, and then to trace out the implications of these and hence arrive at some idea of the functions that must (and will) be performed. Thus if religion does not perform the necessary functions, some other institution or institutions will. In addition to theories of this type, however, there are other kinds of theoretic formulations in which the theorists have also been concerned with the functions of religion but have been content simply to enumerate various consequences (which may be quite random or independent of each other) that religious institutions are found, or expected, to have in various societies.1 The latter kinds of theories have often taken the form of empirical generalizations in which a somewhat wider range of functions of religion is considered than is ordinarily done in closed system analysis. In both cases, however, there appear to be a number of difficulties that impede the effort to designate theoretically the functions that religion, or religious institutions, perform in complex societies such as our own. This paper holds that (1) specification of expected functions of religious institutions-either on purely logical grounds or on the basis of generalization from empirical evidence-is less precise and likely to be less readily accomplished than for almost any other major area of social organization (economic, political, family, communicational, institutions), and that (2) any attempt to apply most of the available functional theories of religion to complex