A review of The September 11th Education Program: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum reveals a sensitive and well-created program for the 5-12 social studies teacher to use in teaching about the challenging subject of 9/11. This program provides an opportunity for teachers to find a balance among understanding, critical analysis, creativity, reflection and action, and yet not allow the transformative events of 9/11 to go unnoticed in social studies classrooms across the nation. The curriculum consists of seven lessons about various issues surrounding 9/11 while simultaneously integrating key skills from the social studies and addressing the revised National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards. Many of the resources used could be pulled out and used independently, and make the curriculum program an ideal starting point for the classroom teacher who is interested in teaching about 9/11 but perhaps unsure of where to begin.


By using the method of Grey Correlation Analysis,the foreign direct investment(FDI) in Hunan and 10 representative provinces(municipalities) in China are studied,in which the representative indexes of location factors are set up.With the place-to-place contrast analysis of correlative factors,the location condition of FDI in Hunan is discussed.The results show that: economic scale and capacity of market,regional globalization degree and dependence degree on foreign trade,informatization level,infrastructure conditions,geographical location and location inertia decide the location choice of FDI,while industrialization level,labor cost,urbanization level,marketization degree and development level of tertiary industry have certain effects on FDI.Hunan has some advantages in informatization development degree,infrastructural facilities,labor resources,science and technology and tertiary industry level,but disadvantages in dependence degree on foreign trade,financing ability,industrialization level,etc.


Objective To explore the significances of the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, β-catenin and STAT3 in the ulcerative colitis associated carcinogenesis (UCAC). Methods Sixty SPF Balb/c mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal group, UC group and UCAC group. Each group had 20 mice. The UC model was induced by oral administration of Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), the UCAC model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of dimethylhydrazine (DMH) and oral administration of DSS. The colon histomorphology was observed by light microscope. The expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, β-catenin and STAT3 were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The changes of hyperemia, edema and polyps occupation in colon placenta percreta of UCAC group were observed by naked eyes. Meanwhile, the changes of intraepithelial neoplasia and carcinogenesis were detected in UCAC group. The expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, β-catenin and STAT3 showed over-expression in UCAC group. Compared with normal group, the differences were obvious (P 0.01) . Conclusion The expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, β-catenin and STAT3 proteins and their signal transduction pathway may play important roles in the occurrence and development of UCAC.


The oil and gas industry is quite a unique business. With all of the technical accomplishments of the 1980s, the design of sophisticated compact computers, satellite launches, and the space shuttle, the exploration for oil and gas remains, still, an inexact science. The geologist is uncertain as to the origin of hydrocarbons, there is no definitive method of locating accumulations of hydrocarbons and engineers can only speculate as to the efficiency of recovery. Even though many of the facets of the oil and gas industry may be unfamiliar to the independent energy producer, the supply of natural gas is a crucial component of any gas-fired cogeneration plant. Thus, a basic understanding of processes used in the industry - including the basics of the exploration and development of natural gas reserves - can be useful. A typical decision tree analysis is used to formulate a plan for acquiring natural gas reserves.


The development of the Internet makes the rapid economy development of the whole society. Many enterprises form their own networks and connect to the Internet, in order to fully realize the sharing and use of data resources. With the development of the network, network security has become a growing concern in all sectors. This paper discusses the status of network security and several major network security technologies, and proposes several measures to realize the network security.


The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in PVDF/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/dipropylene glycol dibenzoate (DPGDB) blends, where DPGDB served as a diluent, via solid–liquid (S-L) phase separation during a thermally induced phase separation process was investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. It was found that the Ozawa model could only describe the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PVDF/PMMA/DPGDB system to some extent. The influence of the cooling rate and PMMA/PVDF weight ratio in the PVDF/PMMA/DPGDB system on the crystallization mechanism was also examined based on the Avrami–Jeziorny method and Mo method. Primary crystallization and secondary crystallization were observed in the Avrami–Jeziorny analysis. The analysis by the Avrami–Jeziorny and Mo models indicated that the increase of PMMA/PVDF weight ratio decreased the crystallization rate during the primary crystallization stage. The results showed that the Mo method could well explain the kinetics of the primary PVDF crystallization. The Avrami–Jeziorny method, however, could not well describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of PVDF in the primary crystallization stage. The activation energy, determined by the Kissinger method, was not suitable to reflect the PVDF crystallization process in the PVDF/PMMA/DPGDB system.


Optical sensors airborne will include a laser rangefinder, an infrared search and tracking system (IRST) or forward looking infrared system (FLIR) , as well as a visible TV system and image intensifier. these optical systems are equipped in varying conditions where the environment is very different. They must be capable of withstanding the harsh land, air and sea environments associated with military operations, such as impact from airborne sand, grit, insect and raindrops. In order to solve the questions, a wider spectral band dome is often used for protecting the optical system. This paper will describe mainly a hemispherical dome airborne and analyze the effect of material and shape of dome on imaging performance. The improvement design will be discussed finally.


A 13- by 13-inch adaptive wall test section was installed in the Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel circuit. This test section has four solid walls and is configured for two-dimensional airfoil testing. The top and bottom walls are flexible and movable, whereas the sidwalls are rigid and fixed. The test section has a turntable to support airfoil models, a survey mechanism to probe the model wake, and provisions for a sidewall boundary-layer-control system. Details of the adaptive wall test section, the tunnel circuit modifications, the supporting instrumentation, the monitoring and control hardware, and the wall adaptation strategy are discussed. Sample results of shakedown tests with the test section empty and with an airfoil installed are also included.


the bauxite dissolution mechanism and the reaction process were summarized, analyzed the ore grinding fine degree, lime content, circular mother liquor and caustic alkali concentration ratio, stripping temperature and time, stirring intensity, mother liquid liquid phase composition on the stripping process and the influence of the reaction products; Simple introduced the domestic and foreign bauxite dissolution process and the existing problems.


Rogue wave generation can be explained on the basis of modulational instability. Thepaper reports on a series of numerical simulations designed to analyze the action ofwind on the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence cycle (modulation/demodulation cycle).A Stokes wave of steepness _0 = a0k0 = 0.1, computed by using the Longuet-Higgins' method (Longuet-Higgins, 1987, J. Fluid Mech.), is considered. This Stokeswave is perturbed by adding an infinitesimal perturbation corresponding to the mostunstable Benjamin-Feir instability or modulational instability. For relatively smallsteepness of finite-amplitude Stokes waves, the wavenumber _k of the most unstableperturbation is given by _k/k0 = 2_0The spatio-temporal evolution of the perturbed Stokes wave is computed numericallyby using the pseudo-spectral numerical method developed by (Dommermuth & Yue,1987, J. Fluid Mech.). The Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence cylce is obtained, and a freakwave is observed at the maximum of modulation.Following Jeffreys (Jeffreys, 1925, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. A), a pressure term is thenadded, in order to model the action of wind on the dynamic of the freak wave event.The previous evolution of the waves is now considered under the action of the Jeffreys'sheltering mechanism. It is observed that the effect of wind on the freak wave event istwofold : (i) it increases weakly its amplitude, and (ii) it increases its time of duration.This means that the Jeffreys' sheltering mechanism may sustain longer rogue waves byincreasing their time of occurrence. This phenomenon has already been observed forrogue wave generated by linear dispersive focusing (Touboul et al, 2006, Eur. J. Mech.B/Fluids), and can be extended to rogue waves generated by modulational instability


Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a crop, which is cultivated in diverse agroecological situations. It is called as the "Queen of oil seeds" because of its excellent qualities of the seed, oil and meal. Sesame is highly nutritive (oil 50%, protein 25 %) and its oil contains an antioxidant called sesamol which imparts a high degree of resistance against oxidative rancidity. It is an important annual oilseed crop in the tropics and warm subtropics, where it is usually grown in small patches (Bedigian and Harlan, 1986). India holds a premier position in the global oilseeds scenario accounting for 29 per cent of the total area and 26 per cent of production. Globally, China and India are the major sesame producers. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu put together constitutes nearly 72 per cent of total area and 58 per cent of total production of sesame in the country. The average productivity is very low as compare to other sesame growing countries and almost stagnant during last few years. In India, sesame is cultivated in 19.53 lakh hectare with a production of 8.32 lakh tonnes and productivity of 426 kg /ha (Anonymous, 2015-16). West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and U.P are the major sesame growing states. Madhya International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 1735-1744 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com


This issue of the IJTMB offers two articles, a research article describing a survey of the massage profession in Australia, and a practice article of a case study of massage for mild traumatic brain injury/concussion. The first article provides a snapshot of the state of a profession in a given area in a given time—who is practicing, their education and income levels, and the stability of the population. I have been reading profession-level survey reports and articles since 2000, and believe the information in them to be critical to the profession from several perspectives. Comparison between locales and data shifts over time shows effects on the profession resulting from regulation and differences or changes in standards, and in population beliefs about the value of the profession. In addition to assessing common practitioner descriptors, authors of this article also focus on the integration of research into the profession. Their reflections on whether active interest in research is one determinant of successful practice or a proxy representing the practitioner's overall professionalism captures an intriguing concept that has a number of implications for the development of the profession, and leaves us to wonder if practice success would be changed by increasing access to—and interest in— research. I hope more studies about the state of the profession include questions like these. I would like to see a global comparative study like this: How do local education, integration of research into practice, and health care integration relate to and affect the use, accessibility, and practice of massage?

Sylvia Burns' article on concussion treatment shows the importance of both training and experience on successful outcomes. Critically, massage is likely not the first line of treatment that would be considered for concussion, and some etiologies of concussion complications or damage would not be prime candidates for massage. The outcomes of this case study strongly indicate that, for some instances, massage is exactly the right intervention. I would like to see more studies of this nature, and an increased focus, likely from a composite view of multiple case studies and expert experience, on how one might identify likely responders to massage for concussion. Taking advantage of opportunities, such as the American Academy of Neuroscience call as recommended in the article, is an excellent way to start focus on the next stage of work.

Finally, I would like to thank the volunteers who contribute to the success of this Journal: our Manuscript Review Board and the International Advisory Council. The Manuscript Review Board comprises the many people who register as researchers or content experts to provide feedback on submitted articles— a critical way of developing rigor in published researched. A journal such as the IJTMB requires a large pool of reviewers who are able to occasionally jump in for an intense few hours of work. If you believe your research or clinical experience may be of value for reviewing articles, please send me an email introducing yourself and your interest in reviewing for the Journal.

Enjoy this issue of the IJTMB.

Antony Porcino, PhD, HSI

Executive Editor, IJTMB.


O, never fear! | This marine product stretches for thy feet'; 1679 (1382), 'A boundless trammel o'er his brawn I fling'. The italicized words are all gratuitous additions to the original. Here are other characteristic lines: 595 (485) 'Credulous unduly is the female sex'; 683 (565) 'Or the heat, when Ocean his siesta took'; 1357 (1121) 'Quick to the aorta crowd the jaundiced gouts'; 1378 (1133) 'Calamity is their stock-in-trade', and (perhaps best of all) 788—9 (657> $X' tt^avrot noifievos v orpofia)) 'They are gone, they are swallowed, and the pervert shepherd | Has wolfed the flock'. Is this Aeschylus —or Aristophanes? In a note on p. 84 Professor Campbell writes modestly, 'I am no great connoisseur of poetry as such'. Let us leave it at that. But if so, why translate Aeschylus? Much of the language of Aeschylus is not really foreign to English idiom; there is much in Macbeth and King Henry V that is truly Aeschylean; but he needs a born poet for his translator.


Using polarisation-independent phase conjugation for mid-system spectral inversion, the authors transmitted two 1.5 mu m, 10 Gbit/s channels through 560 km of 1.3 mu m dispersion-zero fibre.


My dissertation explores a new approach to construct tools in the domain of reverse engineering. The approach uses already available software components as building blocks, combining and customizing them programmatically. This approach can be characterized as component-based tool-building. The goal of the dissertation is to advance the current state of component-based tool-building towards a discipline that is more predictable and formal. This is achieved with three research contributions: (1) an in-depth literature survey that identifies requirements for reverse engineering tools, (2) a number of tool case studies that utilize component-based tool-building, (3) and ten lessons learned for tool builders that have been distilled from these case studies.


This research is done in Pride coffee and kitchen kediri, with the aim to know the influence of service quality and food quality to customer satisfaction and customer retention. The research approach used is qualitative with the type of causal research. This research was conducted by spreading questionnaires to 190 respondents using data analysis technique using Partial Least Square Structural Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS version 3.0 software. The result of research shows 1) Service quality and Food quality have a significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, whereas in Customer satisfaction variable, Service quality, Food quality have a significant positive effect on customer retention, Customer satisfaction mediates the effect of service quality on customer retention of mediation effect that is free partial mediation, 2) Customer satisfaction mediates the influence of food quality on the customer retention of mediation effect resulting from complimentary partial mediation


Background: The association between excessive gestational weight gain and preterm delivery is unclear, as is the association between low gestational weight gain and preterm delivery among overweight and obese women. Methods: Using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in 21 states, we estimated the risk of very (20–31 weeks) and moderately (32–36 weeks) preterm delivery associated with a combination of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain among 113,019 women who delivered a singleton infant during 1996–2001. We categorized average weight gain (kilograms per week) as very low (<0.12), low (0.12–0.22), moderate (0.23–0.68), high (0.69–0.79), or very high (>0.79). We categorized prepregnancy BMI (kg/m2) as underweight (<19.8), normal (19.8–26.0), overweight (26.1–28.9), obese (29.0–34.9), or very obese (≥35.0). We examined associations for all women and for all women with no complications adjusting for covariates. Results: There was a strong association between very low weight gain and very preterm delivery that varied by prepregnancy BMI, with the strongest association among underweight women (adjusted odds ratio = 9.8; 95% confidence interval = 7.0–13.8) and the weakest among very obese women (2.3; 1.8–3.1). Very low weight gain was not associated with moderately preterm delivery for overweight or obese women. Women with very high weight gain had approximately twice the odds of very preterm delivery, regardless of prepregnancy BMI. Conclusions: This study supports concerns about very low weight gain during pregnancy, even among overweight and obese women, and also suggests that high weight gain, regardless of prepregnancy BMI, deserves further investigation.


We refine existing structure results for non-compact, homogeneous, Einstein manifolds and provide a reduction in the classification problem of such spaces. Using this work, we verify the (Generalized) Alekseevskii conjecture for a large class of homogeneous spaces. Mathematics Subject Classification 53C25 · 53C30 A longstanding open question in the study of Riemannian homogeneous spaces is the classification of non-compact, Einstein spaces. In the 1970s, it was conjectured by D. Alekseevskii that any (non-compact) homogeneous Einstein space of negative scalar curvature is diffeomorphic to Rn . Equivalently, this conjecture can be phrased as follows: Classical Alekseevskii conjecture: Given a homogeneous Einstein space G/K with negative scalar curvature, K must be a maximal compact subgroup of G. Part of the motivation for this conjecture comes from the conclusion holding true in the special cases of simply-connectedRicci flat homogeneous spaces [2], non-compact symmetric spaces, and, more generally, homogeneous (Einstein) spaces of negative sectional curvature [1,6]. It is notable that in all these cases the manifolds are so-called solvmanifolds, i.e. they admit a transitive solvable group of isometries. Since the posing of this conjecture, an enormous effort has been put into the classification of non-compact, homogeneous Einstein spaces. Among simply-connected solvable Lie groups with left-invariant metrics, much is known about existence and B Michael Jablonski firstname.lastname@example.com 1 Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019-3103, USA 2 520 Portola Pl, Math-Sciences UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA


Permanent supportive housing (PSH) has been recognized as central to the goal of ending chronic homelessness. This qualitative study considers the positive and negative expectations of 31 men and women in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles who are beginning the transition from homelessness to PSH through a Housing First approach. This study uses in-depth, qualitative interviews and an inductive approach informed by sensitizing concepts derived from the literature and thematic analysis of case summaries, interview transcripts, and interviewer feedback and observation. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) nowhere to go but up, (b) some things stay the same, and (c) neighborhood matters. These findings indicate that PSH is regarded as a fresh start and universally positive experience, and that the role of neighborhood highlights a tension in the pursuit of recovery from homeless between removing people from their neighborhoods versus keeping them close to their previous and familiar environments. Implications for social work practice include that maximizing a successful transition will require understanding and managing people's expectations and reality.


Objective To investigate the crown fitness of the Ni-Cr alloys with Titanium for clinical purpose. Methods 20 crown specimens, with the shape as per-molar after preparation, were grouped equally into ten: casts with Ni-Cr alloys with Titanium and VB alloys respectively. Each specimen was sandblasted with alumina and bonded with Hy-Bond Glassionomer. After bonding, the specimens were embedded with self caring acrylic resin and cut longitudinally along the middle line. 10 spots of the gap between the crown and the specimens were measured with stereomicroscope. Results The margin gap of the crowns was (63.4±7.63) μm, the shoulder gap (49.7±5.64) μm, the axial wall gap (46.8±7.58) μm, and the occlusal lift amount was(57.6±7.25) μm. Conclusion The alloy has good fitness and can meet the clinical demand.


Differentiation and Disease from the combination of macro and micro dialectical combination of attack and remission on combination therapy,to adjust their habits and combination drug therapy described in the treatment of peptic ulcer recurrence ideas.


Background/Aims: Activation of T cell receptors (TCRs) in CD4+ T cells leads to a cascade of signalling reactions including increase of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) levels with subsequent Ca2+ dependent stimulation of gene expression, proliferation, cell motility and cytokine release. The increase of cytosolic Ca2+ results from intracellular Ca2+ release with subsequent activation of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Previous studies suggested miRNAs are required for the development and functions of CD4+ T cells. An enzyme called Dicer is required during the process of manufacturing mature miRNAs from the precursor miRNAs. In this study, we explored whether loss of Dicer in CD4+ T cells affects SOCE and thus Ca2+ dependent regulation of cellular functions. Methods: We tested the expression of Orai1 by q-RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Further, we measured SOCE by an inverted phase-contrast microscope with the Incident-light fluorescence illumination system using Fura-2. Intracellular Ca2+ was also measured by flow cytometry using Ca2+ sensitive dye Fluo-4. Results: We found that in Dicer deficient (DicerΔ/Δ) mice Orai1 was downregulated at mRNA and protein level in CD4+ T cells. Further, SOCE was significantly smaller in DicerΔ/Δ CD4+ T cells than in CD4+ T cells isolated from wild-type (Dicerfl/fl) mice. Conclusion: Our data suggest that miRNAs are required for adequate Ca2+ entry into CD4+ T cells and thus triggering of Ca2+ sensitive immune functions.


Digitization of cultural heritages has become a necessary means for cultural heritage conservation. As an emerging digital cultural heritage conservation technology,augmented reality technology has gradually attracted the attention of culture conservation practitioners and researchers,which has been applied into the practical work of the cultural heritage conservation. Through probing into the urgent issues faced by cultural heritage conservation,the article analyzes the augmented reality technology's advantages in the cultural heritage conservation,and takes the "Digital Old Summer Palace"project and the "Luoyang Paradise Site"case for examples,specifically introduces the application of augmented reality technology in practical cultural heritage conservation.


Background: Previous epidemiological studies have assessed adverse reproductive effects from maternal exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) exposure showing inconsistent resu...


Digital watermarking algorithms are widely applied to digital color image for ownership protection and tampering detection. Digital watermarking is the process of reversibly or irreversibly embedding information into a digital signal. Blind reversible watermarking has an additional advantage of recovering the image which is same as the original image pixel by pixel, after the image is authenticated. A fragile watermark is distorted in the case of tampering, notifying an investigator upon extraction of potential malicious manipulation in the image. A new algorithm is suggested for reversible watermarking which makes use of difference expansion concept in this paper. In the suggested algorithm, 4level DWT of the input color image is calculated and the watermark bits are embedded in the transformed coefficients which don't cause any overflow or underflow. The result for embedding up to 8 watermark bits per coefficient is presented. The complete VLSI implementation of watermark embedding and extraction is presented on the FPGA SPARTAN 3E board.


The invention provides a preparation method for afatinib. The preparation method comprises the following steps: subjecting trans-4-dimethylaminocrotonic acid hydrochloride (III) to chlorination so as to obtain trans-4-dimethylaminocrotonyl chloride hydrochloride (IV); and reacting the compound (IV) with N4-(3-chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-7-((S)-tetrahydrofuran-3-yl-oxy)quinazoline-4,6-diamine (V) so as to prepare afatinib (VI). Reaction equations are described in the specification.


Objective:To approach the clinical efficacy of management with intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide and intravenous heparin for children with steroid-resistant nephritic syndrome. Methods:Forty-five steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome children were separated into 2 groups. Group A: Twenty-five children were received intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide (8~12mg/kg per day for two days, ) and intravenous heparin (1mg/kg per day for 15~ 30 days). Group B : Twenty children received 2.5~3 mg/kg per day oral cyclophosphamide for 3 months. Both groups were given prednison as the same. Results:Nineteen of 25 was complete remission,3 partial respond and 3 non-respond in group A; while 6 of 20 complete remission,6 partial respond and 8 non-respond in group B. There is a marked difference between the 2 groups (P0.01). Four of 19 complete remission (21.1%) were relapsed following-up (13.2±2.5) months in group A and 3 of 6 relapsed following-up(14.5±4.2) months in group B. Total dose of cyclophosphamide was 120mg/kg in group A and 250mg/kg in group B,respectively. Conclussion:Intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide combined with intravenous heparin had more benefits than oral cyclophosphamide for the treatment of children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. The former had more complete remission,fewer significant side effects and lower cumulative dose of cyclophosphamide.


CAN GOVERNMENTS CREATE BUREAUCRATIC STRUCTURES THAT OVERCOME KNOWLEDGE AND INCENTIVE PROBLEMS? AN ANALYSIS OF THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION Rosemarie Fike, MA George Mason University, 2009 Thesis Director: Peter J. Boettke, PhD The recent formation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation represents an attempt by the government to create a bureaucracy that claims to be aware of and to have corrected the major problems often cited by critics of bureaucracies in general and of aid bureaucracies in particular. This thesis examines the unique institutional design of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and evaluates whether or not such an organizational design is capable of overcoming both the knowledge and incentive problems facing government agencies as laid out by the Public Choice and Austrian Schools of


The disadvantages of conventional detection technologies of pipeline defects are analyzed. The working principles and advantages of new technologies including ultrasonic guided wave inspection technology, ultrasonic phased array inspection technology and time-of-flight diffraction are described.


Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore and explain the existence and implementation of performance management practices in four public universities in Uganda.Design/methodology/approach – A mixed‐method study approach (qualitative and quantitative) was adopted. A sample of 900 employees was drawn using a disproportionate stratified purposive sampling approach that yielded a 53 per cent response rate. Of the participants, 12 were purposively selected from top management members and interviewed using a semi‐structured interview guide. Using Nvivo software and Miles and Huberman approaches, interview data were managed and analysed.Findings – Qualitative data results revealed that employees in public universities built relationships, utilised available resources, adapted to external environment, set goals and targets. This was made possible through planning, mobilising resources, problem solving, evaluating performance and adopting ICT to deliver cost‐effective quality services/products. The hypo...


We investigate subwavelength waveguides composed of silicon nanorods array in straight and nonstraight regimes deposited on a silica (SiO2) substrate. It is shown that using all‐dielectric nanorods with high permittivity to design an all‐dielectric optical waveguide provides several advantages such as low‐dissipation coefficient and long decay length for the distributed fields. Exploiting silicon arrays in touching and nontouching arrangements, we examined the optical response of the structure to the guiding of magnetic and electric fields with transverse and longitudinal polarization modes. We studied the decay length for all propagated modes in both nanochain orientations numerically. Simulation results for straight arrays showed that the averaged decay length for the structure with dielectric particles in touching regime is 1.6 µm (for the waveguide with the length of 2.2 µm), and for the nontouching array is 2.2 µm (for the array with the length of 3.1 µm). Calculating transmission loss factors and considering decay length of the proposed waveguide, we verified the strong potential of the proposed structure to design all‐dielectric photonic devices to operate at telecommunication spectra (λ~1310 nm and 1550 nm). Also, we computed bending losses [dB] for the examined structures based on the bends degree. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this study, a non-isolated high gain DC–DC converter is presented. The proposed converter yields a voltage conversion ratio value which is a cubic function of the voltage gain obtained from a boost converter. The proposed converter is synthesised by judiciously interfacing a two-phase interleaved boost converter with voltage-lift capacitor and a quadratic boost converter. Resultantly, the proposed converter yields a practical voltage gain of 21.11. Further, due to the use of interleaving technique, the input current is completely free from ripples. The proposed concept is validated by conducting experiments on 18/380 V, 160 W prototype converter. The experimental results clearly demonstrate that the proposed converter operates at a full-load efficiency of 95.6%. Further, by practically implementing a simple closed-loop control, the output voltage of the converter is quickly regulated against variations in input voltage and load current so as to provide the desired 380 V across the load terminals.


After we sketch the design of a product on the Web, we can obtain each part of the product applying a cell decomposition to the sketched design based on the cellular model operations and then applying the homotopy theory to it. When we perform cell decomposition, we can specify the manufacturing procedures of a product as homotopy invariants based on the homotopy theory. Using the parts and the manufacturing procedures of a product, and cell attaching functions accumulated in the cellular design database while these procedures are applied. We show first that we can perform the real design of soft objects, the shapes of which are constantly changing. We then show that the cellular model also can uniformly specify varied sizes. Thus, the cellular model is far more powerful than existing geometric models. The design of bags is taken as an example of soft object and varied sized object design.


Fluvial entrainment of fractured rock assessed in terms of bed shear stress, stream power, and time-averaged bed uplift pressures indicates that rock-block stability reduces with increasing protrusion and decreasing surface length (in the direction of flow), with protrusion of only a nominal portion of the block required to significantly decrease block stability. Variations in block uplift pressure coefficient with normalized block protrusion and block surface length can be used to predict the height of a block (of protrusion P and known surface lengths) at the point of entrainment for an open-channel flow (of average depth h and velocity U). Alternatively, entrainment of prismoidal particles of square section in plan by fully turbulent open-channel flows (of *>100) can be predicted using (C0.002) = 0.0015 (Pvb/L)1, where C is the critical dimensionless shear stress, * is the grain Reynolds number, L is the particle upper-surface side length, and Pvb is the particle protrusion relative to the virtual-bed level at which the average flow velocity is zero (approximately the tops of the supporting or surrounding particles for the present prismoidal blocks). Owing to the potential occurrence of cavitation on prototype block surfaces, it is recommended that quantitative scaling of the present results be conservatively limited to prototype average velocities (U) of less than approximately 6 m/s (with scale ratios = L = 29). In contrast to existing practice, particle protrusion needs to be accounted for when assessing the erodibility of a channel bed using stream-power-based methods such as the erodibility index method reported by Annandale in 1995.


In 1992, researchers at Mobil Research and Development created a new class of porous silicates, most notably mesoporous MCM-41.2-3 This material features a hexagonal arrangement of linear pores and surface areas in excess of 1000 m2 g-1. MCM-41 exhibits narrow pore size distributions in the nanometer range. The walls of MCM-41 are essentially amorphous silica, but its porous nature makes it about 3 kJ mol-1 less stable than the collapsed form. Particles of MCM-41 are beam sensitive and it appears that they cannot withstand the large current densities required to obtain reliable analytical data at the nanometer scale in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). For example, low beam currents were used to preserve the pore structure but resulted in energy-filtered TEM elemental maps of oxygen K and Ti L2,3 edge intensities that were too noisy to reveal structure at 5 nm resolution.


Summary A retrospective review of 80 consecutive patients with different types of intestinal stomas was carried out to analyze the indications, complications and the complication rate with respect to stoma type. The most common type of stoma was found to be end sigmoid colostomy (35%) followed by transverse loop colostomy (22.5%). The most common indication for stoma construction was colorectal cancer (37.5%) followed by Hirschsprung's disease and imperforate anus (12.5% for each). A total of 64 complications were reported in 49patients for a corrected complication rate of (61.25%). Peristomal skin excoriation was the most frequently recognized complication in this study (45.3%), followed by prolapse (23.4%) which was almost exclusive to infants and children. Transverse loop colostomy was associated with the highest complication rate (72.2%) followed by end sigmoid colostomy (64.28%). End ileostomy was associated with the lowest complication rate (33.3%) of all types of stoma. Emergency stomas and stomas in children were found to be associated with higher complication rates. The morbidity of stoma seems to be related to insufficient preoperative planning, technical errors of stoma construction and poor stoma care and management.


Reaction of [OS3(µ-H)2(CO)10] with 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene leads to both carbon–carbon σ-bond and carbon–hydrogen activation and formation of [OS3(µ-H)(µ-CCH2CHMe2)(CO)10](1) and [OS3(µ-H)(µ-CCHCMe2)(CO)10](2). The former was characterised in solution by 1H and 13C-(1H) n.m.r. spectroscopy and in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The µ-CCH2CHMe2 and µ-H groups bridge the Os(1)–Os(2) bond almost symmetrically. Significantly, the alkylidyne carbon also interacts with the Os(CO)4 unit. Reaction of [Os3(µ-D)2(CO)10] with 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene leads to deuterium incorporation only into the Os(µ-D)Os and Os(µ-CCHDCHMe2)Os sites, there being no deuterium incorporation into the vinyl-substituted µ-carbyne complex; mechanisms are discussed. Thermolysis of complex (1) leads to the sequential formation of [Os3(µ-H)(µ-CHCHCHMe2)(CO)10] and [Os3(µ-H)2(µ-CCHCHMe2)(CO)9]. Photolysis of (1) directly affords the latter. The mechanism of the thermal reaction is discussed in terms of a 1,2-hydrogen shift process, which does not involve the metal centres.


Chryseobacterium meningosepticum is a Gram-negative rod with a worldwide distribution. A case of C. meningosepticum cellulitis with severe sepsis and hepatitis in a 36-year-old male patient is described.


Chelating ligands are very effective for the preparation of homogeneous ceramic solid solutions. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanocrystalline powder with a composition near morphotropic phase boundary was prepared by a co-precipitation method using a chelating organic ligand, 8-hydroxyquinoline(oxine). The oxinate co-precipitate, on calcination at 600°C, yielded nanocrystalline PZT powder. The crystalline phase, compositional homogeneity, particle size and morphology of the PZT powder were examined by XRD, ICP-OES and TEM.


"Copernicus Revolution in Literature Study"is the praise for Lotman's healing the internal research and external research gap and eliminating the science and humanities boundaries by early domestic academics.Currently,Lotman is facing contextualization again and his cultural identity being changed.In terms of value position,domestic academics incline their theory to deconstruction and cultural poetics,emphasize its theoretical deconstruction factor and postmodernism style.From theory of forms angle,domestic academics committed to activate Lotman's magnificent culture from the perspective of semiotics,linguistics,history of philosophy,literature,history,cultural history and interdisciplinary characteristics and methodological essence from single orbit of structural semiotics to multi-orbit development of cultural semiotics.Lotman transformation of the original image not only opens up the Lotman theory of the horizon,but also inspires the" post-theoretic era" of literary and cultural studies.


Radical cation injection, transport, and reaction in DNA structures containing a triplex region were examined. An anthraquinone-linked polypyrimidine oligonucleotide was designed to form a pyrimidine· purine × pyrimidine (Y·R×Y) triplex. Spectroscopic and DNase I footprinting experiments verified triplex formation and indicated intercalation of the anthraquinone group at the triplex−duplex junction. Irradiation of the triplex at 350 nm (only the anthraquinone absorbs) leads to reactions at remote locations in both the duplex and triplex regions. These reactions are revealed as strand breaks by subsequent treatment of the irradiated samples with piperidine. Radical cations injected at the triplex−duplex junction migrate into and through the triplex region. The effect of cytosine protonation on radical cation migration and reaction was examined. These observations support the charge transport mechanism in DNA that we recently identified as phonon-assisted polaron hopping.


Resources invested by prey to acquire information on predator behavior from inside the refuge are crucial to minimize the risk of suffering a future fatal attack. However, most studies have only analyzed situations where information on the predator behavior is unavailable for hiding preys. Also, temporal patterns of risk may affect antipredatory behavior allocation. We simulated in outdoor terraria series of 2 types of predatory attacks (low vs. high risks) with different sequences of risks (predictable series vs. attacks where risk level changed randomly) to Iberian rock lizards. We measured time spent entirely hidden in refuges until appearing near the exit of the refuge (appearance time) and time spent leaning out of the refuge while monitoring the predator (monitoring time) after each predatory interaction. Monitoring time, irrespectively of the temporal pattern of risk, was higher after a single low-risk approach of the predator than after a direct unsuccessful attack. In addition, after multiple repeated interactions with the predator, there was a significant decrease in monitoring time with the sequence order of interactions but only when lizards fled to the refuge after low-risk approaches. Lizards spent more time monitoring the predator from inside the refuge after a low-risk approach, which may be explained because, if there has not been a clear attack, uncertainty on immediate future risk would be greater, and prey may need more time before leaving the refuge to ensure that a predator has not detected the lizard and that it is not ambushing near the refuge. Our study suggests that acquisition of information during and after an attack is important in determining refuge use as an antipredation response. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.


Paper Prepared for Presentation at the Seventh European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, 11 - 14 September 2016 | Dijon, France


The previous characterization of systems of Differential-Algebraic Equations (DAEs) with regard to their resolubility, index and consistency of initialisation and also the application of techniques of reduction of the index are tasks required to correct use of computational codes when solving them numerically. The adaptability of these tasks to implementation using the computer algebra system MAPLE V.3 is analysed and the main features of the INDEX's procedure are described.


Dr Mark Bullimore offers an update on the impact of myopia and the implications of myopia management for eye care practitioners.


This research aimed to discover the level of anxiety in students before the exam and the effect of music classic (Mozart) to reduce such anxiety. The study was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Ciruas with students with a high level of anxiety, which has been revealed from the results of the anxiety scale questionnaire using a purposive sampling technique with a total of 68 respondents. This research was used with an experimental method consisting of an experimental group and a control group. From the treatment, the results showed pre-test 12.55 in the high category and post-test 7.852 in the medium category. This shows changes in the results before and after the treatment is given. It can be concluded that the effect of the use of music (Mozart) can reduce student anxiety before the test.


The mean ionic activity coefficients of NaCl were experimentally determined in ethylene carbonate (EC) + water at 298.15 K from potential difference measurements of the following electrochemical cell containing two ion-selective electrodes (ISEs): Na-ISE|NaCl(m),EC(w),H2O(1−w)|Cl-ISE The molality (m) varied between 0.02 mol·kg−1 and almost saturation, while the mass fraction of EC in the mixture (w) was varied between 0 and 0.8 in 0.1 unit steps. Values of the standard potential difference, E0 (molal scale), were determined using a routine method of extrapolation together with the extended Debye−Huckel, Pitzer, and Scatchard equations. The results obtained produced good internal consistency, within the normal limits of experimental error encountered in these types of measurement. Once E0 was determined, the mean ionic activity coefficients of the NaCl, the Gibbs energy of transfer of the NaCl from the water to the EC + water mixture, standard solubility product of NaCl in EC + water, and the NaCl primary ...


One charge often made about minority politics in Germany is that it consists mostly of Stellvertreterpolitik-that is, the politics of intermedi aries. Members of the country's various minority communities lack, so the critique goes, direct access to the Federal Republic's public sphere; instead of having a public voice, they must content them selves with letting others speak for them: union representatives, charity officials, and government figures. Given such mediated polit ical participation, the suspicion is that the real needs and concerns of these communities, when they in fact reach the wider public, do so only at a muted volume and in diluted form. There is a certain plausibility to this criticism. Immigrants in the Federal Republic were never politically quiescent, to be sure, and early in the history of labor migration they developed an extensive infrastructure of political organizations oriented to long-distance participation in the politics of their respective homelands. But a cor responding infrastructure of political organizations orientated to German politics and through which immigrants could develop an


Abstract This paper considers the problem of the robot motion control in a presence of the major uncertainties such as the varying load. The proposed adaptive fuzzy system (FLS) is employed to estimate dynamic influence of the varying load and also the major part of the mechanism dynamics. Carefully designed membership functions and rules preserve the interpretability of FLS as each rule works toward estimation of the specific part of dynamics. The fuzzy estimator is implemented in the control scheme similar to the computed torque control. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through the application on the three degree of freedom direct drive robot.


This review represents the studies of gelatin-based biomaterials in tissue engineering. As the scaffold of cells and growth factors, gelatin is a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering. [


Background & Aims. At present, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are widely used as a medium-term vascular access for patients with various diseases. In this country, these catheters are used rarely to provide vascular access in patients with cancer. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to formulate indications for implantation of these catheters to oncological patients taking into account our own clinical experience in implantation and operation of PICC. Methods. From November, 2013, till November, 2014, at N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, 19 peripherally inserted central catheters were implanted to 19 patients. All catheters were placed by anesthesiologists. Peripheral or deep veins of a shoulder were punctured under the dynamic ultrasonic control. Results. Successful catheterization was achieved in 18 of 19 patients. The median PICC dwell time was 33 days (range from 1 to 116 days), a total of 692 catheter days. In one case, during the implantation of a catheter, some technical complication were observed which made impossible its further using. Complications related to the catheter were reported in 7 cases including 2 cases of local infection of the soft tissue at the stationary point of a catheter. Inadvertent removal of a catheter was registered in 3 cases. No complications were registered. Conclusion. Implantation of peripheral inserted central catheters under dynamic ultrasonic control has both high percent of a successful сatheterization and a minimum number of procedure-related complications. After training the staff and patients in operation of the catheter, this venous access allows to perform all necessary courses of treatments of up to 6 months.


The EEOC's Uniform Guidelines suggest a 'four-fifths" test as a criterion for adverse impact in age, ethnic, race and sex discrimination cases. The use of the rule is explained and demonstrated and the results are compared to those that would be obtained by using a binomial test which allows probability statements and reflects differences in sample size. The authors develop a "crossover point" where the results obtained from the four-fifths rule and the binomial test are equal and discusses those cases where there is divergence. The analysis shows that the four-fifths rule is less reliable in sex discrimination cases than in race discrimination cases. Moreover, for small numbers of hires the four-fifths rule is more demanding of small employers than a statistical inference criterion would be.


Shows that the bandwidth of a hard surface is always inversely proportional to the diameter of the guiding structure. This seems to be a general relation that is independent of the way the hard surface has been realised. The corresponding relation for an open hard surface seems to be that the bandwidth is inversely proportional to the length of it. These two relations limit applications of the hard surfaces to structures that have small such critical dimensions. Such applications of hard surfaces with small critical dimensions have been experimentally verified and show reasonable bandwidths (10-2046). The present study has also shown that the bandwidth can be improved if materials with high wave impedances are used to realise the hard surface. Finally, it is mentioned that the hard strut can represent a useable model in order to experimentally test different realisations of hard surfaces. Theoretical searches for such surfaces can be done with computer codes that can model plane wave reflection from arbitrary single or double periodic surfaces. The paper considers the frequency characteristics of the hard surfaces when the surface is applied for horn antennas and waveguides.


Mechanical element of the present invention has a workpiece having a first work surface in contact with liquid, the first work surface has at least one liquid repelling zone, the liquid repelling zone is interacting with the liquid act, the dimensionless number of properties of the liquid repelling zone "wetting factor" is 0.95 or less.


The economic and psychologic implications of getting a former patient back to work are very great in an aging population. Reorientation of thinking on this matter on the part of laymen, physicians, organized labor and management is essential, requiring educational efforts on the part of the medical profession.


One task of any doctrine of sanctification is to attend to a theological rationale for the significance of a habitual and developing Christian life within a broader salvific economy. This article introduces the problem of claiming 'ordinary' life as the arena and instrument of God and distils three elements of Bonhoeffer's early theology that might be employed to articulate a theology of sanctification as the counterpoint of justification: the realization of a new humanity in Christ that constitutes an ontology of justification; Christian devotion as the act of this new humanity in the Spirit; and the dynamic integrity accorded to historical existence.


The density in the D region is hard to observe on a large scale, because the density in this region is too low. In addition to solar radiation changes with a sinusoidal period of 24 hr, the energetic electron precipitation (EEP) is the major source for the ionospheric D region. In this study, we utilized observations from NOAA/MetOp satellites to derive the electron density profile from 60 to 150 km under the influence of EEP. It seems that the derived electron profile is roughly consistent with the observed one. Additionally, using above derived method of low ionospheric (D and E regions) electron profile based on the observations of NOAA/MetOp satellites, the actions of EEP on global ionosphere under different level of geomagnetic activity are analyzed. We find that EEP has a significant impact on the electron density in the altitude range from 60 to 90 km in the L ∼ 4.5–8 and MLT ∼ 9–14 regions, particularly during strong geomagnetic activity. A peak in Total Electron Content (TEC) was observed at MLT ∼ 11–12 and L ∼ 5.5–6, exhibiting an enhancement approximately 19.96 times higher than that observed during quiet periods. However, the effects of EEP decrease as altitude increases. The TEC enhancement at altitudes from 90 to 120 km during strong geomagnetic activity is like that at 60–90 km, but only about 2.08 times higher than that during quiet periods. In addition, only a weak increase is detected around midnight at altitudes from 120 to 150 km.


The epistatic interaction between the second and third chromosomes of D. melanogaster was quantified in male mating activity under no competition among males. The mean mating activity of the two-chromosome homozygote was 0.517±0.064. The expected value under a multiplicative model was 0.509±0.054. Coefficient of interaction, I, was calculated to be 0.008±0.129. k statistic, a new measure of epistasis devised by Seager and Ayala (1982), was 0.029±0.027, which is not significantly different from zero. It is concluded that there is no interchromosomal interaction between two major autosomes in male mating activity.


The TiC-based steel bonded carbide was prepared by vacuum sintering using titanium carbide, molybdenum, chromium, carbonyl iron powder and flaky graphite as raw material. The alloy was modified by adding forming agent naphthenates containing rare earth Ce. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was used for characterization. Moreover, the transverse rupture strength(TRS) and hardness were also measured, and attempts were made to relate them to the microstructure development. The results indicate that the addition of rare earth greatly increases the density. TiC particles are distributed in the matrix more uniformly as well. The sample with 0.2% Ce(mass percent) has the maximum transverse rupture strength, which is increased by 28% compared to samples without Ce.


In connection with the ongoing process of liberali z tion in the Polish electricity market, customer orientation and its needs are beco ming an important competitive advantage of electricity trading companies. The aim of this article is an attempt to present an d solve the problem of fitting baseload and peakload futures contracts to future planned en ergy demand as a multicriteria programming problem. Due to the large number of variab les and nonsmooth criteria the Monte Carlo simulation was used to solve the problem. The model has been built to minimize price and imba lance volume between future planned demand and standard products able to purcha se on the Polish commodity market. Due to future SPOT, the settlement simulation model requires future SPOT prices.


We study energy properties of strange quark matter (SQM) in an approach based on the constituent quark model. In treating the infinite matter, SQM is modeled on a cubic lattice composed of the 1s-closed shell (Q.) clusters, by extending a cluster-theoretical approach previously made for finite strange quark systems of Q.-clusters. The energy per baryon of this SQM monotonically increases as the inter-Qs distance decreases (the density of Q.-clusters as well as the average baryon number density increases). This means that Q.-clusters do not fuse to the Fermi-gas like SQM and favor to be far apart from each other. The mechanism causing such tendency is the following; the repulsive contributions to the inter-Qs energy coming from the kinetic energy and the color magnetic interaction overwhelm the attractive ones from the color electric interaction and, except for the internal energy of Qs, the contributions from a confinement potential play no essential role. The energy of SQM per baryon can never be less than that of a single Q. which is higher by about 400 ~500 MeV than the nucleon mass. Therefore the appearance of the absolutely stable SQM is unlikely in this model. Saturation property of SQM and surface effects are also discussed.


Objective:To study the low-dose aspirin joint vitamin E pregnant intervention polymeric D2 increased recurrent miscarriage of the clinical curative effect of observation.Methods:Collection in January 2008-January 2010 of 70 cases of middle-class diagnosis had 2 or more times a history of abortion,polymer,greater than normal increase D2 the women in the plan,three months before childbirth oral low-dose aspirin 50 to 75 mg/day joint vitamin E 200 mg/day,observe and record the happening of recurrent miscarriage.The same period and 41 cases without the intervention of pregnant patients relapse again abortion in comparison.Results:Two groups of patients,including observation group was pregnant low-dose aspirin joint vitamin E intervention D2 polymer,recurrent miscarriage rate increase type(22.9%) was much lower than those of the control group the drug intervention of thepatients(51.2%)(P0.05),a statistically significant difference.Conclusion:Low-dose aspirin joint vitamin E pregnant intervention polymeric D2 increased recurrent miscarriage of clinical curative effect is distinct,can effectively reduce the incidence,clinical recurrent miscarriage clinical worth promoting.


Ayurvedic bhasmas play an important role in ayurvedic medicines and are useful in the treatment of various diseases. Pharmacokinetic studies involving estimation of bio accessibility of bhasma will be useful in prescribing proper dosage of bhasma. Present paper deals with bio-accessibility of Abhraka, Naga and Tamra Bhasmas which were synthesized in our laboratory. It is revealed that the bio-accessibility of elements viz. K, Ca, Al, Fe, Na and Si in abhraka bhasma is more in gastric digestion than in gastro-intestinal digestion. Bio accessibility of lead was found to be more in gastric digestion than gastro-intestinal digestion in Naga bhasma prepared by pisti and putapaka method while in bhasma prepared by jarana method it is more in gastro-intestinal digestion. In case of Tamra bhasma, bio-accessibility of copper is more in Gastro-intestinal digestion and it is further enhanced with anupana process, especially using ghee.


The past few years have seen several developments that affect the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pneumonia, among them the emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in pneumococci, the increasing use of antipneumococcal vaccine, and the higher than previously recognized incidence of Legionnaires' disease. Their full impact is not yet apparent, but they are certain to affect medical practice significantly.


This paper presents an application of proportional-resonant (PR) current controllers in modular multilevel converter-high voltage direct current (MMC-HVDC) system under unbalanced voltage conditions. The ac currents are transformed and controlled in the stationary reference frame (αβ-frame). Thus, the complex analysis of the positive and negative sequence components in the synchronous rotating reference frame (dq-frame) is not necessary. With this control method, the ac currents are kept balanced and the dc-link voltage is constant under the unbalanced voltage fault conditions. The simulation results based on a detailed PSCAD/EMTDC model confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control method.


Introduction Charcot arthropathy is a well recognised complication in denervated synovial joints. This is a late complication of traumatic spinal cord injury that is rarely reported in the literature. Early recognition is important and can be difficult as the clinical presentation can vary from pain, deformity, autonomic dysreflexia and audible noises with motion. Methods We present 5 cases of Charcot's arthropathy of the spine in patients with in patients with traumatic paraplegia. All patients had spinal surgery to stabilise the spine shortly after the acute injury. Results The average time from initial injury to presentation with Charcot's arthropathy was 27 years (range 10–41). A combination of localised and neuropathic pain was the dominant symptom (4 patients) causing re-presentation, but other symptoms included deformity (1 patient). The level of the initial spinal cord injury was at the thoracolumbar junction patients. The Charcot joint level was usually 1 to 2 segments caudal to the spinal fusion. The features noted on plain radiology were destructive changes of the endplate in 4 patients and deformity in 1. With one exception, all patients went on to have MRI to exclude infection and subsequently all were surgically stabilised. All patients were treated surgically. One had an anterior approach, one had posterior approach and one had staged anterior and posterior approaches. The remaining two had anterior and posterior stabilisation through a lateral extra-cavitary approach. At an average follow-up of 36 months all patients reported good relief of their symptoms, and had returned to their best function post-injury. Discussion Surgical stabilisation in this series yielded very good results. We observed a wide variation in presenting symptoms and therefore would indicate that a high index of suspicion is required. We believe that MRI is mandatory to exclude infection and would advocate early stabilisation. The lateral extra-cavitary approach allows posterior and anterior stabilisation in a single procedure and in now the preferred method in our institution. As patients with spinal cord injuries live increasingly active lives, this problem will be seen more frequently.


We describe user-friendly and efficient technologies for interactive, on-line operation of laboratory experiments over the Internet. The objectives are to utilize the most recent advances in Internet and World Wide Web, to allow communication with minimum overhead, to provide a functional client interface, to establish a variety of experiments, and to allow flexibility in configuring experiments. Our remote lab is based on a client/server architecture where students can communicate with the lab server using regular Web browsers. To fully utilize the functionalities of modern browsers and servers, the server may respond in formats such as JavaScript, HTML or XML. This is achieved by creating Web-solutions based on Internet Server Application Programming Interface (ISAPI) extensions, whereby important issues related to queuing and security are addressed. We also discuss an alternative solution based on LabVIEW 6i where the client uses LabVIEW Player. Presently, our remote lab is dedicated to semiconductor device characterization. It has been tested in distance-education courses on device technology with good results.


1. Door (2) Emergency exit the cab (1) of the elevator, is pivotally attached to at least one cabin wall (1) of the elevator, characterized in that it is pivotally attached to the cabin wall (1) of the elevator to be pivotable about two substantially vertical pivot axes (S1, S2) .2. Door (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is pivotally attached to the cabin wall (1) of the elevator, with substantially simultaneous rotation around two substantially vertical swivel axes (S1, S2) .3. Door (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a support element (5) having a first end pivotally attached by means of hinges (6) to the cabin wall (1) of the elevator, and the second end of the support member (5) by hinges (9) is hinged door panel (2a) of the door (2) emergency vyhoda.4. Door according to claim 3, characterized in that the hinges (6) disposed at the first end of the support member (5), fitted with a first pivot axis (S1), a hinge (9) disposed at the second end of the support member (5) are set to form the second pivot axis (S2) at the location of their hinge pins (10) .5. Door according to claim 3, characterized in that the support element (5) is pivotally mounted around its pivot axis (S1) in a rotational direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the door panel (2a) around its pivot axis (S2) .6. Door according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the edge of the door panel (2a) and the surface facing the inside of the elevator car are arranged so that they form part of the cabin interior trim lifta.7. Door according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the width and / or length of the internal trim panel larger than the width and / or length of the door pan


The monthly mean surface air temperature,0 cm ground temperature of weather stations along Qinghai-Xizang railwayfrom beginning to 2002 are analyzed.Seasonal and annual mean temperature data are found from 1961 to 2002 by using interpolation.The analyzed result showed that the variation of temperature is obviously along Qinghai-Xizang railwayin recent 40 years.The temperature ascending rate is the most obviousin winter and autumn.The temperature ascending rates are 0.41℃/10a and 0.40℃/10a respectively.The temperature ascending rate in spring is only 0.23℃/10a.The ascending rates of annual mean air temperature and 0 cm ground temperature are 0.33℃/10a and 0.37℃/10a respectively,and 0 cm ground temperature ascending rate is faster than air temperature ascending rate.The temperature ascending rate have anticorrelation with sea level elevation,and its coherency coefficient is 0.807.The temperature ascending rate decreasewith sea level elevation increasing.The temperature ascending rate in basin is higher than temperature ascending rate in mountain.There is 0.767 coefficient of coherency between the variationsof 0 cm ground temperature and air temperature.In comparativelycolder times,the fluctuation extent of air temperature is bigger than the fluctuation extent of 0 cm ground temperature.In comparativelywarmer times,the ascending of 0 cm ground temperature is faster then air temperature.


Northern Ghana experiences one dry season per year, but severe droughts may occur
more infrequently. This is of concern to the local farmers of the Tamne River Basin
(northeast Ghana) who depend on adequate rainfall amounts during the rainy season.
Unfavourable precipitation amounts may lead to catastrophic consequences. It is
therefore crucial to develop methods for predicting the distribution of soil moisture in
the region. In this way, locations more sensitive to drought may be delineated.
A high quality DEM was constructed over the region as topography is considered to
be an important control on soil moisture. This was accomplished by combining
elevation and linear features representing streams in the interpolation routine. The
importance of topography relative to soil moisture was examined by using an index
that reflects both the specific drainage area and local slope. As soil type and
vegetation are also characteristics controlling the hydrologic response of a
catchment, they were also included as two simple indices. The aforementioned
variables were evaluated against 94 soil samples, distributed along seven transects,
from which soil moisture was derived.
The analysis showed that a statistical model that provides consistent results in terms
of predicting soil moisture distribution was difficult to achieve for the entire basin.
Only one statistical model was applicable to the whole basin; the one including soil
texture. It is of limited utility however, since detailed data concerning the spatial
distribution of soil properties was not available. The assumptions underlying the
construction and use of the wetness index limit its application to homogeneous subbasins.
This is shown by the more reliable results from the transects. Topography is
shown to be less influential than expected. Conversely, soil texture provided the key
for mapping the distribution of soil moisture under wet conditions.


We give estimates for the $L^p$ norm ($2\leq p \leq +\infty$) of the restriction to a curve of the eigenfunctions of the Laplace Beltrami operator on a Riemannian surface. If the curve is a geodesic, we show that on the sphere these estimates are sharp. If the curve has non vanishing geodesic curvature, we can improve our results. We also show how our approach apply to higher dimensional manifolds.


A hybrid flow shop (HFS) scheduling is characterized of "n" jobs "m" machines with "M" stages by unidirectional flow of work with a variety of jobs being processed sequentially in a single-pass man...


The project provides a new idea to design a crypto-transaction application. There are two main goals we want to achieve in this project. The first one is that we want provide an easier conversion between physical and digital money. The second goal is to build a pure tokenbased transaction system. We print digital cryptocurrency into physical notes, which means the physical notes store the value of cryptocurrency directly. In order to achieve these goals, we designed an Android App and a Web App. This report will focus on the design and development of the Web App as well as its function and interaction with database.


This research has purposed to describe (1) assessment technique of knowledge aspects, (2) assessment technique of skill aspects, and also (3) assessment form of knowledge aspects that be found in student 's textbook of  VII class Indonesian language C urriculum 2013. This study is descriptive qualitative research. The data and data source of study are words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and discourses which contain technique and form of assessment of knowledge and skill aspects. The result shows that both techniques of assessment of knowledge and skill aspects and asse s sment form of knowledge aspect haven't loaded yet entirely in student's student 's textbook of  VII class Indonesian language  C urriculum 2013


The importance of micro, small and medium size companies (MSMC) to the economical development and job creation in the country hasn't found parallel with respect to the production of theories in the strategy field, even considering the limited capacity of action of the MSMCs and the idiosyncrasies of their leaders. This article seeks to contribute to the understanding of the strategy formation processes in these companies by the nature of the strategic thinking of their strategists, having as reference the taxonomy of generic strategies and the cognitive processes of decision making and strategic thinking. It aims at proposing a typology to comprehend the nature of strategic thinking of these managers, identifying their main characteristics dimensions and proposing an instrument that allows its categorization and comparison. The application of a survey with an intentional sample composed by 70 strategists allowed the use of factor analysis for the construction of categories and scale, and the observation that, in the universe of the surveyed strategists in regard to their way of thinking, intuition is complementary, not dominant, the collective character is intense in the strategy formation process as well as the appreciation of formalism and belief of the importance of planning and registering their intentions. Key words: Strategy. Micro, small e medium companies. Intuition. Collective character. Formalism.


Obtained image quality by ultrasound diagnostic device depends on skill of an operator. In addition, it is difficult to observe the image easily and precisely due to organ motions and deformations in accordance with breathing and pulsation. In this paper, we report a developed novel physiological motion compensation device to track and follow moving and deformable organ so as to observe the affected area, which is incorporated in the organ, easily and precisely as if it were still regardless of the skill of the operator.


Authors´ conclusions: among infants with bronchiolitis treated in the emergency department, combined therapy
with dexamethasone and epinephrine may significantly reduce hospital admissions.
Reviewers´ commentary: given the current recommendations of the clinical practice guidelines, the results of this
study (number needed to treat [NNT] of 11, with a wide confidence interval), its methodological limitations and the
potential side effects of treating infants with high doses of dexamethasone, it does not seem sensible to change our
therapeutic approach to bronchiolitis.


The thermoreflectance test technology is provided with high spatial and temporal resolution, which is suitable for temperature testing of tiny structures of GaN HEMTs (high electron mobility transistors). Based on the thermoreflectance thermography platform, this paper studies the response relationship between the thermoreflectance coefficient and wavelength of the passivated gold, unpassivated gold, and GaN on the surface of GaN HEMTs, and the differences in steady-state temperature distributions of passivated gold and unpassivated gold at different wavelengths are analyzed. The steady-state and transient temperature changes of the GaN HEMTs channel were tested, and their accuracy was verified using the finite element analysis simulation. Based on the established thermoreflectance coefficient distribution map, it can be seen that the passivated gold, unpassivated gold and GaN have good responses at wavelengths of 410 nm, 530 nm and 365 nm, respectively. For passivated gold and unpassivated gold, the temperature obtained at different wavelengths may have a difference of 20-40℃, and the wavelength with the best response can ensure the accuracy of the results. Due to the presence of the passivation layer, the temperature difference between the passivated gold and unpassivated gold reaches nearly 40℃ at a wavelength of 410 nm. Passivated gold and unpassivated gold need to be tested at 410 nm and 530 nm wavelengths in order to avoid the large temperature deviations.


There is a gap in the proof of Theorem 3 in [1]. The paper [1] contains a complete proof of this theorem in the case when the space Y is separable. Also, there is an inessential mistake in the proof of Lemma 2, although its statement is true with an obvious proof. After replacing Lemma 2 by another lemma, we shall fill the gap mentioned above by proving the first part of the statement of Theorem 3, namely, let f : D(f) ⊂ X → Y be an arbitrary map from a metric space X into a normed linear space Y 6= 0, with domain of definition of the type Fσδ in X. If f is T -regularizable, then f is M -regularizable by continuous maps. We propose the following lemma instead of Lemma 2.


Adoption of rooftop solar PV is hindered by lack of transparency about cost, equipment quality and government incentives. Third party quote aggregator platforms have the potential to influence both the consumers as well as installers and reduce overall costs by increasing the competition among installers. Our major findings focus on platform design and auction rules set by the quote aggregator and how this platform design impacts quote prices. We build a linear regression model with quote price as a dependent variable and competition and system related characteristics as explanatory variables. We use a regression discontinuity approach to study the impacts of four platform design changes on quote prices and transaction prices. We find that price reference provided to installers has the most significant impact on quote prices, as it lowers the quote prices by 0.10 $/W, by acting as an anchor. Our results show that premium quality panels cost 0.48 $/W more than the economy panels, thus premium panels are significantly associated with higher priced quotes. Further, we focus on valuation of panel quality to see if an online marketplace auction triggers a race to the bottom, sacrificing quality. We find that customers value the


OBJECTIVE: Assess the test-retest reproducibility of gait parameters using quantitative gait analysis for potential use as an outcome measure in the hereditary ataxias.
 BACKGROUND: Previous studies have estimated that sample sizes using current subjective clinical scales needed to detect a 50% reduction in disease over 1 year will require 250 patients for hereditary ataxias clinical trials. There is a need for objective, reproducible outcome measures that will allow for smaller sample sizes. SCA specific pathology in the cerebellum and its connections often manifest as gait abnormalities suggesting a role for gait analysis in tracking clinical outcomes.
 DESIGN/METHODS: 20 patients with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (SCA1=3, SCA2=3, SCA3=5, SCA6=9) underwent Biomechanical Assessment of Gait (BAG) and Balance Test (BT) using GaitRITE at baseline and at 2 weeks. Gait parameters at baseline and 2 weeks were analyzed with reliability analysis to examine reproducibility. Correlations between gait parameters and currently used clinical scales for ataxia (SARA) were performed.
 RESULTS: Objective gait parameters at baseline and 2 weeks showed high internal consistency, high intraclass correlation coefficients including gait velocity (ICC=.976), cadence (ICC=.972), timed 25 foot walk (ICC=.962), single support time left and right (ICC=.981 and .988), double support time (ICC=.98), percentage of gait cycle in double support left and right (ICC=.988 and .987), percentage of gait cycle in single support left and right (ICC=.986 and .971). Measured gait parameters showing highest correlation with SARA scores were double support time (r=.638 p=.002), timed 25 foot walk (r=.672 p=.002), and gait velocity (r=-.673 p=.001).
 CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative gait analysis shows high test-retest reliability suggesting potential utility as an outcome measure for clinical trials in the spinocerebellar ataxias. Disclosure: Dr. Morita has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vincent has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hack has nothing to disclose. Dr. Conrad has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ashizawa has received royalty payments from Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Subramony has received personal compensation for activities with Athena Diagnostics as a speaker. Dr. Xia has nothing to disclose.


AIM To study the effect of Hydrocortisone injection on tyrosinase activity and the melanogenesis of B 16 murine melanoma cell. METHODS Tyrosinase activity was measured by zymologic method with its absorption at 490 nm. MTT was used to study the proliferation of B 16 murine melanoma cells. The melanin was detected by its absorption at 570 nm. RESULTS Hydrocortisone injection can significantly enhance the activity of tyrosinase in vitro and of mice serum and enhance the synthesis of tyrosinase, the melanogenesis, the proliferation of B 16 murine melanoma cells. CONCLUSION Hydrocortisone injection activates the activity of tyrosinase in vitiligo treatment.


Examined 50 patients 22–82 years old who have suffered an transient ischemic attack or a mini-stroke. Patients were divided into three comparableby agegroups. First consisted of 18 patients with vascular parkinsonism, second — 16 patients without akinetic-rigid symptomatology and with cognitive disorders, third — 16 patients without akineticrigid symptomatology and without cognitive disorders at the moment of examination. Conducted clinical, neuropsychological, psychological, functional examination static and dynamic components of postural balance. Results of the work show that most pronounced cognitive disorders observed in patients with pathology of cerebral vessels without akinetic-rigid symptomatology. An transient ischemic attack or a minor stroke at the first month of the disease accompanied bymoderate dynamic balance disorders. When combined cerebrovascular pathology with light initial manifestations of vascular parkinsonism plastic hypertonus contributes to the stability of patients and compensation of postural dysfunction.


This paper presents an application of Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm for survivable optical network design. The dedicated path protection (DPP) survivability scheme is modelled by ABC algorithm for establishing two link-disjoint paths between each node pair in demand matrix considering single link failure scenarios. In the proposed algorithm every food source represents a lightpath between each node pair in optical network and the position of food sources are modified by artificial bees to minimize the total number of utilized wavelengths by working and spare lightpaths. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed ABC based survivability scheme is able and efficient to design fault-tolerant optical transport networks.


Purpose: Chronic heart failure (HF) patients with a left ventricular (LV) conduction delay, mostly due to left bundle branch block (LBBB), derive benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, approximately 30% of patients do not improve clinically after CRT. We investigated whether T-wave analysis can improve patient selection. Methods: The study population comprised 335 CRT recipients with baseline 12-lead electrocardiogram recordings. Echocardiographic response after 6-months CRT was defined as a ≥ 5% increase in LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients were assessed for HF hospitalization and death separately, as well as both combined with heart transplantation and LVAD implantation (HTLD) at 3 years follow-up. T-wave area was determined in vectorcardiograms (VCGs), constructed from digital 12-lead ECGs using an adapted Kors method. Results: Logistic regression models indicated repolarization variables as good predictors of CRT response. The VCG-derived T-wave area predicted CRT response (odds ratio (OR) per 10 μVs increase 1.172 (p Conclusions: In patients with LBBB morphology of the QRS complex, a larger baseline T-wave area is an important additional predictor of both volumetric and long-term clinical response following CRT.


Bamboo wood is processed into a quadrangular shape with different processing methods,with its surface roughness measured with a contact-pointer type surface roughness measuring instrument.The results show that the factors of surface roughness increase with the increase in the wedge angle,and increase followed by decrease with the increase in the rake angle,of which Ra,Rz,and Ry change gently,while Sm changes significantly and that sawing cutting can ensure better surface quality compared with rift cutting.


We investigate "the past" of a nonstationary point x in a semiflow π: ℝ+ x M→M on a 2‐manifold M. In a natural way there are defined two boundary trajectories Ta and Tb; by the funnel we mean F(x) ={y:π(t, y) =x for some t} and we put D(x) ≈F(x)\(Ta∪Tb). We show that if x is not a point of negative unicity, then D(x) is homeomorphic to ℝ2. Also, if T is a nonboundary trajectory through x, then D(x)\T has two components for a regular point x and D(x)\T has two or three components for a periodic point x.


Isolated human PMNs served as a model to determine oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) binding and the effects of oxymyoglobin (oxyMb) or oxyHb on production of both nitric oxide (NO·) and superoxide (O2) and the resulting cytotoxicity. Physiologically relevant concentrations of NO and H2O2 oxidized, to a similar extent, 2,7‐dichlorodihydro‐fluorescein (DCFH) loaded into polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Activation of PMNs with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) markedly increased the internalization of extracellular oxyHb (10–250 μg/mL). OxyMb (10–300 μg/mL) or oxyHb (30–300 μg/mL) enhanced DCFH oxidation by a concentration‐dependent mechanism in unstimulated, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF‐α)‐, and PMA‐stimulated PMNs. This increased DCFH oxidation was eliminated by NO synthase inhibitors, glutathione and ascorbate, and was reduced by albumin. Nitrite accumulation in PMN filtrates mirrored NO‐induced DCF fluorescence. OxyMb‐induced increases in NO levels paralleled alterations in DNA and cell membrane damage and ATP levels in PMNs and co‐cultured lymphocytes, and were attenuated by NO synthase inhibitors. OxyMb eliminated extracellular O2 at protein concentrations 100‐ to 1000‐fold above those of superoxide dismutase. These results suggest that heme proteins bind and internalize into PMNs and increase NO‐induced damage in neighboring cells by inhibiting O2 ‐scavenging of NO We propose a mechanism whereby heme protein‐induced NO levels may contribute to immunosuppression and increased infection rates associated with transfusions and cellular damage during inflammation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 67: 357–368.


welcome the immense insight interspersed throughout the text into the personalities and predilections of Said bin Taimur and Qaboos. Of Sultan Qaboos himself, Skeet has included numerous telling details about the Sultan's foreign relations, his meet-the-people approach, his ministers, his policy toward education, the environment, finance, oil and his efforts to spur greater involvement in civic affairs in general, as well as popular participation in the national development process in particular. Also of value is hard-to-come-by information regarding a range of British Commonwealth expatriates long associated with the evolution of the Sultanate in the second half of the 20th century. These individuals, at one time or another, played key roles in Oman's remarkable ascent in regional and world affairs, a role that in many ways belies the country's relative smallness in terms of population and the rather modest range of its natural resources. With characteristic understatement, Skeet writes at length about "rumors, suspicions, conspiracies, and accusations [that] were swirling around Muscat" (p. 72) in the early 1970s as to how Oman was being governed, financed and developed. It is to his credit that he covers the range of most of the more widely circulated rumors and that he pulls few punches in the process. Because he is or was in as good a position as anyone to ferret fact from fiction, his comments about the numerous people who figured heavily in these tales are of more than passing interest and value. This small book is much more than a primer. It has the ring of authentic detail, insight and analysis that can only be gained through long study and extensive empirical familiarity with the subject. Skeet is to be congratulated for this second superb contribution to the literature on one of the world's least known countries. JOHN DUKE ANTHONY National Council on US-Arab Relations


The Lake Diefenbaker CE-QUAL-W2 model has 87 horizontal segments starting at Saskatchewan highway 4 at the upstream extending to the Gardiner Dam and the Qu'Appelle Dam at downstream, and one-meter vertical layers with a maximum of 60 layers at the deepest point near the Gardiner Dam. Gardiner dam outflow is either via metalimnetic withdrawal through hydroelectric turbines or via a spillway during brief high flow periods. The current operational withdrawal depth of approximately 34m was altered in the model according to six extraction depth scenarios (5, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 m) to determine impacts on nutrient distribution and concentrations within the reservoir. The model is calibrated for water temperature, PO4, organic P, TN , NH4, NO3, organic N, and dissolved oxygen.


This paper undertakes a conceptual enquiry into the idea of the expectations gap. This method of enquiry is explained as a philosophical investigation into the concepts used in the literature relating to the expectations gap. A descriptive conceptual enquiry is undertaken into the current use of the expression 'expectations gap' and the related terms 'expectation' and 'expects'. It is argued that vagueness and misunderstandings of the uses of these expressions undermines a grasp of the issues involved and of how they are to be resolved. The paper looks at the various explanations of these expressions in the literature and suggests that more clarity in discussions of the issues would be achieved by characterizing expectations as beliefs about what auditors do or desires for them to perform certain procedures with certain qualities in audits. The grounds for the beliefs are considered. The belief that the auditor will do something because of a belief that it is a duty is examined. The way in which the auditor's beliefs that something is a duty determines what they do is explained through the idea of practical reasoning. The paper goes on to explore the suggestion that an expectation might also be some kind of desire that auditors perform certain actions in the context of an audit. These desires are related to a consideration of the objectives of auditing. The idea of the reasonableness of these desires is examined. The reasons for wanting auditors to undertake particular procedures can also underlie the acceptance of particular meanings of 'audit' and 'auditing'. The audit expectations gap is reconfigured in terms of the beliefs and desires identified in the paper.


Let R be a prime or semiprime ring equipped with an involution ∗ and α be an automorphism of R. An additive mapping T : R → R is called a left (resp. right) α−∗centralizer of R if T (xy) = T (x)α (y∗) (resp. T (xy) = α (x∗)T (y)) holds for all x, y ∈ R, where α is an endomorphism of R. A left (resp. right) Jordan α−∗centralizer T : R → R is an additive mapping such that T ( x2 ) = T (x)α(x∗) (resp. T ( x2 ) = α(x∗)T (x)) holds for all x ∈ R. In this paper, we obtain some results about Jordan α−∗centralizer of R with involution.


The quantity and quality of residues determine the formation and stabilization of aggregate structure for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Plant roots and residues are the primary organic skeleton to enmesh the inorganic particles together and build macro- and microaggregates while sequestering SOC. There are three major organic binding agents of aggregation: temporary (plant roots, fungal hyphae, and bacterial cells), transient (polysaccharides), and persistent (humic compounds and polymers). Conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural lands for intensive cultivation severely depletes SOC pools. Magnitude of SOC sequestration in the soil system depends on the residence time of SOC in aggregates. Microaggregates are bound to old organic C, whereas macroaggregates contain younger organic material. Many techniques have been used to assess the SOC distribution in aggregates. Classical methods include SOC determination in aggregate fractions by wet and dry sieving of bulk soil. Isotopic methods including the determination of 13C and 14C with mass spectrometry are techniques to quantify the turnover and storage of organic materials in soil aggregates. Other techniques involve the use of computed tomography, X-ray scattering, and X-ray microscopy to examine the internal porosity and interaggregate attributes of macro- and microaggregates. Current state-of-knowledge has not unravelled completely the underlying complex processes involved in the sequestration, stability, dynamics, and residence times of SOC in macro- and microaggregates. There is a need to develop a unique conceptual model of aggregate hierarchy.


Global warming and climate change show a decrease in environmental quality. The main cause of global warming is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2). This study aims to analyze the effect of economic growth and economic openness on environmental quality in ASEAN countries from 2010 to 2019. This research uses a panel data analysis method. The analysis results show that the variable economic growth has a negative and significant effect on carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile, the variables used for economic openness are exports, imports, and FDI. Export and FDI variables have a positive and significant effect on CO2 emissions, but there is no effect on imports. This study also used population variables as control variables and the result is there is no effect on CO2. Based on the results, it is necessary to have a carbon emission reduction policy for ASEAN countries using environmentally friendly technology.


6011 Background: G is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor with modest single-agent activity in SCCHN. We hypothesized that the addition of G to D will enhance thera...


Abstract The way the structure of the Japanese honorific system keigo is grasped and presented influences the understanding and appropriate use of the honorific forms this system includes. Functional categorization makes it easier to perceive principles that are not immediately evident. This paper argues for the superiority of the new 5-category division into sonkeigo ('deferential speech'), kenjōgo ('humble speech'), teichōgo ('formal polite speech'), teineigo ('polite speech') and bikago ('refined speech'), recently promulgated by the Ministry of Education, over the traditional and wide-spread 3-category division into sonkeigo, kenjōgo and teineigo. It proposes that the new system offers significant functional advantages in that it better captures the ways social relations are expressed within the Japanese honorific system and that it sets out more clear-cut categories which better reflect the differences between the forms available to the speaker. Through description and comparison of the more notable frameworks proposed by Japanese linguists over the past fifty years, the paper seeks to demonstrate that the 5-category system is not just another more extensive model but also represents a logical outcome of developments in this field of scholarship.


The article deals with theoretical and methodological foundations of information collection and processing in a multilevel information system of credit education services with using distributed database management and modern Internet-applications development tools. Disadvantages of the existing information transfer organization from higher education institutions to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the preparation of various ratings of borrowers is specified. The author identifies the necessity to ensure the availability of forward and reverse links between controllers and borrowers. It is offered to use the modern concepts of cloud technologies based on ASP.NET and the database management system Microsoft SQL Servers to implement mechanisms for the collection and processing of information in the multilevel system of credit education services. The author provides to use the IaaS and SaaS concepts for integration management system into a single information space and to avoid the necessary to support the "difficult" decisions of infrastructure (data centers, higher education institutions infrastructure). It is developed the information system structure, which reduces the labor costs of employees engaged in a long-term preferential educational loans, and also provides the ability to effectively control the distribution, use and repayment of loans. The procedures of interaction of borrowers, employees of higher educational institutions and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Internet-portal of long-term preferential educational loans are offered.


As the front-end technology of artificial intelligence, computer vision has been widely studied in recent years, and the introduction of deep learning methods has accelerated this process. This paper shows the progress made in object detection in the last 5 years, followed by the mainstream model topology including Convolutional Neural Network and Transformer. We further compared the accuracy and model complexity of different backbones, analyzed the differences and the inner link between Convolutional Neural Network and Transformer, at the end of the thesis, the prospect of future development is presented.


This subject is dedicated to student interested in mathematics (in particular algebraic topology and differential geometry). The main goal of this PhD is to develop the study of homogeneous systems. The notion of weighted homogene-ity generalizes the classical notion of homogeneity. It has been introduced by Rothschild and Stein in [12]. In the 90's, Matthias Kawski has developed the study and the applications of homogeneous systems [7, 8, 9]. These systems are important in the class of nonlinear systems and the research is active (see for example the PhD thesis [14]). Some nonlinear systems can not be linearized, nevertheless they can be approximated by homogeneous systems (see [4]) which possess some important mathematical properties, in particular for stability (see [11]) and stabilization (see [3, 5, 6, 10]). The main goal of this PhD Thesis is to carry on the geometrical and topological study of homogeneous systems in order to bring out interesting properties which can be used in control theory. In particular, the research of a sequence of contracting subset associated with Lyapunov functions has not been solved for high order systems (see [13]). In [2], Lionel Rosier also proposes to generalize the notion of weighted homogeneity to the notion of symmetry. We can also cite the following paper [1] where the authors are interested in the notion of bi-limit. The originality of the subject is the challenge it represents: the implementation of high level mathematical tools (as algebraic topology and differential geometry) on largely unknown systems. Finally, the study of these systems is an issue which exceeds the framework of the control theory by its important implications for the approximation of nonlinear systems.