Automation and robotics are often proposed as solutions to problems in productivity, quality, safety, and skilled-labor availability in the United States and in Japan. In recent years, many prototype robots have been developed, but few practical examples can be found on construction sites today. Nevertheless, several large Japanese contractors are aggressively pursuing research and development (R&D) programs to introduce robots on construction sites. United States contractors exhibit little interest. This paper evaluates construction automation and robotics in the context of their ability to satisfy the often conflicting demands of managers and owners, workers, and society in the United States and in Japan. In the United States, there is weak demand for construction automation and robotics. In fact, there may be considerable resistance. In Japan, there is a great deal of demand for automation and robotics, much of it coming from workers and society in general. Differences in cultural, economic, and business practices help explain why construction automation and robotics are generating so much activity and investment in Japan and so little in the United States.


This document presents an architectural framework (plan) and roadmap for the implementation of a robust Cloud Computing capability at Sandia National Laboratories. It is intended to be a living document and serve as the basis for detailed implementation plans, project proposals and strategic investment requests.


The following problem is considered. Given positive integers $(n_1 , \cdots ,n_m )$ and an $n_m \times m$ matrix D with the property that the $n_m $ elements in each column form a monotone sequence, find a set A of $n_m $ elements of D whose sum is maximum, and such that for any j, $j = 1, \cdots ,m$, not more than $n_j $ elements are chosen from columns $1,2, \cdots ,j$. An algorithm, solving the above problem in time $O(m^2 \log ^2 n_m )$ is presented. The algorithm is applicable to a production-sales planning model with concave utilities. It is also demonstrated that the special case of equal columns is solvable in $O(m^2 )$ time.


Under the perspective of Relevance Theory,poetry can be translated and the main task for translator is to deliver optimal relevance.Through analyzing the original poem of Wang Wei's Lu Zhai,the paper compares and analyzes two English versions of the poem under the guidance of optimal relevance.


The utility model provides a diagnostic device used for a rail vehicle fiber network and a rail vehicle employing the diagnostic device. The fiber network is composed of a central control device, terminal control devices and optical fibers. The diagnostic device includes optical signal detecting instruments. The optical signal detecting instruments includes OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) modules and combining and filtering devices. Two fiber input terminals of each of the combining and filtering devices, that are communicated with each other internally, are connected with the two optical fibers respectively. The two optical fibers are connected to the central control device and the terminal control device respectively or are connected to the two terminal control devices respectively. The OTDR modules are connected with a test port of the combining and filtering device connected with the two fiber input terminals. According to the utility model, the OTDR modules are connected to the prior train optical fiber network through the combining and filtering device for detecting the optical fibers. Status information of the optical fibers can be collected and failure information of the rail vehicle optical fiber network can be obtained in real time. Therefore, convenience is made for technicians to maintain the optical fiber network and the maintenance cost is reduced.


The method of operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, based on the preference information on the number of lower (sub) content, each constituting the contents (contents) in the process and, the preference information that it receives from the other electronic device, the in that it comprises the step of displaying a preference corresponding to a plurality of sub-contents, each characterized.


In this manuscript, a methodology is presented, in which a large-eddy simulation (LES) model is combined with a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model to simulate the flow through an offshore wind farm. The results of this combination of models are compared with field measurements (both lidar and met mast) in an offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The topic is interesting and it is a direction, in which wind energy community should/will eventually move. Nevertheless, there are some issues that the authors should address, before this manuscript can officially get published. These issues are listed below:


In Chapters 2 through 4 we studied the problem of detecting Gaussian signals in the presence of Gaussian noise. In this chapter we first discuss some related topics. theory discussion. All of our discussion in Chapters 2 through 4 dealt with th.e binary detection problem. In this section we discuss briefly the M-hypothesis problem. The general Gaussian M-ary problem is where and 40 = M>,(1) E[r&) 1 Hi] = q(t) (2) Most of the ideas from the binary case carry over to the diary case with suitable modifications. As an illustration we consider a special case of the general problem. The problem of interest is described by the following model. The received waveforms on the 1M hypotheses are p(t) = s&> + fi(t>, The additive noise n(t) is a sample function from a zero-mean Gaussian process with covariance function K,(t, u). A white noise term is not


Rabbit embryo tissue was grown in a thin plasma clot and after some days the cultures were submitted to a trypsin solution strong enough to digest the clot and free the cells that had extended into it. 1 By repeated pipettings and filtrations through lens paper, alternated with differential washings in gelatin-Tyrode solution, suspensions were obtained of the living cells as individuals. They were mixed at room temperature with suspensions of virus, and after an interval the cells were recovered with the centrifuge, again washed repeatedly, treated in various ways and inoculated into rabbits. The viruses used were vaccinia and the filterable agent causing the rabbit fibroma described by Shope. 2 Cells exposed to virus and repeatedly washed invariably gave rise to lesions in susceptible animals. The briefest exposure at room temperature permitted by the conditions resulted in an association of the virus with the cells, which withstood many washings of the latter. The fixation thus indicated took place not only upon living cells but upon those killed by heat, ultraviolet light, and water respectively, and often was as considerable. Incubation of the material with immune serum in vitro, followed by repeated washings prior to infection, resulted in neutralization of the virus associated with dead cells, whereas these procedures were without effect when the cells were alive. The possibility that serum antibodies accumulated on the dead cells and were carried into the final inoculum was ruled out by appropriate tests. Suspensions of individual, washed cells procured from cultures of Shope tumor tissue, or from rabbit embryo cultures inoculated with vaccinia, were found to carry the virus.


-Restriction enzyme analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the Blackcapped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus), Carolina Chickadee (P. carolinensis), and Tufted Titmouse (P. bicolor) indicate substantial genetic divergence (p = 0.04-0.09). Eleven of 14 enzymes produced fragment patterns that distinguish the two chickadees, revealing a bounty of markers for studies of these sibling species. Received 23 December 1985, accepted 18 April


In analytical asymptotical procedure of first power of smallness the regulations of realization of a waves motion are studied in twolayered liquids stratified with regard to their physico-chemical properties with a free surface and hard bottom. It is shown that existence of hard bottom enhances the effect.


AGV(Automated guided vehicle) is one of important components when we unload or move to another location in automated facilities or automated warehouse. for decades engineers have been keep developed for increasing productivity of logistics system. The most typical form of AGV that is automatically driving above the guide line(embedded guide wire) or paint strip. In this paper, we proposed AGV algorithm to recognize for one S-pole and three N-pole by using magnetic sensors. In principle, S-pole will be install at first position and if AGV reads S-pole then AGV will start to recognize the command by the status of the array of N-pole. therefore, AGV can accept eight kind of command by by The status of the array of N-pole. in other words, when AGV is driving forward, S-pole will appear and disappear for short time. at that time, AGV will read command from The status of the array of N-pole. and when AGV is driving, it will controls left and right motor by using datas from magnetic sensors for driving.


Turbulent diffusion efficiently transports momentum, heat, and matter and affects their transfers between the surface and the atmosphere. As an important parameter in describing turbulent diffusion, turbulent heat diffusivity K H has scarcely been studied in the context of frequent urban pollution in recent years. In this study, K H under urban pollution conditions was directly calculated based on the K-theory. We found an obvious diurnal variation in K H and its varying vertical distributions for each case and with time. Interestingly, the height of negative K H rises gradually after sunrise, peaks at noon, and falls near sunset. Negative K H is unusually significant at sunrise and sunset and approximately 140 m during most of the night. The magnitude and fluctuation in K H are smaller in the pollutant accumulation stage (CS) at all levels than in the pollutant transport stage (TS) and pollutant removal stage (RS). Turbulent diffusion may greatly affect PM 2.5


The stele was found in the sanctuary of Hera in Argos. It is characterised by a triangular pediment and, in the lower part, by a donative that had to fit into a rectangular depression, clearly visible in the stone. The content of the text consists of a list of four Ieromnemones, one for each tribe (which is carefully mentioned after each individual name), and of the specification of the cultic destination of the dedication, to Hera Argeia. The inscription has a primary historical importance, first of all because it is one of the oldest inscriptions from the sanctuary of Hera in Argos and, secondly, because it is one of the first texts to mention the fourth tribe of the Hyrnathioi.


The damage caused by phishing does not only apply to monetary property alone. The fragile bonds of trust that organizations build with their constituents are shattered in the process. As people lose faith in the reliability of electronic communication methods, companies lose their customer base. In the case disasters, people can spend billions in preparation, to analyze weaknesses and improve recovery time, only to have thrust shattered by phishing attacks. This in turn causes a significant loss in money, resources and time. In this study we review the main characteristics of phishing attacks and their impact to society. Based on current trends, we predict an increase in frequency and precision of these attacks and suggest best practices for both user and business education such that the impact is minimized.


The theory that Vali was the first Urdu poet was disproved some years ago by the discovery of a number of MSS. three and four hundred years old. Only a few articles have been published hitherto giving a general view of the existence and nature of these MSS.; but so far no serious attempt has been made by any scholar to decipher and interpret any one of them. This thesis is the first attempt to discuss in detail the history, life and the poetical works of Bahri which up till now were buried in oblivion; the text and translation of sixty ghazals which have been deciphered for the first time are also included. The first chapter deals with the history of Bahri's times and gives a short account of the decline of the Adil Shahs and the condition of society in Aurangzib's time, when Bahri wrote his Man-Lagan. The second chapter consists of a survey of Bahri's contemporaries and some specimens of their poetry to enable readers to form a comparative estimate of the value of Bahrl's poems. The third chapter is devoted to Bahrl's life mostly based on internal evidence drawn from his Masnavi Man-Lagan and supported by quotations. Very little is known of him from external evidence. The fourth chapter is divided into five sections:- (1) a discussion of some variant readings of the three copies of Man-Lagan, with a full account of the main theme and its mystical bearings; (2) the general literary characteristic of the Ghazaliyat; (3) a few Marsiyas; (4) two Qasidas; (5) the leading ideas of the twelve Jams of the Bangnama. The fifth chapter contains the text of 60 ghazals deciphered from the original MS. in the candidate's possession. The sixth chapter contains literal translation into English of these ghazals. The seventh chapter comprises (1) a short account of some of the peculiarities of the script employed in the MS.; (2) some striking lines from the Masnavi; (3) glossary of archaic words, and (4) some grammatical characterisations of Bahrl's ghazals.


Consumers in the digital era are empowered to interact with brands and highlight their consumption experiences by creating their own user-generated content sites such as blogs. Yet this important marketing phenomenon of Conspicuous Consumption-Oriented Blogging has been little researched. This paper seeks to address that by expanding our understanding of conspicuous consumption in the computer mediated environment. Using the context of branded coffee buying behaviour, the paper examines consumers in Korea and their impression management by brand association on their personal blogs. A total 185 sample blogs were identified by a thorough search of blogs via the naver.com, the most popular search engine of South Korea. A systematic coding scheme was developed based on existing research on digital self-presentation strategies and conspicuous consumption behaviours. The resulting content analysis of consumption-oriented blogs reveals that consumers display conspicuous consumption behaviours in the computer mediated environment. Consumers have the power and the disposition to use and create brand images, without even purchasing the products or service. This has important implications for practitioners. For academics, blogging provides a distinctive insight into conspicuous consumer behaviour which should not be ignored. This paper is the first of its kind to investigate the online environment as a context for conspicuous consumption behaviour, and as such proposes an agenda for future research in this area.


Given clause is devoted to a problem of organization of process of planning in complex structural formations in an industry. In clause the aspects of coordination of the plans of structural units of the managing subject are considered. The requirements showed in system of planning in an industry are allocated. The classification of the forms and methods of coordination of the plans is submitted. The special attention is given to use of economic models during development and coordination of the plans.


Revolt in Slow Motion Arvind Narayan Das BIHAR is passing through a nightmare. Events happen; programmes are taken up; there is mass involvement in the agitation; and the repressive state machinery meets the situation with the utmost brutality. All this for a few days every month. Then life reverts to its usual routine


As most hospitality industry managers in the U.S. are already aware, there is a growing and persistent shortage of labor available for service-sector, non-career jobs, the very jobs so vital to the industry. In most cases, recruitment efforts for these jobs are targeted toward younger workers, those under age 25. The authors explore issues regarding the attractiveness of non-career jobs in the eyes of young persons and suggest that, in addition to factors related to the job itself (pay, hours, type of work), the type of procedures used by employers to make selection decisions are equally influential. Recommendations are made concerning how hospitality employers with non-career positions to fill can maximize the chances of successfully staffing their


Hyperbranched polymers have the unique properties, such as high solubility, low viscosity and slow clearance etc. Hyperbranched copolymers with the properties of stable structure and high drug loading are obtained by grafting other polymers onto the surface of hyperbranched polymers, which can be used as drug carriers. This paper lays emphasis on the kinds of hyperbranched copolymer as well as the applications to drug carriers. And the safety of this material is briefly introduced.


ABSTRACT Background: The literature on the effects of cannabis use by patients with schizophrenia is variable. Aims: To determine whether there are differences among urine-screened cannabis-only users, polysubstance users using cannabis, and nonusers on the number of inpatient hospitalizations and length of stay for patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Method: This study (N = 116) included patients who tested positive for only cannabis (n = 20, Group 1); tested positive for cannabis and had a history of other substance use (n = 43, Group 2); and had negative drug screens (n = 53, Group 3). Results: Groups 1 and 2 had significantly lower numbers of hospitalizations than Group 3 without controlling for any other factors, and non-significantly lower lengths of stay than Group 3. Conclusions: Our results do not support the hypothesis that cannabis exacerbates psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Our study is unique in that it utilized objective urine drug screens.


In order to clarify the effect of oxygen in the sputtering atmosphere on the microstructure and giant magnetoresistance, Co/Cu multilayers were fabricated under a sputtering atmosphere into which regulated impurity oxygen gas was introduced. After being pumped down the sputtering chamber to the ultimate pressure (less than 1×10−10 Torr), oxygen was introduced into the chamber until its content in processing Ar gas was about 0.1 ppm to 0.1%. The magnetoresistance (MR) ratio drastically increased from less than 20% to 54% when the content of impurity oxygen was slightly increased from 20 to 80 ppm, then nearly vanished when the content became more than 200 ppm. In the former region where the MR ratio steeply increased, the root mean square roughness of the multilayers decreased from 6.5 to 4.5 A accompanied by a reduction in grain size as the oxygen content was increased. The partial oxidation of the multilayers is the most probable mechanism by which the flattening of the interfaces in the multilayer can b...


Data from satellite observations and theoretical simulations of ion heating in the magnetospheric cusp region are compiled in tables, graphs, and diagrams and discussed. Consideration is given to the mixing of ionospheric and magnetosheath plasmas, the instability of downward-flowing ring distributions of H(+) and He(2+) to lower-hybrid waves, and oxygen and hydrogen heating at finite k(parallel). A range of unstable propagation angles of + or - 20 deg about the perpendicular is estimated for M(H)/M(e) = 50, including superthermal and background electron dynamics.


Hydrological time series comprise the influences of numerous processes involved in the transfer of water in hydrological cycle. It implies that an ambiguity with respect to the processes encoded in spectral and cross-spectral density functions exists. The ambiguity can be resolved by applying a novel approach based on the spectral representation of partial correlation. Mathematical background for partial spectral density, partial amplitude and partial phase functions is presented. These functions yield the estimates of spectral density, amplitude and phase that are not affected by a controlling process. For example, if an input-output relation is the subject of interest, antecedent and subsequent influences of the controlling process can be distinguished considering the input event as a referent point. The method is used for analyzing discharge time series in order to obtain information about processes, other than rainfall, involved in groundwater transfer in karst aquifers. It allows separating out the part plaid by some parameters which modify the input and output signal by their variations before and after each input event. This is especially the case for air temperature and relative humidity which partially control the water consumption by evapotranspiration. This work focuses on the indirect influences of these two parameters on the rainfall-discharge relationship. Time series are collected in the catchment of the Jadro Spring located in the Dinaric karst area of Croatia. The antecedent and subsequent influences of the air temperature and relative humidity on the Jadro spring discharge are analyzed. The results show that air temperature and relative humidity affect slightly the quick-flow component, whereas the effects on the slow-flow component are more evident. The subsequent influences on the discharge are more important than the antecedent influences on the form of spring response. The mean residence time of the slow-flow component depends on air temperature. A linear relation between the relative humidity one day before rainfall and the form of spring response after 5 days can be noted. Although the air temperature and relative humidity influence the karst spring response and they have subsequent influences on the discharge from karst spring, it can be concluded generally that the relative importance of the influences of these two parameters on the discharge from the Jadro Spring is low. The discharge from this spring is mainly generated by other unobserved processes occurring in the karst underground including intercatchment groundwater flows. However, the air temperature and relative humidity affect the groundwater balance at seasonal level so their influences are mainly concentrated at low frequencies. The presented results of practical application on the Jadro Spring show that the partial spectral analysis can give additional information which cannot be obtained by using classical methods in frequency domain including the wavelet transform. For example, the spectral representation of partial correlation can be used for: recognition of processes affecting signal in frequency domain, recognition of processes affecting system response, determination of contribution and relative importance of each process, identification of antecedent and subsequent influences of each process, estimation of relative importance of observed and unobserved processes, etc.


Objective: To observe the effects of tamoxifen(TAM) on the migration and proliferation of BV-2 cells in oxygen-glucose deprivation(OGD) models. Methods: BV-2 cells were divided into control group(normal oxygen concentration+ high glucose+ fetal bovine serum free medium), OGD group(1% oxygen + sugar free+ serum-free medium), OGD+TAM group(1% oxygen + sugar free+serum-free medium +TAM). After performing scratch test, migration and proliferation of BV-2 cells were examined by photographs and immunohistochemistry. Results: BV-2 cells in the OGD group shown faster migration than those in the control group(P0.05). The administration of TAM suppressed the migration of BV-2 cells compared to the OGD group(P0.05). The percentage of Ki67 positive cells in the OGD group was higher than that in the control group, and the application of Tam reduced the percentage of Ki67 positive cells compared with that in the OGD group(P0.05). Conclusion: Tamoxifen may play a neuro-protective role in hypoxic condition by suppressing the migration and proliferation of BV-2 cells after OGD.


Although it's considerable prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of SB still raises doubts for clinicians and researchers. SB is defined as a parafunctional activity of the masticatory muscles, which differs through the circadian moment in which the event takes place: during sleep (SB) or in waking state (awake bruxism).2 Such parafunction is not seen as a disorder, but rather as a motor behavior of multifactorial etiology, which turns out to be a sign of some other health condition.3,4


Time-resolved measurements of desorbed gas during 1-MeV K + pulsed beam deposition in a stainless steel target F.M. Bieniosek*, L.R. Prost†, and P.A. Seidl Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720 USA A.W. Molvik and M. Kireeff Covo Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 USA Abstract Measurements were made of the density, species and velocity of the desorbed gas cloud on intense K + beam bombardment of a stainless steel target. RGA measurements indicate that the gas cloud consists of predominantly H 2 . Energy analyzer measurements of doubly-ionized beam ions show that the ratio of hydrogen gas production to beam density was approximately 3000 at normal incidence. Optical measurements of the evolution of the gas cloud during the beam pulse show a distribution with an average expansion velocity of about 0.5 mm/µs. Comparison is made with a simple model of the gas cloud behavior. PACS 52.59.-f, 52.58.Hm, 52.70.-m, 52.70.Kz *Electronic address: firstname.lastname@example.com †Current address: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510 USA


Jets from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) inflate large cavities in the hot gas environment around galaxies and galaxy clusters. The large-scale gas circulation promoted within such cavities by the jet itself gives rise to backflows that propagate back to the centre of the jet-cocoon system, spanning all the physical scales relevant for the AGN. Using an Adaptive Mesh Refinement code, we study these backflows through a series of numerical experiments, aiming at understanding how their global properties depend on jet parameters. We are able to characterize their mass flux down to a scale of a few kiloparsecs to about 0.5 M yr −1 for as long as 15 or 20 Myr, depending on jet power. We find that backflows are both spatially coherent and temporally intermittent, independently of jet power in the range 1043−45 erg/s. Using the mass flux thus measured, we model analytically the effect of backflows on the central accretion region, where a Magnetically Arrested Disc lies at the centre of a thin circumnuclear disc. Backflow accretion onto the disc modifies its density profile, producing a flat core and tail. We use this analytic model to predict how accretion beyond the BH magnetopause is modified, and thus how the jet power is temporally modulated. Under the assumption that the magnetic flux stays frozen in the accreting matter, and that the jets are always launched via the Blandford-Znajek (1977) mechanism, we find that backflows are capable of boosting the jet power up to tenfold during relatively short time episodes (a few Myr).


Present the applied characteristics of the Matlab and Visual C ++, discusses the 3 kinds of methods that use the Matlab in VC environment, emphasizes to introduce the step of mixing programming with Matcom and Matlab complier, handles for the development the applied procedure of the data of large quantity provided the basis.


Over a 3-year period 159 asthmatic patients were studied at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah ; 41 (26%) had hypokalaemia on admission. A comparison was made between the hypokalaemic and the normokalaemic groups regarding severity, medication and length of hospitalization


: Normal alkyl sp 3 C ― H bonds are ubiquitous in compounds such as methane, linear alkanes, and cycloalkanes that are not linked directly to heteroatoms or other functional groups. These unactivated bonds are not broken readily under mild conditions because their bond dissociation energy values are high and acidity values are low. Moreover, in the radical processes at high temperatures, reaction selectivity is not good for an alkane substrate with various alkyl sp 3 C ― H bonds, which is commonly methyl < 1° < 2° < 3°. In the past five decades, C ― H activation by transition-metal species to give C-metal bonds under mild conditions was intensively studied; all efforts were undertaken to provide new methods that can be applied in both chemical synthesis and chemical industry. However, the effective transformations of inert C ― H bonds, particularly alkyl sp 3 C ― H bonds, without the assistance of directing groups have been rarely investigated. This review focuses on the functionalization of normal alkyl sp 3 C ― H bonds, such as methyl and primary sp 3 C ― H bonds, via electrophilic activation or oxidative addition by using homogenous transition-metal catalysts, which are two main strategies in the study of inert C ― H activation. The selectivity on C ― H bond is methyl > 1° > 2° > 3° in both the reactions. Neither heterogeneous catalysis nor biocatalysis is mentioned in this review. Some remarkable progress is described on the study of reaction mechanisms and the establishment of novel reactions. For example, several selective oxidations of methane or linear alkanes have been introduced to afford new C ― O, C ― Cl, or even C ― C bonds in the presence of Pt or Pd catalysts. The Shilov chemistry, which combines electrophilic activation of the C ― H bond by the transition-metal complex, oxidation of the transition-metal intermediate, and nucleophilic substitution of organometallic species, has been emphasized in these reactions. Other transition-metal catalysts including Rh, Ir, Re, and W have been employed successfully in the carbonylation, borylation, and dehydrogenation of alkanes at moderate temperatures. The reaction pathways normally involve oxidative addition of the C ― H bond with the transition-metal complex followed by insertion-elimination, reductive elimination, or β -H elimination. In the cascade reactions consisting of dehydrogenation of alkanes and addition of alkenes, new C ― C or C ― Si bonds can also be formed at terminal sites of linear alkanes. However, most of the above-mentioned reactions are still under investigation because of limited scope of the substrate, excess loading of the alkane, low efficiency of the catalyst, and high cost of the reaction operation. Breakthroughs in this promising field of alkane functionalization are possible when new concepts and technology are realized and applied.


Theology's Epistemological Dilemma: How Karl Barth and Alvin Plantinga Provide a Unified Response. By Kevin Diller. Downers Grove, 111.: IVP Academic, 2014. 352 pp. $38.00 (paper).Theological realism, often beleaguered by postmodernist and postliberal thinkers, is staging a bit of a comeback. In one comer, Reformed philosophers of religion, such as Alvin Plantinga, have meticulously chipped away at modern Enlightenment skepticism to articulate a rational defense of Christian belief. In the other comer, some scholars have retrieved Karl Barths commitment to the objective character of revelation. In this impressive study, Kevin Diller, associate professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, has woven together insights from these seminal Reformed thinkers to articulate a revamped paradigm for critical realism in theology.Such a convergence is not self-evident. When Plantinga and his colleagues have interrogated Barth, they typically have highlighted critical differences-say, over Barth's supposed denial of a sensus divinitatis in human nature and his trenchant attack on natural theology. Diller remains undaunted: he argues that both Barth and Plantinga, although adhering to different methods, both strongly affirm that revelation is sui generis-that God's special revealing action alone is the basis for knowledge of God among finite and sinful human creatures. These two scholars, Diller argues, offer an alternative to the extremes of fideist credulity and agnostic skepticism. This combined Barth-Plantinga proposal seeks to address what Diller considers to be the fundamental dilemma afflicting Christian epistemology: "Christian theologians are required to adopt a high view of theological knowledge while also maintaining a low view of the unaided capacities of the human knower to secure such knowledge. To use the biblical imagery, Christian theology must acknowledge itself an impoverished earthen vessel while daring not to diminish the value of the treasure it confesses" (p. 17).Part 1 articulates the main lines of this synthesis, which Diller labels "theo-foundationalism." Revelation, he argues, is a personal, self-bestowing gift of Creator to creatures in the illuminating and personal transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge of God depends neither upon philosophical proofs nor upon natural human capacities; it is objectively real, both cognitive and affective in scope. Unlike modern subjectivists, Diller insists, both Plantinga and Barth view revelation as mediated to concrete communities of faith. Since God is both the author and the content of revelation, it is rendered truly in human speech while remaining intrinsically inexhaustible. Finally, theological epistemology, while independent in its source and authority basis, is not incongruent with general, non-religious theories of knowledge from philosophy or the human sciences. …


Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in schizophrenia, and recent progress has been made in understanding the reciprocal deterioration of both symptoms through structural and functional brain imaging studies. To date, there is limited literature on this topic. In this review, we synthesized the recent literature on the neuroimaging features of schizophrenia patients with concurrent AVHs and depressive symptoms.


An optimal schedule of canals water delivery can reduce the water seepage loss and improve the water use efficiency of irrigation.The optimal schedule model is subjected to many constraints,however,which causes difficulty of the traditional genetic algorithm in seeking a solution.This algorithm easily converges to a local optimal solution and leads to a poor accuracy,because it uses the fixed-penalty functions to represent the constraints of different dimension.To overcome such a problem in the analysis of water delivery scheduling,this paper describes a method of adopting the dynamic penalty functions for model constraints and the simulated annealing genetic algorithm.Application to a practical irrigation canal system and comparison with other two methods shows that this highly stable method can improve the convergence and the solution accuracy.When the method is used for water delivery scheduling,the lateral delivery time and the upper canal flow rates can be better predicted,which often results in a much shorter water distribution time and a smaller seepage loss.This method is of great value to the practical irrigation canal system management.


Age is the most significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and understanding its role in specific aspects of AD pathology will be critical for therapeutic development. Neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau are a quintessential hallmark of AD. To study age-related changes in tau phosphorylation, we developed a simple, antibody-free approach for single shot analysis of tau phosphorylation across the entire protein by liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. This methodology is species independent; thus, while initially developed in a rodent model, we utilized this technique to analyze 36 phosphorylation sites on rhesus monkey tau from the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region vulnerable to AD-linked degeneration. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027971. We identified novel, age-related changes in tau phosphorylation in the rhesus monkey PFC and analyzed patterns of phosphorylation change across domains of the protein. We confirmed a significant increase and positive correlation with age of phosphorylated serine 235 tau and phosphorylated serine 396 tau levels in an expanded cohort of 14 monkeys. Histology showed robust labeling for tau phosphorylated at these sites in vulnerable layer III pyramidal cells in the PFC. The results presented in this study suggest an important role of the natural aging process in tau phosphorylation in rhesus monkey.


Cultureofhighvocationalcolleges,mergingvocationalcharacters, skills,moralityandpersonality,isanoverall representation of traditional essence and future inspiration in a college. It is a significant target for colleges to develop harmonious campus culture, enrich the components of the culture, and exert a unique function of student-ollege-society harmony.


The English Bank Restriction Period of 1797-I82.i has furnished much material for students of monetary theory, and the events surrounding the Bullion Controversy of I8io-8xII have been reviewed by many writers. There had been little treatment of the theoretical aspects of inconvertible paper currency before the writings of Walter Boyd, Henry Thornton, Lord King, John Wheatley, and David Ricardo. These men in their pamphlets written in this period recognized the danger of overissue of Bank of England notes while specie payments were restricted. They formulated schemes for measuring the depreciation of this irredeemable currency by the premium paid in paper money on gold bullion and by the unfavorableness of the foreign exchange rates. Ricardo entered the discussion in i809, and his classic essays on the Bullion Question followed at short intervals. Ample treatment of this part of the period has appeared elsewhere so it is sufficient to mention here that Ricardo's apparently sound analysis of the situation was denied and the Report of the Bullion Committee embodying similar theory was unfavorably received in Parliament.1 After the repudiation of this report the progress of inflation in England continued. The restriction on specie payments was prolonged after the end of the war with France in 1815, but proposals for resumption were pressed in Parliament until a small controversy over the time and method of returning to a metallic standard developed. This phase of the Restriction Period history


Reference to textbooks on pediatrics and neurology, individual case reports and review articles on multiple sclerosis showed that multiple sclerosis can occur in childhood in typical form and has been occasionally confirmed by necropsy.
 During the past year 3 children were seen at the Neurological Institute in New York in whom the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis seemed reasonably certain. Four additional patients are presented in whom that diagnosis was suspected. In the latter group years of observation will be required for confirmation of the diagnosis.


Parking capacity is mostly determined according to the model of parking demand's analysis and forecast.Because it seldom considers the relation between the parking capacity and demand and the development of parking industry,the market development of parking industry is affected also.Through studying on the factors that influence parking capacity,the paper puts forward the model of parking capacity based on minimal expected loss and the method of solving the model in the center business district from the aspect of the market economy,and elaborates the use of the model in the park's reconstruction.


The organisms; the genetic structure of which are modified by introducing foreign genes into their bodies, which integrate foreign genes to their genomes and reflect these features are called "genetically modified organisms (GMO)". Agriculture and food sectors have been the widest usage area of GMOs; which have come into our daily life in many areas since they were developed. However, there are arguments defending that GMOs and their derivatives, which we have been consuming especially as food for a long time, can cause problems on human body such as allergic and toxic reactions, resistance to antibiotics and boosting some diseases such as cancer. In this article, we aimed to give information about genetically modified foods and their potential negative effects on human health.


Abstract The energy and the angular distribution of atoms are considered like two parameters most influent in the optimization of the sputtering and subsequently on the deposit, resulting in films having the desired properties (homogeneity in thickness, composition identical to that of the evaporated material). Moreover, a great influence on the shape and quality of thin films is obtained. In this work, a simulation with a Monte Carlo (MC) method is used to calculate the sputtering yield for different energies and angular distributions of atoms of metals (Cu, Al and Ag) and semiconductors (Ge, Si and Te) bombarded by different gas particles (Ar, Xe and Ne). Our results showed that when arriving at a certain energy value E max E_{\rm max} , sputtering yield will be in maximum Y  1 max Y1_{\rm max} . Applying this E max E_{\rm max} and with variation in the angular distribution, we will obtain θ max \theta_{\rm max} corresponding to the maximum of sputtering yield Y  2 max Y2_{\rm max} . These two values ( E max E_{\rm max} , θ max \theta_{\rm max} ) give the maximum of atoms sputtered and as a result, the films will be uniform. The obtained results are in very high agreement with other works, which validates our calculations.


Queen Jezebel is rightly recognised as one of the powerful women in the Old Testament. In the biblical text she is introduced as a 'foreign' queen and wife to Ahab, the 8th century king of the northern kingdom, Israel. This article examines some of the interpretations of this character in the church over the centuries. The focus falls on the latest development in this regard whereby, in some circles, the biblical character is linked to the existence of a 'Jezebel spirit' within the contemporary church. On the basis of a narratological reading of the Jezebel texts it is indicated that such an interpretation is unfounded and fails to take cognisance of developments in biblical interpretation related to literary understandings of the text.


The biology of the plant bug Lopidea nigridea is described, with particular focus on whether this red and black species can be considered aposematic. Lopidea individuals were rejected after attack in 92 of 112 feeding trials involving three of their five most common arthropod predator species. Compared to another syntopic plant bug species, L. nigridea is aggregated in distribution, and individuals are sedentary in their basic daily habits. These life-history features, coupled with the ability to survive most attacks by arthropod predators in the feeding trials, suggest that L. nigridea is protected to some degree by an aposematic defence. How L. nigridea may acquire its distastefulness is discussed, with special attention to host plant relations in L. nigridea and in the genus Lopidea as a whole.


Protein design requires the rapid evaluation of very large numbers of equations during the course of a calculation. These equations must represent the important contributors to protein stability in simple and accurate terms. Some physical phenomena are relatively easy to model such as van der Waals forces. Electrostatics and solvation in a protein environment are forces that are more difficult to adequately capture. Additionally, the balance of the terms used must be determined in order to design sequences that fold to stable, specific folds.

The electrostatic interactions within the protein and between the protein and solvent are important in both the stability and function of the protein. The effects of the protein-solvent interactions are evaluated using implicit models that consider the solvent as a bulk. These interactions are quantified using the Poisson-Boltzmann equation that must be solved using discrete numerical methods. We sought to avoid this performance hit by scaling a simpler model of electrostatics, Coulomb's law, to reproduce one aspect of the protein-solvent interaction: solvent screening. By dividing the Coulombic dielectric into two parts and scaling to correlate with the Poisson-Boltzmann results we significantly increased the strength of electrostatics in our force field that led to the design of a more stable engrailed homeodomain.

The second part of this work describes attempts to reparameterize our protein design force field. Many protein mutants have been expressed and biophysically characterized in the literature. We sought to use the measured stabilities of protein mutants in the literature to balance the terms in the force field. While we were able to produce a force field that could reproduce experimental energies, this force field led to unsatisfactory designed sequences. To more fully satisfy the unique conditions of a protein design force field we explored other optimization techniques and found that the balance of the terms in the existing force field is nearly optima


A self-reconfigurable robots can adapt the change of working environment and demands through autonomous metamorphosis.It shows the promise of low cost,great versatility,self-repair and fault-tolerance.This paper thoroughly studies the self-organizing metamorphic methods of self-reconfigurable robots aiming at the fault-tolerance.Firstly a descriptive model of self-reconfigurable robots is proposed.The model is capable of expressing the fault modules in system.Secondly the modular action scheme is set.And the self-organizing metamorphic algorithm of systems with fault-tolerant function is proposed.The robot can effectively accomplish the tasks with one or two broken modules in its configuration.Simulation sample of barrier-crossing of a planar square type of self-reconfigurable robots is provided to illustrate the algorithm and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed theory.


According to energy and entropy analysis, the result that the input of energy in the municipal solid waste(MSW)source-classified collection process is less than that in MSW mixing collection process for the same effect, is calculated and proved. Furthermore, a model for MSW classified collection in China is advanced that active waste with fast entropy change and the other inert waste with slow entropy change should be sorted as two parts of MSW. Active waste such as fresh fruit and vegetable, kitchen waste would be source-classified collected by residents and then transported, while the other inert waste including paper, leaves, textile, rubber, plastics, glass, metal, medicine and electrical waste could be source-mixed collected by residents and afterwards further classified. The newly MSW classified collection model synthetically combines MSW source-classified collection with MSW source-mixed and further-classified collection, would save energy, contribute to convenient operation, and moreover make MSW classified collection convenient for residents at home.


and Thomas J. Ahrens, Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109. A series of samples of 70051 consisting of angular lithic and mineral fragments (-5 to 100 u ) of pyroxene (-60%), plagioclase (-30%), brown glass and opaques (-10%) has been shocked to pressures of 126 kbar. The sample is largely from rocks (70017, 70215, 76055, 77035 and 74035) collected in the BSLSS bag (EVA 111) and is probably representative of the gross lithology at the base of the North Massif. Cylindircal samples, 4 mm thick, 16 mm diameter having an initial nominal density of 1.80 t 0.01 g/cm3 were prepared by cold compression. Initial densities (Table 1) are calculated from exact sample dimensions and masses. Projectile and shock velocities were obtained by laser obscuration and streak camera techniques [1,2]. Below 50 kbar, the present data (Fig. 1) lie close to the extrapolated static compression curve for the lunar fines examined by Stephens and Lilley [3] suggesting that the low pressure irreversible compaction behavior of these two samples is roughly similar. However, the single datum (Shot #304) for powdered Vacaville basalt [4] lies at least 25 kbar above the lunar data. In order to separate the effects of mechanical resistance to shock induced compaction and shock heating, we have constructed a theoretical intrinsic mineral Hugoniot (Fig. 2) from the following chemical and mineral model: SiO (wt .%) 40; Ti0 , 9.3; A1 0 . u.2, FeO, 17.3; MgO, 9.7; and CaO, 10.9. ~~~Zutinates (vol. 2) 32, bas~l$'fragments 19, plagioclase 8.5, pyroxene 21, opaques 5.6, glass spherules, 5.7, metal spherules, 1.5. This model is based on an analysis of soil samples (70161, 70181, 71061, 71501, 75061, and 75081). Assuming Stephens and Lilley compression curve for a material with crustal density of 3.13 gp/cm3 and a Gruneisen's parameter of 0.8, the theoretical Hugoniots for various distensions, m = p /poo, are calculated [5]. [Here p and p are the distended and crystal 8enslties.l The present data, corres;%iding ?o m = 1.74, lie close to the m = 1.7 curve. This analysis implies that irreversible shock compaction occurs at -50 kbar and at higher pressure, the Hugoniot is controlled by heating effects. Above 150 kbar this model will be invalid due to phase changes in the silicates. Using the method of Ahrens and O'Keefe [6] the impact velocities required of iron and stoney meteoroids to produce complete post-shock melting of lunar fines is given in Table 2.


EH26 OQE AMONG the intestinal spirochaete species of pigs, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli are important agents of disease. B pilosicoli infection is variously termed spirochaetal diarrhoea (Taylor 1992), porcine colonic spirochaetosis (Muniappa and others 1997) or porcine intestinal spirochaetosis (Duhamel 1995). A recent study on pig herds with infectious colitis in the UK showed that B pilosicoli was found in 25-0 per cent as a single pathogen, and in another 27-0 per cent as a copathogen (Thomson and others 1998). Transmission of Bpilosicoli occurs either through contamination of the immediate environment, or by direct contact between pigs. B pilosicoli can remain viable in contaminated water for 66 days (Oxberry and others 1998), thus increasing the potential for transmission. As there is no information on the activity of disinfectants against B pilosicoli, this short communication describes a study of the efficacy of seven disinfectant sanitisers against six field isolates and the type strain, ATCC-51139, ofB pilosicoli, in the absence and presence of organic matter. The field isolates were from cases of porcine colitis, obtained as part of a surveillance programme for porcine colitis conducted by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC). B pilosicoli grown anaerobically in brain heart infusion broth (Oxoid) supplemented with 5 per cent (w/v) filter-sterilised rabbit serum at 380C for two days was used as a bacterial suspension for assessing the disinfectant sanitisers. The tested products were of four different chemical groups, all manufactured by Antec International, and included three quaternary ammonium compounds, Ambicide (a disinfectant), DSC-1000 (a sanitiser) and HD-3 (a sanitiser); one amphoteric surfactant-caustic soda compound, Heavy Duty (a sanitiser); two tar organic acid compounds, Farm Fluid (a disinfectant) and Long Life (a disinfectant); and one peroxygen compound, Virkon S (a disinfectant). The efficacy tests were carried out according to the recommendations of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards for (NCCLS) antimicrobial susceptibility on anaerobic bacteria (NCCLS 1989), and adapted for testing the disinfectants. Ten-fold dilutions ( 1:10 up to 1 :100,000) of the disinfectant sanitisers were prepared in sterile deionised water (SDW) (for testing in the absence of organic matter) or in a suspension of sterile pig faeces (SPF) (for testing in the presence of organic matter) diluted 1:20 in phosphatebuffered saline solution. An aliquot of 0-1 ml ofbacterial suspension (approximately 105 colony-forming units/ml) was added to 0-9 ml of each serial dilution and the mixture was left for contact times of 30 or 60 minutes at room temperature (220C). Each suspension was then inoculated in triplicate on to blood agar plates, allowed to dry, and incubated anaerobically at 380C for three to four days. Control inocula, with no disinfectant, of each isolate were included. The efficacy of the disinfectant sanitisers was recorded as the proportion (percentage) of inocula at the breakpoint dilution in which bacterial growth was completely inhibited. Statistical analysis of data was performed using a nonparametric test (Mann-Whitney) on Minitab software for Windows. , .-, , a


The method of random Fourier features (RFF), proposed in a seminal paper by Rahimi and Recht (NIPS'07), is a powerful technique to find approximate low-dimensional representations of points in (high-dimensional) kernel space, for shift-invariant kernels. While RFF has been analyzed under various notions of error guarantee, the ability to preserve the kernel distance with \emph{relative} error is less understood. We show that for a significant range of kernels, including the well-known Laplacian kernels, RFF cannot approximate the kernel distance with small relative error using low dimensions. We complement this by showing as long as the shift-invariant kernel is analytic, RFF with $\mathrm{poly}(\epsilon^{-1} \log n)$ dimensions achieves $\epsilon$-relative error for pairwise kernel distance of $n$ points, and the dimension bound is improved to $\mathrm{poly}(\epsilon^{-1}\log k)$ for the specific application of kernel $k$-means. Finally, going beyond RFF, we make the first step towards data-oblivious dimension-reduction for general shift-invariant kernels, and we obtain a similar $\mathrm{poly}(\epsilon^{-1} \log n)$ dimension bound for Laplacian kernels. We also validate the dimension-error tradeoff of our methods on simulated datasets, and they demonstrate superior performance compared with other popular methods including random-projection and Nystr\"{o}m methods.


Abstract Background After the rehabilitation program, patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) are discharged home, but the adaption to the daily life with the implant is challenging, both with practical and psychological consequences. Literature is lacking detailed information about the quality of life of LVAD patients and caregivers after discharge to home. Objective This study aimed at evaluating the post‐discharge outcomes of both LVAD patients and their caregivers in terms of quality of life, affectivity, and psychological health. Methods In this observational follow‐up study, LVAD dyads discharged home from 1 year to 6 years were re‐contacted by phone and received by mail an envelope with self‐report questionnaires. Responses of 39 complete dyads of patients (mean age 68.59 ± 4.31; males: 92.31%) and their caregivers (mean age 61.59 ± 11.64; males: 17.95%) were analyzed. Results Patients and caregivers reported the moderate levels of anxiety, depression, and caregiver strain, and Illness denial and conscious avoidance were associated between them. The couples often reported that the LVAD has impairments for their sleep and for their affective–sexual relationship. Caregivers often reported impairment in social life and self‐care. Discussions Despite the satisfaction for the medical and territorial assistance, patients showed psychological difficulties such as anxious and depressive symptoms and caregivers tend to neglect themselves. Even after a long time from discharge to home, the psychological distress of LVAD patients and caregivers is still considerable. Structured and continuous psychological interventions are required to support their psychological health overtime after the discharge to home.


To the Editor:— T.C. Doege ( JAMA 192 :1045-1048 [June 21] 1965) analyzed tuberculosis mortality in the United States, 1900 to 1960. He may have wanted to revitalize the "fight" against tuberculosis. Its withering mortality commands fewer private and public monies, while sanatoria are being turned into oldage asylums. Doege's advice is as pure as being against sin and for motherhood. We brought it down that far; let us now use all our social, economic, and medical resources and we shall soon eradicate tuberculosis. Effective drugs have been available for two decades; some isolation has been practiced for five. So far, however, nothing has had any influence on demographic statistics. National mortality from tuberculosis, in this country as well as abroad, has decreased more and more slowly, in inverse proportion to the effectiveness of therapy and extent of isolation. The slowing down is unrelated to the fight; we simply have not


The purpose of this study is to identify, understand, and compare the barriers to parents – in nations around the globe – choosing to home educate their children and to propose solutions for removing such barriers. Much research explores the reasons for homeschooling but little examines the obstacles or hindrances to parents beginning home education. Parents in nations from Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America provide answers to what hurdles inhibit them from making homeschooling their educational choice. Their answers


The yields of F3 lines of four wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.) crosses were measured in replicated hill plots and row plots. Genetic correlations between line performance in the two plot-types varied from 0.77 to 0.96 in the four crosses. Selection based on a single hill plot was estimated to be 50–75% as efficient as selection based on a single three-row plot. Two to four replicates of hill plots would be required to give the equivalent information of one three-row plot. Hill plots require less seed and land than row plots but, in contrast to the totally mechanized operation for row plots, must be planted and harvested by hand.


A pre-experimental two phase study was conducted to identify the incidence of depression among cancer patients and assess the effectiveness of self-affirmation technique in reducing depression among cancer patients in selected hospital of Delhi. The objective of the study were (a) To assess the incidence of depression among cancer patients (b) To assess the effectiveness of self-affirmation technique in reducing the depression as measured by HDRS among cancer patients (c) To find the association of depression among cancer patients with selected demographic variables, (d) To find the association of mean difference in depression score before and after administration of self-affirmation technique among cancer patients with selected demographic variables. The conceptual framework for the study was based on modified King Imogine Goal Attainment Theory. Quantitative Research Approach was selected. It was a two phase study. In phase 1 of the study Descriptive Survey Design was used to assess the incidence of depression among 200 cancer patients. In phase 2 of the study Pre-Experimental Design was used to assess the effectiveness of self-affirmation technique on 30 cancer patients with depression. Purposive sampling technique was used in both the phases. Structured interview schedule was used to collect data. A standardized tool, Hamilton rating scale was used to assess the depression level in cancer patients. The findings of the study showed that 87% patients with cancer were suffering with depression and out of them 2% were suffering with severe depression, 36.5% were suffering with moderate depression and 48.5% were suffering with mild depression. The results revealed that the administration self-affirmation technique was found to be effective as the calculated 't' value was 11.298 which is higher than the table value and the mean pre-test score was 13.70 and post-test score was 11.23 with the mean difference of 2.47. The study also showed the significant association between pre-test score and gender, type of cancer and financial assistance.


Existing thermodynamic data for aqueous and solid species of americium have been reviewed and collected in a form that can be used with the EQ3/6 database. Data that are important in solubility calculations for americium at a proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository were emphasized. Conflicting data exist for americium complexes with carbonates. Essentially no data are available for americium solids or complexes at temperatures greater than 25{sup 0}C. 17 references, 4 figures.


BACKGROUND Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. We hereby report a case of a localized paraganglioma found in the abdominal cavity, and review the relevant literature to improve the understanding of this disease. CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old Chinese female patient was referred to our hospital due to an abdominal mass found on physical examination. Imaging revealed a mass in the left upper abdomen, suggestive of either a benign stromal tumor or an ectopic accessory spleen. Laparoscopic radical resection was subsequently performed, and histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of a paraganglioma. The patient was followed up 3 months post-operation, and reported good recovery with no metastasis. CONCLUSION Radical resection can effectively treat intra-abdominal paragangliomas, with few side effects and low recurrence risk. In addition, early and accurate diagnosis and timely intervention are essential for the prognosis of this disease.


A superheterodyne receiver is a type of device universally used in a variety of electronics and information systems. Fault detection and diagnosis for superheterodyne receivers are therefore of critical importance, especially in noise environments. A general purpose fault detection and diagnosis scheme based on observers and residual error analysis was proposed in this study. In the scheme, two generalized regression neural networks (GRNNs) are utilized for fault detection, with one as an observer and the other as an adaptive threshold generator; faults are detected by comparing the residual error and the threshold. Then, time and frequency domain features are extracted from the residual error for diagnosis. A probabilistic neural network (PNN) acts as a classifier to realize the fault diagnosis. Finally, to mimic electromagnetic environments with noise interference, simulation model under different fault conditions with noise interferences is established to test the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed fault detection and diagnosis scheme. Results of the simulation experiments proved that the presented method is effective and robust in simulated electromagnetic environments.


This research is to examines the impact of the regulation, the charter value, loan to deposit ratio and bank size on banking credit risk. By using a sample of commercial banks operating in Indonesia and performed testing with ordinary least square (OLS) model, the result obtained was that the charter value negatively affected the level of credit risk. This finding indicates that the low charter value  provides a strong incentive for the occurrence of moral hazard than when the bank has a high charter value.  Regulation had positive effect on the credit risk. This finding was consistent with the entrenchment argument. In this case, with increasing regulatory compliance, the shareholder take the risk investments to get higher returns as compensation for the loss of utility to comply the regulations. Loan to deposit ratio had positive effect on credit risk. It shows that asymmetric information creates adverse-selection problems. Bank size had positive effect on credit risk. Small banks have more risk inherent in their loan portfolio because they cannot diversify as well as large bank. Small banks, however, do make loans with less credit risk than large banks. Keywords: regulation, charter value, loan to deposit ratio, bank size, credit risk, moral hazard, asymmetric information


A case of volvulus of the ileum complicating labour is reported. The diagnosis was elusive pre‐operatively, and may have been missed at operation had not a decision been made to carry out a complete abdominal exploration.


Arteriovenous malformation is a vascular malformation with fast-flow shunt from the artery to the vein. Extracranial arteriovenous malformation in the head and neck area is rare disease compared to other vascular malformations such as venous malformation or lymphatic malformation. Extracranial arteriovenous malformations especially on face can cause aesthetic problems, therefore surgeons should consider an importance of cosmetic outcome and choose appropriate treatment plan. We report a case of 51-year-old male who presented with enlarged nasal tip diagnosed arteriovenous malformation. This case showed successful outcome after combination therapy consisted of superselective embolization and surgical resection.


The generalization of directed postman problem-postman problem in areas at war is proposed for the first time in the paper. Several sufficient and necessary conditions of the existence of solutions are suggested. Furthermore, a polynomial complexity algorithm is presented.


[ This essay was practically finished by the late Ernest Fenollosa; I have done little more than remove a few repetitions and shape a few sentences. We have here not a bare philological discussion, but a study of the fundamentals of all esthetics. In his search through unknown art Fenollosa, coming upon unknown motives and principles unrecognized in the West, was already led into many modes of thought since fruitful in "new" western painting and poetry. He was a forerunner without knowing it and without being known as such.


The number of deaths attributed to malaria is highest in Nigeria when compared with other countries of the world. This study estimated the monetary expenditure of households in Southern Nigeria in the treatment of malaria as well as the income forgone as a result of incapacitation due to the ailment. The study employed the cost-of-illness approach to estimate the financial burden of malaria treatment using the data contained in the Harmonized National Living Standard Survey (HNLSS) 2010. The results show that more cases of malaria were reported among children aged under-five while immunity increases with age up till age 45. Females, farming households and rural residents were also more vulnerable than their respective counterparts. The pattern of the distribution of direct and indirect cost was mixed across the three zones in the study area. Malaria poses both health and financial challenges to households. The financial burden of malaria is too high for a country like Nigeria whose majority of her citizens wallow in poverty. It is therefore recommended that the drug subsidy policy of government should be reviewed in order to increase the awareness of the public of its availability at subsidized rate. Massive public education on the importance of prevention as against treatment as well as the importance of seeking prompt treatment will also go a long way in ameliorating the indirect burden of malaria which forms a larger proportion of the total burden of malaria to households.


This article considers the use of resource-saving irrigation technologies for cultivation of soybeans in the conditions of specific landreclamation of the Bukhara region. In the article, the irrigation by laying a black film on the furrow, spreading a straw in the furrow and adding pre-treated hydrogel crystals to the soil in soybean cultivation is scientifically based. In the conditions of the Bukhara region, the varieties of soybean "Nafis", "Uzbek-6", "Orzu" were grown in 2017-2019 and some researches were done on them.


The paper is dedicated to classification of documents into one of available classes. The role of a classifier is played by Bayesian network classifiers having the structure of an augmented Naive Bayes classifier. The focus is on quality measures enabling to compare different Bayesian networks and select the better one while searching a space of possible network structures. Experiments with several quality measures and several types of network structures were carried out using an English document collection.


A new complex, (Dmpp=4(2, 6\|dimethoxy\|pyridyl)diphenylphosphine, en= NH\-2CH\-2CH\-2\|NH\-2), has been synthesized and characterized by \{\}\+1H NMR, \{\}\+\{31\}P{H}NMR.The catalytic activity of \-2e was studied in the hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in the presence of base. Effect of the reaction temperaturure, hydrogen pressure, and the ratio of substrate to catalyst and base to catalyst on the activity are investigated. The has been found to be a good catalyst in the hydrogenation of simple aromatic ketones.


In Sudano-Sahelian Africa, the mastery of the grass cover is the biggest challenge of the farmers'agricultural calendar and the labor required to perform weeding. Easily maintained by manual weeding, crops are increasingly invaded by weeds whose density increases over the years. Some species are very difficult to destroy and require localized treatment at the onset of the first seedlings. Known weed species are distributed among the grasses, broadleaf weeds and sedges. Chemical weed control is a solution in terms of crop rotation. This technique is developed in particular in the cotton growing areas, particularly in northern Cameroon, southern Mali and northern Côte d'Ivoire (Bassala, 2010). However, it requires favorable economic conditions and good training of extension staff and farmers on the recognition of flora, products management and the use of treatment devices. Maize is a particularly sensitive crop to weed competition during the first stage of its growth cycle, which goes from sowing to cover between the rows. It therefore requires a quality of weed control, especially vis-a-vis summer grasses. Root solutions through pre-emergence herbicides are most effective against grasses. They bring more sustainable efficiency and flexibility of action. Two (2) pre-emergence herbicides products (Lagon 575 SC and Primagold 537.5 SE) were experimented in Samanko research sub-station and tested on the farmers' fields in Bougouni agricultural sector (Sikasso region) and the Office of the high valley of the Niger River (OHVN) zones (Koulikoro region), to determine their biological efficacy and selectivity, respectively on weeds and for maize. From these experiments, the products showed good performance in both conditions. 0.5 liter/ha of Lagoon 575 SC showed an average efficiency on station of 80%, 70% and 70% respectively on grasses, broadleaf weeds and cyperaceae ; 80%, 60%, 60% in the same order for the On-farm tests. As for Primagold 537.5 SE, on station, an average efficiency of 70%, 70% and 50% were recorded American Journal of Research Communication www.usa-journals.com Lamine, et al., 2017 : Vol 5(8) 48 for the rate of 2 liters/ha for grasses, broadleaf weeds and sedges, and 80%, 70% and 60% for the on-farm tests.


This paper proposes a novel motion controller for CNC to achieve the purpose of high-speed and high-accuracy motion control with modular design. Fuzzy PID with feedforward control strategy is employed to improve the whole system dynamic performance and control precision. A simulation experiment is made to show the validity of the strategy adopted, and another machining experiment to verify the overall performance of the whole control system.


1. The accompanying articles in this symposium describe several different approaches used to examine the function of glycine and GABA receptors, including pharmacology and neurochemistry, permeability and agonist‐binding approaches, the use of mutated recombinant receptors and monoclonal antibody staining to examine receptor distribution on neurons.


Active vibration control requires a velocity signal which is fed back to the force actuator to produce the damping force to the structure. Usually a gap sensor is used to detect the displacement and a differentiator is needed to produce the velocity signal. Moreover, it is very difficult to install the sensor at the same position of the actuator. Setting the gap sensor close to the magnetic actuator may cause an undesirable interaction between them. Sometimes there is no space for installing the sensor. This paper introduces a method of using a moving-coil-type actuator as a two-port sensing and driving device. Four types of velocity identification algorithms are tested and their capability of reducing structural vibrations is compared.


The author holds that protecting Xinjiang Mukam Music is a negative action but placing it into the education and cultural transmission is a positive action.Thus it needs the state and the local governments to make related policies and to take measures for the treasure in the oriental musical culture.


BACKGROUND/AIMS Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a skeletal system disorder characterized by replacement of normal bone and bone marrow with fibro-osseous tissue and proliferation of immature osteogenic cells. There is no consensus regarding the timing of orthopedic surgery, the choice of implants, and use of grafts owing to its variable clinical appearance and wider age range. This study aimed to contribute to the literature by performing a retrospective study involving patients with FD.


Organization-bounded online communities compete as well as collaborate regarding valued member resources. Membership overlap creates competition amongst communities because their overlapping members must choose where to allocate their limited time. But members also collaborate across communities in inter-community discussion threads to tackle common problems together. This paper examines how membership overlap across communities and inter-community collaboration individually and jointly affect community responsiveness, or the level of participation in a discussion thread. We analyzed a panel data of 155 online communities internal to a global company with 2,103 community-month observations. Preliminary findings show that communities with low membership overlap enjoy higher responsiveness than communities with many overlapping members, but the latter communities can significantly improve responsiveness by seeking broad inter-community collaboration on shared threads. We explain community responsiveness by the participants' desire to maintain an optimal balance between the need to be similar and the need to be different.


Image repair using the digital image processing technology has become a new hot point in the cultural relic protection. To study of ancient fresco restoration techniques, A novel algorithm of local statistic enhancement image is proposed in this paper for the reparation of ancient fresco. The modified amplified function and the rubber band conversion algorithm are used as the jugement criterion, and the optimal paremeters are searched by the genetic algorithm (GA). Experimental results show that the quality of images is improved compared with the traditional.


Various monosubstitution and disubstitution patterns on the parent biarylamine skeleton characteristic of palladacycles, as well as the counterion effect, have been studied while looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of the catalyst formed under micellar catalysis conditions in water, with the goal of reducing the amount of Pd needed for coupling reactions. Several substituted palladacycles containing readily accessible ligands were chosen for evaluation. The results indicate that (1) preactivation of Pd(II) salts as precursors for Suzuki–Miyaura (SM) couplings via treatment with a reducing agent is not required; (2) reactions could be performed with approximately half the loading of Pd, relative to that previously required based on a combination of a Pd(II) salt and ligand; and (3) the most effective palladacycle precatalyst has been identified as that containing an isopropyl group on both an aryl ring and on nitrogen, together with the ligand EvanPhos and triflate as the counterion (P13). This ...


Abstract— Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration. The response of smooth muscle cells to IGF-I is determined not only by activation of the IGF-I receptor but also by at least three other transmembrane proteins, &agr;V&bgr;3, integrin-associated protein (IAP), and SHPS-1. This regulation seems to be attributable to their ability to regulate the transfer of SHP-2 phosphatase, a key component of IGF-I signaling. Ligand occupancy of SHPS-1 with IAP is required for the recruitment and transfer of SHP-2 and subsequent signaling in response to IGF-I. The extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin-1 stimulates an increase in the cell proliferation response to IGF-I. Because thrombospondin-1 is a ligand for IAP, we wished to determine whether the enhancing effect of thrombospondin-1 was mediated through IAP binding. To examine the effect of thrombospondin-1 binding to IAP, we used a peptide termed 4N1K derived from the IAP binding site of thrombospondin-1. Preincubation with 4N1K increased IGF-I–stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and DNA synthesis. This enhancement seemed to be attributable to its ability to increase the duration of IGF-I–stimulated receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) phosphorylation. Preincubation with 4N1K delayed IGF-I stimulation of SHPS-1 phosphorylation (attributable to an alteration in IAP–SHPS-1 interaction), resulting in a delay in SHP-2 recruitment. This delay in SHP-2 transfer seems to account for the increase in the duration of IGF-I receptor phosphorylation and for enhanced downstream signaling. These observations support the conclusion that thrombospondin-1 and IGF-I seem to function coordinately in stimulating smooth muscle proliferation via the thrombospondin-1 interaction with IAP.


In the present study, the research problem concerns business intelligence, more precisely collaborative decision-making. The authors propose a complete modeling of a multi-agent active environment for the design of a multicriteria group decision support system dedicated to the spatial problem of localization in territory planning. The proposed model is called ActiveGDSS (Active Group Decision Support System) which uses a coupling between a geographic information system and a multi agents system and is endowed by a new negotiation protocol based on the concession allowing reaching to a consensus which satisfies the territorial actors. The main purpose is to integrate the principle of contextual activation in the modeling of the system which makes the environment an active entity. The main advantages of contextual activation are efficiency gain in terms of execution, better flexibility and reuse of agent behaviors.


Antibody‐associated limbic encephalitis (LE) is an increasingly recognized cause of mostly adult‐onset temporal lobe epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) typically shows volume and signal changes of the mesiotemporal structures. However, recent studies indicate that imaging characteristics depend on the type of the associated antibody. The aim of the present study was to investigate early and chronic gray matter (GM) volume changes in LE by means of voxel‐based morphometry (VBM).


The present invention relates to a printed circuit board is immersed in a solder bath of molten solder for soldering electronic components to a printed circuit board to the method. When the printed circuit board is immersed in a solder bath of molten solder, but also with the absorbent member is immersed in molten solder, and when the printed circuit board is pulled out from the molten solder, the solder member and the printed circuit board edge connector portion held in contact. After the molten solder beyond the printed circuit board, from the edge of the printed circuit board member to take advantage of the surface Zhang Li the solder connection portion adhered to remove excess solder.


In recent years, startups have been receiving increased attention in many parts of the world. In India, the number of startups has increased fast and more support has become available in all dimensions. This paper analyses the current state of the Indian startup ecosystem and has three goals: to provide an understanding of the growth drivers and motivations of Indian startup founders; identify challenges facing these startups; and outline the pillars in place that support them. The analysis uses data collated from semi-structured interviews with startup founders, investors, and representatives of support organisations. In addition, a survey of relevant literature strengthens the robustness of the findings.


The college students′multi-level sense of humor scale found is a feasible tool to evaluate college students′ sense of humor.It comprises 15 items,and has good internal consistency reliability,content validity,structure validity and substantial evidence validity.The model and data of multi-level sense of humor are matched in a good shape,which verified the multi-level structure of sense of humor primarily.


DNA topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα) is an essential proliferation-dependent nuclear enzyme which has been exploited as an anti-tumor drug target. Since the proliferative status of human leukemia cells is associated with expression of the c-myb proto-oncogene, c-Myb was investigated as a trans-activator of the topo IIα gene. Using topo IIα promoter-luciferase reporter plasmids, c-myb expression caused trans-activation of the topo IIα promoter a maximum of ∼4.5-fold over basal levels in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells. Trans-activation was submaximal with higher levels of c-myb expression plasmid but a Myb protein lacking its negative regulatory domain resulted in ∼19-fold trans-activation. Mutagenesis and 5′-deletion studies revealed that Myb trans-activation was mediated via a Myb-binding site at positions −16 to −11 and that this region governed the bulk of basal topo IIα promoter activity in human leukemia cells. Trans-activation of topo IIα by c-Myb was lymphoid- or myeloid-dependent. However, B-Myb, a more widely-expressed Myb family member, caused topo IIα trans-activation in both HL-60 cells and HeLa epithelial cervical carcinoma cells. These data provide evidence for a new Myb-responsive gene which is directly linked to and required for cellular proliferation.


GO-GN is a worldwide network of PhD researchers and their supervisors in the field of OER, MOOCs, and Open Education. It has been initiated in 2012 and is coordinated by the UNESCO Chair in OER at the Open University of the Netherlands.
The idea behind GO-GN is to form an alternative for the com- mon situation of individual PhD researchers doing their PhD study in 'isolation' at their home universities. GO-GN is linking them as they are based at different universities across country borders, and is offering the opportunity of a broader support and supervision
by experts with different backgrounds. Typically a GO-GN PhD researcher will be supervised by a team of three experts from different institutions, chaired by the main supervisor from the PhD degree awarding university. We are facilitating this as we also can assist potential PhD students in search for an appropriate PhD degree awarding university. GO-GN is stimulating the sharing of PhD study practices and experiences and the development of working relations among its PhD researchers and supervisors. And we will guide our members towards courses that can be taken online in order to raise their competencies within the context of their PhD study. This all, of course, related to research in OER, MOOCs, and Open Education.


An analysis of the effect of 15 years of research in organic food systems in Denmark showed that it has had a high impact on the development of the sector. There are three main reasons: First of all, the content of research programs and the funded projects have been closely aligned with the needs of the industry as expressed by farmers, advisors and organizations. Second, many of the projects have had close contact to advisors and farmers securing continuous dissemination resulting in rapid application of results. Third, due to the close contact between researchers and users the research design has been adapted to ensure that treatments to be tested are as relevant and practical as possible, without compromising the scientific standards. Besides the practical applications the number of scientific products has been above average. Our results underpin and exemplify the general recommendations in recent international discussions on the need to improve the relationships between research, extension and agricultural production from a linear to a more complex knowledge interaction.


Wind energy conversion system is becoming very popular now a days and the application of wound rotor induction machine is widely spread in wind energy generating stations because of its adaptability for variable speed wind turbines through which maximum possible extraction of wind energy is possible. Also among all the induction generator configurations for wind power systems the use of Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) configuration with back to back pulse width modulated voltage source converters (VSC) is one of the best topologies available and it is suitable for both grid connected systems as well as stand-alone systems. In this paper, a brief review of all the control strategies for both stator side converter and rotor side converter are discussed in stator flux oriented reference frame and results are compared on the basis of cost, efficiency , power consumption and harmonics .


In order to cultivate students' innovation awareness and ability, we must construct an education environment suitable for the growth of innovative talent, an academic environment favorable for talent revealing itself, a free environment for the development of the students' personality and a desirable environment for the development in their emotion and intelligence.


This study aims to evaluate the effects of soy soluble polysaccharide and soy hull polysaccharide on stability and characteristics of emulsions stabilised by soy protein isolate in an in vitro gastric environment. Zeta potential and particle size were used to investigate the changes of physico-chemical and stability in the three emulsions during in vitro gastric digestion, following the order: soy protein isolate–stability emulsion < soy protein isolate–soy soluble polysaccharide –stability emulsion < soy protein isolate–soy hull polysaccharide–stability emulsion, confirming that coalescence in the soy protein isolate–stability emulsion occurred during in vitro gastric digestion. Optical microscopy and stability measurement (backscattering) also validate that addition of polysaccharide (soy soluble polysaccharide and soy hull polysaccharide) can reduce the effect of simulated gastric fluid (i.e., pH, ionic strength and pepsin) on emulsion stability, especially, soy protein isolate–soy hull polysaccharide–stability emulsion, compared with soy protein isolate–stability emulsion. This suggests that the flocculation behaviours of these emulsions in the stomach lead to a difference in the quantity of oil and the size and structure of the oil droplets, which play a significant role in emulsion digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. This work may indicate a potential application of soy hull polysaccharide for the construction of emulsion food delivery systems.


Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) have garnered attention for the high-capacity and reliable communication required by Beyond 5G. However, IRS control in existing studies assumes information sharing and control instructions from base stations (BSs), thus requiring a backhaul link to the core network and BSs. This requires the construction of a network system, ruining the advantages of IRS, such as its low cost and installation flexibility. Therefore, a standalone-IRS, which is completely independent of the core network and BSs, is expected to maximize the performance of the IRS. However, a standalone-IRS cannot obtain sufficient information for control decisions, such as channel state information, which is frequently used in existing studies; therefore, inefficient control methods, such as exploration, must be used. Thus, this study proposes a significant reduction in the overhead required for exploration by hierarchical exploration and a reduction in the exploration itself using codebooks to store the results of exploration. Furthermore, to prevent the degradation of communication quality owing to the use of hierarchical exploration and codebooks, we propose an effective beamwidth expansion method for hierarchical exploration and an efficient codebook construction method based on user distribution as elemental methods. In this study, we evaluated the overhead reduction and communication quality of the standalone-IRS control by combining these methods through simulations.


Background Video learning of surgical procedures helps trainees gain an initial understanding of the complex anatomy and the surgical procedure. Because no comparative studies have yet examined which microsurgical approach to the middle ear is most suitable for video learning, the authors investigated objective and subjective outcomes for medical trainees observing microscopic, 2-dimensional (2D) endoscopic, and 3- dimensional (3D) endoscopic ear surgeries. Methods Sixty-two medical students (min. 3rd year) from the University Hospital of Bern watched three standardized videos of a type I tympanoplasty surgery recording, conducted with a microscope, a 2D endoscope, and a 3D endoscope, respectively. The authors measured participants' learning outcome, eye movements, cognitive load, and subjective preferences. Results Of the 62 participants included in the study, 14 were male (22.58%), and mean age was 24.44 years (range: 21–29). Learning outcome was highest after watching the 3D endoscopic video (mean [SD], 59.48% [20.57%]). Differences in score were statistically significant: 2D endoscopic video (mean difference: –6.56%, 95% CI: –13.02 to –0.10%), microscopic video (mean difference: –13.82%, 95% CI: –20.27 to –7.36%). Participants showed lowest average eye fixation duration when watching the 3D endoscopic video (mean [SD], 307 ms [109 ms]), with statistically significant differences to the 2D endoscopic video (mean difference: –139 ms, 95% CI: –185 to –93 ms), and the microscopic video (mean difference: –264 ms, 95% CI: –310 to –218 ms). Participants reported lowest cognitive load for the 2D and 3D endoscopic videos. Ratings on discomfort, usability, naturalness, depth perception, and image quality were in favor of the 3D endoscopic video. Conclusion The 3D endoscopic technique offers many advantages for video learning in terms of knowledge gain, visual field exploration, and subjective evaluation. To optimize learning effects in trainees, the authors recommend the use of endoscopes in middle ear surgery and, if available, using 3D technology.


Recently, while traveling by train through Wisconsin, I had the good fortune to share a dining table with three young men. After our introductions, I soon learned that the three of them had spent the entire summer at a northern Wisconsin Indian village as part of their training for a fall assignment in the Peace Corps. While I found them to be very enthusiastic about their forthcoming work abroad, I nevertheless wondered afterwards what motivated them, as well as the thousands of others like them, to volunteer for a two-year tour of duty in some far-off land, where a multitude of hardships and challenges would continuously confront them. I also wondered how well they would succeed in representing the United States in the highly vulnerable area of international affairs. It is in Morris I. Stein's book, Volunteers for Peace , that many answers are provided concerning this most important


A model is described for the rational characterization and determination of paratransit eligibility for individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The model refines the process of determining paratransit eligibility by comparing, at the microstructure level, the mobility characteristics of a given individual with the environmental characteristics for a given trip. The large array of data that results presents an infinite number of possibilities in the comparison. A relational database was therefore created, along with a specially designed computational algorithm, to generate these comparisons quickly. Thus, the model provides the capability to make eligibility determinations quickly and objectively. In addition, the model allows for the virtual removal of selected barriers and then prediction of the cost-effectiveness that results from the reduced need for selected paratransit trips.


In this paper, the authors show that the use of CCD technology allows high resolution temperature imaging, image processing and provides further information, mainly a linear response versus temperature which will enable real-time implementation. Their measurement system, based on CCD technology, leads to better performances in the steel industry. CCD technology does not require a substantial cost and provides a lot of paramount information enabling the optimization of some industrial applications based on accurate relative temperature measurements.


Green infrastructure and ecosystem services to tackle climate change in Chilean cities. Alexis Vásquez1, Pamela Smith1, Dayán Martin1 and Cristian Henríquez2 1 Department of Geography, Universidad de Chile, Portugal 84, Chile, firstname.lastname@example.com 2 Institute of Geography, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Santiago, Chile, firstname.lastname@example.com FONDECYT Research Project 1130305 and 1130311


This paper shows how information technology can be used to provide structural designers with the appropriate tools to enable a more intuitive and efficient design process that takes into account the influence of areas outside of their specialisation. For the development of such a system, it is proposed that several technologies are implemented in the form of the "Virtual Building". This will provide an informed, visual and integrated working environment. The CIMsteel standards are used to form the basis of the object model - providing information regarding the steel structure itself - and then further expansions to this object model are proposed, to provide a full description of all relevant information to the steel structure giving due considerations to often overlooked elements. Virtual reality techniques have been used to provide as-built visualisation, immersion and inter-activity. This paper outlines the development of such a prototype system and some of the issues involved in its implementation as a working software model.


Background: The role of rapid testing has proven vital in reducing infection incidence in communities through swift identification and isolation of infected individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly catastrophic for residential carceral and rehabilitation facilities that are high-risk settings for transmission of contagious diseases. Centralized provider-based viral testing employing conventional diagnostic techniques is labor-intensive and time consuming. There is a marked unmet need for quick, inexpensive, and simple viral testing strategies. We hypothesized that rehabilitation residents could successfully test themselves employing inexpensive, disposable, antigen-based lateral-flow tests and would be willing to self-isolate and self-report to health authorities if positive.

Methods: We evaluated self-testing among 50 rehabilitation residents ages 18 and older in Pomona, California, where participants self-administered an influenza lateral-flow diagnostic test (without specimen collection) with the goal of appropriately observing a control line and completed two brief written surveys, one before self-administering the lateral-flow test and one after, to determine the overall feasibility of viral self-testing and to characterize attitudes comparing self-testing and provider-based testing.

Findings: A total of 50 rehabilitation residents were enrolled in this study and all 50 conducted a lateral-flow test and answered the provided surveys. Among the participants, 96% (48 of 50) achieved a positive-control line from their lateral-flow test. Most participants, 83% (34 of 41) indicated that they would prefer to perform their own rapid test instead of having a health care provider administer the test. Notably, 98% (49 of 50) indicated that they would self-isolate if the lateral-flow test returned a positive indicator suggesting the presence of a viral infection and 96% (48 of 50) would report positive results to their corresponding public health department.

Interpretation: Residents in a residential rehabilitation center were widely able to successfully self-administer standard lateral-flow antigen-based rapid diagnostic kits. Self-testing was strongly preferred over tests administered by a healthcare provider. Reassuringly, almost every resident indicated that they would report any positive test result to the health department and self-isolate accordingly. Self-testing offers a promising adjunct to centralized testing, potentially better enabling swift and effective management of life-threatening infectious outbreaks among those living in high-risk congregate living settings.

Funding: This study was funded by a grant awarded to Benjamin Sievers from the Pitzer College Racial Justice Initiative.

Declaration of Interest: None to declare.

Ethical Approval: This study was approved by both the Institutional Review Board at Pitzer College and HealthRIGHT 360's IRB committee, project number: 2020-32R1. Pitzer College's institutional review board's review was carried out in accordance with the requirements of Part 46, "Protection of Human Subjects" of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the "US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Federal-Wide Assurance (FWA) for the Protection of Human Subjects for Domestic (US) Institutions," Pitzer College Assurance #FWA00001138.