A novel transformerless two-stage photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected inverter is introduced in this paper. The system is composed of three-level boost (TL-Boost) DC/DC circuit and three-phase T-type eight-switch DC/AC topology. By using the multiloop interleaved control strategy and adjusting the conduction time of power switch phase of the first-stage boost DC/DC part, the inductor current ripple is reduced and the balance of DC bus capacitor voltage could be achieved respectively. Meanwhile, a nine-vector space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) algorithm based on optimal five-stage is adopted for eight-switch DC/AC inverter circuit, which could simplify the algebraic operation, reduce the switching loss and improve the utilization of the DC bus voltage. Finally, a 10kW experimental platform is built to verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed control and modulation method.


This case study explores experiences of a bisexual Latino male (age 18) whose identities cross various boundaries of heteronormativity routinely legitimized through a variety of school practices. Using a queer theoretical lens, the author examines intersections of race, ethnicity, class, spirituality, sexual orientation, and gender performance as reflected in the lived realities of this young man played out in the environment of a large, urban public high school in the southwest United States. Performance of a fluid masculinity provides a central vehicle for negotiations and synthesis of competing identities against conflicting peer and social norms and as a focus of this inquiry. Victor Turner's (1995) concept of liminality provides a staging area for a construct of holistic masculinity in which formation and articulation of identities are actually clarified rather than blurred.


An approach to check accuracy of Ku- and Ka-band dual-frequency radar techniques for retrieval of rain rate and rain drop size distribution (DSD) is studied by using measured DSD data. The radar retrieval look-up tables introduced are effective not only in inferring rain rate and DSD parameters but also in evaluating overall performance of retrieval algorithms. As an example of the methods used for this study, DSD data collected from one of several field campaigns are used. A more thorough study is underway to include DSD data from different climatological regimes. Different DSD models will also be investigated to determine whether the DPR retrievals can be improved.


This work presents a CAD tool incorporating several approaches to the design of reliable checkers for totally self checking control units. Some of the approaches are original. To achieve the required properties, unidirectional error detecting codes are applied to the outputs of the control units. Traditionally, minimum check bits in the code serves as the criterion for its selection. The new proposed approaches to construction of the codes aim at reducing the resulting hardware overhead. The hardware architecture is FPGA, namely dualLUT 4-input 2-output CLBs. A fault model for the checker is a failure of a single LUT, which changes its output function.


This article examines an Internet music video in which Jesus has an orgy with strippers, knocks out an old lady, steals her necklace, steals from a homeless man, and rolls a joint with a page torn from the Bible. We contend that the lack of online censorship enabled the producers of the Hater Jesus music video to ruthlessly mock Jesus in an original fashion in order to produce a subtle critique of the militarization of Christian youth. The novelty of the representation of Jesus in this case has to do with the fact that while Jesus has often been joked about in popular media, he has rarely been seen. Moreover, when he has appeared, Jesus has usually been portrayed as an effeminate weakling. Hater Jesus, on the other hand, presents us with a thoroughly punk rock version of Jesus—a smirking, nihilistic menace to society.


Crowd sensing network is a data-centric network consisting of many participants uploading environmental data by smart mobile devices or predeployed sensors; however, concerns about communication complexity and data confidentiality arise in real application. Recently, Compressed Sensing (CS) is a booming theory which employs nonadaptive linear projections to reduce data quantity and then reconstructs the original signal. Unfortunately, privacy issues induced by untrusted network still remain to be unsettled practically. In this paper, we consider crowd sensing using CS in wireless sensor network (WSN) as the application scenario and propose a data collection protocol called perturbed compressed sensing protocol (PCSP) to preserve data confidentiality as well as its practicality. At first, we briefly introduce the CS theory and three factors correlated with reconstruction effect. Secondly, a secure CS-based framework using a secret disturbance is developed to protect raw data in WSN, in which each node collects, encrypts, measures, and transmits the sampled data in our protocol. Formally, we prove that our protocol is CPA-secure on the basis of a theorem. Finally, evaluation on real and simulative datasets shows that our protocol could not only achieve higher efficiency than related algorithms but also protect signal's confidentiality.


Background: Sertolioma is a slow-growing, non-invasive, firm and nodular tumor, malignant in 10% to 22% of cases and with low metastatic potential. Old age and cryptorchidism increase up to 26 times its chances of development and associates it with malignancy. Paraneoplastic syndrome, shown in 20% to 30% of the animals, is due to the aromatization of testosterone or the direct production of estrogen by tumor cells, leading to signs of feminization and bone marrow aplasia. The objective of this article is to report a case of sertolioma in a dog with dermatological characteristic symptoms, but presenting an unusual aggressive behavior, both completely reverted after castration.Case: A 9-year-old, uncastrated, aggressive and uncontrollable Canadian Husky dog was treated at the Institutional Veterinary Hospital with parapenial volume increase and generalized alopecia. A scrotal testis of reduced size and flaccid consistency and a mass in a parapenial region of 11 x 7.5 x 8 cm in diameter, with a cystic contour, adhered to the abdominal musculature and painless to palpation were detected. Cytology of the parapenial mass presented an image compatible with seminoma or sertolioma, and the preputial smear revealed a predominance of superficial cells. Ultrasound examination showed a heterogeneous inguinal mass, with expansive cystic area, compatible with mass in retained inguinal testis. Therapeutic course consisted of bilateral orchiectomy. Ectopic testis was firm to the cut, had whitish to yellowish coloration and was surrounded by a tunica containing 200 mL of serosanguinolent liquid. The histology of the mass revealed sertolioma-compatible cell characteristics, with cell proliferation circumvented by fibrous connective tissue forming poorly delimited lobes, moderate polymorphism with elongated cells, arranged in a palisade at the periphery of the lobes, vacuolated eosinophilic cytoplasm and vesiculous round nuclei. The unretained testicle revealed signs of atrophy. After surgery the patient showed a progressive improvement of the dermatological symptoms. However, what most caught the attention was the change in aggressive behavior, and fifteen days after surgery the animal was extremely docile and easily restrained during the clinical examination.Discussion: Hyperesthyrogenism due to sertolioma results from: 1) direct synthesis of estrogen by neoplastic tumor cells 2) increase in metabolism by central conversion (testicular cells) or peripheral hepatocytes, myocytes, adipocytes, hair follicles and neural tissue) androgens into estrogen through the aromatization of testosterone and 3) androgen and estrogen rate imbalance. Testosterone is considered responsible for the aggressive behavior in males, evidenced by the decrease of this behavior when the testicles are removed, and by the reinstallation of this behavior when the hormonal replacement is done. However, research on mice showed that estrogen-sensitive regulatory pathways also play a role in promoting this behavior. Although practically undetectable in male circulation, its presence stems from in vivo synthesis from the aromatization of testosterone, and it is this local estrogen, peripherally synthesized in the brain, that would be responsible for the control of dimorphic behaviors in males. The importance of the estrogen signaling pathway in aggression has also been reported in a study in knockout mice for estrogen receptors, in which males rarely exhibited aggressiveness. Such information is sufficient to support the hypothesis that the disappearance of the aggressiveness of the reported animal was obtained due to castration and correction of hyperestrogenism, showing the importance of including it as an important cause of aggressive behavior in uncastrated male dogs.


Apache mahout is currently developing a recommendation system that uses the Collaborative Filtering method, but in its implementation still lacks in processing time that still takes a long time to process large data. This research will utilize multithreading to speed up data processing time on apache mahout. In this research, it is known that the existence of multithreading able to increase its performance in processing data execution time on apache mahout. From the test that has been done with the amount of 20 million data, obtained the test results on the singlethread with the duration of data processing for 2218 seconds. And on the test for 4 threads obtained 764 seconds, and then for 8 threads obtained 691 seconds results and on the test for 16 threads obtained results 1097 seconds. From how many tests have been done has proven that multithreading able to improve apache mahout performance in the recommendation system as long as the number of threads does not exceed the capacity of thread size in the processor. Keywords—Apache Mahout, Collaborative Filtering, Multithreading Techno.COM, Vol. 17, No. 1, Februari 2018 : 1-11


MHA's task of overseeing the performance of the toll concessions encompasses virtually all aspects of performance, including protection and preservation of the physical infrastructure, system utilisation, traffic capacity, toll collection and road safety. To facilitate its conduct of this task, MHA commissioned Kumpulan IKRAM, in association with ARRB Transport Research, to undertake a project entitled Performance Monitoring and Evaluation of Toll Roads in Malaysia, which had two main components: a review of key performance indicators (KPI's) currently being used in performance assessment of toll road concessions in Malaysia, including benchmarking against KPI's used in similar situations in other countries, and recommendations on KPI's that should be incorporated in future concession contracts; and the development and implementation of a computer-based system for use by MHA to assist its oversight of the performance of toll concessions, the first version of which would concentrate attention on performance assessment related to preservation of the road infrastructure. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212095.


Co/Pt multilayer structures with varying Pt layer thicknesses from 1.5 to 12 A were deposited on Ta buffer layer by DC magnetron sputtering technique and both of their magnetic and structural properties were investigated. All the multilayers showed perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and the enhancement in PMA is observed with increase in the Pt layer thickness. The structural investigation using XRD reveals the presence of single peak in all these multilayers, which indicate the formation of coherent Co/Pt (111) structure. The origin of PMA in these multilayer structure is due to the strain induced in the Co layer. From the full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of the XRD patterns it is observed that the grain size is increasing with increasing the Pt layer thickness. The influence of the enhancement of the grain size is then correlated with the measured M-H hysteresis behavior and subsequently the anisotropy energy.


Dislocations in a field-ion specimen under specified conditions give rise to a spiral contrast in field-ion micrographs. The nature of the spirals can be used to derive information concerning the Burgers vector of the dislocation. Such an analysis is applied here to the case of the two-leaved spirals from hexagonal close packed structures.


Bulks of stored grains may be protected from attack by insects by fumigation with poisonous gases such as phosphine and methyl bromide. When designing fumigation systems it is essential to ensure that all regions of the grain bulk receive an insecticidal dosage of fumigant. The paper outlines the development of new engineering design equations that govern the macroscopic behaviour of the system. The mathematical analysis is based on a description of the mass transfer phenomena that occur on the length scales of the grains and intergranular spaces. The method of volume averaging is then invoked to develop macroscopic equations that capture some of the fine details inherent in the microscopic equations. This detail manifests itself through mass dispersivities and transfer coefficients that may be calculated from known properties of the system. The design equations may be shown to be uniquely correct.


This paper seeks to explore the properties of analysts' forecast accuracy for companies listed on Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE). Based on a sample of 266 firm-month observations (predictions made in 2008 for 2009 and 2010), the paper investigates several firm-specific factors documented by the literature to have a significant impact on forecast accuracy, and shows that for Romanian listed companies, forecast errors for earnings per share reported under local GAAP are negatively correlated with the size of the firm and the corporate governance policies. The results are convergent with those documented in international contexts, showing that larger firms as well as those which are better governed are more likely to provide additional disclosures, and thus increase forecast accuracy.


Cultural differences among immigrants demand differentiated strategies from marketers. This research aims at defining multicultural marketing within national boundaries, detailing how it has been studied and succesfully implemented by leading practitioners. Two research methods are utilised in this studythe first is heuristic (since it makes use of secondary data); the second is qualitative, based on data derived from case study. This research on cultural differences shows that differences become bigger depending on the profile of that culture that integrates others. Results show that individuals do not go through their lives with just one cultural reference. On the contrary, they get in and out of different cultures. Therefore, advertising needs to focus on integrated and combined campaign


Abstract : Many military applications will benefit from the use of unmanned vehicles. However communication realities have limited the effectiveness of the current direct tele-operated vehicles. One solution is to increase the on-board autonomy of the vehicle. While this does reduce the communication requirements, the level of machine intelligence is not sufficient to insure operation in extreme situations. Proposed is a shared control solution that is a synergistic partnership of on-board autonomy and the superior cognitive capabilities of the remote human operator. This paper describes work at the Defence Research and Development Canada - Suffield (DRDC-Suffield) in tele-operated vehicles, autonomous control systems and discusses the issues and benefits of shared control of military vehicles.


(Mg0.88, Fe0.12)SiO3, (Mg0.86, Fe0.14)(Si0.98, Al0.02)O3 perovskites were studied using Fe K-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) under pressure up to 85 GPa at ambient temperature. The amount and quality of the data collected allows to perform for the first time a systematic study of the absorption edge features as a function of pressure in this geophysically important system and permits to qualitatively confirm the presence of electronic transition in (Mg, Fe)(Si, Al)O3 perovskite at 35–85 GPa, which according to Mössbauer data can be associated with the gradual high spin-intermidiate spin crossover.


Correction for 'Rhodium-catalyzed cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides for the synthesis of spiro[furo[2,3-a]xanthene-2,3′-indolin]-2′-one scaffolds' by B. V. Subba Reddy et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 50497–50499.


This paper discusses the farmers' welfare which originated from agricultural land.Based on the investigation in Hubei Province,the authors find that farmers' welfare distinctly changes caused by land expropriation.Further onwards,their research results show that there are scarcely impacts on farmers' economic welfare,and 78.7 percent farmers' net income are incremental or broadly unchange after their land loss.On the contrary,land expropriation has significant negative influences on farmers' non-economic welfare,which include personal autonomy,social equity,life style,environment and mentation.


In order to learn more about the steel- concrete composite bridge which the Djoue bridge in the second stage of the 1stnational road project in Congo( Brazzaville) has selected,promote the design technologies of bridges and better understand and improve the relevant standards,the overall optimization design analysis of Djoue Bridge aiming at saving steel and improving bearing capacity is necessary. ANSYS is used in optimization of bridge type,concrete thickness and height of steel beam. It can provide technical references for the construction of the Djoue Bridge,the follow- up study of the steel- concrete composite bridge and the specification improvement.


In recent years, experiential training, which regards interactive experience、communicating and sharing ideas as the main means of training, has gradually become a bright spot in teacher training . An increasing number of schools have make it as the essential method of training new employees、integrating campus culture、inspiring teachers potential as well as building learning team,This paper first describes the experiential training and its theoretical foundation, and then combining with the systematic design model of Dick and Carey, discusses the design methods of game in teacher experiential training; Finally, the paper introduces a teachers' psychological health and quality training case so as to provide some beneficial references for teachers' training.


The issue of decision-making, is essentially a form of selection of various alternative actions that may be selected which process a particular mechanism, with the hope of producing a best decision. Fuzzy logic can be used to describe a chaotic dynamic system, and fuzzy logic can be useful for systems that are complex dynamic in which the completion of the general mathematical model that can not work properly. Sugeno fuzzy method to compute efficiently and work well with the optimization and adaptive techniques, which makes it very well in a control problem, especially for non-linear dynamic systems. Keywords: decision support systems, fuzzy logic, fuzzy Sugeno


In recent years, the military-technical policy of technically developed countries has been highly dynamic, flexible, and concentrated on the priority areas of military-technical construction. Its main task is the creation of weapons systems that, due to their qualitative advantage, are capable of ensuring the successful fulfillment of combat missions by the national armed forces with the possibility of imposing on the enemy forms of military confrontation that are advantageous for themselves in the course of hostilities. Fighting in the east of Ukraine requires continuous improvement of the technical characteristics of weapons and military equipment in order to qualitatively counter the numerical superiority of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and other forces with an atypical organizational and staff structure. Large losses of weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are caused by the constant search for new effective ways to increase the survivability of weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the course of the study, the authors examined the main directions of increasing the survivability of military vehicles. In the course of the study, the authors used the main provisions of mine resistance, survivability theory and general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis. According to the results of the study, the authors determined that the main directions of increasing the survivability of military vehicles are aimed at: optimizing layout schemes; the introduction of means to strengthen mine resistance; different types of booking using modern high-strength materials; the introduction of materials and new technologies that provide stealth; increase vehicle mobility. The implementation of these directions of increasing the survivability of military vehicles will save the lives of personnel and will ensure the fulfillment of tasks


Potential acid sulfate soils (PASS) are coastal, inland or mine spoil soils with a high content of iron sulfides. Originally neutral or alkaline, and often with a low buffer capacity, these soils have the potential to produce sulfuric acid if drained or excavated (actual acid sulfate soils) (Pons, 1973; Dent and Pons, 1995). The problem associated with sulfide oxidation is the release of toxic substances (mainly heavy metals), which can be leached and transported in very acidic (pH <4) environments (Fältmarsch et al., 2008). Acid sulfate soils are commonly considered a serious global hazard, with a remarkably negative impact on ecosystems and human health (Dent and Pons, 1995; Andriesse and Van Mensvoort, 2006). Acid sulfate soil material is classified according to the presence of diagnostic properties such as hypersulfidic and sulfuric materials (Sullivan et al., 2010). Hypersulfidic material is described as sulfidic material (≥0.01% inorganic sulfidic S), which upon incubation (i.e. oxidation) at field capacity (generally at least 8 weeks) displays a pH drop of ≥0.5, compared to unoxidised conditions, to a value of <4. During field conditions, oxidation of hypersulfidic materials often leads to the development of a sulfuric horizon (pH <4). Both diagnostic materials are recognised in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources classification (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015), with "sulfuric" being referred to as "thionic". Sulfidic material that does not display a drop in pH to <4.0 is termed "hyposulfidic". In Finland and Sweden, a lower diagnostic limit of pH <3.0 for recognition of hypersulfidic


Three commonly used behavioral economic strategies were tested to investigate their utility in suicide prevention and mental health initiatives. Study 1 used a social norms nudge to potentially increase the people who accessed an online suicide risk factor intervention via e-mail (N = 14,792). E-mails containing the social norm nudge were 164% more likely to click on the link relative to those who received the e-mail without the nudge. Study 2 used item count technique to better estimate suicidal ideation compared with direct questioning methods endorsed by two groups of online participants (N = 787). No difference between groups was found. Study 3 used framing techniques to understand if participants (N = 787) were more likely to access online coping skills when framed as being able to help others who may go through a suicidal crisis rather than themselves. Findings indicated more participants accessed the coping skills when framed as having utility for helping other people going through a suicidal crisis.


The central theme in this thesis is the effect of the soft confinements consisting of molecular microtubes and fluid interfaces, on the self-assembly of colloids. We have specially focused on the synthesis of magnetic colloids and the magnetic responses of self-assembled structures including supramolecular assemblies themselves, colloidal chains in molecular microtubes, and colloidal aggregates at the flat oil-water interface. A homogeneous field and an alternating magnetic field are applied. Finally we propose several synthetic methods to obtain magnetic colloidal model systems for the future study of magnetic anisotropic colloids in soft confinements.


Abstract Acute meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges affecting the pia, arachnoid, and subarachnoid space that still causes morbidity and mortality. Among the sequelae of meningitis, endocrine complications have been reported in patients recovering from acute central infectious diseases. Although the results of the studies are conflicting, the most common pituitary hormone deficiency during the acute phase or at 1-year follow-up evaluation is growth hormone deficiency, which results in growth impairment in children and a dysregulation of body composition and lipid metabolism throughout life. The mechanisms involved in growth failure secondary to meningitis are unknown. Therefore, endocrinological evaluation, including clinical, auxological, and hormonal assessments, should be performed during the acute phase of the infection and during recovery.


Sublegal, post-molt, male king crab graspers are capable of reproducing and may suffice as brood stock in the male-only king crab fishery. Observations in tanks revealed that the younger males bred successfully with an average of five females.


The word itself has no sense and it can not be defined if we do not join many domains. To define the word Health for instance we need a doctor, a psychologue, a sociologue, an educator… and especially the concerned person who knows better himself. We generally go to the hospital when we feel bad. How can we manage this mishealthy knowing that the problem of language in communication is recurrent between two or more persons. The misunderstanding in communication is generally observed when we are in contact with persons who are different from our culture. It is very important for us to know their culture. In this case, we have to find a translator, then he plays an important role between the sick person and the doctor. This article will analyze the main problem of intercultural communication and will do suggestions to hospitals hope that the relation between persons from different culture will be ameliorate.


In this study, BNT() and glass-ceramic composites were fabricated and investigated in order to apply for low temperature cofired ceramic. The prepared BNT based glass-ceramic composites were sintered at with the glass fit contents ranging from 10 to . The properties such as sintering and dielectric property were investigated in the ceramic compositions according to the phosphate glass frit. The dielectric constant was varied between 10 to 40 and shrinkage rate was increased according to increasing glass frit.


This paper investigates the ultimate strength failure probability of composite laminates. A probabilistic progressive failure model is proposed based on system reliability theory. In this model, the overall failure of the laminate is caused by a series of ply-level failure events, such as matrix cracking and fiber breakage, and the structural stiffness matrix is modified after each failure to simulate the laminate progressive failure process. The first-order reliability method (FORM) is employed to compute the failure probability of the plylevel events. The branch-and-bound technique is used to identify the significant failure sequences. The system failure probability is computed using reliability bounding techniques.


Objective:To investigate the expression and significance of Bmi-1and Ki-67 protein in melanoma(MM).Methods:SP immunohisto chemical technique was used to examine the expressions of Bmi-1 and Ki-67 protein in the paraffin sections of 35 cases of MM and 14 cases of intradermal nevus tissue,and to analyze the correlation of Bmi-1 and Ki-67.Results:In MM,positive expression rate of Bmi-1 was similar to that of intradermal nevi(P0.05),but its high positive expression rate was obviously higher than that in nevi group(P0.05).Ki-67 expression enhanced obviously compared to that of intradermal nevi group(P0.01).Bmi-1 protein expression and pathologic stage was related(P0.05);Ki-67 protein expression was related with lymph node metastasis(P0.05);Ki-67 and Bmi-1 expression was positively correlated(P0.01).Conclusion:Bmi-1,Ki-67 protein expression are related with MM,can be used as prognostic index.


One of the most challenging aspects of fleet husbandry today for any Government ship owner is the proper assessment of where to spend maintenance resources to keep ships mission ready and safe for the personnel who sail them as well as for the operating environment. Budgets are becoming more and more constrained, personnel have less time to spread their attention over all the systems that comprise the total ship system, and operating tempos are increasing. As a result, it is imperative to identify and implement processes facilitating the ability to focus attention where it is most needed, and where it will provide the best return on investment. The Naval Sea Systems Command and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) have recently partnered in a 'Service Life Assessment Pilot' for the U.S. Navy introducing a structured, thirdparty periodic condition assessment process for selected systems on a number of classes of Navy ships. The intent is to determine areas where ABS can assist the Navy and share common knowledge and processes in identifying where maintenance action is most needed on ships, and recommend focused inspections whereby the continuing health of these systems may be tracked. The intent of this paper is to describe the components that make up the Service Life Assessment Program and the potential benefits from application of ABS in-service classification practices applied to selected naval ship classes in the context of current Navy methods, processes, and procedures for inspection and maintenance.


The paper presents the outcomes and further progress of a partnership project implemented during 2000/2001 and aimed at establishing and operating a model (pilot) scheme for used oil collection and recycling organized at regional level (county level) solely based on a County Council s decision. Project activities included: drafting local regulations, training of scheme operators, setting up and operating a model collection scheme, and recycling of collected oils into waste derived fuel at cement kilns. Different waste minimization possibilities were considered as well as resource recovery, recycling, and reducing uncontrolled disposal of used oils. Because public knowledge on used oil management was found quite scarce, a special public/awareness component was added to the project. The most challenging activity of the project the more so as it was before adoption of the national regulation was the actual setting up and running the pilot scheme for used oil collection with a view to reduce the uncontrolled discharge / disposal of used oils into the environment and recover a non-renewable energy resource. A collection rate of 50-60% was provisioned for the collection scheme (approx. 20% less than the E.U. average collection rate) that would ensure the correct management and safe disposal of used oils, without harming the environment and human health. During the first 2 months of scheme operation it was made possible to include in a controlled circuit a quantity of 90 tons of used oils. Other similar initiatives implemented in other regions of the country after the national used oil regulation was adopted as well as the yearly quantities of used oils collected afterwards in Prahova County have confirmed the feasibility of the provisioned collection rate.


In this paper, we propose to analyse the incidence of the limitations inherent to a process of observation τ on the entropy of a statistical continuous set of events observed by means of τ. We present here a study of a particular case when τ is submitted only to fluctuations (the sensitivity and the accuracy of the apparatus are assumed to be perfect). In this case, τ is characterized by its "reliability limit".


In several ecosystems, Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1853) (Gastropoda, Tateidae) is considered among the worst invasive species. Its tolerance to a broad range of environmental conditions has favoured its success in colonising new environments worldwide. However, population
 crashes may occur, leading to significant fluctuations in snail densities. Such crashes might be linked to morphological changes in the shell whorls, like the emergence of a haired keel (carinatus morphotype). In this study, we investigated the link between the appearance of the carinatus
 morphotype and the crashes in population densities over three years, based on field observations. The presented results show that after the emergence of the so-called carinatus morphotype, the population of P. antipodarum collapsed and did not recover for the next two years.
 This may indicate that the carinatus morphotype is a defensive reaction to extremely unfavourable environmental conditions.


special dispensation to question and criticize the norms of her society. But the sanction that she thought she possessed to articulate the possibility of social change is a qualified one. An individual so compromised in social terms cannot be "the destined prophetess" and so Hester must resign herself to the roles of advisor and comforter, and to the perspective of the critic rather than the reformer.


Previous research on municipal tax limitation referenda has attempted to explain this phenomenon in terms of fiscal decline and its associated byproducts, often ignoring state influences. Explanations of the occurrence and outcome of tax referenda have included: a dissatisfaction with government services;' an unwillingness to pay increased taxes;2 administrative problems with implementing timely property assessments;3 and an inability to afford increased taxes.4 To what extent, however, were locally initiated tax limitation referenda a function of external constraints placed on cities by state laws and policies? If remedies to fiscal stress are to be found, they will most likely take the form of greater state-local cooperation. Reliance on federally initiated and funded solutions to urban fiscal stress is not a viable course of action for


Abstract Background Children in Flint, Michigan, have multiple risk factors for behavioural challenges, including exposure to lead during the Flint water crisis. However, their behavioural health status is largely unknown. Robust data from the Flint Registry can help understand the burden of behavioural outcomes and inform the allocation of resources. Objectives This population‐level evaluation of Flint children's behavioural outcomes aims to answer the question: What is the burden of parent‐reported child behaviour problems in Flint Registry enrolled children? Methods This cross‐sectional study describes parent‐reported behavioural outcomes of children 2–17 years old who enrolled in the Flint Registry between December 2018 and December 2020. Parents/guardians completed behavioural assessments including the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC‐3) Parent Rating Scale and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF2) Screening Parent Form. Demographics of enrolees were compared with census data. Composite BASC‐3 T scores were compared with national norms. Distributions for clinically relevant categories of BASC‐3 and BRIEF2 scores were examined across age and sex groups. Results Of the 3579 children included in this study (mean age 9.73 ± 3.96 years), about half were female and 79.7% were eligible for free or reduced‐price lunch. Almost half of the children were reported to have clinically concerning scores on the BASC‐3 Parent Rating Scale (44.7%) and the BRIEF2 Screening Parent Form (46.7%). Across most age and sex groupings, the reported adaptive skills were relatively low and behaviour symptoms relatively high. Conclusions Results reveal a substantial burden of parent‐reported behavioural problems in Flint Registry children. This is clinically significant and indicates that a large number of children may require comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and potential medical and/or educational services. Recognising the potential for long‐term manifestations of childhood exposures to environmental hazards, longitudinal surveillance is critical to continue to identify and support participants.


In this work, we prepared electrospun ZnO nanostructured thin film on SAW devices by electrospray technique. To investigate the sensor response dependency on the number of metaloxide nanoparticles and metaloxide nanoparticle structure, we prepared SAW sensors having different coating loads of the metaloxides. Coating frequency shifts were adjusted to fall between 100 kHz and 2.4 MHz


Objective: Stroke is classified divided into subtypes: Ischemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) . IS is more commonly than ICH. The relationship between homocysteine (Hcy) levels and IS has been investigated. The aim of the present study is to investigate changes in serum Hcy levels and other biochemical parameters in IS patients are relative to controls. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 32 patients with acut IS who were admitted to the Emergency department of Suleyman Demirel University and 30 healthy control subjects. Serum homocysteine levels and various biochemical parameters were determined. We investigate the relationship between Hcy levels and clinical features in IS patients and controls. Results: Our data showed that elevated serum Hcy levels are higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT ) (p=0,013 ve p=0,005 ). We did not observe significant association between elevated plasma homocysteine levels and mortality in IS patient (p=0,491). Conclusion: Hcy is more at a risk factor of developing stroke in patients with DM and HT.


Dilute nitrides are novel III–V semiconductors that have been developed for photonic and electronic devices. Although they have been investigated, some of their characteristics have not been established yet. In this study, the static dielectric constant of dilute nitrides was experimentally estimated from the exciton binding energy. The results imply that nitrogen incorporation in III–V semiconductors decreases both the static dielectric constant and bandgap. This behavior is opposite to that of conventional semiconductors.


Allusion and the ancestors in the work of Juliet Armstrong - Terry King
Fragility and containment - Jenny Stretton
Beyond prescriptive boundaries - Amanda Bucknall


The objective of this study is to examine the dynamic nature of tourist destination image and the influence of tourists' overall satisfaction on image modification. The empirical data were collected in Seoul, a major tourism destination in South Korea. A total of 520 usable survey data were analyzed using paired t-test and analysis of variance. The results supported the proposed research hypotheses: (1) there were statistically significant differences with respect to all image dimensions between their pretrip and posttrip images at the α = .01 level, and (2) tourists' satisfaction was statistically related to the extent of destination image modification. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed based on the study findings, and recommendations for future research were presented.


This paper introduces a new particle swarm optimisation variant: the altruistic heterogeneous particle swarm optimisation algorithm (AHPSO). The algorithm conceptualises particles as energy-driven agents with bio-inspired altruistic behaviour. In our approach, particles possess a current energy level and an activation threshold and are in one of two possible states (active or inactive) depending on their energy levels at time t. The idea of altruism is used to form lending-borrowing relationships among particles to change an agent's state from inactive to active, and the main search mechanism exploits this idea. Diversity in the swarm, which prevent premature convergence, is maintained via agent states and the level of altruistic behaviour particles exhibit. The performance of AHPSO was compared with 11 metaheuristics and 12 state-of-the-art PSO variants using the CEC'17 and CEC'05 test suites at 30 and 50 dimensions. The AHPSO algorithm outperformed all 23 comparison algorithms on both benchmark test suites at both 30 and 50 dimensions.


To the Editor: We recently described a new locus for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) on chromosome 7p in a large English pedigree (Inglehearn et al. 1993). The phenotype in this family has been described by Moore et al. (1993) and is unusual in that there is wide variation in severity in different patients. Subsequently, Kremer et al. (1994) described a locus for dominant cystoid macular dystrophy (DCMD), also on 7p, in several Dutch families. The markers used in each study were different, but the localizations for adRP and DCMD appeared to be similar. This observation was of particular interest in the light of our own and other laboratories' recent studies on the range of peripheral and central retinal degenerations that are caused by different mutations at the peripherin/rds locus (Kajiwara et al. 1993; Nichols et al. 1993; Wells et al. 1993). Much of the discussion in the paper by Kremer et al. was therefore given over to speculation on the possibility that these two different disorders were allelic mutations in the same gene. However, in the April edition of the Journal, we published a further refinement of the localization for the 7p adRP locus, to a 2-cM interval between markers D7S526 and D7S484 (Inglehearn et al. 1994). The disease is clearly proximal to D7S526, since this marker shows two crossovers with the disease locus in the family and since these same crossovers are apparent with other more distal markers on 7p. The DCMD locus, on the other hand, had been shown by haplotype analysis to be distal to D7S526, with the most likely interval being between D7S516 and D7S493, some 8 cM distal to D7S526. We would therefore like to highlight the fact that these are clearly two different genetic eye-disease loci, mapping 10 cM apart on chromosome 7p.


Effect in Laboratory of addition of inorganic fertilizers made in degradation of hydrocarbon on contaminated soil by oil At present one of the most important environmental problems is contamination of soil ecosystem by hydrocarbon spilling mainly of oil and its derivates which occurs when oil is explored or transported. Furthermore in Colombia it occurs due to violent assaults made by men outside of law against petroleum infrastructure.To solve this problem there are treatment methods to recover contaminated soil as Landfarming technique, adding


The present study was carried out to study serotypes and drug resistance pattern of E.coli isolated from fecal samples of kites. Out of 40 fecal samples, 14 (35%) isolates revealed morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics of E.coli.. On serotyping, out of 14 isolates, 3 were non typable, 3 were non-viable and 8 belonged to 6 serogroups viz., O:157(1), O:153(1), O:159(3), O:152(1), O:132(1) and O:2(1). Antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed highest sensitivity towards chloramphenicol, amoxicillin and gentamycin. The isolates were found resistant to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, cephalaxein, ceftriaxone, oxytetracline and neomycin.


Organised mining and extraction of mineral resources began in 1903 in the Northern Protectorates and in 1904 in the Southern Protectorates of modern Nigeria with the establishment of Mineral Survey of the Northern Protectorates and the Mineral Survey of Southern Protectorates respectively, by the British colonial government. Over a century later, extraction of mineral resources in the country is still highly underdeveloped. There are great conflicts that surround oil extraction in the Niger Delta region, and Nigeria imports solid minerals which she is capable of producing domestically. The extraction of solid minerals and oil resources also calls into question issues of environmental neglect in the country. This paper provides for a descriptive analysis of Nigeria's mineral and oil resources extraction and management policy since the colonial period. It is observed that public policies in the sector have been interventionist, marginal, disjointed and elitist, and, have not properly included issues of sustainability for peace and development. Key recommendations of the paper are that public policy in the mineral and oil sector should seek to include more stringent regulations in relation to the environment, ensure equity in rent or royalty distribution especially to the host communities and develop the extraction of solid minerals with which the country is abundantly blessed.


Toshihiko Asahi Department of Urology, Okayama University School of Medicine, Okayama (Director: Prof. T. Niijima) The rate of lymphocyte blastoid transformation (LBT) is an effective measure of the immune status of cancer patients. Conventional techniques of measuring the LBT rate have depended on isolated cultures of purified lymphocytes. Such data show, statistically, that a decrease in the LBT rate occurs reflecting the extent of progression of the tumor. The individual results, however, show a comparatively wide scatter. The present authors, therefore, in cognizance of the changes that occur in the LBT rate (especially during anti-cancer chemotherapy) introduced the Pellegrino method of whole blood culture to measure the rate of LBT. This was than used in the clinical assessment of the value of the LBT rate as an index of the therapeutic effect of anti-tumor drugs. The method showed a significant correlation with the results of isolated culture of lymphocytes (r=0.9078, p<0.01) and, since less than one ml of blood is needed per test, had the added advantage of being a simple and convenient operation. The present experiment was an investigation of the applicability of this method to rats (body weight approximately 180g). Consistent results were obtained under conditions of a PHA-P concentration of 0.2%, the blood volume of each test being 0.1ml. Best results were obtained with a four-day culture period. 125I iode-5deoxyuridine (125IUdR) was best added six hours prior to the proposed termination of culture, 0.5+Ci of 125IUdR proving adequate for the purpose. Coincidentally, it was shown that 1ml/week of blood loss is no burden on the rat and that this species is useful in monitoring the changes occurring in the rate of LBT with the passage of time.


Colloidal quantum dots of indium antimonide have been synthesized by a known technique. The shape and average diameters of quantum dots have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy using a transmission microscope. Controlling the size and shape of colloidal QDs provides information on the formation of the crystal structure of nanoparticles and their possible physical and optical properties. It has been found that InSb quantum dots are characterized by a polygonal shape. The results obtained for QDs correspond to the crystal lattice system of a semiconductor with a cubic crystal lattice structure. Elemental analysis of nanoparticles has been monitored by X-ray microanalysis. The experimental determination error was no more than one percent. The percentages of indium and antimony in QDs according to X-ray microanalysis data corresponded to the theoretical stoichiometry In: Sb = 1:1. Impurities of other elements constituted the level of trace amounts, which confirmed the chemical purity of the synthesized InSb QDs. The fluorescent properties of indium antimonide nanoparticles have been studied. It has been found that the luminescence intensity of InSb nanoparticles at room temperature is insignificant, which is in agreement with the literature data. The quantum yield does not exceed 1%, and the luminescence maximum lies in the range of 1040 nm.


A substantial amount of testing, including recent full scale trials on a 600 MW PRB fired unit, has shown that KNX™ technology, in which a bromine-containing chemical, specifically calcium bromide, is added to the fuel, is an effective means of oxidising mercury in coal fired boilers. This greatly increases the Hg capture rate in existing "conventional" air pollution control equipment and promises very low Hg emissions alone or when combined with mercury-specific control technologies such as active carbon injection. The particulars of potential technology layering are very unit specific.


Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be stabilized via association with iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) minerals. Fe and Al can be strong predictors of SOC storage and turnover in soils with relatively high extractable metals content and moderately acidic to circumneutral pH. Here we test whether pedogenic Fe and Al influence SOC content and turnover in soils with low Fe and Al content and acidic pH. In soils from four sites spanning three soil orders, we quantified the amount of Fe and Al in operationally-defined poorly crystalline and organically-complexed phases using selective chemical dissolution applied to the soil Responsible Editor: Edward Brzostek Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10533-017-0337-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. R. C. Porras (&) C. E. Hicks Pries M. S. Torn Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS 74-316C, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com K. J. McFarlane Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551, USA P. J. Hanson Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA fraction containing mineral-associated carbon. We evaluated the correlations of Fe and Al concentrations, mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), and pH with SOC content and Cbased turnover times. We found that poorly crystalline Fe and Al content predicted SOC turnover times (p \ 0.0001) consistent with findings of previous studies, while organically-complexed Fe and Al content was a better predictor of SOC concentration (p \ 0.0001). Greater site-level MAP (p \ 0.0001) and colder site-level MAT (p \ 0.0001) were correlated with longer SOC turnover times but were not correlated with SOC content. Our results suggest that poorly crystalline Fe and Al effectively slow the turnover of SOC in these acidic soils, even when their combined content in the soil is less than 2% by mass. However, in the strongly acidic Spodosol, organometal complexes tended to be less stable resulting in a · · more actively cycling mineral-associated SOC pool.


A general theoretical formulation of the Rydberg-atom-neutral-atom inelastic processes is presented in order to define precisely the physical content of the simple impulse picture and to develop a systematic correction procedure. A simple modification of the impulse amplitude is then introduced to incorporate the distortion effect caused by the presence of the core of Rydberg atom. A preliminary calculation provides a reasonable description of the inelastic scattering involving low principal quantum numbers as well.


The international mandatory standard is the rising theory which the international law coming into being in within almost several periods.The purpose is to restructure the international legal standard system,and restrict will of state.Despite of a lot of defects,it holds the important position in real international legal system,how to make it bring the due effect into play is important study task for the international law scholars.


Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are a promising candidate for the realization of qubits for quantum computation [1]. With coherence times of below 1 ns, writing, manipulation and read-out of a qubit requires ultrafast laser pulses interacting coherently with the system [2]. A key experiment in this context is the observation of Rabi oscillations, where the population of a two-level system can be driven coherently back and forth between the ground state and the excited state. The GaAs/AlGaAs material system is favourable for spectroscopy, because the emission energy of the exciton of around 1.7 eV falls into a region where Si-detectors have still a high quantum efficiency. As the GaAs substrate is absorbing at the exciton transition energy, we have to employ a shot-noise limited pump-probe technique operating in reflection geometry. We accomplished to observe Rabi oscillations in one of the fine-structure split ground state excitonic states of our GaAs QDs, monitoring its population by the bleaching it imposes on the second ground state exciton transition (see Fig.1 left). The first period of these population oscillations yields a dipole moment of about 15 D for the s-shell exciton. A second period is still visible, but stretched and shifted to higher pulse areas (see Fig.1). This behavior can be explained by a phenomenological model that takes into account the interaction with hot, delocalized carriers which are excited by the pump pulse in the GaAs substrate.


In this paper, using the Schauder fixed point theorem, we prove existence results of radial solutions for Dirichlet problems in the unit ball and in an annular domain, associated to mean curvature operators in Euclidean and Minkowski spaces.


A new method of simulating space charge in an inverted electrolytic tank has been investigated. Once set up, the space-charge distribution is insensitive to changes in the conductivity of the electrolyte. The technique is illustrated by examples. With its aid it is also possible to use two-dimensional models to obtain three-dimensional axially symmetric fields.


THE OLD concept of the nature of budget is that the annual budget should always balance. The theory of balanced budget prevailed in the United Kingdom up to the end of·l933. Any measures used to secure balance in the British annual budget were justifiable to the British. The British adherence to the doctrine was severely criticised as sentimental and primitive. '"This moral sentiment re-inforced by a primitive and widespread fear of unbalanced budget reached a high pitch in 1931."1 In this year, the budget was actually balanced in the United Kingdom. However, in 1933, the sentiment for balanced budget grossly waned in favour of the unbalanced budget. Consequently, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Neville Chamberlain was pressurised into presenting an unbalanced budget so as to ircrease employment.


From the view point of complex network,the analysis for complexity and scale-free of software system and an optimal design for failure management are given.For failure managemen,from a centralized management to decentralized management,the system availability is improved by smaller cost.


To detect possible alterations of the baroreflex arch, we assessed the expression of c‐Fos in the NTS and PVN of L‐NAME‐induced hypertensive rats submitted to electrical stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) in conscious state. Rats were treated for 14 days with L‐NAME (n=7), D‐NAME (n=5) or tap water (CONTROL; n=6). The animals were equipped with catheters in the femoral artery and vein, and a pair of electrodes for intermittent (5s on/10s off) electrical stimulation (1mA, 2ms and 60Hz) during 20 min. L‐NAME treated rats showed higher arterial pressure and heart rate than D‐NAME and CONTROL rats. The hypotensive response and bradycardia due to electrical stimulation did not differ among groups. The density of c‐Fos in the intermediate and commissural caudal NTS, and magnocelular and parvocelular portions of the PVN was higher in L‐NAME treated rats. In conclusion, electrical stimulation of the ADN activated more effectively neurons in the NTS and PVN of L‐NAME induced hypertensive rats. These findings suggest a greater buffering effect of the NTS upon the PVN in this hypertensive model.


significantly from those of Electoral Action Solidarity. But the Freedom Union actually considered itself to be "liberal" not conservative; and as a liberal party it favored a free market, combined with secular policies. Meanwhile, Electoral Action Solidarity followed a more typically "conservative" path that included more nationalist rhetoric, Catholic morality, and some sympathy for state paternalism. This liberal-conservative split is typical for most European party systems, so the real problem in Poland was not the split between Freedom Union and Electoral Action Solidarity, but rather that both of these parties suffered from infighting that led to their collapse. Finally, although O'Dwyer provides an extremely interesting and provocative argument about how party competition shapes the possibilities for runaway state-building, a deeper discussion of what factors cause these differences in party competition would have been welcome. O'Dwyer suggests that the Czech Republic was helped by the fact that its main political cleavage was class-based, while the other countries had nationalist-internationalist or religious-secular cleavages. Unfortunately, O'Dwyer does not develop this line of argumentation enough to convince the reader. For example, one wonders if a dominant party system similar to that in Slovakia might have developed if the Civic Democractic Party (the main "center-right" party) had not been brought down by financial scandals. Even if the Czech opposition was less divided than the Slovak, it was not considered nearly as "credible" as O'Dwyer claims until it proved itself once in office. Nevertheless, it would be expecting too much to have all the answers in one book, and this does raise interesting questions.


A series of field experiments were carried out to assess the impact of two important global change factors (increased temperature and elevated atmospheric CO2) on the germination and growth of three C4 grass species found in New Zealand pastures: Digitaria sanguinalis (summer grass), Paspalum dilatatum (paspalum) and Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyu). The early spring seedling emergence of all species combined was decreased by elevated CO2. Spring growth of paspalum and kikuyu transplants was unaffected by temperature or CO2 concentration. Kikuyu showed a positive growth response to warming in autumn that was associated with increased soil N mineralisation. However, elevated CO2 dampened the mineralisation response to temperature and reduced the stimulatory effect of increased temperature on growth. Due to this secondary feedback, C4 grass spread under future environmental conditions (elevated CO2 ) may be less than anticipated when considering temperature responses alone.


3 2 . oontd..l922 to 1 9 5 6 , Medical and Health Department Reports» fo'r d e t a i l s see Appendix E , t a b l e 9 , 3 3 « . Landry Cl949), Woytinsky ( 1 9 5 3 ) , , U^N'.D^y.B*, 1 9 5 7 . 3 4 • I T.E.D.Y^ B e , 1 9 5 6 . 3 5 . World Population and Resoarces ( 1 9 5 5 ) , p e . 1 7 4 f o r n u p t i a l f e r t i l i t i e s of I r e l a n d , Poland, I t a l y , France and U,S , A a 5 the information on. A u s t r a l i a , Great B r i t a i n , and the Maltese I s l a n d s i s drawn, from " A u s t r a l i a Yearbook, 1 9 5 6 " , "Royal Commission on Population, v o l . 1 1 , ( 1 9 5 0 ) , Censuses of the Maltese I s l a n d s and o f f i c i a l v i t a l s t a t i s t i c s . The f e r t i l i t y r a t e s are c a l c u l a t e d from t h r e e y e a r l y means of b i r t h s , per thousand womeiv'married women" 1 5 4 4 y e a r s . 3 6 . 1 8 6 1 to 1 8 7 0 , P r i c e ( 1 9 5 4 ) , p. 2 2 5 . 1 8 7 1 t o 1 9 5 6 , Appendix E , t a b l e 2 0 . notes: 1 . 8 4 2 to 1 8 8 0 , Maltese onlyi 1 8 8 1 to 1 9 5 6 C i v i l population, i n c l u d i n g Garrison f a m i l i e s from 1 9 0 1 » A f t e r 1 8 7 1 the s t a t i s t i c s f o r each decade are standardised against the i n t e r c e n s a l net migrations c a l c u l a t e d from the Censuses and V i t a l S t a t i s t i c s . 3 7 . Appendix E,. t a b l e s 2 , 5 and 9 , provide the b a s i c S t a t i s t i c s . 3 8 . see i . Royal Commission. ( 1 9 1 2 ) , Report, Minutes of Evidence and map of scheme by B i n n l e and Deacon. xliv a 3 8 , contd. i i , F u b l i c Health Department Reports, 1 8 9 ? 1 9 3 5 e iii» Medical and E e a l t h Department Reports, 1936 1956, iv» map drawn by B i n n i e , Deacon and Gourley i n 1955* V. plans i n F u b l i c Works Department, V a l l e t t a . 39-41. P.H.D* and M. & H»D» reportSo 42. A ) and C ) , Appendix E" t a b l e s 12 and 13s B) Appendix I S , t a b l e 22.. 43. Appendix E , ta b l e 14. 44» ibid.. 4 5 a sources i n d i c a t e d on~ the diagram^ 4 6 . Customs and F o r t Department S t a t i s t i c s (annual abstracts)i 4 7 . , Emigration Department,,, and Customs and F o r t Department reports,.. 1955 and 1956. 48* Appendix B" t a b l e s 21 and 221. 49. A u s t r a l i a Yearbook, 1956j K i r k (1947)? Woytinsky (1953). 50. Appendix E,. t a b l e 24. 51. Appendix E" t a b l e 26, and Department of Emigration r e p o r t s . 52. Appendix E, t a b l e s 19 and 23. 53. Appendix E» t a b l e 23. 54. Unemployment Department of Labour r e p o r t s i p o s i t i o n at the 31st December each y e a r . Occupational trends I . an a n a l y s i s of Maltese workers i n H.M» Dockyard (see Fh..D» t h e s i s by W.A»Co (1960)).


Recent controversies have drawn attention to the growing day labor industry in the U.S. While academics and activists have documented and criticized day labor agencies' practice of externalizing costs onto the workforce, less attention has been paid to the informal organization of this form of work. At first glance, the day labor industry may appear to be little more than an anonymous "spot market," but this glosses over the subtle relational and reputational dynamics at play. This article uses qualitative and quantitative evidence to uncover the informal order of the day labor hall, as experienced by homeless workers. Dispatcher discretion over the allocation of jobs leads day laborers to adopt several strategies for combating anonymity in this market. We argue that dispatchers' perceptions of workers' loyalty and reliability shape the allocation of rewards, thus inserting a small measure of stability into this highly contingent form of work.


The crossbar structure of Resistive-switching random access memory (RRAM) arrays enabled the In-Memory Computing circuits paradigm, since they imply the native acceleration of a crucial operations in this scenario, namely the Matrix-Vector-Multiplication (MVM). However, RRAM arrays are affected by several issues materializing in conductance variations that might cause severe performance degradation. A critical one is related to the drift of the low conductance states appearing immediately at the end of program and verify algorithms that are mandatory for an accurate multi-level conductance operation. In this work, we analyze the benefits of a new programming algorithm that embodies Set and Reset switching operations to achieve better conductance control and lower variability. Data retention analysis performed with different temperatures for 168 hours evidence its superior performance with respect to standard programming approach. Finally, we explored the benefits of using our methodology at a higher abstraction level, through the simulation of an Artificial Neural Network for image recognition task (MNIST dataset). The accuracy achieved shows higher performance stability over temperature and time.


cumscribed area of nursing knowledge. Research should develop from the philosophical perspective of the school. That is, there are some universities where students are encouraged to develop their research to test a specific nursing theoretical perspective . Other schools will have their students contribute to the development of knowledge in a field where faculty members are currently involved in that area of research (e.g., women's health, vulnerable families, diabetes, and others). They are different, yet valid, approaches which yield information to add depth of knowledge about the discipline of nursing. Students should develop their own research questions and work with faculty to accomplish their unique contributions to knowledge development in a specific area of nursing. Some students may focus on a very specific condition, such as diabetes or even narrower to Type II Diabetes, while others may focus more generally on a population such as women's health or family health. There are great needs for information about these areas. While they are different, both disease processes and populations lend themselves to dissertation work and contribute to the development of nursing knowledge. Research by doctoral students in nursing should have a goal to further the knowledge and understanding of the discipline of nursing as well as the application of that knowledge. For example, there are incredible gaps in information about caring for individuals, families, and communities with health disparities. The individuals with health disparities are often our most vulnerable citizens, at least from a social and health promotion perspective. Social vulnerabilities, such as poverty and low literacy, lead to increased incidences of physiological vulnerabilities, such as hypertension, cardiac disease, and obesity. These preventable problems are amenable to nursing interventions and are rich areas for student research. As technology has evolved, more individuals are surviving with greater physiological needs. Individuals with physiological needs require complex nursing care with multiple decision points. These individuals may be considered physiologically vulnerable. The approaches to knowledge development in these areas may vary (quantitative and qualitative) yet they are equally valid. The ultimate goal should be the further development of nursing knowledge to develop evidence-based interventions to utilize with these populations. While a strong emphasis has been placed on the testing of nursing interventions, in some areas of interest to nursing the gaps in information are so great that there is still a need for descriptive research. If a student has identified a phenomenon of interest in which little is known, then a descriptive study may be the best choice. In this case, the dissertation can form the base for a lifelong program of study. It is critical that the student begin thinking about the next step in a program of research when descriptive research is done for the dissertation. Questions which should be asked include: Can this information be used to develop nursing interventions which will then form the base for a study to test them? How will this information serve as the base for the next study? In summary, the ultimate goal of the dissertation should be to expand the knowledge base in nursing. Students should select mentors and match their topics to their mentors. The information should be applicable to populations requiring nursing care.


The first step of current program evaluation practice is to collect data on program participants and sometimes nonparticipants. The data are then analyzed using statistical methods with the goal of assessing any possible associations between program delivery and outcome variables. This approach however tends to be expensive sometimes difficult to apply in the developing country context and even unnecessary. The authors discuss a number of basic concepts needed when designing evaluations and propose procedures which can be used in a wide range of programs during their implementation. Costs and purposes of evaluation setting program objectives as a basis for evaluation investigating causality confounding variables and evaluation design levels of analysis definitions of population groups involved effect/cost appropriate indicators for different objectives and sample size are discussed.


Thebacteriocin, boticin E,was produced byonly a fewstrains ofthose clostridia which are nontoxigenic butotherwise identical toClostridium botulinum typeE. Boticin preparations fromfourdifferent strains hadidentical spectra against indicatorcultures. Experiments withbacterial lawnsshowedboticin tobesporostatic foralltested nonproteolytic C.botulinum (types B,E,andF)andnontoxigenic typeE-related strains whichincluded theproducing strains as wellasthosedifferent fromtypeE inthefermentation ofone tothree carbohydrates. Boticin had no detectable effect on vegetative cells ofboticinogenic strains butkilled thoseof allother strains whosesporesweresensitive. Cultures that weregrowing inan agar mediumwere more sensitive tothebacteriocin thanthose growing inbroth. Vegetative cells ofindicator strains adsorbed boticin, butcells ofa boticin-resistant mutantdidnot.Boticin didnotlysesuspensions ofvegetative cells whichhadbeen killed previously byexposuretoairbutlysed actively growing protoplasts andLformsofa strain whosenormalvegetative cells aresusceptible tolysis. Sporostasis resulted frominhibition ofgermination rather thanofoutgrowth. Proteolytic strains ofC.botulinum (types A,B,andF)were resistant toboticin E. Nontoxigenic organisms resembling Clostridiumbotulinum typeE exist inenvironments wherethefoodpoisoning species maybepresent. Someofthese clostridia areconsidered tobe nontoxigenic formsoftypeE sincethetwo cannotbedistinguished incomparisons ofmorphology andbiochemical activities (12) andantigensofthevegetative cells (13) andspores (16). Amongthenontoxigenic isolates arethose whichproduce boticin E,a bacteriocin which actsontypeE byclearing broth cultures and exerting sporostasis. Theboticin isinactivated by trypsin butnotbyIhrofheating at100C (12). About80%oftheactivity inacrude preparation isassociated withasubstance witha molecular weight less than30,000 daltons; theremainder is associated withaparticle weight greater than40 x 106daltons (6). Thepresent communication reports on the survey forboticinogeny amongC.botulinum typeE andtypeE-related organisms andon someofthespecific actions ofthebacteriocin.


The number of patients that are reported here indicates that this adverse effect may be occurring more frequently than is recognized generally. In 1978, Thien et al." reported that three of 30 patients who were treated with prazosin developed incontinence but the paucity of reported cases since makes a 100/0 incidence most unlikely. Voluntary reports to an adverse drug reaction reporting scheme can not be used to calculate the incidence of adverse effects for the reporting is incomplete and, in Australia, the prescribing base is not known. However, prazosin was the 33rd most-commonly prescribed drug in the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme in 1984/1985; 1.165 million prescriptions were dispensed in a 12-month period. Some of the reports of incontinence may have been stimulated by publicity in Australia through the Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Bulletin,' but 16 of the reports had been received before its distribution. Urinary incontinence is an infrequent adverse effect of drugs and, in a recent review, only neuroleptic agents and drugs that affected the alpha-adrenergic receptor (phentolamine, phenoxybenzamine, methyldopa, reserpine and prazosin) are mentioned. I In addition, recent reviews of urinary incontinences have not mentioned drugs as a cause of incontinence even when the focus has been on patients


Hepcidin is a antimicrobal peptide with a special character. To study its structure and characteristics further, the open reading frame (ORF) and 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of hepcidin cDNA were amplified by RT-PCR, and the 5′-UTR was amplified by rapid amplification of 5′ complementary DNA ends (5′-RACE) from the total RNA of liver of the largemouth bass Microptorus salmonoidesi. The PCR products were cloned into pMD18-T vector and then sequenced. The full length cDNA fragment was determined to be 564 bp including an ORF coded 86-aa propeptide which consists of a signal peptide (24 amino acids), a prodomain (42 amino acids) and a mature peptide (20 amino acids). A RX(K/R)R motif typical of propeptide convertases was identified in the prodomain of hepcidin sequence, and in the mature peptide, there were 8 conservative cysteine residues forming four disulphide bonds, which can make the β-folding structure remain stable. Compared between largemouth bass hepcidin with that of other reported sequences in fish, they showed high homologous, especially in signal peptide, only 2 or 3 amino acids different from that of mandarin fish, turbot, Nile tilapia, black sea bream, red sea bream,white bass and Japanese sea perch.


Horace opens his Ars poetica with several comparisons between the arts to illustrate the 'structural' decorum which all unified works must share. Later, he develops an extended analogy between painting and poetry, introduced by the phrase ut pictura poesis, to illustrate the nature of the 'stylistic' decorum necessary to please, and to continue to please, the critical reader. In an earlier essay entitled 'The Meaning of Horace's Ut Pictura Poesis,' I tried to show how this analogy (361–5) concludes the preceding discussion of faults which may and may not be overlooked in a long work (347–60). In the present paper, in addition to collecting further evidence for this interpretation, I shall argue that the lines in question (361–5) form, at the same time, a transitional introduction to the following analysis of the kind of pleasure appropriate to poetry and of how it may best be protected (366–90).


The current applications,problems and developmental trend of landscape plants in Shanghai were analyzed,the favorable species groups were proposed according to the principles of plant selection in landscaping and the different sites such as hilly land,groundwater uninfluenced land,low-lying land and heavy saline-alkali soil as well as the ecological habits and biological characteristics of plants.and a suitable selection scope was put forward for the construction of urban greening and harmonious ecological environment.


This paper describes the most relevant aspects of the research field of Organizational Intelligence in the context of the Doctoral Program in Engineering from the District University of Bogota , whose main focus is the branch of Science and Technology of Information and Knowledge. From this perspective, Organizational Intelligence may help in understanding the means by which organizations create, socialize and use individual and collective knowledge to their benefit. This research field aims to characterize these processes within the Colombian studying social organizations from intelligence model approaches. All of the above is intended to increase the interest in this field and to motivate the proposal of research projects involving the industry and the society as a whole, with the support of Expert Systems and Simulation research group of the doctoral program.


In order to study the relationship between molecular structure and impact sensitivity for energetic compound 1,3,5 three nitrobenzene, two molecular topological indexs molecular connectivity index and bond parameter connectivity index were selected Molecular topological indexs of 1,3,5 tri nitrobenzene are calculated using molecular topological method The result shows there is obvious correlation between molecular topological characteristics and impact sensitivity, which is consistent with quantum chemistry calculation The result also reflects that the trigger group and other donor electron group can significantly influence impact sensitivity


Frankish conciliar attendees not only consulted canonical collections as part of their protocol, they also had every reason to assume that their own decisions would eventually appear in similar compilations. They were conscious, in other words, that they were contributing to the ever-growing, albeit amorphous, body of Western canon law. But the canon law of the Early Middle Ages was not the canon law of Gratian and his successors. Although some Frankish canons eventually would be absorbed into the medieval Corpus Iuris Canonici, their survival necessitated tearing them away from the original contexts of their enactment, even in cases where their language remained intact.Keywords: canon law; Frankish church councils


A syringe and detachable needle assembly having binary attachment features include an elongate syringe barrel having a longitudinal axis, an open proximal end and an open distal end including a collar. The collar includes the cylindrically shaped sidewall having an inside surface and an outside surface. A needle assembly includes the hub having a body portion including a proximal end, a distal end and a conduit therethrough. A cannula having a distal end, a proximal end and a lumen therethrough is attached to the distal end of the hub so that the lumen is in fluid communication with the chamber. A lug is provided on one of the collar and the hub and a ramp and a rest surface is provided on the other of the collar and the hub. The ramp is oriented at an acute angle with respect to longitudinal axis for guiding the lug during needle assembly attachment, to the rest surface forcing the hub to contact the barrel to form a seal the hub and the barrel.


Abstract : The Version IIA Release 2 Data Translator User Manual is intended to provide a complete guide for a WWMCCS H-6000 or 6000 user in the use of the University of Michigan software built to restructure IDS data-bases. The manual contains an overview of the restructuring process, guides in writing the necessary Data Translator specifications, control card set-ups, examples of output, and error message explanations. (Author)


Utility theory was introduced in the actuarial world by Borch [8], in 1961. In a series of celebrated papers, ([5], [6], [7], [9], [11]), he progressively developed the risk exchange model that will forever bear his name. Over a quarter of a century after its creation, the model continues to attract worldwide attention, as demonstrated by the continous flow of articles applying, or extending, Borch's seminal ideas. Self-contained presentations of the model can be found in the textbooks of Borch [10], Biihlmann [13], and Gerber [23], among others. The history of Borch's model is in itself particularly interesting. Developed in the early 1960s to model risk exchanges in a pool of insurance companies, the model was then extensively analyzed and extended with that single application in mind. It took nearly 20 years to notice that it could be applied to other situations, and that, for instance, a simple policy between a policyholder and his insurance company is also a form of risk exchange, to which the model could be applied. In recent years, the model was successively applied to chains of reinsurance, to reinsurance networks, and most recently, even to experience rating in group insurance. It is a safe


This article describes the ability of mathematical creative thinking and scaffolding process of pre-service teachers according to the learning styles. The research design used qualitative triangulation. The subject was 50 first year students of Elementary School Pre-service Teacher in Satya Wacana Christian University who were taking Basic Mathematics Concept course. Research data was taken through tests and interviews. The result of this study indicates that the subjects have different creative thinking abilities which were seen from their learning styles. Two aspects of them that were still low were flexibility and originality. The lack of love of mathematics was one of the reasons why mathematical creative thinking ability was still low. Scaffolding according to the subject's learning styles could improve the ability of mathematical creative thinking. The technique and duration of the scaffolding process depend on the learning styles and the subject's ability to follow the scaffolding process. The scaffolding process should be done according to the subject's response and needs according to their learning styles. Although they have different learning styles, scaffolding process can be done successfully with the use of media, either in the form of props and simulation drawings. Keywords: creative thinking; scaffolding; mathematic; pre-service teacher


The impact of neutrals on the anomalous edge plasma transport is examined in detail within the resistive drift wave (RDW) turbulence and zonal flow (ZF) system. It is shown that the neutral impact on the RDW turbulence itself is weak, but it can largely damp the ZF and thus lead to an enhancement of the anomalous transport. Such an impact is stronger for the system with a larger adiabatic parameter, where the ZF is more dominant in the absence of neutrals. It is shown that the enhancement of the anomalous transport is related to the detrapping of fluctuations from the vicinity of the extrema of ZF when the neutrals weaken the ZF effect.


We design and demonstrate a two-dimensional grating coupler (2D GC) with a low polarization dependent loss (PDL) based on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Using an elliptical-like etching pattern consisting of two identical semicircles and a rectangle embedded between them, a maximum PDL of the fabricated device is measured to be 0.2 dB covering the C-band, lower than that of most conventional 2D GCs. Besides, a large feature size of 280 nm is beneficial to its manufacturing process and wide application.


Single molecule magnets (cid:1) SMMs (cid:2) form a new class of magnetic materials consisting of identical nanoscale particles that can show magnetization in the absence of a magnetic field. We have experimentally and theoretically investigated the low-spin (cid:1) S=4 (cid:2) member of the Mn6 SMM family, properly functionalized with two 3-thiophenecarboxylate (cid:1) 3tpc (cid:2) ligands in order to graft it on to a Au (cid:1) 111 (cid:2) surface. We report the theoretical density of states calculated within the local density approximation (cid:1) LDA (cid:2) scheme accounting for the on-site Coulomb repulsion (cid:1) LDA+ U (cid:2) for U values ranging from 0 to 8 eV. On the experimental side, by exploiting resonant photoemission at the Mn 2 p edge, we were able to single out the Mn 3 d derived states in the valence band energy region for a submonolayer distribution of Mn6-3tpc deposited on Au (cid:1) 111 (cid:2) . From the comparison between the experimentally derived 3 d density of states and the theoretical one, we found that the best agreement occurs for a U value of 4 eV. From the binding energy of Mn 2 p 3 / 2 core line, measured in situ , we also derived a value for the 2 p -3 d correlation energy of about 5 eV—in agreement with previous determination.


Objective:To establish quality standards for Tujia drug Niuwangci development and utilization of resources to provide the basis to return to school.Methods:In this paper,pharmacognosy,chemistry,base source identification,microscopic identification method,extract method,determination of ash from the name,alias,origin,processing,identification,inspection and other medicinal herbs of the quality standards studied of Niuwangci.Results:Traits of Niuwangci,microscopic characteristics were described,and other indicators of a more complete research,plant sources of clear and reproducible microscopic identification,specific,moisture,total ash,acid insoluble ash,leaching were set reasonable limits.Conclusion:This method is simple,rapid,effective control can be used for the quality of Tujia drug Niuwangci.


Demonstrating both students' and teachers' dominating roles,the Task Driving Method is a teaching method based on the construction teaching theory,which is fit for learning skills.With my own practice in teaching with this method,this paper introduces the implementing method and shares my teaching experience.


In this guide please find tech tutorials on useful tools for your study, teaching and research. Consult on this page for google scholar search functions and citations function.


The Artemis missions have increased the ur-gency with which new materials and tech-nologies relevant to Lunar exploration must be developed. This research addresses the need for construction materials which allow for stability, damage sensing, and inclusion of native filler materials. Damage-sensing is en-abled by incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into a polymer matrix, and this paper details initial steps in determining if this potential persists when Lunar regolith simulant is used as filler. Preliminary damage sensing results from ASTM D695 samples of regolith simulant mixed with 1% CNT by weight PDMS matrix in an 88/12 ratio is discussed. Sample compression occurred at 1.3 mm/min while an LCR meter passed 10kHz, 2V AC through attached electrodes. Resistance and reactance changes were measured and correlated with strain and damage identified by stress-strain relationships. Strain sensing capability similar to other CNT material systems was discovered, though material tailoring will need to be carried out to allow for viable damage sensing. The development of the custom UV exposure chamber necessary to test UV enhancement of damage sensing capabilities is discussed. Finally, a computational model based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion approach is detailed and applied to data from previous studies to con-firm viability.


We're living in the age of the consumer - our businesses are in their hands. Empowered, demanding, and always right, this new individual requires a shake-up in the way things are run. Demand segmentation - classifying products, customers, and channels into groups that share similar characteristics - is the surest way to manage this.


The article discusses the tasks of children's sociocultural development, analyzes how this aspect is considered in the current programs of preschool education. The author suggests an original program for senior preschool children's sociocultural development. The article reveals the contents, aims, goals, principles and educational conditions of the author's program.


Abstract-In this paper we discuss dynamical properties of a modified Leslie-Gower predator-prey system with quadratic predator harvesting. We show that all solutions of the system are uniformly bounded. The permanence, stability (of equilibrium points) and bifurcations of the system are investigated. The system has at most two equilibria in the interior of the first quadrant and can exhibit Bogdanov–Takens, Hopf, transcritical and saddle-node bifurcations. Depending on the values of parameters, the system may have a stable periodic solution, or a homoclinic loop, or a saddle point, or a stable focus. Biologically, both populations prey and their predators may survive for certain parameter values.


Abstract: High-performance computing (HPC), the massive powerhouse of IT, is now the fastest-growing sector in the industry, especially for the oil and gas industry, which has outpaced other US industries in integrating HPC into its critical business functions. HPC can offer greater capacity and flexibility to allow more advanced data analysis, which usually cannot be handled by individual workstations.


In this paper we report the condensation reaction of the first generation of a dendritic monomer bearing hydroxyl or amine functional groups, with dialdehydes and diisocyanate co-monomers. Dimers and crosslinked polymers were obtained by reaction with glyoxal (Gly) and glutaraldehyde (Glu), respectively. Only crosslinked polymers were found when toluene diisocyanate (TDI) was used as co-monomers. The products were characterized by FT-IR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, DSC, TGA and GPC. Two principal factors exerted influence on the condensation reactions: the availability of the functional groups of the dendritic molecule and the reactivity and size of the co-monomers.


According to the demand response mode of the user side, this paper divides the flexible load into translational, reducible and transferable loads, briefly analyzes and introduces the operation characteristics of the three loads, and constructs the park comprehensive energy source system including wind power generation, photovoltaic, gas turbine and gas boiler. Considering the system investment cost, operation cost, fuel cost and compensation cost, this paper constructs the optimal allocation model of electric heating system in the park with the optimal total cost, and optimizes it through YALMIP in MATLAB. The final results show that the participation of flexible load and electric heating energy storage can not only effectively reduce the initial investment cost and total system cost in the early stage of the park, but also reasonably adjust the load curve, the optimal output point of energy storage equipment is obtained to determine the capacity of energy storage equipment.


In 1985 we began developing a hospital information system (HIS) at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at University of California, Davis. We wanted to provide easy and timely access to medical, surgical, laboratory, radiographic, demographic, and financial information in a patient-oriented, integrated format. In the course of its development, the HIS expanded to include pharmaceutical and supply information as well as images, clinic schedules, and evaluations. The HIS has become a management tool for hospital services such as pharmacy and central supply and a support tool for administrative functions, including clinical service schedules and performance evaluations of students and residents. The HIS is now a comprehensive computerbased system that provides the information we use to care for patients; teach students and residents and evaluate their skills, knowledge, and professional attributes; perform clinical research; support continuing education and service to the community; and administer the hospital. The core of the HIS is the patient-oriented electronic medical record (EMR). Besides serving the traditional function of the patient record as a repository for all-important patient information, the EMR is now a primary tool for teaching critical thinking and communication skills to students and residents. Evoking the vision of Lawrence Weed, it has become a medical record that teaches.


There are nonperiodic selfsimilar tilings with integer factor, which share many important properties — for example being a projection set or being almost periodic — with the quasiperiodic tilings (e.g. the famous Penrose tilings). Quasiperiodic tilings always have an irrational similarity factor. A nonperiodic selfsimilar tiling need not to be symmetric in the classical sense, i.e. it need not have a rotational or mirror symmetry. But selfsimilarity itself can be viewed as a kind of symmetry, too. Furthermore, there are additional concepts of symmetries, which are used in tiling theory and can enlarge the concept of symmetry (like inflation-deflation symmetry, limitperiodicity etc.). We will explain these concepts and give some relations between them. 1 NONPERODICITY and SELFSIMILARITY A tiling is, as one would expect, a collection of tiles, such that the interiors of the tiles do not intersect and the union of the tiles fill the whole space. Here we restrict ourselves to the plane, but all the concepts and facts stated here work in higher dimensions, too. Thus a tile is a bounded set T ⊂ R with nonempty interior, and a tiling is a countable collection of tiles {T1, T2, T3, . . .}, such that the union ⋃ i∈N Ti gives R. Figure 1 shows a part of a tiling. A tiling P is called selfsimilar with factor η, if: 1. For every tile T ∈ P there is a set of tiles {T1, . . . , Tk} such that the union ⋃k i=1 Ti is equal to ηT , and 2. If the tiles T ∈ P and S ∈ P are equal up to translation, the relating sets of tiles {T1, . . . , Tk} and {S1, . . . , S`} are equal up to translation. The thick lines in figure 1 indicate the selfsimilarity. The fat point in the middle is the origin, the factor is 2, and one can find scaled copies of the central hexagon H — namely 2H, 4H, 8H, . . . — built of small tiles. One can now find the rule, how the large hexagons are composed of smaller hexagons and half hexagons. This rule allows us to fill larger and larger regions of the plane, thus giving an infinite tiling of the plane. Selfsimilarity can be seen as a kind of symmetry: If one scales a tiling P by a factor η, the union of edges of the scaled tiling ηP is a subset of the union of the edges of P . Because of point 2. of the definition above we know locally, how to add edges to get the original tiling P . This scaling and adding of edges together gives an action, lets say Φ, such that Φ(P ) = P . This last equation would also hold if P has a 'classical' symmetry, such as a rotation symmetry with rotation Φ. A tiling P is called nonperiodic, if P = P + t forces t = 0. That means, if we move the tiling around, the 1It is not easy to give a good definition for 'quasiperiodicity'. So we state only, that quasiperiodic tilings are of special interest for many scientists in many fields, and gave rise to a lot of mathematical investigations. For more information, cf. [Baa] Figure 1: A part of a selfsimilar nonperiodic tiling by half hexagons [G-S]. moved tiling will never match perfectly the original tiling, unless we move it back to the original position. The tiling shown in figure 1 is nonperiodic, as we will see later. If a periodic tiling with 2 linearly independent period vectors has a point of selfsimilarity (like the fat point in figure 1), it has infinitely many such points. A nonperiodic tiling can have at most one point of selfsimilarity. 2 INFLATION and DEFLATION The previous facts about selfsimilarity leads to a powerful concept of generating nonperiodic selfsimilar tilings: inflation. The idea is shown in figure 2: We choose a finite number of tiles, called prototiles, together with a factor η and a rule, how to dissect the tiles scaled by factor η into tiles congruent to prototiles. If we start with one tile (or a small number of tiles), we first scale the tile(s) with factor η. Then we dissect the scaled tile(s) according to the given rule. The resulting configuration of tiles we scale again as a whole ('inflate'). The scaled tiles in this scaled configuration will be dissected according to the given rule, and so on. In this way we fill larger and larger parts of the plane, getting a tiling in the limit. The process of scaling and dissecting together is called inflation. The connection to selfsimilarity is: Theorem 2.1 (see [Fre]) The family of all tilings generated by an inflation contains a selfsimilar tiling. Every selfsimilar tiling gives rise to an inflation. By inflation one can generate both periodic and nonperiodic tilings. Inflation rules for tilings with an integer factor are easy to find. The author found the rule in figure 2(d) in some minutes by playing tangram. Every reader can try to find another one. In the following we show how to decide if an inflation rule gives rise to a periodic or a nonperiodic tiling. An inflation rule can be applied to tiles, to finite sets of tiles, and also to tilings. In such an inflation tiling one can always find a 'previous level tiling': If P is an inflation tiling, one can find a tiling Q with the property, that P is the inflation of Q. (The reader can try with figure 1, and also with the trivial 2–periodic square tiling.) If the process of finding this Q is unique, we call the inverse operation of inflation 'deflation'. The existence of a deflation is an important property: Theorem 2.2 (see [Sol]) An inflation tiling P with finitely many local configurations up to translation is nonperiodic, if and only if it has a deflation. Half-Hex (d) a tangram tiling (c) (b) an inflation rule by Eric Lord (a) Figure 2: Four inflation rules for nonperiodic tilings. In the tiling in figure 1 we can find the previous level configuration in a unique way. Hence the related tilings are nonperiodic. In a trivial square tiling with factor 2 there are always four different possibilities for a previous level configuration. Clearly the trivial square tiling is 2–periodic. The property of an inflation tiling to have a deflation can be seen as a symmetry, too (see [Baa], where it is called 'inflation–deflation symmetry'). It is related to selfsimilarity, but it is not the same. There are selfsimilar tilings without inflation–deflation symmetry (for example periodic inflation tilings), and there are tilings with inflation–deflation symmetry, which are not selfsimilar. 3 LIMITPERIODICITY and PROJECTION An amazing property of nonperiodic selfsimilar tilings with integer factor is, that some of them contain 2–periodic subsets. (That is impossible for quasiperiodic tilings.) In figure 1 one can see, that the tiling has a honeycomb–like structure. This is more clearly shown in figure 3: the grey shaded tiles on the right half of figure 3 are part of a honeycomb–shaped pattern, that continues to the whole tiling. This set — call it M — of tiles is obviously 2–periodic. It covers 75 % of the tiling. Because of the selfsimilarity, the set 2M (sketched on the left side of figure 3) is also 2–periodic. M and 2M together cover 93,75 % of the tiling. (Only parts of them can be shown in figure 3.) Furthermore, every set 2M, k ∈ N is a periodic subset of the tiling, and the union k≥0 2M gives the tiling itself (except the two tiles in the center). So this nonperiodic tiling is a countable union of periodic sets of tiles. This property is called limitperiodic. Again, limitperiodicity is strongly related to selfsimilarity, but it is not the same. It can be viewed as another kind of symmetry of a tiling. Another powerful tool to generate nonperiodic tilings — beneath inflation — is the projection method. The general idea is to project a part of a n–periodic structure in n–dimensional space (n ≥ 3) into 2–dimensional space. A formal description is: R π1 ←− R π2 −→ R ∪ ∪ ∪ V L W (1) with L a (d + e)–dimensional lattice, W ⊂ R a compact set and π1, π2 orthogonal projections. Under some additional conditions gives V = {π1(x) |x ∈ L, π2(x) ∈W} rise to a quasiperiodic tiling. In this way one cannot get a nonperiodic tiling with integer factor. But if one Figure 3: Periodic structures in a nonperiodic tiling choose instead of (1) the setting R π1 ←− R ×G π2 −→ G ∪ ∪ ∪ V L W (2) with G = Ẑp × · · · × Ẑp (Ẑp the ring of p–adic integers), one can generate limitperiodic tilings, thus tilings with an integer factor. This was discovered by Baake, Moody and Schlottmann and is described in [BMS] and [LM]. In [LM] and [Fre] criteria are given, if a tiling is limitperiodic or not, and thus can be obtained or not by a project scheme (2).