The present invention, high strength and having a fatigue resistance and corrosion resistance and ductility hot-dip galvanized steel sheet and a galvannealed steel sheet and; And non-plating defects and plating adhesion is improved ductility, excellent high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet and a method of manufacturing the same, even after processing and; And high strength with corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance and high ductility hot-dip galvanized steel sheet and; High strength galvannealed steel sheet and a manufacturing method having a good appearance and processability, and to inhibit the generation of non-plating defects and; Suppressing the non-plating defects, and surface defects and provides a particularly high-strength alloyed hot-dip has a corrosion resistance and high ductility both in the environment containing chlorine ions and zinc-plated steel sheet hot-dip galvanized steel sheet and a manufacturing method thereof. Fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, high strength, high ductility, hot-dip galvanized, galvannealed, appearance, processability


This paper is a comparative analysis of egalitarianism and utilitarianism from a naturalistic perspective that offers some insight into the manner in which we come to make interpersonal comparisons of welfare.


The optimal regulation model by Ma$ kela$ , Berninger and Hari (Annals of Botany 77: 461‐467, 1996) was applied to data for photosynthesis and transpiration of Scots pine during a 22-d drought period. There was a clear decrease in photosynthesis and transpiration during that period. The agreement between model and photosynthesis data was good. The residuals of photosynthesis were not systematic with respect to temperature, irradiance or water vapour deficit. However, the model initially overestimated transpiration by 50%, although there was a clear linear relationship between measured and estimated values. The results suggest that there was no decrease in photosynthetic capacity during the period, but a decrease in stomatal conductance was responsible for the changes in photosynthesis and transpiration. The observations are similar to results in the literature. # 1996 Annals of Botany Company


Potentially toxic elements (PTE) are considered to be dangerous threats, both for human health and the environment. Here, the contamination level, sources, and ecological risks posed by PTE were investigated in 19 topsoils from agricultural lands in the Bandar Abbas County on the southern coast of Iran. The soil fraction <63 μm was used for the analysis of the pseudototal contents of PTE (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, vanadium, and zinc). The results were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlations, different pollution indices [enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (Cf), and modified degree of contamination (mCd), and the potential ecological risk index (PERI). The results of the pollution indices showed that the contamination levels of the studied agricultural soils are low to moderate, while the average PERI values indicate that the ecological risks of PTE range from low to high in the soils of the studied area. Correlations and PCA analyses suggest that studied elements have three possible origins: geogenic (chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, vanadium, and zinc), anthropogenic (cadmium, nickel, phosphorus and lead) and atmospheric (arsenic) sources. These findings are helpful for the long-term assessment of PTE in the Bandar Abbas County.


Dynamic SPT(Shortest Paths Tree) algorithms,through local updating based on original SPT,have to find out which nodes need updating their shortest paths due to the topology change of the graph.A novel data structure defined by ESPT which extends the traditional SPT can record one or more equidistant paths in each node.A new dynamic algorithm for ESPT's updating is proposed with an example and its solution process as well as the certification,with which can also be pointed out that under the ESPT structure the nodes grabbed by this algorithm are all exactly the ones which need updating.Computation experiments are conducted for some graphs of different complexity,whose results are shown compared with those of the static algorithm.


The parameters in the mathematical simulation model for the nutrient removal activated sludge process were calibrated by using operational performance data obtained on enhanced biological phosphorus removal activated sludge processes treating urban sewage. By changing five parameters, maximum specific growth rate of nitrifiers, saturation constant of ammonia for nitrifiers, maximum specific hydrolysis rate under anaerobic conditions, maximum specific fermentation rate, and maximum specific polyphosphate accumulation rate of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), the process performance was well reproduced by simulation. For the improvement of simulation, inclusion of the formation or presence of soluble COD which is not utilized by PAOs either directly or via fermentation was proposed.


In order to further improve on the static and dynamic performance of the permanent magnet linear synchronous motor speed regulating system, the traditional PID controller is combined with the expert system technology to achieve optimum control of the control systems. In light of defects of the traditional PID controller, the expert system is introduced into the control system of motor on the basis of the incremental PID algorithm, and it is applied to the permanent magnet linear synchronous motor to adjust the motors speed. The simulation results prove the new PID controller combined with the expert system technology has small overshoot, rapid response and good robust stability.


During inflammation, monocytes roll and arrest on inflamed endothelium, at which point they are subjected to increased hydrodynamic forces imparted by the flowing blood. We showed previously that stabilization of α4 integrin‐mediated monocyte adhesion and resistance to detachment involves rapid actin polymerization and accumulation of filamentous actin (F‐actin) at upstream adhesion sites and in the adjacent cortical actin cytoskeleton (J Cell Biol 2012; 197:115–129). Using parallel plate flow chamber assays with a VCAM‐1‐coated adhesion surface, U937 monocyte‐like cell line and confocal imaging we further investigated mechanisms of adhesion strengthening and actin cytoskeleton dynamics in cells undergoing α4 integrin‐mediated adhesion. Myosin ATPase, calcium/calmodulin, myosin light chain kinase and Rho kinase signaling were required for α4 integrin‐mediated adhesion strengthening in the presence of hydrodynamic force. Upon introduction of fluid flow (2 dynes/cm2), adherent U937 cells flattened and the cell contact area with the adhesion surface increased both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow. In addition, F‐actin at the adhesion surface redistributed towards the periphery of the adhesion surface contact area. Increased cell adhesion surface contact area and F‐actin redistribution were highly reproducible responses observed in >90% of adherent cells. Unlike F‐actin, α4 integrins remained localized throughout the adhesion contact area, and formed clusters in response to flow. Inhibition of myosin ATPase prevented force‐induced lateral spreading of U937 cells and F‐actin redistribution at the adhesion surface. siRNA knockdown of talin‐1, an adaptor molecule that binds to the integrin β‐chain cytoplasmic tail and mediates outside‐in‐signaling as well as interaction with the actin cytoskeleton, also inhibited α4 integrin‐dependent adhesion stabilization, lateral spreading and redistribution of F‐actin. These data suggest that integrin‐dependent adhesion stabilization and cytoskeletal remodeling induced by hydrodynamic force require both actomyosin contraction and talin‐1. When U937 cells were adhered to poly‐L‐lysine, we observed that hydrodynamic force induced a similar increase in the cell adhesion surface contact area and F‐actin redistribution; however, in this setting neither myosin ATPase nor talin‐1 were required. This suggests that adherent cells can respond to hydrodynamic force in an integrin‐independent manner, but adhesion mediated by α4 integrins inhibits the force‐induced, integrin‐independent response.


Abstract : The Air Force Human Resources Laboratory is developing the Integrated Maintenance Information System (IMIS). The purpose of this system is to consolidate all of the various information systems used in Air Force maintenance into a single set of hardware, software, and protocols. The IMIS will increase productivity by reducing the amount of training required for technicians to be able to access the full set of maintenance data and by making a wider range of data readily available to each technician. This paper explores the man-machine interface requirements of a system such as IMIS. By extrapolating current hardware and software trends into the future, it predicts the types of user- friendly features that will probably be available when the IMIS is fully implemented. It catalogs the types of information that need to be contained in such a maintenance information system. It outlines the relationships among the individual informational elements. It describes the data-processing functional requirements that should be present to process information in the system. It describes display formats for presenting each class of data and illustrates each format. It describes the interactive capabilities that must be incorporated to permit the technician to operate the system easily and effectively.


A generalized derivative nonlinear Schrodinger (GDNLS) equation \( {\rm i} U_t + {1\over 2} U_{xx} + |U|^2 U + {\rm i} \alpha |U|^2 U_x + {\rm i} \beta U^2 U_x^* = 0, \) is considered. Traveling wave solution is constructed for arbitrary values of parameters. Integrability of GDNLS equation is investigated by the Painleve test. Stability of the traveling wave solutions in interactions is examined numerically.


Opponent models allow software agents to assess a multi-agent environment more accurately and therefore improve the agent's performance. This paper makes use of coarse approximations to game-theoretic player representations to improve the performance of software players in Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker. A 10-parameter model, intended to model a combination, or mixture, of various strategies is developed to represent the opponent. A dasiamixture identifierpsila is then evolved using the NEAT neuroevolution method to estimate values of these parameters for arbitrary opponents. To evaluate this approach, two poker players, represented as neural networks, were evolved under the same conditions, one with the mixture identifier, and one without. The player trained with access to the identifier achieved consistently higher and more stable fitness during evolution compared with the player without the identifier. Further, the player with the identifier outplays the other in a heads-up match after training, winning on average 60% of the money at the table. These results demonstrate that opponent modeling is effective even with low-dimensional models and conveys an advantage to players trained to use these models.


I do not think that this ms makes a relevant contribution to hydrologic science. There is no clear objective or aim stated for the ms ("to study the runoff series" and "to study the behavior of monthly anomalies" are not adequate aims for a paper; "to establish the presence of transference functions for rainfall and discharge" and "to estimate the homogeneity and representativeness of the measurements" might be OK, if one could only understand what is meant by this!). The methodology is deficient. The authors only analyse numbers, with no consideration of any physical basis for the results.


Hydrogen termination of a semiconductor surface using a solution containing HF2- ions and an oxidant is conducted quickly, and consequently a semiconductor device having a higher electric reliability is produced. In this case, the semiconductor surface is silicon having a (111) plane, a (110) plane or a (551) plane. The contact angle on a deionized water surface represents the surface termination state of an Si surface.


PURPOSE: Provided is a method for manufacturing isocyanates and isocyanate adducts from amide derivatives induced from haloaminotriazines and acid halides, such as oxalyl chloride, phosgene and phosgene analogues. CONSTITUTION: A method for manufacturing an isocyanate comprises the steps of: contacting a haloaminotriazine with an acid halide selected from the group consisting of oxalyl chloride, phosgene and phosgene analogues at a temperature and for a length of time to produce an acid amide; and decomposing the acid amide to give an isocyanate.


The invention relates to an array for electrical connection of an electrical unit (9) by means of a flexible film conductor, said electrical unit having at least one electrical structural component (17) and being arranged inside a housing (10), and also having an electrical component (18) provided outside the housing (10). According to the invention, several structural components (17) are provided in the housing (10), each of which is connected to the corresponding electrical component or components (18) by means of a separate film conductor (6). The inventive array is simple, flexible, handyand safe.


An editorial in the April 24, 1954 issue of the Saturday Evening Post relates the story of a Philadelphia physician enjoying a large private practice who retired to accept a job in a government hospital, since he found he was unable to educate his children and at the same time save enough to provide for his eventual retirement under the existing tax laws for self-employed individuals. As an employee, he was eligible to participate in a pension plan which would provide him with a retirement income. The Post pointed out that a young doctor or lawyer, under our existing tax structure, was likely to find it impossible to put aside savings after taxes to provide for his old age. The professional man, like everyone whose income fluctuates widely over a working lifetime, is the victim of a big tax bite in the most productive years. He has a further disadvantage


Metal foundries use large amounts of sand as part of the metal casting process. Waste Foundry sand is a waste material. The degradation of concrete sewer pipes by sulphuric acid attack is also a problem of global scope. The idea is to minimise this degradation while keeping it as economic as possible. In an effort to use the WFS in large volume, research has being carried out for its possible large scale utilization in making concrete as partial replacement of fine aggregate. The present work is focussed on the study of the effect of various percentages of WFS on durability (namely acid attack) of M30 grade concrete. To find the best combination of waste foundry sand and metakaolin to resist the sulphuric acid attack. Mix M10W10(Metakaolin 10%,waste foundry sand 10%) showed best resistance to acid attack. The decrease in compressive strength too was not drastic when compared to other mixes.


The kinetics and product branching of the HCO + NO{sub 2} reaction have been studied at room temperature using laser flash kinetic spectroscopy and modeled with microcanonical variational RRKM theory. The rate constant for the disappearance of HCO radical at 296 K is (5.7 {+-} 0.9) x 10{sup -11} cm{sup 3} molecules{sup -1} s{sup -1}, and it is independent of the pressure of SF{sub 6} buffer gas up to 700 Torr. The CO{sub 2} yield is 52 {+-} 14%. Less than 10% of the reaction goes through the most exothermic product channel, HNO + CO{sub 2}. The least exothermic product channel. H + CO{sub 2} + NO, is responsible for the remaining CO{sub 2}. HONO has been observed, through not quantitatively, as a reaction product corresponding to the HONO + CO product channel. It must account for the 48 {+-} 14% of reaction which does not yield CO{sub 2}. The rates of formation of the collision complexes HCO(ONO) and HCO(NO{sub 2}) are calculated by variational RRKM theory to be comparable and only weakly temperature dependent. Branching ratios for the decomposition of these complexes are also calculated. They are found to match most experimental observations from 300 to 1600 K. 55more » refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.« less


The present report focuses on the integration of a technology for generating temporally alternating (pulsed) gas flows in the field of laser welding. The technical realization required the specific adaptation of the three core elements of the gas pulse system (valve, section of measurements, control system) to realize new parameters for laser welding. These parameters allow for a positive influence on the joining process and on the results of welding, respectively. By means of temporal control of the gas volume flow in combination with the laser welding process, it was possible to produce a force effect on the molten pool and subsequently to improve the characteristics of laser-welded seams. The effects occurring through the use of an instationary gas flow were evaluated by using the "classically" metallography and through the use of digital image processing. In parallel, the effect of a pulsating gas flow on the melting zone was simulated by using specific software in order to be able to make further statements about the effects.


Hurricane Hugo caused extensive roof damage in Charleston, South Carolina and surrounding areas. Extensive field investigations have revealed the causes of many of the problems. This paper summarizes the investigative findings and presents recommendations for mitigation of future roof wind damage.


It is very important for micro-fluxgate to reduce its power consumption because higher power consumption causing serious cooling problem which will lead series of questions. In this paper the influence of core film magnetic properties (coercive force Hc and saturation field Hs) on optimum excitation current (OEC) and sensitivity are investigated theoretically. The expressions of optimum excitation magnetic and maximum sensitivity were given. In the field of magnetic material, lower Hc means better soft magnetic properties, but when analyze the effect of Hs and Hc on the OEC and corresponded sensitivity we find that low Hs and high Hc bring low OEC and high sensitivity. Applied magnetic fields at different angles during electroplating and annealing are introduced to improve magnetic properties of electroplated core films. In subsequent experiment we test the OEC, sensitivity, linear range and magnetic noise of fluxgate utilize these core films. Plating with θ=0° (θ is the angle between applied magnetic field and long edge of the core) samples obtain lowest OEC and highest sensitivity, plating with θ=90° and annealed samples obtain large linear range, annealed samples obtain lowest magnetic noise.


Corrosion is one of the major durability problems that causes serious damage to reinforced concrete slabs in harsh environments. The flexural behavior of concrete slabs subjected to corrosive effects during mixing and/or curing is experimentally investigated in this paper. The harsh environments are simulated by subjecting concrete slabs to different Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) concentrations in deionized water during mixing and/or curing. The effect of adding Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3) as nano-material to mitigate the corrosion problem in concrete slabs is examined. Thirty-one simply supported slabs subjected to corrosive environment are experimentally tested in flexure. One slab is used as reference specimen, while thirty slabs are divided into three groups according to corrosion acceleration periods (one month or three months). In the experimental program, the primary variables are corrosion time, concentrations of the HCl solution in mixing or curing water as well as concentrations of the nanoparticles. Corrosion behavior for the tested slabs is studied by using linear polarization techniques. The flexural behavior of the concrete slabs is investigated by recording the maximum load and deflections at mid-span and at onethird span. Compressive strengths are determined at 28 days and at test day. Based on the experimental program results, it is concluded that significant improvements in the mechanical properties of concrete and high ability to resist aggressive attacks due to adding the (CaCo3) nanoparticles to the concrete mix. Larger compressive strength of cubes is obtained when the HCl concentration is included in mixing water with an increase percentage that reaches 26% compared to the reference slab. The increase in HCl concentration either in mixing or curing water, the larger reduction in the slab peak load as results of deterioration in steel bars. Reduction in bar diameter for the slabs under one-month and three-months accelerated corrosion exposure reached 20% and 49%, respectively. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 27-03-2019 Date of acceptance: 11-04-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This paper presents a discussion of the development of gas resource in the subject basins and why the particular portions of those basins are gas-rich. It is suggested that the anomalously high geothermal gradients induced by the intrusion of the San Juan Mountain complex and aided locally by other Tertiary events is substantially responsible for the high-rank coals observed in these areas, and therefore is principally responsible for the anomalously high methane content and the high potential for coalbed methane production from these areas. 9 refs.


The education and training of first line managers or supervisors has long been neglected by employers and educational institutions. This paper is based mainly on data collected from 1,200 respondents undertaking Supervision courses offered at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in Australia. It is argued that the training of supervisors in TAFE and other institutions requires radical revision in order to meet the career orientations and future needs of supervisors. The role of the supervisor is undergoing considerable change and will be of increasing importance to organisations in the future.


This paper studies,boundary layer phenomena of the singularly perturbed problems for a class of the second-order nonlinear equations with the reduced solutions of local weak stability.The upper and lower solutions are found by the bounding functions,and the existence of solutions is proved and the asymptotic estimation of solutions is given by applying the theory of differential inequality.


We consider strongly maximal triangular subalgebras of AF algebras. These are the triangular algebras such that is dense in the ambient AF algebra. We prove that every isometric isomorphism between two strongly maximal triangular subalgebras of the AF algebra factors as the composition of two automorphsims of , one induced by a homeomorphism of the Gelfand spectrum of the diagonal of , and the other induced by a cocycle on the groupoid supporting . As a consequence we obtain that the partial order supporting is an isomorphism invariant for . Another result establishes conditions that if satisfied by a strongly maximal triangular subalgebra of a UHF algebra guarantee that is product type analytic. As a consequence we show that the two fundamental examples of triangular UHF algebras are product type analytic, and we exhibit cocycles implementing the analyticity.


Objective To evaluate the changes and diagnostic value of plasma brain natriretic peptide(BNP) in children with heart failure(HF). Methods Using ELISA and 2D echo,serum BNP and left ventricular ejection fraction(EF) and fractional shortening(FS) were measured in 40 HF children(group HF) and 30 children without HF(group C). Results Serum BNP was higher in group HF than that in group C [(426.73±249.73)pg/ml vs.(36.00±4.08)pg/ml](P0.05). Serum BNP was positively correlated to NYHA grading and modified ROSS standard,but negatively correlated to EF and FS(P0.01). Conclution Detecting serum BNP is healpful in the early diagnosis of HF in children.


The effects of catalyst site accessibility on the activities of supported olefin hydrogenation catalysts have been assessed utilizing the complexes [Rh(nbd)L 2 ][NO 3 ] 3 [nbd=η 4 -norbornadiene; L=Ph 2 P(CH 2 ) n PMe 3 + ; n=2, 3, 6 or 10] tethered to a cation-exchange resin via the tetraalkylphosphonium moieties of the co-ordinated ligands.


This report deals with a variety of topics all centered around the main goal of making numerical reservoir simulation results conform more closely with geologic descriptions. The first part of the report discusses results on conditional simulations of miscible displacements in randomly heterogeneous permeable media. The focus here is on local or macroscopic dispersion, the dispersion experienced at a fixed point in the medium. Macroscopic dispersivity has many of the same dependencies on reservoir properties as does megascopic dispersivity, but it seems to be less time dependent and is always smaller. We have not discovered a mathematical model to describe its behavior. A major portion of the report deals with statistical descriptions. We investigate the bias and precision of standard measures of heterogeneity, the Lorenz and Dykstra-Parsons coefficient. After this, the work explores the benefits of using a distribution type characterization parameter in exploring heterogeneity. The final major protion of the report describes our mapping efforts on the Page sandstone outcrop in northern Arizona. The mapping is to be used in generating both deterministic descriptions and in calibrating the stochastic descriptions discussed above. 128 refs., 95 figs., 10 tabs.


The word "gender" refers to both the male and the female species. This article, however, focuses on rural women in Ghana and their physical environment. Women in rural areas interact regularly with the physical environment - land, soil, forests, trees and rivers. They cultivate the land to produce food to feed their families, cut trees to build barns and houses, collect wood for warming their homes and fetch water for agriculture and domestic use. Although these activities cause degradation and pollution, women engage in them for their livelihood and survival.
Despite these frequent encounters with the natural resources that provide them with intimate knowledge of the environment, women are not involved in decisions pertaining to its management. In view of their intimate knowledge of the environment, this article advocates for their empowerment and involvement in its management for the achievement of sustainable development. To achieve this aim, rural women must be equipped with knowledge, skills and opportunities to participate in the formulation and implementation of policies relating to judicious use of natural resources.


were revealed in two patients; Streptococcus pneumonia (S. pneumonia) was revealed in one patient and S. pneumonia and Mycoplasma pneumonia in the other patient. Three patients were treated with additional intravenous immunoglobulin. Clinical improvement was prolonged: fever lasted 10 to 23 days, and length of hospitalization was 15 to 36 days. NP or pneumatocele were completely resolved on the follow-up radiographic studies in all of the patients. Conclusion: Although the previously healthy young children with NP had protracted clinical course, they recovered without any problematic sequelae. Our results suggest that the immunopathogenesis of NP in children may be associated with the exaggerated immune reaction of the host to insults from initial bacterial infections, rather than the pathogen-induced cytopathies.


There are two major conceptions of ideology, a liberal and a Marxist notion. The liberal concept of ideology variously claims that ideology is a highly integrated value system, a confusion of value for fact, a result of intellectuals in po l i t i c s , and/or a result of strain. However, when examined closely these arguments are either fallacious, ad hominem, or of such a general notion as to equate ideology with social philosophy. Thus the u t i l i t y of liberal notions of ideology for social analysis is severely limited: i t is primarily a means to discount the arguments of one's opponents. The Marxist notion of ideology views ideology as the ruling ideas or "false consciousness" a ruling class fosters to help perpetuate i t s dominance. As such this concept of ideology focuses on the materialistic origins, propagation and acceptance of ideas. Thus Marx's notion of ideology is more useful than the liberal notion because i t calls for investigation of legitimation, mass media, education, religion as significant factors in building and perpetuating a p o l i t i c a l regime.


Aortic aneurysm due to BehCet's desease has a high risk of abrupt enlargement causing rupture. Fot this, operative procedure in often the treatment of choice, but complications at anastomosed portion occur in a relatively high frequency and the operative results are poor. This paper deals with our successful attempt of omental flap coverage for such an abdominal aortic aneurysm. A 56-year-old man originally diagnosed as complete type Behcet's disease in 1967, was admitted to our hospital because of an aortic abdominal aneurysm disclosec by CT and DSA. The aneurysm consisted of a large thrombus, and a punched-out lesion was found on the aorta (φ 20mm) beneath the thrombus. The aneu-rysm was replaced by an 16×8mm woven dacron graft and the graft was wrapped in omental pedicle flap to prevent potential anastomotic complications of development of false aneurysms at the site of anastomoses, in-fection, delayed healing, and graft occlusion. Pathologic examination revealed that the patient had vasculo-Behcet's syndrome. The patient has been followed for over 5 years and has had no further complications either from his un-derlying disease or from his aortic dissection and aneurysm. Omental flap coverage is essential for effective treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm in Behget's disease.


In condition of enough measurements,the on-line transformer tap changing position can be estimated by means of weighted least square estimation algorithm(WLS). The measurement system is analyzed in detail to obtain the basic condition of available observation. The bad data is identified based on the r N searching technique,which has good ability of identification. Simple example has been tested and shows the effectiveness of the method.


Artificial inoculation of Rice black-streaked dwarf fijivirus(RBSDV) on maize through viral vector,Laodelphax striatellus Fallen,was carried out in screen house.Symptoms were investigated after inoculation through the whole growth period and the younger stem was measured in the tasseling stage.The histological observation of the cross and longitudinal sections under fluorescence microscope of leaves and stems revealed that the phloem cells from diseased leaves and stems remarkably increased and the morphology was abnormal and disorganized compared with the healthy ones.Longitudinal section observation of last third internode from the top of maize stem indicated that the cell expansion was inhibited and the cell length of the diseased stems was shorter than the healthy ones.It was concluded that symptoms of gall formation(enations) in the abaxial epidermis of leaves correlated to the phloem cell increase,abnormal and disorganized morphology;stunted plants associated with the inhibition of stem cell expansion.


Objectives: Environmental, social and personal factors influence eating patterns. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between unhealthy food outlets within a residential area and obesity using nationally representative Korean survey data and data from the Census on Establishments. Methods: Data on the food intakes and socioeconomic variables of a total of 9,978 adults aged ≥ 19 years were obtained from the 2013-2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Geographic locations of restaurants were obtained from the 2013 Census on Establishments in Korea. Administrative area was categorized into tertiles of count of unhealthy food outlets based on the distribution of number of unhealthy food outlets among all urban (Dong) and rural (Eup or Myun) administrative districts in Korea. Multilevel logistic regressions model were used to assess the association between the number of unhealthy food outlets and obesity. Results: People living in the district with the highest count of unhealthy food outlets had higher intakes of fat (45.8 vs. 44.4 g/day), sodium (4,142.6 vs. 3,949.8 mg/day), and vitamin A (753.7 vs. 631.6 μgRE/day) compared to those living in the district with the lowest count of unhealthy food outlets. A higher count of unhealthy food outlets was positively associated with frequent consumption of instant noodles, pizza, hamburgers and sandwiches, sweets and sour pork or pork cutlets, fried chicken, snacks, and cookies. Higher exposure to unhealthy food outlets was associated with increased odds of obesity (1st vs. 3rd tertile; OR 1.689; 95% CI 1.098-2.599). Conclusions: A high count of unhealthy food outlets within a residential area is positively associated with the prevalence of obesity in Korea. The results suggest that food environmental factors affects the health outcomes and interventions aiming to restrict the availability of unhealthy food outlets in local neighborhoods may be a useful obesity prevention strategy.


CLINICAL CASE
A woman with a history of recurrent herpes simplex keratitis in the left eye developed endothelial and stromal keratitis after cataract extraction. Because of the resultant corneal distortion a high regular astigmatism appeared. An arcuate keratotomy was performed to improve her visual acuity.

DISCUSSION
Corneal astigmatism can appear after herpetic keratitis. An arcuate keratotomy was effective in this case to decrease astigmatism and improve her vision. Keratitis reactivation is possible so antiviral prophylaxis is advisable. Our good results show that arcuate keratotomy can be a useful technique for these patients.


Binding of concanavalin A (conA) to human peripheral blood lymphocytes or to lymphoblasts is inhibited by α-D-mannopyranosides or α-D-glucopyranosides. After 1 hr incubation of cells with con A over 80% of the bound con A can be washed off with methyl-α-D-mannoside; after 24 hr only about 25% of the cell associated con A can be removed by competitor. This sequestration is temperature dependent. Cells which have been treated with con A for 20 hr still have as many combining sites for freshly added con A as do non-pretreated cells, even though about 75% of the previously added con A remains associated with the cells. Con A stimulated cells can be separated from non-stimulated cells on Ficoll gradients. Irreversibly bound con A is preferentially accumulated in the stimulated cells. However, this irreversibly bound con A does not stimulate. We suggest that irreversibly bound con A is inside the cell and that internalization is a result of the early activation of energy generating reactions by the mitogenic stimulus. The stimulatory effect depends on reactions at the cell surface.


In 1894 I began the preparatory studies for an account of the later Indian Moghul system of government and administration in all its branches, being impelled by the belief that some information of the kind was a necessary introduction to a History of that period, which I had previously planned and commenced. Before I had done more than sketch out my first part, which deals with the Sovereign, the Court Ceremonial, and the elaborate system of Entitlature, I noticed the issue of a book on a part of my subject by Dr. Paul Horn. The perusal of this excellent work diverted my attention to a later section of my proposed Introduction, the subject of the Army and Army Organization; and in this way I have been led to write this portion before any of the others. Except incidentally, my paper is neither a translation nor a review of Dr. Horn's essay; and though indebted to him, as acknowledged from time to time, my study covers, in the main, quite different ground, forming a complement to what he has done, and, as I think, carrying the subject a good deal farther in several directions. Dr. Horn seems to have read chiefly the authorities for the period before Aurangzeb 'Ālamgīr; while my reading has been confined in great measure to the reigns of Aurangzeb's successors in the period 1707–1803.


W.G. Schuetzenduebel has presented an excellent paper describing regulatory acceptance of a large municipal waste-to-energy plant. The inclusion with the paper of extensive detailed graphs of operating and testing parameters will make the paper most useful to future engineering and research efforts. However, it would have been even more useful if the author had included actual formulas and calculations for adiabatic temperature determinations. Some comments and questions are included concerning MSW feed rates. This article also contains Mr. Schuetzenduebel`s reply to the comments and questions.


Education plays a vital role in transforming our societies towards a sustainable future and serves as a key driver in the effective implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GUPES, established by UNEP in 2012, has grown into a network of 800 universities, aimed at mainstreaming environment and sustainability knowledge, awareness and capacities across the globe.


In order to match heterogenous images,a multiple subimage matching algorithm based on correlation coefficients feature was proposed.Firstly the multiple subimages were exteacted from the real image according to a predefined selection method,They were regarded as template and correlated with the reference image.Secondly the correlation coefficient features were computed and used to find multiple matching candidate positions corresponding to features' top multiple local maxium.The multiple matching positions were integrated with the clustering method based on the spatial relation among the subimage.The confidence of the final matching result was given.The result shows the proposed method can improve matching performance of multiple subimages matching,including higher matching rate and better adability to scale and rotation.


The success of any organization can be attributed to one thing: its people. This is particularly true for local health departments (LHDs) and state health agencies (SHAs), as the public health workforce is fundamental to achieving organizational goals and improving the health outcomes of populations. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) is one of the best new tools we have at our disposal to monitor and evaluate the state of the public health workforce www.phwins.org. The insights and research enabled by PH WINS allow us to address training gaps, improve working conditions, and better incentivize qualified workers to enter and stay in governmental public health. I encourage readers to delve into the research to learn more about demographic shifts, workforce training gaps, and drivers of satisfaction. The replenishment of the workforce is one of the most pressing issues for public health system leaders today. More than a third of SHA respondents indicated that they are considering leaving their organization in the coming year, and a whopping 22% plan to take a job outside of governmental public health. More than one-fifth of LHD survey respondents intend to leave their organizations in the next year for reasons other than retirement. Salary, lack of opportunities for advancement, and workplace environment were cited as the top 3 reasons agency respondents wanted to leave regardless of governmental level or supervisory status.


Background/Objectives: This study examined the effects of balance training using a Wii Fit balance board on the balance, gait, and activities of daily living in patients with Parkinson disease.Method/Statistical Analysis: Our study included 15 patients with Parkinson disease who scored 2–3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale and underwent occupational therapy. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group with 8 patients or the control group with 7 patients. All subjects in two groups received traditional occupational therapy (TOT) for 30 min/day, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks, and the participants in the experimental group additionally received a balance training using a Wii Fit (BTWF) for 30 min per session. All patients in both groups were evaluated using the Berg balance scale (BBS), the time up & go test, and the modified Barthel index.Findings: The experimental and control groups showed significant improvements in all outcome measures after intervention. In particular, the experimental group showed a more significant improvement in the BBS score than the control group.Improvements/Applications: BTWF could be effectively used to improve the balance of Parkinson's disease patients in the clinic.


Plasma ignition technology and electric energy enhancing technology are the two important research directions of electrothermal-chemical(ETC)launcher technology.It was concluded that by use of electric energy enhancing technology is not feasible to greatly improve the muzzle velocity of large caliber gun.By means of plasma ignition technology to enhance propellant burning performance,it is possible to increase the muzzle velocity about 2.6% in a large caliber gun.But by use of this method,there existed lots of technical difficulties in the fields of electric energy input,discharge control and stability of powder gases.Compared plasma ignition technology with conventional gun technology,the technical advantages of the former mainly include that it can improve firing accuracy,ballistic compensation and ignite high energy and high density propellant so as to increase ballistic consistency of the gun system.At the end,the forecast was performed,and the result showed that plasma ignition technology has potential ascendancy for increasing the muzzle velocity in the field of high energy and high density propellant in the future.


The invention discloses a boiler smoke waste heat utilization system. Smoke from a boiler (21) enters a chimney (27) to be discharged after passing through an air pre-heater (22), a smoke cooler (23), a desulfurization system (26) and a smoke heat exchanger (29) sequentially, smoke cooled by the smoke cooler (23) enters the secondary smoke heat exchanger (29) through the desulfurization system (26) for secondary cooling, and the temperature of smoke is reduced to be lower than the water dew point temperature through the smoke heat exchanger (29). According to the system, the temperature of smoke discharged by the boiler can be reduced to be lower than the water dew point temperature through the smoke heat exchanger, the temperature of discharged smoke is reduced greatly, latent heat of water vapor in smoke is further recycled on the basis that sensible heat of smoke is recycled, smoke waste heat is recycled completely, coal consumption of the boiler is reduced, and economic efficiency is high.


The idea that the African Atlantic world was populated by Atlantic Creoles who crossed cultural divides with relative ease is appealing, and it lends itself well to studies of identity formation that highlight the talents and opportunities that emerged from processes of cultural blending. Yet an examination of how travelling Africans ascribed meaning to their spatial and emotional groundings underlines that creolization in the African Atlantic was less smooth than suggested by the figure of the Atlantic Creole. For Frederik Svane and Christian Protten, two Euro-African men born on the Gold Coast in the early eighteenth century, Creole conditions resulted in identity practices that ranged from the complete rejection of African culture to a celebration and redefinition of the significance of African origins in the Atlantic world.


© 2020 Indian Journal of Nephrology | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow In December 2019, a series of cases of pneumonia of unknown origin were reported in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China. The causative virus was isolated and characterized in January 2020.[1] On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the virus as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On January 30, 2020, the WHO issued a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and on February 11, 2020, the WHO formally named the disease caused by the novel coronavirus as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses classified and renamed 2019-nCoV as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On March 11, 2020, the WHO labelled the global spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic.


Objective: To identify the normal reference ranges of serum testosterone and gonadotropins in Thai fertile men, compare these levels among different age groups, and assess their relationships with body mass index (BMI). Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty men aged 18-65 years whose wives had conceived within the past year were recruited at Songklanagarind Hospital and stratified into 3 age groups: 18-29, 30-39, and 40-65 years. Serum total testosterone (TT) was measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Bioavailable testosterone (BT) and free testosterone (FT) were calculated using a validated formula. Results: The mean serum TT levels of the 18-29, 30-39, and 40-65 age groups were 520±200, 456±160, and 478±166 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL), respectively. There were no significant differences in TT levels among the age groups. The overall mean TT was 481±174 ng/dL and the normal TT reference range was 211-970 ng/dL. Both calculated FT and calculated BT significantly decreased in line with increased follicular stimulating hormone with increased age, while luteinizing hormone levels remained similar. BMI had a weakly negative correlation with TT levels (correlation coefficient=-0.33, p-value<0.001) and small correlations with other measures. Conclusion: Normal ranges of serum testosterone and gonadotropins determined in Thai fertile men with various ages are useful as a reference for clinical practice. Serum TT levels which are negatively correlated with BMI should be interpreted cautiously in obese men.


The invention relates to the technical field of needle cylinders, and especially provides an anti-friction nasal irrigation needle cylinder, comprising a needle cylinder. The needle cylinder is internally provided with an injection push rod. The injection head of the needle cylinder is provided with a spherical silica gel sleeve. The spherical silica gel sleeve is provided with a plurality of holes. The injection head of the needle cylinder is provided with the spherical silica gel sleeve, and the spherical silica gel sleeve is provided with the plurality of holes. When the needle cylinder extends into a nose, since the silica gel sleeve has elasticity, the nose is prevented from being rubbed and damaged, so pain of a user is greatly reduced. The needle cylinder is simple in structure and convenient in use.


A big portion of the Donana protected areas corresponds to wetlands; in them aquatic macrophytes are the main primary producers and play also other important ecological functions. Nevertheless, they are inconspicuous organisms and their importance in these ecosystems does not seem to be well reflected in the bibliography about this natural area. This paper reviews the most significant information gathered about this group of organisms in this protected area, provides an updated catalogue of this group of plants, and offers some considerations related with this topic.


The high boulder ratio is a big problem in mining.The former blasting parameters can no longer adapted to new change with the development of Chengchao Iron Mine,which cause the high boulder ratio and influence mining.There are many factors which influence blasting quality.Based on Grey Correlation Analysis,it's found that the main factors that influence single row sector medium-length hole blasting and double rows sector medium-length hole blasting are explosive consumption and dense coefficient of boreholes respectively.Boulder ratio is reduced obviously by increasing specific charge and improving dense coefficient of boreholes.


Abstract Background The North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) develops and promotes uniform data standards for cancer registries, such as uniform cancer coding, and is used by all central cancer registries in the United States (US) and Canada, including Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). Effective January 1, 2017, the NAACCR modified its coding scheme and noninvasive encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (EFVPTC) was reclassified as non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) to reflect the indolent nature and very low risk of adverse outcomes of this thyroid tumor. The diagnostic use of NIFTP was anticipated to impact tens of thousands of patients in the US. Since NIFTP is no longer considered a cancer, as of January 1, 2021, it was no longer a reportable diagnosis in SEER. However, little is known about how the diagnosis of NIFTP was utilized across different regions and patient populations in the US when it was a reportable diagnosis. Methods Data was extracted from the US SEER-21 cancer registry (2000-2018). The study cohort comprised of individuals diagnosed with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer (2000-2018), or NIFTP (2017-2018). We examined the annual incidence of thyroid cancer by subtypes and NIFTP. Using data for 2018, we determined the rates of NIFTP for each of the 16 sites included in SEER-21. In addition, we compared the demographics of patients diagnosed with NIFTP to that of patients diagnosed with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer using Chi-square test. Results Between 2010 and 2018, we identified a total of 191,107 cases (182,893 PTC, 7,445 FTC, and 769 NIFTP). Incidence of FVPTC sharply declined from 2015 to 2018, with observed increases in NIFTP and encapsulated PTC/ invasive EFVPTC each accounting for 17% and 10% of the decline in FVPTC, respectively. High heterogeneity was observed in the regional incidence of NIFTP in 2018, with incidence rates ranging from 0.0% (Alaska) to 5.8% (Seattle-Puget Sound). Based on 2018 data, a diagnosis of NIFTP (2.2% of total thyroid cancer cases) was significantly associated with female sex (P=0.001), Black race (P<0.001), and non-Hispanic ethnicity (P<0.001) compared to diagnosis of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Conclusion There is marked variation in the use of the NIFTP diagnoses. The recent NAACCR coding change that resulted in NIFTP, a tumor with uncertain malignant potential and for which there is no long-term outcome data available, no longer being a reportable diagnosis will disproportionately affect women and Black patients, and patients who reside in regions with higher rates of NIFTP diagnoses. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.


The present article aims at providing a perspective on the status of minority shareholders in the light of Company Law. For the same emphasis has been laid on Companies Bill, 2010, under which the article examines the introduction of 'Class Action' and its impact on minority shareholders. At width the article advocates and defends the implementation of 'Class Action' provision under Indiana Company Law.


A new Schiff base ligand (HL) was prepared via a condensation reaction of quinoline-2-carboxaldhyde with 2-aminophenol in a molar ratio of 1:1. Its transition metal mixed ligand complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline (1,10-phen) as co-ligand were also synthesized in a 1:1:1 ratio. HL and its mixed ligand complexes were characterized using elemental analysis, infrared, 1H NMR, mass and UV–visible spectroscopies, molar conductance, magnetic measurements, solid reflectance, thermal analysis, electron spin resonance and X-ray diffraction. Molar conductance measurements showed that all complexes have an electrolytic nature, except Cd(II) complex. From elemental and spectral data, the formulae [M(L)(1,10-phen)(H2O)]Clx⋅nH2O (where M = Cr(III) (x = n = 2), Mn(II) and Ni(II) (x = 1, n = 2), Fe(III) (x = n = 2), Co(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) (x = 1, n = 2)) and [Cd(L)(1,10-phen)Cl]⋅3H2O for the metal complexes have been proposed. The geometric structures of complexes were found to be octahedral. Powder X-ray diffraction reflected the crystalline nature of the complexes; however, the Schiff base is amorphous. HL and its mixed ligand complexes were screened against Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli). Antifungal activity was determined against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans, the data showing that most complexes had activity less than that of the Schiff base while Mn(II), Fe(III) and Ni(II) complexes showed no significant antifungal activity. The anticancer activity of HL and its metal complexes was also studied against breast and colon cell lines. The metal complexes showed IC50 higher than that of HL, especially the Cu(II) complex which showed the highest IC50 against breast cell line.


Virtual visits (a.k.a., telehealth) have been promoted in response to the COVID pandemic since early 2020. Despite its convenience, the current virtual visit practice barely relies on video observation and talking. The specialist, however, cannot accurately assess the patient's health condition by listening to acoustic cardiopulmonary signals emanating from the patient's heart with a stethoscope. In this poster, we explore the feasibility of remote auscultation in virtual visits settings by reusing the patient's earphones as a stethoscope. The proposed hardware-software system captures the minute heartbeats from the patient's ear canal. It then offloads these noisy cardiac signals to the pairing device (e.g., a smartphone or a laptop) to reconstruct fine-grained Phonocardiogram (PCG) signals. By listening to the reconstructed PCG signals, the specialist can easily assess the patient's health condition and make the most informed diagnosis. We describe the design challenges and explain our technical roadmap.


The purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals perceive a management information and control milieu and how these perceptions influence the control practices. The paper is based on a case ...


In order to ensure that the Thyristor Control Unit (TCU) of the HVDC converter valve works normally in the electromagnetic environment, this paper analyzes the sources of various electromagnetic disturbances in the valve hall of the converter valve. Then the TCU is placed in different electromagnetic environments for simulation to observe the characteristics of its key components. Based on them, a regression-analysis-based TCU failure warning method in electromagnetic environment is proposed, which could deduce the trend of failure occurrence by constructing abnormal information vectors. This method considers the mode of failure and the time of early warning, and issue an early warning at an appropriate time. With changes in the electromagnetic environment, the failure mode library will be continuously expanded. The calculation shows that the method in this paper can well pre-warn the failure of TCUs in the electromagnetic environment, and its prediction accuracy is as high as 86%, which is superior to the traditional method.


This paper investigates the topological evolution of the Casablanca Stock Exchange (СSE) from the perspective of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Cross-correlations between the daily closing prices of the Moroccan most active shares (MADEX) index stocks from March 1, 2016 to February 18, 2022 were used to compute the minimum spanning tree (MST) maps. In addition to the whole sample, the analysis also uses three sub-periods to investigate the topological evolution before, during, and after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco. The findings show that, compared to other periods, the mean correlation coefficient increased remarkably through the crisis period; inversely, the mean distance decreased in the same period. The MST and its related tree length support the evidence of the star-like structure, the shrinkage of the MST in times of market turbulence, and an expansion in the recovery period. Besides, the CSE network was less clustered and homogeneous before and after the crisis than in the crisis period, where the banking sector held a key role. The degree and betweenness centrality analysis showed that Itissalat Al-Maghrib and Auto Hall were the most prominent stocks before the crisis. On the other hand, Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Populaire, and Cosumar were the leading stocks during and after the crisis. Indeed, the results of this study can be used to assist policymakers and investors in incorporating subjective judgment into the portfolio optimization problem during extreme events.


that more than half the families (56 percent) in 1958 had at least one child of their own under 18 years; one-fifth had three or more. If the same proportion of families have children in 1970 as in 1958, there will be 30 million families with children in that year, Table 3.-Number of families by type of head and number of children , and average number of children per family, 1958 [In thousands] cent of the total population, compared with nearly 40 percent in 1900 and 23 percent just before World War II. Of those people now living on farms and employed, nearly two-fifths are doing off-farm work. The trend towards a larger, more urban population and longer life is expected to continue. By 19'70, it is projected, there may be an additional 40 million persons, including 18 million under age 18 and 41/2 million aged 65 or more. Today, fewer people remain single than ever before. Furthermore, an increasing proportion of divorced persons remarry. By 1958, more than 2 out of every 3 persons aged 14 and over, 82 million in all, were married, although about 4 million were living apart from their spouses. As the Census counts families, there were 43.7 million in 1958, one-third more than in 1940. In addition to the 38 million husband-wife families , 1.3 million families had a male head with no wife and 4.3 million had a woman as head. There were also about 1.7 million subfamilies-that is, married couples or one-parent-child groups related to the head of the main family. Subfamilies were found in 4.0 percent of the families as counted by the Census in 1958, compared with 6.4 percent in 1940. Counting stepchildren and adopted children as " own " children, we find Table 2.-Number of families and single persons and average family A T the beginning of this century we were a Nation of 76 million people, nearly 31 million of whom were children under 18. A baby born then was expected to live only to the age of 49, although a person already 45 years old could expect to survive to age 70. Well over a third of the population then was living on farms, which provided most of their income and nearly all of their food. By 1958, our population had increased 21, " times to a total of 174 million, with more than 4 million babies …


I read the paper by Zhou et al. with great interest (1). The authors conducted a long-term follow-up study to investigate the associations between exposure to secondhand smoke and the subsequent risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and stroke (1). The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of the highest exposure to secondhand smoke compared to individuals with no exposure for dementia, AD, and stroke were 2.86 (2.00–4.09), 3.13 (1.80–5.42), and 1.89 (1.37–2.61), respectively. In addition, a dose–response relationship was also observed in this study. I would like to present some information relevant to their study.


It is inestimable to imagine that the direct and indirect economic loss caused by the industrial materials corrosion damage in the national economy and social life.There are lots of factors effecting corrosion of the equipment and materials serving environment and interaction between both of them.The wide varieties of corrosion inhibitors researching had been resolved some problems,but the equipment can not be well expected protection because of inefficient or ineffective corrosion system under the extreme corrosion environment will seriously affect normal producing.The paper analyzed corrosion characteristics of the extreme corrosion environment such as high-temperature oxidation,nature corrosion,industrial environment,comprehensive investigating the special corrosion environment,observing corrosion status of the equipment,describing the methods of optimizing inhibitor in order to guide industrial production and to avoid serious consequences and tremendous economic loss under the extreme corrosion environment by comprehensive analysis the corrosion environmental effecting of the corrosion engineering materials and corrosive factors.


With the summary that we make about the forecast work of gas emission from the coal mines in Yangquan,Huozhou,Shouyang and other places we inquire into the factors which exert an effect on forecast exactness of gas emission,and bring up appropriate measures.All these can be referred as materials for applying the different-source forecast method to gas emission in future.


From May to October 2011,an investigation was made on the butterfly diversity in the artificial secondary forest,artificial grassland,nursery land,waste grassland,cropland,and natural secondary forest in Liangjiang New District of Chongqing City,Southwest China.A total of 1547 butterflies were collected,belonging to 37 species,27 genera,and 6 families,among which,Pieris rapae,Pieris canidia,Pseudozizeeria maha,and Tongeia filicaudis were the dominant species.The butterfly diversity index varied obviously along a gradient of urbanization,i.e.,the higher level the urbanization,the lower the butterfly diversity index.Habitat type and human disturbance had remarkable effects on the butterfly diversity,and the latter could be used as an effective indicator of habitat quality and environmental change.It was suggested that in rapid urbanization area,different measures should be taken to conserve and enhance the biodiversity,based on the urbanization level and habitat type.


This study was conducted to compare digestibility of wheat straw (WS) by fungi and whole rumen microorganisms (WRM). Dry matter (DM), neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF and ADF) digestibility of WS were compared with in vitro digestion (IVD), gas production (GP) and specific rumen anaerobic fungi culture (SRAFC). Dry matter, NDF and ADF digestibility of WS by WRM of buffalo (60.80, 49.93 and 17.45%, respectively) were more than cattle (53.00, 38.63 and 10.62%, respectively) (P 0.05), NDF and ADF by buffalo (51.03, 44.41 and 12.09%) was more than cattle (48.04, 36.34 and 8.76) (P 0.05), but rate of GP of them was same. In SRAFC, DM digestibility of WS by fungi of buffalo at days 3 and 12 was more than cattle (P<0.05). The number of fungi in cattle rumen was more than buffalo (P<0.05). The potential of fungi and WRM of buffalo were more than cattle. Therefore, the results were shown the advantage and supremacy of buffalo in usage the low quality roughages.


Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of combined use of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on carbon dioxide fluxes and yield of sunflower production during the year 2016 and 2017. The experiments were conducted in RBD with the following treatments viz., T1Control (No fertilizer), T2RDF alone, T3 Farmyard manure @ 12.5 t ha + 100 % RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha, T4 Vermicompost @ 5 t ha + 100% RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha, T5 Pressmud @ 5 t ha + 100% RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha, T6 Poultry waste manure @ 5 t ha + 100% RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha , T7Composted coir pith @ 5 t ha + 100% RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha. The results recorded that the application of 100% RDF alone or different organics integrates with 100% RDF treatments significantly influenced the seed and stover yield during the year 2016 and 2017. The higher seed yield of 2218 and 2295 kg ha and stover yield of 2894 and 2942 kg ha were recorded in the treatment supplemented with Farmyard manure @ 12.5 t ha + 100 % RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha + Azospirillum and phosphobacteria as soil application (T3) during the year 2016 and 2017 respectively. Pertaining to the soil organic carbon of 8.10 and 8.26 g kg, soil organic matter content of 1.39 and 1.40 %, a higher total carbon of 13.87 and 14.21 g kg and carbon stock of 15.43 and 15.96 t ha recorded in the treatment supplemented with Farmyard manure @ 12.5 t ha + 100 % RDF + SSP @ 40 kg ha + Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria (T3) during the year 2016 and 2017 respectively and the same was superior over all other treatments. With regards to CO2 emission pattern, the combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers recorded a higher value over control (No fertilizer) and 100% RDF alone applied treatments. A consistent increased pattern of CO2 emission was noticed from vegetative to reproductive stage and there after CO2 emission declined at harvest stage of the crop during the first and second year of the crop. FYM @ 12.5 t ha + 100 RDF% + SSP @ 40 kg ha + Azospirillum and phosphobacteria (T3) recorded the least value of 0.08 and 0.07, 0.14 and 0.14 and 0.11 and 0.07 m mol m s at 40, 80 DAS and at harvest stages respectively during both the years 2016 and 2017 respectively. Apparently a higher value of CO2 emission of 0.13 and 0.13, 0.17 and 0.21 and 0.16 and 0.13 m mol m -2 s were recorded with the treatment supplemented with pressmud @ 5 t ha + 100 RDF% + SSP @ 40 kg ha + Azospirillum and phosphobacteria as soil application at 40, 80 DAS and at harvest respectively during the year 2016 and 2017 respectively.


The problem of rural teachers' professional development has attracted a great deal of attention in America and China.Both America and China have put much more effort into it and put forward various promoting strategies.In the process of promoting the rural teachers' professional development,the two countries have faced a series of similar problems,such as the difficulties of the distance education network in remote areas,lack of mutual cooperation and internal mechanism of promoting the rural teachers' professional development independently and so on.However,America has more successful experience which can be used as some references for rural teachers' professional development in China.


Objective To investigate the immune effect of different dosages of hepatitis B(HB) vaccine in infants born to HBsAg positive mothers. Methods A total of 118 infants born to HBsAg positive mothers were divided into two groups,and were immunized with recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccines(10 μg)or recombinant CHO cell derived hepatitis B vaccines(20 g),respectively.The HBsAg and anti-HBs were detected.The blocking effects of different doses of vaccine on mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis B virus were compared. Results When the infants were born,HBsAg positive rate were 8.47% and 5.08% in 10 μg group and 20 μg group,respectively,and there was no significant difference between 2 groups.When the infants were 12 months old,HBsAg and anti-HBs positive rates were not statistically significant between 2 groups,but the non(low)-responsive rate in 10 μg group was significantly higher than that in 20 μg group(P0.05). Conclusion The immune effect of 20 μg vaccine is better than that of 10 μg vaccine for the infants born to HBsAg positive mothers.


While Western countries continually criticize developing countries, especially China, for a lack of effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), the IPR abuses of developed countries in developing countries are also worth paying attention to. This article takes several representative cases that have occurred in recent years in China and discusses the IPR abuses in the licensing of technology standards from developed countries to developing countries. Under de facto standards, the IPR abuses of western enterprises are mainly conducted through blocking competitors by taking advantage of the status of controlling the standards. Under de jure standards, the most urgent antitrust concerns for developing countries are being charged an excessively high patent royalty and being refused independent licensing in practice by the western patent pools under the standards. In addition, this article also shows China's responses, such as improving its legal system to restrict IPR abuses and commonweal intellectual property litigation filed by IPR scholars. A brief analysis on categories of commonweal relative to IPR abuses is also presented.


Objective:To study the anatomic morphology of permanent tooth external layer of Korean-nationality. Methods; The dental external layer of extracorporeal tooth were measured by electronic data-displaying calipers, such as body of tooth, span, length of dental corona, length of radix dentis, width of depth corona, width of dental neck, deep of dental corona and depth of dental neck. Statistical analysis was performed according to the measure of Wang Hui-Yun. Results: The width of duntal corona of upper maxillary incisor of Korean-nationality was shorter than reported by Wang Hui-Yun, Span and length of dental corona of permanent tooth were shorter than those of Wang Hui-Yun reported,but length of upper tooth root was longer than that of Wang Hui-Yun reported. Conclusion:The reference data is usful in extraction of permanent tooth of Korean-nationality and in aesthetic and rehab and clinic practice.


An experiment has been performed in Jyvaskyla, Finland, using Jurogam in conjunction with RITU and GREAT. This experiment populated several extremely neutron-deficient nuclei around the mass-140 region of the nuclei chart, using the 92Mo(54Fe, α2n) reaction at 245 MeV. Analysis of these data has revealed several previously unobserved isomeric states, in several nuclei. One of these has been assigned to 143Dy with a half-life of 1.2 ± 0.3 µs. The energies of the prompt γ rays in the band built upon the isomer are in agreement with those previously observed.


The paper is devoted to the semiologic conception of the Belgian linguist Eric Buyssens (1900-2000) which is not known enough in Russia. The author analyses major components of his conception: object and notions of semiology, sign, its structure, symbol, reference of proper name, problems of relations between language and thought under semiotic aspect. The semiotic conception of E. Buyssens is examined against the background and in comparison with other conceptions of the same time as well as from the point of view of modern linguistics. The contribution of the Belgian scholar to the theory and practice of semiotics is assessed.


The invention provides phenyl bispyrazole carboxamide derivatives and a preparation method and an application thereof; the compounds show relatively good inhibition performance on armyworm under the concentration of 500-100 ppm, a target compound I-6, a compound I-7 and a compound I-8 have the armyworm inhibitory rate of 80% under the concentration of 500 mg/L, and the target compound I-6, the compound I-7 and the compound I-8 have the armyworm inhibitory rate still of 80% under the concentration of 200 mg/L; the compounds are new compounds with insecticidal activity, and provide the basis for research and development of new pesticides.


A mobile communication station includes a camera 3 and has a hand grip 4 , the grip having a first compact configuration and a second configuration in which the grip is expanded relative to the first configuration. The body 2 of the mobile communication station may be elongate about an axis, and comprise two portions which are mechanically coupled to each other by a linkage that permits rotation of one of the portions relative to the other about an axis substantially parallel to the said axis and prevents rotation of each portion relative to the other about other axes.


To validate the smartphone sensor‐based Draw a Shape Test – a part of the Floodlight Proof‐of‐Concept app for remotely assessing multiple sclerosis‐related upper extremity impairment by tracing six different shapes.


In modern linguistics, semantic and motivational reconstruction of words is not only part of the etymologization process but is also becoming a separate area of linguistic study and is closely connected to lexico-semantic typology, the study of linguistic worldview, etc. In the article, the author substantiates the wide understanding of semantic and motivational reconstruction, determines its goals and studies its framework of concepts (such as the semantic and motivational model, semantic and derivational complex, derivational and phraseological nest, semantic and motivational field, etc.) and describes a number of methods of the semantic and motivational analysis.


It was previously mentioned that a surface viewed by a stereoscope with binocular disparity might appear differently in color than when it was originally observed in two dimensions. In the present research we investigated whether brightness and/or chromaticness of a surface changed when it appeared with depth in a stereoscopic space. Test and matching stimuli were presented side by side on a CRT screen. These stimuli appeared in the surface-color mode except the yellow stimulus. The test stimulus was presented with front, back and 0 disparity from the standard plane, whereas the matching stimulus always appeared with 0 disparity. The observer adjusted luminance and chromaticities of the matching stimulus in order to obtain color-matching between the test and the matching stimuli. The results show that when the test stimulus appeared in front it looked brighter than at the standard position, and that when it appeared at back it looked almost the same. We proposed a color constancy hypothesis to explain the present results.


As the first stage of the research into factors determining the optimum listening level of music performance, its methodology was examined. In experiment 1, a part of Symphony No. 6 in b‐minor Op. 74, ''Pathetique,'' composed by Tchaikovsky, was used and the instantaneous impressions of loudness were judged using the method of continuous judgment by categories developed by Namba and Kuwano. A high correlation coefficient was found between LAeq, 100 ms, and instantaneous impression of loudness sampled every 100 ms, which confirms the applicability of the method to the loudness of music performance. In experiment 2, musically significant portions whose durations were 5 to 20 s, were selected from the stimulus used in experiment 1 and rearranged in descending series and ascending series according to their sound levels with about 5‐s silent intervals. The instantaneous impression of their loudness was judged as in experiment 1. It was found that each block in the ascending series was judged louder than the co...


In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), spatially distributed IoT devices collect and store data in a distributed fashion for computational efficiency. However, in IoT networks, due to the fragile device, harsh deployment environment, and unreliable transmission, the possibility of missing data is increasing, which may significantly affect subsequent data processing. Traditional approaches to impute missing data in IoT distributed data sets bring huge communication overheads. In this article, we develop an efficient architecture for distributed IoT data imputation based on a designed multidiscriminator conditional generative adversarial network. The architecture intelligently learns the characteristics of the distributed data sets to accurately impute missing values. Our experiments are performed using three data sets under two different data missing mechanisms. The experimental results demonstrate that using three data sets, the proposed imputation technique can drastically reduce the imputation error by up to 88.66%, 94.27%, and 95.53% at the premise of low transmission cost, respectively, compared to five state-of-the-art methods.


To obtain actual responses of nonlinear terminations for the transmission lines sag above lossy ground, it imperatively need to build the equivalent circuits of transmission lines sag. In this paper, the multi- conductor transmission lines sag above lossy ground are divided into a sequence of smaller segments, each of which is approximate equal height. Equivalent circuit of the transmission lines sag is composed of each segment in series. And the simpli fi ed equivalent circuit of transmission lines sag above lossy ground excited by the external electromagnetic fi elds is built by combined the neighboring elements. The proposed method is compared with the result obtained by the FDTD method, a good agreement is observed. And the amplitude of the response is less than the results when the transmission lines are considered as the straight lines.


The framing contest of claims makers in the same-sex marriage debate offers the opportunity to examine the role of power and the cultural context in framing. Content and frame analyses of stories from daily papers and wire services, and textual analysis of marriage in stories published in the states with anti-same-sex marriage ballot initiatives reveal that although same-sex marriage-friendly frames appear more often than traditional-marriage frames, it is the latter that set the parameters of the debate. Coverage does little to challenge hegemonic heteronormative definitions of marriage, and it is the study's mixed-methods approach that reveals the complexities of the ideological characterization of the debate.


Our study focuses on the labor market implications of vocational and technical education in the MENA region, analyzing the case of Egypt and Morocco. We try to assess the validity of those vocational systems by looking at the determinants of schooling choice and the effect of segregation between vocational and general education in rate of returns to education, wage differentials and wage inequality. Drawing conclusions from our analysis, we outline the main challenges faced by policy makers, namely the streamlining of inefficient education systems and the redressing of social stratification furthered by schooling choice based on the successful experiences of South-East Asian economies.


FIELD: construction. SUBSTANCE: design of the floor on an elastic base contains a bearing ceiling plate connected with a wall, the elastic base located on the bearing plate, it also contains a mounting plate made from a reinforced vibrodamping concrete material which is installed on the base plate of the interfloor ceiling with cavities through layers of the vibrodamping material and waterproofing material with the gap with reference to bearing walls of the production room which are made with flanging, closely fitting to bearing structures of the walls and to the bearing plate. The cavities of the base plate are filled with a vibration damping material, for example foamed polymer. Also in cavities of the base plates of the interfloor ceiling vibrodamping inserts are located which are made in the form of a cylinder from a rigid vibrodamping material in which axisymmetrically and coaxially an elastic rod is located. Along the rod axis damping disks are rigidly fixed along the whole length of the cavity. Margin disks are fixed flush with the cylinder from a vibrodamping material end faces of which, in turn, are located flush with lateral surfaces of the basic plate. The intermediate damping disks are located evenly with the step not exceeding the internal diameter of the cylinder. The elastic rod is made combined and consisting of an elastic part in the form of the rod and a damping part made in the form of an external coaxial shell of a vibrodamping material, for example polyurethane. The damping disks which are rigidly fixed along the whole length of the elastic rod of the vibrodamping insert are made combined and consisting of an elastic part in the form of disks oppositely fixed on the elastic rod from the rigid vibrodamping material, and the damping part made in the form of a disk from a vibrodamping material, for example polyurethane. EFFECT: invention allows improving vibration-absorbing and soundproofing properties of the floor. 2 cl, 3 dwg


In Brief

This article combines research findings and clinical experience that are unique to the use of continuous glucose monitoring in children and adolescents. It stresses the importance of realistic expectations, describes consideratons related to wearability, and reviews the potential benefit of glucose alarm features for pediatric patients.


In this paper, a pulse density modulation (PDM) control for a semi-bridgeless rectifier in inductive power transfer (IPT) systems is proposed. The proposed PDM control can implement soft switching and continuous output voltage control using simple algorithm without additional hardware. In order to analyze the proposed method, the voltage gain of the semi-bridgeless rectifier with the proposed method is derived mathematically, and the performance of the proposed method is compared with the conventional control methods. Additionally, the result of the comparison is verified through simulation and experimental results.


Many essential properties of iron alloys depend on what actually happens when one allotropic form gives way to another, i.e. on the mechanism of phase change. The dependence of the mechanical properties on the atomic mechanism by which bainite and martensite grow is the focus of this paper. The discussion is illustrated in the context of some common engineering design parameters, and with a brief example of the inverse problem in which the mechanism may be a function of the mechanical properties.


In studying the responses of insects to light and colored lights one has to take into account the wavelength composition and intensity of the light source.


Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) implementations and deployments have been encountering many problems. Most of the information security officers are torn between adhering to the standards or following up a particular mathematical and theoretical model. In this paper we are implementing and deploying PKI at University of Tabuk. In this real world experience we do believe that we can avoid many difficulties, impracticalities and the negative experiences of the past. Another objective is to eliminate paper based circulations by employing digital signature. We elected to deploy OpenPGP and make a test bed for University of Tabuk and future city wide deployments.


In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been widely used in target tracking tasks such as security, anti-terrorism, tracking and monitoring because of its wide and flexible perspective. At the same time, deep learning creates new conditions for UAV visual recognition and motion tracking because it has high recognition accuracy and fast recognition speed. This paper presents an UAV dynamic tracking algorithm based on deep learning. The algorithm mainly includes three parts: the PTZ control, relative position calculation and the UAV control. The main work includes: 1. The tracking target is identified through the deep learning network based on YOLOv3, and the PTZ angle is adjusted in real time by using the control method of combining the PID control with the time-delay control to reduce the impact of image transmission delay; 2. The relative position between the UAV and the target is calculated by combining the UAV flight altitude, UAV attitude, PTZ angle and the coordinate of the target in the image. At the same time, the relative position prediction is added to estimate the relative distance between the UAV and the target at the next frame time as a reference value of the UAV speed, so as to improve the dynamic tracking ability; 3. The relative position information is fed back to the flight control function, and the linear velocity of UAV is output by the PID controller. Through the simulation test in Airsim, it is proved that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the stability and robustness of the UAV tracking system.


This paper discusses the role of the role of social studies education in Nigeria_ Amidst problems of mass education, funding, inequities, intolerance, corruption, weak governance, access to quality education, curriculum development, effective instructional methods, research, and teacher education, Nigeria embarks upon a democratic path to national unity and peace. Introduction Nigeria is located in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a nation in perpetual crises. After the civil war, a booming petroleum exports and revenue, and a relatively peaceful period from 1970 to 1979, Nigeria today is attempting to correct past wrongs as it deals with recurring economic, political, religious and ethnic conflicts. Concerned about the future of a nation full with natural, material and human resources, some educators are designing educational programs and activities aimed at addressing the root causes of the political, ethnic/tribal and economic conflicts. Citizenship education is at the core of the social studies education curriculum in Nigeria. As the nation struggles to create viable programs amidst problems of mass education, funding, inequities in access to education, curriculum development, instructional methods, research, and teacher education, citizenship education programs and activities have become crucial to sustaining the goals, objectives, and aspirations of the nation (Farouk, 1998). The Nigerian Constitution remains the supreme law of the nation, providing the guidelines and frameworks for the structure of government and for governance. Background Nigeria embodies 23 5 ethnic groups speaking approximately 400 languages and practicing traditional African religions, Christianity, and Islam. Since independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria has moved between democracy and military rule. Three major ethnic groups, representing different political traditions, continue to influence social and political events strongly. The Hausa-Fulani, in the north, are mostly Muslim and traditionally support a centralized authoritarian system with a strong village chief and local Emir. The Igbos, in the southeast, are mostly Christians who traditionally live in autonomous village communities and are noted for indirect democracy. The Yoruba, in the west, follow a mixture of religions and lie midway between the direct democracy of the Igbos and the authoritarian systems of the HausaFulani in their traditional government. The Yoruba have traditional leaders and a council of hereditary chiefs who make decisions in addition to those made by local self-governing units (Orimoloye, 1983). Although the Yorubas and Igbos differ greatly in culture and traditional political system, they are often viewed as southerners in contrast to Hausa-Fulani northerners. Politically, the Igbos and Yorubas are lumped together because ofthe generally higher levels of education as a result of early exposure to Western ideas brought in by the missionaries. The new social studies curriculum should reflect goals stated in the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic ofNigeria, 1981). In 1999, Nigeria became a constitutional democratic nation. The new Constitution addresses core national issues such as citizenship,


The tertiary industry level of development has become an important symbol for a national or local modernization and economic development.Through the analysis of 42 departments in 2005 in Fujian province,the paper carries on the analysis between the industrial quantity interdependence relations and the industrial connection,and simultaneously introduces the Nation and Shanghai for the comparison.In correlation analysis foundation,it proposes to develop the modern feature of new industry and speed up the construction of modern infrastructure so as to promote Fujian province tertiary industry fast development.


Environmental conditions can influence the morphology of local biota through phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. Macroalgal morphologies are often associated with wave-exposure conditions. We investigated the relationship between morphology and wave exposure in two common endemic subtidal macroalgae, Carpophyllum angustifolium and C. maschalocarpum, from the East Cape of New Zealand. Morphological comparisons were made between individuals from two sites and four different wave-exposure zones, as defined by fetch and barnacle composition. Of the seven morphological traits measured in C. angustifolium, only total length varied, and individuals were longer in more wave-exposed environments between the two exposure zones where the species were found. In contrast, total length, stipe thickness and vesicle presence all varied significantly between exposure zones in C. maschalocarpum. C. maschalocarpum specimens were shorter with thinner stipes, and fewer individuals had vesicles in the more wave-exposed zones. Morphological traits of both species also varied between sites, suggesting that other influences are important for determining species morphology. Further study is needed to investigate the role of phenotypic plasticity and genetic variability for driving morphological variation in C. angustifolium and C. maschalocarpum.


During the manufacturing and the service life of Au-Al wire bonded packages, the ball bonds experience elevated temperatures and hence accelerated diffusion reactions resulting in the formation of intermetallic compounds and cavities. These microstructural transformations affect the service life of the ball bonds. The interdiffusion reactions were studied by the thermal exposure of Au-Al ball bonds at 175°C for up to 1000 hrs. The volumetric changes associated with the transformation of intermetallic compounds were theoretically modeled. The as-bonded microstructure of the ball bond typically consisted of a line of discontinuous voids between the Au bond and the Al metallization. Thermal exposure of the Au-Al ball bonds resulted in the nucleation, growth and the transformation of the intermetallic compounds and the growth of cavities. Analysis showed that the phase transformations across the bond result in volumetric shrinkage, which promote tensile stresses at the void line. The void line acted as sites for the nucleation and the growth of cavities. Aided by thermal exposure, the cavity growth was higher at the crack front due to stress concentration at the crack front, which was initially at the edge of the void line. The crack propagation occurred laterally into the bond by the linking of sufficiently grown cavities at the void line, which resulted in the failure of the Au-Al ball bonds.


ABSTRACT Self-organization in liquid crystal compounds based on the charge-transfer complexes between an organic donor and a fullerene has been first investigated. The switch-on time of 50 μs has been obtained. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of the transition from the nematic phase to the smectic one, which is caused by a complex formation.


1975 Chicago Joint ORSA/TIMS Meeting, Palmer House, Chicago, Ill. Chm: William P. Pierskalla, IF/MS Department, Northwestern University. Contact: Operations Research Society/The Institute of Management Science, 428 East Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21202. 5-7 May 1975 • Seventh Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Sponsor: ACM S1GACT. Prog. Chm: W.C. Rounds, Department of Communication and Computer Sciences, University of Michigan, 2076 Frieze Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. 13-16 May 1975 • International Symposium on Multiple-Valued Logic, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. Sponsors: Indiana University and in part by ACM, IEEE-CS, and U.S. Office of Naval Research. Chin: George Epstein, Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401. (Dates of May 21-23, originally given, have been changed.) 14-16 May 1975 • International Workshop on the Management of Data: Description, Access and Control. San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Sponsor: ACM SIGMUD. Gen. Chin: James P. Fry, Data Translation Project, 150 Business Administration, University of Michigan, MI 48104. 19-23 May 1975 National Computer Conference 75, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. Sponsors: AFIPS in conjunction with ACM, IEEE-CS, and SCS. Gen. chin: Donal A. Meier. Prog. clam: Stephen W. Miller, SRL Contact: AFIPS, 210 Summit Ave., Montvale, NJ 07645, 201 391-9810. 2-5 June 1975 • ICS 75, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, France. Sponsors: ACM, AFCET. Program Chin: E. Gelenbe, c/o IRIA, B.P. 5, 78150, Le Chesnay, France. 11-13 June 1975 APL75, University of Pisa Italy. Sponsor: CNUCE, University of Pisa, SEAS, SHARE, AICA, AFCET, BCS, SVD. Contact for information: S. Trumny, Local Coordinator, CNUCE, Via S. Maria, 36, 56100 Pisa, Italy. 18-20 June 1975 International Symposium on Fault-Tolerant Computing, Paris, France. Sponsors: IEEE-CS, FNIE, AFCET, IRIA, SEE, CNET, UATI. Contact: FTC 1975, c/o FNIE, 16 Rue de Presles, 75740 Paris Cedcx 15, France. 23-27 June 1975 • Workshop on Microarchitecture of Computer Systems, Monte Carlo. Sponsors: EUROMICRO, ACM SIGMICRO, ACM SIGARCH, AFCET, G.I., U.T.C. Chin: F. Anceau, ENSIMAG, Cedex 53, 38 Grenoble Gare, France. Contact: R. Zaks, Universit6 de Compi6gne, B.P. 233, 60206 Compi6gne, France. 24-26 June 1975 National Conference of the Canadian Information Processing Society. Regina, Sask., Canada. Tech. Prog. Clam: A.G. Law, Mathematics Department, University of Regina, Regina, Sask., $4S 0A2, Canada. 25-27 June 1975 • Second Annual Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Bowling Green, Ohio. Sponsor: ACM SIGGRAPH. Clam: David L. Fulton, Computer Science Department, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43402; 419 372-0340. 29 June 2-July 1975 INFO/EXPO 75, International Data Processing Conference and Business Exposition. Sponsor: DPMA, Marriott Motor Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. Contact: Martin H. Bowerman, Programs and Service Director, DPMA Hdqtrs, 505 Bussee Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068; 312 8258124. 1-3 July 1975 International Symposium on Proving and Improving Programs, Salines de Chaux, Arc et Senans. France. Sponsor: Societe Mathematique de France. Prog. Chin: D.M.R. Park, University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K. 1-4 July 1975 Dundee Biennial Conference on Numerical Analysis, University of Dundee, Scotland. Sponsor: University of Dundee. Contact: J. L1. Morris, Department of Mathematics, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland. 21-23 July 1975 Summer Computer Simulation Conference, St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, Cal. Sponsors: AICHE, AMS, ISA, SCI, SHARE. Gen. Clam: R.J. Sylvester, General Research Corporation, P.O. Box 417, Denville, NJ 07834; 201 627-3600. 20-22 October 1975 • ACM 75 A N N U A L CONFERENCE, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Radisson Hotel. Chin: Earl Joseph, Univac, Univac Park, P.O. Box 3525, St. Paul, MN 55165. 7-10 June 1976 National Computer Conference 76, New York Coliseum, New York City. Sponsor: AFIPS. a c m forum Which Page of Communications D'Ya Read?


This paper presents a case study of applying the data science methods to a large education data collected at a University over 7 years. The goal of the study is to understand the important features, and to derive models for predicting student retention. Issues dealing with real world data, for example variable definition, missing data handling, and data cleaning were discussed. A new recursive feature elimination based feature selection method was developed. This study derived features and models for four different student groups, the first-generation students, the African American students, the Hispanic students, and the disabled students. The features identified and the predictive models built were compared crossed the four groups.


A comprehensive ab-initio investigation of the stability, structural, electronic, optical and Raman-active properties has been performed for the small diameter armchair carbon nanotubes. A number of new features not discussed earlier are observed in the present study. The binding energies (BEs) for the ultrathin nanotubes with respect to the graphine sheet are negative and the magnitude of the negative BE decreases with the diameter of the tube approaching zero for the graphine sheet. The separation between the two van Hove singularities (vHs) around the Fermi level increases with the diameter of the tube. The main absorption arises from the transitions between the states at nonzero values of kz lying in the range 0.38–0.50. There is a large variation in the magnitude of the optical matrix-element with the wave vector. The energy range of the strong optical absorption increases with the diameter of the tube. The presently predicted absorption and the RBM frequencies are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The variation of the radial breathing mode (RBM) frequency with diameter "d" of a tube obeys a relation which is very close to an experimentally determined relation obtained for a number of wide semiconducting nanotubes possessing a wide range of chiral angles.