Background—Maximum performance and long term stability of bilateral cochlear implants has become an important topic because there has been increasing recipients of bilateral cochlear implants. Purpose—To determine the performance overtime (up to 6 years) of subjects with simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants (CI+CI) on localization and word recognition. Research Design—Overtime investigation of word recognition in quiet (CNC) and sound localization in quiet (Everyday Sounds Localization test).


Background Eye movement abnormalities are paramount in neurological disorders. However, unaided eye movement assessments lack granularity. Although videooculography (VOG) improves diagnostic accuracy, resource intensiveness preclude its broad use. To bridge this care gap, we here validate a framework for smartphone video-based nystagmography capitalizing on recent computer vision advances. Methods A recurrent convolutional network was fine-tuned for pupil tracking using >550 annotated frames: ConVNG. Slow phase velocity of optokinetic nystagmus was calculated in 10 subjects using both ConVNG and VOG. Equivalence of accuracy and precision was assessed using the two one-sample t-test (TOST) and Bayesian interval-null approaches. Results ConVNG tracking accuracy reached 9-15% of an average pupil diameter. SPV measurement accuracy was equivalent to VOG (p< .017; Bayes factors (BF) > 24). Average precision was 0.30 deg. for ConVNG and 0.12 deg. for VOG. Conclusions ConVNG enables smartphone video nystagmography with an accuracy comparable to VOG and precision approximately one order of magnitude higher than comparable ARKit applications. This serves as a blueprint for highly accessible tools with potential to accelerate progress toward precise and personalized Medicine.


In this paper, I explore how a household budget constraint allows one to construct a simple theory of exploding household debts. The conclusion reached in this paper is that in case the household started off being indebted, balanced budget all the time is a very dangerous choice.


: Using survey data from German households, we find that individuals with lower climate concern tend to have higher inflation expectations up to five years ahead. This correlation is most pronounced among individuals with extremely high inflation expectations. Evaluating candidate explanations, we find that part of the link between climate concern and inflation expectations can be associated with individuals' perceived exposures to climate-related risks and with their distrust in the central bank. Overall, our results suggest that climate change perceptions matter for inflation expectations.


The geographical school of university always differed a variety of directions of researches and uncommon persons of researchers, as causes an urgency and expediency of special consideration of history of the centre. The basic methods of research had been chosen the critical analysis of information sources, a method of problem dating and personification, a comparative-historical method. The professor G. I. Tanfilev who used for the first time a method of typology of landscapes by working out of schemes of geographical division into districts of the Kherson and Odessa provinces was the founder of the Odessa centre of studying of landscapes. Geographical division into districts became the basic direction of researches for post-war generation of the Odessa geographers S. T. Belozorova, G. A. Mishchenko, G. P. Mishchenko, F. E. Petrunja, T. P. Fedorchenko. The considerable contribution to development of the Odessa centre has made A. G. Topchiev who has developed a technique of use of mathematical statistics for the analysis of morphological structure of landscapes. Blossoming of the Odessa centre of studying of landscapes has come with arrival to a science about G. I. Shvebsa landscape which has created school of thought of the constructive doctrine about a landscape. Today a science about landscapes of the Odessa University represents T. D. Borisevich, G. P. Pilipenko, O. I. Tsurkan, etc. The Odessa centre of studying of landscapes has interesting on important scientific events and not ordinary persons history. The basic directions of researches of the centre are mapping of landscapes, studying of morphology and functioning of landscapes for the purpose of soil-protective designing, research of modern landscapes as natural and economic territorial systems, etc.


Motivation Every software engineer has used techniques to increase the execution speed of the system under development. Some of these techniques are purely technical, i.e. using a more efficient algorithm, others focus on correct distribution of tasks among different system parts, on management and development process, or on feature avoidance. Engineers working in different areas such as databases, embedded systems, or distributed systems, are used to apply specific techniques that are apparently different to techniques used in other domains. Nevertheless, we have found that these techniques parallel each other to a high degree. The purpose of the design fest was to work towards a Performance Pattern Language.


The present invention provides a control apparatus of the four-wheel drive vehicle, can maximize the effect of reducing the running resistance, and reduced controllability can prevent delay caused by the switching of the drive force distribution mechanism, and there is no rotation of the drive system and the synchronization shock operation delay, stable vehicle operation at outside interference. When the front traveling road there is a curve, the running curve at the time of the turning outer wheel of the clutch engaging simultaneously clutch wheel turning inner wheel side is open, and if the curve is not present, is expected during travel of the vehicle in front will be when a predetermined external interference, the right and left wheel clutch while being bonded. A case where the calculated target yaw moment of the vehicle, right and left wheels and the average wheel speed of the front axle over the turning outer wheel speed of the rear axle, when the target yaw moment of the vehicle attached to the rear axle of the turning outer wheel clutch engaging and binding force and the target yaw moment control based on the power transfer clutch.


This study is an attempt to look at the academic achievement in three core subjects, such as First Language, English and Arithmetic, of the primary school students studying in classes II and III in External Evaluation and Diagnostic Achievement Test in West Bengal, India. We try to provide an insight into the group disparity in academic achievement of the students in the three subjects through classifying the sample by caste, gender and sector. Besides, we also employ the logistic model of regression to assess likelihood of success of different groups in the minimum level of learning of these three subjects in the said examinations. The study found considerable disparity in academic skills among social groups, males and females and rural and urban students. Performance of the students was quite poor in Arithmetic compared to First Language and English. Findings of this study will enable the policy makers to design appropriate policies, which will enable the society to achieve better performance in education in future.


Abstract : Calculations of the effect of bulk traps on the time dependence of the channel current in InP accumulation-type MISFET's are reported. It is shown that a uniform density of deep acceptors in the bulk material given rise to a decay in the channel current which decays approximately linearly as a function of the logarithm of time. If capture of the electrons is assumed to occur by a nonradiative multiphonon emission procession, then the temperature dependence that is obtained agrees with experimental results. The energy level and the density of the deep acceptor Fe (1+) trap involved in space-charge-limited current (SCLC) flowing in semi-insulating (SI) InP was deduced from I-V measurements and a model employing either the low-field Hall mobility or the high-field saturated electron velocity v subscipt s. The modified model based on v subscript s, yields the Fe3(+) energy level, D sub 1 = 0.6eV, and the trap density N sub t = 3 X 10 to the 15th power/cc, consistent with data obtained by other means.


In this paper the effects of interference of non-geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite with GSO satellite services is calculated. As these effects are calculated in frequencies up to 30 GHz, the interference with the assumption of given GSO satellite parameters (such as BER C/N) is determined considering rain fade. For calculation of C/I in this paper, we first introduce various methodologies which are used to calculate maximum allowable level of interference. Then using these methodologies, EPFD (the equivalent power flow density) is calculated. Finally, a computer program is developed using one of these methodologies and comparison is made with an ITU (International Telecommunication Union) model which shows good agreement.


Currently, the research focuses on bone marrow as a potential source for the treatment of diseases, since its use as a diagnosis is already largely employed. This paper aims to promote a practical review on the best access to the bone marrow and the importance of this material as diagnosis and treatment. Sampling techniques are observed and detailed by the authors, in order to facilitate the procedures and make them safer.


Objective:To study the knowledge and utilization of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) services among women. Study Design Descriptive survey.
Material and Methods:A sample size of 225 women from Udupi.
Statistical Analysis Used:Frequency and percentage to describe sample characteristics, knowledge level and utilization of ICDS services. Chi-square test to find the association between knowledge and selected variables.
Results:Out of 225 women 49.3% had average knowledge and 46.7% with poor knowledge regarding ICDS. Among pregnant women there was 74.1% utilization of supplementary nutrition and 7.4% utilization of immunization. Among lactating mothers there was 76.2% utilization of supplementary nutrition, 4.8% utilization of health education. Mothers having children revealed that, there was 71.1% utilization of supplementary nutrition, 58.3% utilization of health checkup, 69.3% utilization of non-formal preschool education, 26.7% full and 50.5% partial utilization of immunization services. The main reason for not utilizing ICDS services were due to household work (43%), distance from anganwadi (40%) and due to lack of awareness (13%).
Conclusion:Accurate information and encouragement from health personnel will further help to improve the knowledge and utilization of ICDS services.


The effects of mannitol and sodiumbenzoate on the toxicity and antitumor activity ofdoxorubicin (Dox) were investigated.Rat hvermitochondria were incubated with Dox and the inhibi-tion of the cytochrome C oxidase activity by Dox wasmeasured.The cytochrome C oxidase activity wasstrongly depressed (42.1%,P0.001)by Dox,whereasthis activity was well restored in mannitol or sodiumbenzoate. It was also found that Doxinducedinhibition of[3H]TdR incorporation into DNA ofHRT- 18 cells in vitro was not affected by mannitol orsodium benzoate.The protection of mannitol orsodium benzoate against the mitochondria toxicity ofDox appears no interference with the antitumoractivity of Dox.


A novel spatial representation of image objects is presented for efficient image retrieval based on spatial relationships. Using our new representation, fast indexing and matching of images by spatial relationships can be accomplished. Our approach takes care of the special requirements for content-based image retrieval (CBIR) as compared to existing spatial representation schemes. Experiments demonstrated the feasibility of semantic spatial retrieval using the proposed spatial representation in CBIR.


Fingerprinting is a technique that permits the identification of strategies for playing a game without doing detailed hand analysis. In this study the evolution of strategies for playing the iterated prisoner's dilemma in the presence of noise was analyzed using fingerprinting and other techniques. Agents were evolved for 6400 generations taking samples at eight exponentially-spaced epochs with noise levels of 0, 1, and 5 percent. Populations were tested for probability of cooperative play, for competitive ability against agents evolved with different noise levels, for competitive ability against agents from other epochs, and for their distribution of strategy types. The ability of agents in noisy environments to cooperate was significantly enhanced over evolutionary time with substantial gains in cooperation made after the 3000 generation. Also, evolution in the presence of noise was found to significantly improve an agent's competitive ability. Agents evolved for a longer time tended to beat agents evolved for a shorter time, though there were some intriguing exceptions. And, populations evolved in the presence of noise had significantly different strategy distributions than populations evolved without noise.


We discuss the applicability of γ5-dependent field renormalization as a means of renormalizing away the apparent violation of Hara's theorem observed in the quark model. It is pointed out that a result totally analogous to the violation of Hara's theorem is predicted by the quark model also for neutral baryons. For neutral baryons, however, such a result cannot be renormalized away. This proves that γ5dependent renormalization does not provide a proper way for a hadron-level understanding of the violation of Hara's theorem observed in the quark model. Weak radiative hyperon decays (WRHD's) have been a challenge to our understanding for over 30 years. Despite all the work done during these years, a satisfactory theoretical understanding of these processes is still lacking. For a review of current theoretical and experimental situation in the field see [1]. The puzzle posed by weak radiative hyperon decays centers on the issue of Hara's theorem [2] and its possible violation. Hara's theorem states that the parity-violating amplitude of decay Σ+ → pγ should vanish in the limit of SU(3) flavour symmetry. There are two results that seem to indicate that Hara's theorem is violated. 1. Since SU(3) symmetry is expected to be weakly broken one expects small parity-violating Σ+ → pγ amplitude (and, consequently, small decay asymmetry). Experiment [3] shows, however, that the asymmetry is large: α(Σ+ → pγ) = −0.72 ± 0.086 ± 0.045 (1) Furthermore, existing hadron-level Hara's-theoremsatisfying models lead to a pattern of asymmetries of three related WRHD's (Λ → nγ,Ξ0 → Λγ, Ξ0 → Σ0γ) that does not seem to be corroborated by experiment. 2. On the theoretical side it was observed by Kamal and Riazuddin [4] that Hara's theorem is violated in the quark model even in the case of exact SU(3)-symmetry. There have been several proposals of how to understand this quark model result [5–7]. All of them have various deficiencies. At present there is no consensus on how the result of Kamal and Riazuddin should be understood. The purpose of this note is to discuss the most recent proposal [8] in that matter. In [8] it has been argued that the apparent violation of Hara's theorem obtained in the quark model can be renormalized away at hadronic level by means of field renormalization with γ5-dependent renormalization constants. Here we show that such a renormalization procedure, although applicable to fundamental charged fermions, cannot be successfully used for neutral baryons. Since quark model predicts violation of a theorem analogous to that of Hara also for neutral baryons, the conclusion is that the effect observed by Kamal and Riazuddin should not be associated with a possible need for a γ5-dependent field renormalization. Thus, a proper way of understanding the quark model result must lie elsewhere. Let us begin by writing down the most general form of (diagonal in flavour) vector and axial currents that couple to photon: Vμ = ψ[f1(q)γμ + f2(q)iσμνq + f3(q)qμ]ψ (2) Aμ = ψ[g1(q)γμγ5 + g2(q)iσμνγ5q + g3(q)γ5qμ]ψ (3) As in [8] the notation of [9] is used for Dirac matrices. CP-invariance requires reality of functions f and g if standard form of Dirac equation is used. (In [8] formfactors f3 and g2 are considered imaginary which is required by the condition of hermiticity. This difference is inessential because, when taken together, hermiticity and CP-invariance require both of them to be zero.) There are two types of γ5-dependent transformations of Dirac spinors: 1) "phase" transformation ψ′ = exp (iαγ5) ψ (4) 2) "scale" transformation ψ′ = exp (βγ5) ψ (5) with real α, β. The adjoint spinors transform like ψ′ = ψ exp (iαγ5) and ψ′ = ψ exp (−βγ5) respectively. Spinors 702 P. Żenczykowski: Hara's theorem, quark model, and γ5-dependent renormalization constants ψL and ψR transform under phase transformations with opposite phases while under scale transformations their relative size is changed. Let us discuss how the form of currents Vμ, Aμ is affected by phase and scale transformations. Using properties of γ matrices we find exp (−iαγ5)[γμ, γμγ5] exp (−iαγ5) = [γμ, γμγ5] exp (−iαγ5)[σμν , σμνγ5, γ5] exp (−iαγ5) = [σμν , σμνγ5, γ5](c− isγ5) exp(βγ5)[σμν , σμνγ5, γ5] exp(−βγ5) = [σμν , σμνγ5, γ5] exp(βγ5)[γμ, γμγ5] exp(−βγ5) = [γμ, γμγ5](ch − shγ5) (6) where c = cos 2α, s = sin 2α, ch = cosh 2β, sh = sinh 2β. Under phase transformations the standard form of currents (2, 3) transforms therefore to V ′ μ=ψ′[f1γμ + (cf2 − isg2)iσμνq +(cf3 − isg3)qμ]ψ′ (7) Aμ=ψ′[g1γμγ5 + (cg2 − isf2)iσμνγ5q +(cg3 − isf3)γ5qμ]ψ′ (8) From (7, 8) we see that: 1) functions f ′ 1 (= f1), g ′ 1 (= g1) are unaffected by phase transformations and 2) functions f ′ 2 (= cf2 − isg2), f ′ 3, g′ 2, g′ 3 may in general be complex even though CP is conserved. However, the form of the Dirac equation has to be modified then to (compare [10]) (p/−m(c− isγ5))ψ′ = 0 (9) Similarly, under scale transformations the standard form (2, 3) of currents Vμ, Aμ transforms to V ′ μ = ψ′[f ′ 1γμ + f2iσμνq ν + f3qμ]ψ′ (10) Aμ = ψ′[g ′ 1γμγ5 + g2iσμνγ5q ν + g3γ5qμ]ψ′ (11) where f ′ 1 = chf1 −shg1, g′ 1 = chg1 −shf1, and f2 = f ′ 2 etc. i.e. only the coefficients at the γμ, γμγ5 terms are modified. Hereafter the prime sign (′) is used to label functions f , g when they correspond to a non-standard form of Dirac equation. We are now prepared to discuss the applicability of γ5dependent renormalization to neutral baryons. We follow the argument of [8] closely. For simplicity consider just a neutron. Near its mass-shell and in the absence of weak interactions (but with complete account for strong and electromagnetic interactions) the neutron propagator has the form S−1 o = p/−mo (12) Let us now set the Cabibbo angle to zero. With weak interactions turned on the propagator of (12) is modified and close to its new mass-shell it has the general form (see [8]) S′−1 = ap/+ bp/γ5 −m′ (13) In writing (13) we have assumed that an appropriate phase transformation has been already carried out to bring the general mass term of the form given in (9) to the standard form. Such a transformation does not affect the ap/ and bp/γ5 terms (compare (6)). Since weak interactions are small perturbations we have a ≈ 1, |b/a| 1, and m′ ≈ mo. Let us now bring the propagator of (13) to the standard Dirac form. In order to achieve this we perform a scale renormalization with appropriate parameter β: S−1=exp(−βγ5)S′−1 exp(+βγ5) =(a ch + b sh)p/+ (b ch + a sh)p/γ5 −m′ (14) Thus, in order to bring neutron propagator to its standard Dirac form we need tanh(2β) = −b/a, i.e. β of order b/a. Renormalization of propagators as in (14) is associated with a simultaneous renormalization of fields (ψ′ → ψ, as in (5)) and of the form of currents (10, 11). Since we require that, after renormalization, neutron couplings to photon satisfy f1(0) = 0 (zero charge) and g1(0) = 0 (analog of the assumption necessary for the proof of Hara's theorem) we obtain the conditions f1(0) = f ′ 1(0)ch + g ′ 1(0)sh = 0 g1(0) = g′ 1(0)ch + f ′ 1(0)sh = 0 (15) Assume now that in perturbative calculations in some model we have obtained a nonvanishing g′ 1(0). For clarity we should stress here that a nonvanishing g′ 1(0) does not violate electromagnetic gauge invariance and current conservation in any way as long as it can be renormalized away. It appears only because a non-standard representation for currents and Dirac spinors is used. In the standard representation we of course have g1(0) = 0 as the second of (15) above requires. Whatever value of f ′ 1(0) is obtained it is clear that renormalization conditions of (15) require f ′ 1(0)/g ′ 1(0) = − tanh(2β) = −1/ tanh(2β). Thus, in particular, β = ±∞ is required. This cannot be reconciled with the perturbative renormalization condition that β is to be of order |b/a| 1. Thus, if a nonzero g′ 1(0) is somehow generated for neutral baryons, it cannot be renormalized away by a γ5-dependent transformation. Let us now show that in the quark model the perturbative calculation of the contribution from W -exchange between quarks in the neutron does indeed lead to a term that at hadron level must be identified with g′ 1(0) 6= 0. To see this observe that neutron spin-flavour wave function (quarks: ddu) is obtained from that of proton (quarks: uud) by a simple replacement u ↔ d. Symmetry of the wave function ensures that it is sufficient to consider W exchange in one ud diquark only. For the proton the photonproton parity-violating coupling can be expressed in terms of photon-diquark couplings as


Introduction: The hypothalamus regulates the neuroendocrine system. Hypothalamic neurogenesis is localized to the arcuate nucleus (AR) close to the third ventricle (3V) and to the bottom of the 3V ...


The primary purpose of this study is to present trends in fertility of the population of South Poland...for the time period between the end of [the] Napoleonic Wars and the outbreak of World War II....The study draws also a comparison with the neighboring countries and areas. Data are from Austrian and Polish censuses. (EXCERPT)


At the institutional level, government policy dominates public schooling. As such, there are certain themes that we can isolate as common to the operation of schools. This essay isolates the common theme of neoliberalism, which is embedded in policy and, therefore, influential to practice in schools. The extent to which neoliberal maxims operate as the assumptions of educational policy points to the great success neoliberal ideologues and the institutions that house them have had in the recent past. The notion of schools and their personnel as embodiments of the market is so deeply entrenched in the text of current policy and in the practices of testing and pedagogical techniques that its metaphoricity has become banal and has cemented into a sort of onto–teleological truism. Why does a person go to school? In order to get a good job. What is the purpose of schools in our society? To train our future workforce. In response to this relatively recent conception of schooling, one that stretches well beyond United States borders, a cottage industry of sorts has arisen that emphasizes the use of critical analysis to combat what its proponents view as the harmful effects of neoliberalism in education. Authors of this strain are quick to point out the faulty reasoning behind the analogy of markets and schools. For instance, to understand education as a commodity to be delivered to student– consumers forecloses other, more important relationships that teachers can foster with students, such as establishing a community of fellow contributors to the processes of education and citizenship.


With some tunnel structure reinforcement with carbon fiber sheet as example,the construction technology of tunnel structure reinforcement with carbon fiber sheet was generalized and discussed,the construction methods of carbon fiber sheet during different situation were proposed,which provide theoretical reference and practical experience for future similar engineering.


Ethnic minorities commonly face discrimination due to the effect of the "glass ceiling". Discrimination is a familiar experience for women and ethnic minorities in many organisations, and the glass ceiling is a common barrier for ethnic minorities and women who press forward to reach the top level of organisations (Hester, 2007). The organisational leaders, in particular, exploit the lack of power of individuals, who are also faced with social inequalities and unequal opportunities in organisations (Cech & Blair-Loy, 2010). The barriers to the progress of individuals in organisations are based on attitudes, requirements for educational standards, experience and organisational bias (Ross, 2004). The concept of the glass ceiling became a popular topic for study in recent years because people noticed the existence of social inequalities in most organisations (Jost & Major, 2001). However, there is little research on the career barriers that Pacific Island women face, which makes this dissertation and the related research of extra value. The objective of this research was to help cultivate the movement towards social equality and even distribution of opportunities in organisations. A study by Statistics New Zealand (2006) found that Pacific Island women, in comparison to New Zealand women in general, are 10% more likely to work in the manufacturing industry, and few work in skilled employment such as in managerial and other professional roles. The growth of ethnic minorities and women in higher positions has been discussed in the past, with the aim of finding a way to ease social and organisational inequalities (Blackburn, 2001). The main purpose of this research was to look at the barriers which may hinder Pacific Island women from advancing to senior positions in New Zealand organisations. The research was based on interviews conducted with ten Pacific Island women working in a


To provide flared tubing and hose connections for high-pressure hand tightened cryogenic service, a 1/4-inch male AN seal was modified by machining to receive a special, double-truncated-cone-shaped Kel-F washer between it and the flared flex hose connector.


Icing on transmission lines often causes potential electric damage in power systems. Superhydrophobic anodized Al conductors have been proposed to have good anti-icing properties. In this study, superhydrophobic anodized Al conductors with composite nanopore structures were prepared by a two-step anodization. The microstructure, hydrophobicity, and anti-icing properties of composite nanopore structures were compared and studied. The optimal preparation parameter was determined as a current density of 0.04375 A/cm2 and anodization time of 15 min. Compared with the bare substrate, the optimal anodized Al surface of the composite nanopore structures show excellent hydrophobic and anti-icing properties, including a contact angle of 173°, a contact angle hysteresis of 0.122°, an ice adhesion strength of 0.71 kPa, and a glaze icing weight of 0.1 g after the 8 h. Therefore, the prepared anodized Al surface of composite nanopore structures with good anti-icing properties has profound application potential for overhead transmission lines.


Making mistakes is a natural part of learning process requiring correction; accordingly, corrective feedback is indispensable. On this ground, the present study compared the effects of mobile-mediated explicit and implicit corrective feedback on Iranian EFL learners' use of English prepositions of manner and movement. To this end, the participants including 60 learners were randomly assigned to three groups of 20 individuals on WhatsApp application. These three groups included two experimental and one control groups. The treatment groups sat for a pre-test, received instruction on the errors under study, and practiced correcting them in response to the corrective feedback condition. Next, participants took immediate post-test and delayed post-test. The statistical analysis revealed that although the control group was more proficient than its experimental counterparts on the pre-test, their performance did not improve on immediate and delayed post-tests. However, both of the experimental groups significantly improved on immediate post-test and retained their gains on the delayed post-test. The pedagogical implication is provided for both teachers and learners. difference was found between the two experimental groups in the short and long term which led to concluding the usefulness of (un)focused WCF. In order to discover if the efficaciousness of WCF differs on a specific number of prepositions, the present study focuses on different prepositions (i.e., prepositions of movement and manner). Albeit the above studies have demonstrated to be efficient on some specific type of prepositions, no study has been undertaken to assess preposition of movement and manner through WCF to the best of the researchers' knowledge. between groups, post-hoc multiple comparisons were conducted using Scheffe.


Spin-on glass (SOG), poly-carbosilane (PCS) and metal hardmask (MHM) materials with unique film properties were developed and introduced in this paper. PCS materials showed good gap-fill performance, thermal stability and dielectric constant than standard SOG materials. PCS material form good film quality up to 10 μm film thickness by single coat process. We have also investigated the combination of PCS material and UV irradiation process. UV irradiation alters PCS film property and improved solubility to diluted aqueous HF. MHM materials showed good gap-fill performance, slower dry etching rate and unique optical constant compared to low temperature oxide (LTO). JSR spin-on PCS and MHM materials show different film properties and improved performance compared to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) films are expected to simplify the complex/fine semiconductor device manufacturing process.


Using the generating function formalism, the frequency dependent diffusion coefficient is obtained for disordered lattices in two and three dimensions. Values for the lowest order constant and the first correction term are found as a power series in the cumulants of the inverse transition rates.


This paper explores the factors that influence diversification into Khat production and its contribution to rural household's income in Kenya.  Using probability and non-probability sampling procedures, a sample of 125 households composed of both Khat producers and non producers was selected. Logit regression was used to estimate the factors that influence participation in Khat production while propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to assess its contribution to rural household's income. The factors that enhances participation are access to extension services, number of school going children, agricultural land size, household's income and main occupation of the household head whereas the factors that hinder participation are age of the household head, distance from the main market and access to credit. Subsequently, Khat production positively contributes to the household's income. Hence, as an alternative measure to boost the rural household's income, Khat enterprise should be promoted. Keywords : Diversification, Khat , Propensity Score Matching, Smallholder farmers.


To start with the necessity of establishing and improving engineering project tendering and bidding archives,combining with working practice,the essay outlines some issues needing attention in the work of engineering project tendering and bidding archives,and explores measures and countermeasures for establishing and improving tendering and bidding archives,with a view to guarantee the justice,accuracy,and science of archival material.


Quaternary ammonium salts of the present invention have the general formula [Formula 1] [Wherein, The R R X Represented by. Quaternary ammonium salts of the present invention has a melting point of 10 ° C. or less, excellent solubility in nonaqueous organic solvents, and have a much higher electrical conductivity, it may be suitably used as an electrolyte.


With the increase of computing power of quantum computers, classical cryptography schemes such as RSA and ECC are no longer secure in the era of quantum computers. The Cryptosystem based on coding has the advantage of resisting quantum computing and has a good application prospect in the future. McEliece Public Key Cryptography is a cryptosystem based on coding theory, whose security can be reduced to the decoding problem of general linear codes and can resist quantum attacks. Therefore, this paper proposes a cryptosystem based on the Polar-LDPC Concatenated Codes, which is an improvement on the original McEliece cipher scheme. The main idea is to take the generation matrix of Polar code and LDPC code as the private key, and the product of their hidden generation matrix as the public key. The plain text is encoded by Polar code and LDPC code in turn to obtain the encrypted ciphertext. The decryption process is the corresponding decoding process. Then, the experimental data presented in this paper prove that the proposed scheme can reduce key size and improve security compared with the original McEliece cryptosystem under the condition of selecting appropriate parameters. Moreover, compared with the improvement schemes based on McEliece proposed in recent years, the proposed scheme also has great security advantages.


The adenovirus type 2 hexon protein produced in excess during infection was carboxymethylated by reduction and alkylation with iodo[2-14C]acetate in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Only one type of polypeptide chain was detected by exclusion chromatography in dissociating buffers. Peptide mapping experiments, sequence analysis of peptides and identification of possible protein terminal residues also suggest that all subunits are similar and probably identical.

Structural analysis of [14C]carboxymethylated hexon and of hexon which was labeled in vivo with [35S]cysteine revealed six unique cysteine derivatives in soluble tryptic peptides. A seventh unique cysteine derivative, only partly carboxymethylated, was present in the tryptic core material and was recovered after chymotryptic digestion. Seven unique cysteine derivatives in the hexon subunit, correspond to a minimum molecular weight of about 100 000 for the subunit. This value is consistent with values obtained from exclusion chromatography in guanidine hydrochloride, from mercurial titration of an accessible thiol group in the intact protein and from peptide mapping experiments.

Peptides corresponding to more than one tenth of the total number of residues in the protein chain were characterized and, with the inclusion of other peptides studied, about one quarter of all residues are accounted for. The results exclude extensive regions of identity in primary structure within the hexon subunits and the partial resistance towards attack by proteolytic enzymes is structurally explained.


The authors analysed investment risk of a wind farm construction in Poland. They specified key risk factors of investment projects and instruments that eliminate or minimize their impact. The article describes also methods that enable to estimate an impact of risk on profitability of the project. This paper is based on a number of newspapers, research articles and reports. The investment in a wind farm construction due to, among others, a long period of repayment, legal turmoil on green energy, is exposed to a number of factors that may affect profitability of the investment.


We present the design and fabrication of thermally-efficient tuning structures integrated into a narrowband reconfigurable radio-frequency-photonics filter using silicon-on-insulator waveguide optical delay lines. We are able to achieve IIR, FIR or mixed responses with < 100mW total tuning power.


Two fulvic acid (FA) samples taken from a former gas production facility in the Southwest of Germany were characterized using advanced fluorescence techniques. Steady-state fluorescence (fluorescence excitation, synchronous fluorescence) as well as time-resolved fluorescence were applied. Distinct differences between the sample B22 FA taken within the contamination plume and the sample B53 FA taken downstream were found. Comparison with a model compound for metabolites and humic substances revealed that due to the downstream passage the characteristics of the dissolved organic matter became more humic-like. The assignment of single classes of compounds in the sample B22 FA is discussed in terms of their synchronous fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decay time distribution.


A technical solution was considered aimed at ensuring uninterrupted operation during drilling, the ability to continue work for several minutes after a power outage, fixing the parameters during drilling, namely the torque on the rotor/top drive, the possibility of expanding the functions of the complex, the minimum number of elements, minimum dimensions and weight, high reliability. The hardware and software complex for registering technological parameters of the drilling rig equipment includes: OWEN data collection module, MV110-8AS high-speed analog signal input module, SMI-2 LED indicator, SIEMENS power supply, Cyber Power uninterruptible power supply. The registration complex has the ability to record and save parameters on an external medium accessible for opening in any available software, displaying information on a graphical panel in real time of drilling parameters. The cost of the registration complex has been determined, which shows that this complex has a low cost and availability of component elements in comparison with existing analogues on the market. The total error of the recorder has been calculated. The transfer of information within the registrar occurs through its own communication channels. The information network of the registrar is a unified environment with the possibility of its further expansion. At the same time, sufficient information protection is provided, since the communication of devices with each other occurs according to their internal protocols, which excludes arbitrary connection to the recorder without certain settings. It is possible to implement on the basis of the complex additional technological protections, warning systems and interlocks, protection against high-voltage impulses, against short circuits, against overloads, and noise filtering.


Sex is one of the defining characteristics of an individual. The first question posed to a parent about their newborn baby is usually whether it is a boy or a girl. Sex is usually considered to be unambiguous and determined at birth by the baby's genitals: being a boy depends upon the possession of a penis, and being a girl is determined by the presence of a vagina. When these physical characteristics are signalled, for example, by sex-appropriate clothing, such as blue for boys and pink for girls, this is a cultural preference. Gender is the term used to describe the cultural significance of sex, and refers to the social roles associated with being male or female. Traditionally, gender has been clearly demarcated.Masculine characteristics have historically comprised social roles (such as being the breadwinner), leadership, or capability in mathematics. Commonly ascribed feminine qualities have included caring for children, responsibility for the home and proficiency in language. Distinct personality traits are attributed to each gender. Males are aggressive, independent and unemotional, whereas females are passive, empathic and emotional. Being a man means not only having a body with certain physical attributes, but also behaving inways that have come to symbolise masculinity. Sex and gender are believed to coincide: the biological ability to bear children is associated with the cultural role of and responsibility for bringing up children. The genitals are the most significant marker of sex, but in most cases we make decisions about a person's sex without having seen the person naked. In the film The Crying Game, Fergus falls in love with Dil, the beautiful girlfriend of a dead British soldier. Fergus is about to make love with Dil, who as she undresses reveals that she has a penis. Until this point in the film, Fergus has accepted Dil as a woman. The ability to 'pass' as a woman is one of the criteria, known as the 'real-life test', used to determine whether an individual can have gender reassignment surgery. Despite the high profile of trans characters in film and theatre (e.g. Transamerica, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Boys Don't Cry), trans people's health and social care needs are poorly understood.


Electrical stimulation of direct current was given to six patients with bone cyst to promote bone healing. The site of lesion was the proximal part of the humerus in all the patients. Two or three of the Teflon-coated K-wires were inserted into the lesion cavity as the cathode and 10 microamperes was given to each cathode continuously for the average duration of 15.8 weeks. The effects of electrical stimulation were judged radiologically according to Baker's classification. Five of them showed reduction of bone cyst lesion in size, and of radiolucency of the lesion. They were effective by electrical stimulation except for one case who showed no change of radiological findings. We concluded that electrical stimulation can be one of choices for treatment while complete healing can be hardly obtained.


Fuzzy sets and rough sets address two important, and mutually orthogonal, characteristics of imperfect data and knowledge: while the former allow that objects belong to a set or relation to a given degree, the latter provide approximations of concepts in the presence of incomplete information. In this chapter, we demonstrate how these notions can be combined into a hybrid theory that is able to capture the best of different worlds. In particular, we review various alternatives for defining lower and upper approximations of a fuzzy set under a fuzzy relation, and also explore their application in query refinement.


Based on the economic school of the new system of the west,they try to make use of system individualism to negate the possisility of the existence of property rights and system of property rights on the basis of single public ownership system of China.From defining the property rights and the theory of property system in the West,we investigate the history of changes of property rights' system in the Western school of property rights,analyse the relation between "owner ship" and "property rights",and then analyse the course of property rights' system in China and make an emphasis:only individual exists first,will it be possible to produce a society in which all individuals are united and individual is the final goal of social existence and development.Under the authentic evidence of historical practice,the society with diversity instead of monoteny,with variety and mutual relation instead of uniform and strict hierarchy,is nearly an Utlopia.


The sensitivity of a novel broad frequency band (1–2.25 GHz) radio frequency sensing system to plasma etching process conditions is demonstrated. This is accomplished by using the sensing system to estimate polysilicon etch rate in a Lam 9400 etch tool. A designed experiment varying physical and chemical reactive ion etching regimes was performed with five repetitions at each experimental point. A model relating broadband sensor response to etch rate was regressed using four repetitions of the data and validated on the fifth. Two representations of the broadband data were considered separately when regressing the models, with subset selection used in each case to choose the best predictor variables. In one representation, the sensor data was considered as a vector of 402 real numbers corresponding to magnitude and phase of reflection coefficient at each of 201 frequencies, resulting in an R2 of etch rate estimate of 0.997. In the other, the broadband response was parameterized on the basis of a multimodal...


The Toffoli gate is an essential logic element, which permits implementation of a reversible processor. It is of relevance both for classical as well as quantum logics. We propose and theoretically study all-optical implementations of three-bit and four-bit Toffoli gates by application of adiabatic population transfer techniques. For a three-bit Toffoli gate we use variants of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) processes in a $\Lambda$-type level scheme, driven by two laser pulses at sufficiently large detunings. For the implementation of a four-bit Toffoli gate, we apply reversible adiabatic population transfer in five-level quantum systems, interacting with three laser pulses. We demonstrate correct all-optical implementation of the truth table of three-bit and four-bit Toffoli gates. Moreover, we derive conditions for adiabatic evolution of the population dynamics and robust operation of the gates.


Transportation is the key context ingredient in modern life. Optimised route prediction is the vital aspect for commercial enterprises and individuals also. Proper route prediction not only helps to save time, fuel, and money, it additionally prevents accident, air pollution. Operational efficiency like uncertain event and incident can be cause for delay delivery, reaching late in destination that cause also the revenue loss for organisation and individual also. According to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report in 2017, congestion caused urban Americans to travel an extra 8.8 billion hours and purchase an extra 3.3 billion gallons of fuel for a congestion cost of $166 billion. Trucks account for $21 billion (12 percent) of the cost, much more than their 7 percent of traffic. The average auto commuter spends 54 hours in congestion and wastes 21 gallons of fuel due to congestion at a cost of $1,010 in wasted time and fuel. [1]. Nowadays drivers are using different Map software and GPS(Global Positioning System) to choose the appropriate route but sudden changes like climate variation, road congestion due to social gathering, road construction work etc. are difficult to incorporate in existing map software. With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Internet of Things (IoT), transportation data has become more and more ubiquitous. This triggers a series of data-driven research to investigate transportation phenomena. Among them, Machine learning theory is considered one of the most promising techniques to tackle tremendous high-dimensional data. Machine Learning models are able to predict more accurate rote in transportation systems. This paper deeply analyses existing route prediction systems and different technology used in those systems. The Authors will focus on improving this route prediction using a machine learning model.


The live load of some floors increased largely so,the high-rise building should be reinforced and reconstructed.Some complicated technical problems should be overcome during design.The technology methods including anti-shearing force in the interface of concrete members,anchorage of the top reinforcement of the slabs,anchorage of reinforcement of beams,arrangement of the stirrup bar of beams,node,and anti-cracking are mentioned.It provides reference for other reinforcement engineering.


The condenser throat flow field of a 300MW unit is simulated and analyzed, the improvement measures given in this paper are simple and feasible , which are proved to be practical by using model test.


AbstractAn important aspect of sustainable construction is the recycling or reuse of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste to maintain a friendly green environment. The wide range of building materials and its compositions inhibit the efficient waste management and complete recycling after demolishing. To contribute in this field and promote the use of local waste as 100% alternative coarse aggregate in construction industry, an experimental program was carried out using samples of main Iraqi building C&D waste. The types of aggregate used represent the three main constituents within recycled aggregates: unbound stone, crushed concrete, and crushed brick. Tests for mechanical properties of different types of recycled aggregate included crushing value and abrasion resistance. Using multilinear correlation analysis, the influences of these aggregate characteristics and other parameters on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete were evaluated. The results showed that the performance of the concr...


Payment made on Network has become the main factor that hinders the development of the Electronic business. Electronic currency has the advartages of convenience, adaptability, and quick In practical use,we should be on guard to protect the sucerity of payment made on network.


Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). https://doi.org/10.1177/10249079211020925 Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine 2021, Vol. 28(4) 260–263 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/10249079211020925 journals.sagepub.com/home/hkj


Abstract A-level music, a qualification taken most often in English and Welsh school contexts around the age of 18, has been a long-standing feature of the musical training of many musicians. Historically bound up with Western European Art Music, the qualification has somewhat broadened its horizons in recent times, though with mixed success in opening up new ways of thinking about music. Recent research has highlighted the seemingly precarious nature of A-level music in many English schools. The reasons for this picture of decline are highly complex and difficult to disentangle, and are part of a much broader diminishing of creative subjects in the school curriculum. Decreasing numbers of A-level music entries run somewhat counter to popular policy discourse, which celebrates flagship announcements of £79 million given to Music Education Hubs in 2019–2020, and 2018 survey results that reported more than 700,000 children learning to play a musical instrument through music hub provision. However, behind these headlines, although there are many children having the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, few continue through to A-level and beyond. Despite its declining numbers, A-level music is recognised as a valuable qualification amongst music teachers, offering something distinct from graded music examinations and other Level 3 musical qualifications. This article presents the results of a recent nationwide survey of A-level music teachers to offer an insight into teacher perceptions of current A-level music specifications, the extent to which it prepares students for entry into higher musical education, and its appropriateness for aspiring young musicians.


Review(s) of: Readings in Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture, by Massey, Kimberly B. (ed.), Mayfield Publishing Company, California, 1999, ISBN 1 559 34961 1, 295 pp.


Tait's method (a.k.a. proof by logical relations) is a powerful proof technique frequently used for showing foundational properties of languages based on typed lambda-calculi. Historically, these proofs have been difficult to formalize in proof assistants with weak meta-logics, such as Twelf. Logical relations are notoriously difficult to define judgmentally. In this paper, we present and discuss a Twelf proof of weak normalization for System F making use of higher-order encodings. We exhibit a modular technique on how to formalize proofs of this kind, and make explicit all logical principles that one needs to trust in order believe in the proof.


Allium cepa L., A. fistulosum L., A. galanthum L., and A. cepa × A. fistulosum reciprocal interspecific hybrids were grown in vitro as calluses, shoots, and plantlets, and exposed to the filtrate of the pink root disease-causing fungus, Pyrenochaeta terrestris (Hansen) Gorenz, Walker, and Larson. Tissue culture reponses to the filtrate were assessed by visible damage ratings and fresh weights. Calluses exposed to the filtrate incorporated into the culture medium reflected the degree of whole plant susceptibility among the tester lines. However, in vitro shoot and plantlet culture responses did not reflect this correlation. Filtrate action appeared to be localized in meristematic cells. This in vitro approach may prove useful in screening or selection for onion pink root disease resistance.


Uploading human minds into computer systems is an intriguing concept. Will this process become part of our evolutionary future? This paper begins by arguing that successfully replicating human minds in virtual environments will require more than computing power and the ability to transfer the information content of neural connections into computer memory. Virtual minds must also be equipped with certain properties of the human biological mind that may prove to be not easily transferable. These include psychological motivations and even our collective unconsciousness. Lacking these, virtual minds could suffer from a wide range of serious psychological disorders. Efforts to treat such disorders with "program" fixes would invalidate any plausible claim that a virtual mind had the same 'identity' as its biological ancestor, and also raise perplexing ethical issues. The paper next provides a theoretical psychological framework for these assertions, and goes on to explore nine specific psychological disorders that could afflict virtual personalities. The paper then concludes by identifying several ethical issues that might arise from attempts to "fix" the psychological problems of virtual personalities. Uploading would involve first freezing a brain, then slicing it, then scanning the slices with some high- resolution scanning technique, then using automated image processing software to reconstruct and tag a very detailed 3-D map of the original brain. The map would show all the neurons, the matrix of their synaptic interconnections, the strengths of these connections, and other relevant detail. Using computational models of how these basic elements operate, the whole brain could then be emulated on a sufficiently capacious computer.—Nick Bostrom (2004)


Trusted routing in VANET is a challenging task due to highly dynamic network topologies and openness of wireless architecture. To provide secure routing among the Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANET) and to avoid selfish nodes, an Optimized Node Selection Routing Protocol (Trusted-ONSRP) of VANET has been designed based on trusted metrics using a Trusted Computing Algorithm. The results stated that the T-ONSRP routing shows higher performance in security measures than the existing routing protocols.


Morphological changes to and collagen loss from the rat uterus during postpartum involution were investigated. The expression patterns of collagen type III and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were also determined. Morphological changes were studied on days 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 22 and 25 postpartum. As a control, diestrus rats' uterine were used. Specimens from the uterine horn were embedded in paraffin, cut into 8 µm coronal sections, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The thickness of the longitudinal and circular smooth muscle layers and of the endometrium were measured. The collagen content was determined using hydroxyproline analysis. Immunostaining was used to examine the expression of collagen type III on days 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 postpartum; and MPO on days 1, 3, 5, 10 and 22 postpartum. The thickness of the smooth muscle layers was found to decrease rapidly postpartum: the circular smooth muscle layer returned to that of a non-pregnant, control uterus by day 5 postpartum and the longitudinal smooth muscle layer by day 15 postpartum. Eosinophilic cells were observed in the endometrial stroma adjacent to the myometrium on days 10, 15 and 20 postpartum, and were confirmed as collagenous cells. Immunostaining identified collagen type III positive cells in the vessel-rich layer adjacent to the placental site on days 1, 3, 5 and 10 postpartum, and these cells were confirmed to be phagocytic. Postpartum reduction in the weight of the uterus was accompanied by decreases in both the collagen content and the thickness of the longitudinal and circular smooth muscle layers. Furthermore, the phagocytic cells were shown to express MPO during postpartum involution of the uterus.


Abstract The effect of heat-affected-zone (HAZ) microstructure and base plate composition on HAZ corrosion was investigated in a series of CMn Steels in 0.5 N NaCl using micro-electrode and constan...


This article [1] has been retracted at the request of the author as it was submitted without the knowledge or consent of the other involved members of the research group or the author's graduate supervisor, including members deserving authorship or acknowledgement. Also, the manuscript lacked any acknowledgement of departmental and other support. as a chemical mediator for postconcussion like sickness behaviour in trauma and perioperative patients: literature Review, "


As more and more wireless LANs are deployed in many popular locations, there is a need for dynamic radio resource management (RRM) schemes. This paper proposes a new dynamic RRM technique for multiple APs network. First, we develop a real-time algorithm to estimate the number of active stations from the standpoint of an AP, instead of a station. Second, we propose a dynamic RRM algorithm that not only significantly increases network performance but also reduces the co-channel interference. Third, we find the optimal switching probability that minimizes the transient time for an AP to reach its equilibrium state. For uniform traffic conditions, our scheme produces classical optimal frequency assignments. For non-uniform traffic conditions, it produces sub-optimal frequency assignments. Our simulations have shown that the proposed RRM technique adapts to dynamic network conditions and increases the channel throughput up to 65% in less than 20 iterations. The results can be applied to practical WLANs to significantly improve network performance


This paper presents a circular loop antenna with self-biased magnetic film loading. The proposed circular loop antenna is realized by cascading a microstrip loop and a tuning stub. The self-biased magnetic films were used as a practical means to tune the working frequency of the antenna. Three different cases of antennas with films loading were designed and analyzed. Antennas with self-biased magnetic films loading working at 1.7 GHz with a tuning range of 50%~400% of the antenna bandwidth were achieved.


Acanthus ilicifolius (Acanthaceae) has received considerable attention due to its wide range of secondary metabolites and its traditional usage in Indian and Chinese system of medicine. This plant is reported to be a mangrove. Mangrove survives in the most hostile environment with fluctuating tidal and saline regime. Hence these plants are considered to be rich sources of steroids, triterpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins. In the present study, an attempt was made to quantify specific markers like 2-benzoxazolinone and quercetin by HPTLC in ethanolic and aqueous methanolic extracts of leaves. Based on the chemoprofile of the extracts: antimicrobial activity was carried out on plant pathogens Xanthomonas species to facilitate the use of A.ilicifolius leaves as natural insecticide and antioxidant activity was carried out using CUPRAC assay.


I was almost ready to put my mother in a home, which would have been a defeat for all of us-almost the modern equivalent of Regan and Goneril's driving Lear out into the storm. But my wife Cathy was not. The neurologist's haughty manner so enraged her that she insisted my mother see another doctor-a young man, but one who knew something about geriatrics-and from the moment my mother entered the new doctor's office, the clouds began to lift. He quickly determined that she had an excess of calcium in her blood, a condition that her old doctor had wrongly attributed to Paget's disease, and one that can, in some cases, cause dementia. Within weeks, a benign tumor was discovered in one of her parathyroid glands, and the gland was removed. In the hospital the day after the operation, when my mother was still in pain, I noticed that she was speaking more logically than she had in years. The nurses were slow, but they were not trying to destroy her. No, they simply had problems taking care of everybody. My wife had saved my mother's life. David Danby Great Books. My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf, and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World New York: Simon and Schuster; 1996 Submitted by: John D. Cantwell, MD Georgia Baptist Medical Center; Atlanta, GA 30312


What is the relationship between Data Management Plans (DMPs), DMP guidance documents, and the reality of end-of-project data preservation and access? In this short paper we report on some preliminary findings of a 3-year investigation into the impact of DMPs on federally funded science in the United States. We investigated a small sample of publicly accessible DMPs (N=14) published using DMPTool. We found that while DMPs followed the National Science Foundation's guidelines, the pathways to the resulting research data are often obscure, vague, or not obvious. We define two "data pathways" as the search tactics and strategies deployed in order to find datasets.


Objective To study the relationship between Urea plasma urealyticum(UU) infection and missed abortion. Methods The cervical secretion of 106 women who suffered missed abortion at early pregnancy (study group) and 98 women with normal pregnancy who demanded to terminate the pregnancy (control group) was cultivated separately with PDA medium method and villous tissue,deciduas membrane were made pathological examination. Results There was 69 positive cases of UU infection in cervical secretion(65.09%) in study group that was much higher than that in the control group which was 16 positive cases(16.33%). There was significant difference between two groups(P0.05). sixty-two women(58.49%) got chorioam-nionitis in study group but only five women(5.1%) got it in control group and there was magnificent difference between two groups(P0.05). Conclusion UU infection could arouse intrauterine infection and villous infection could lead to the cadence of embryonic development finally through ascending infection.


CONTI, R. Microorganisms of pharmaceutical and agricultural interests: chemical and biosynthetic studies. 2012. 236f. Thesis. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 2012. The microbial biodiversity from different ecosystems has incited chemical and biological studies with microorganisms from several habitats, leading to the isolation of bioactive natural products with applications in medicine, chemical industry and agriculture, and thus contributing to a better quality of life. This thesis aimed the biopropecting on endophytic actinobacteria and their natural products, and also the biosynthetic study of aristolochene sesquiterpenes in the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. A total of 41 actinobacterial strains were isolated of two Asteraceae species (Thitonia diversifolia and Lychnophora ericoides) for the bioprospecting study. The rDNA sequencing showed predominancy of Streptomyces genus. All the strains were cultured on rice medium, and the ethanolic extracts were screened in cytotoxity and antimicrobial assays. As a result, 58.5% of the extracts showed activity in al least one bioassay. The strains Streptomyces cattleya RLe 4 and Streptomyces sp. RLe 8 were selected for scale up cultures, isolation and identification of bioactive compounds. Different chromatographic methods were applied for the isolation of compounds, and structural analysis were based on H and C nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry data. Four compounds were isolated from S. cattleya RLe 4: 2hydroxybenzamide, desferrioxamine E, 1-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone, and 1-(3',4'dimethoxyphenyl)-1-etanone. Ten compounds were isolated from Streptomyces sp. Rle 8: benzamide, 3-hydroxybenzamide, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzamide, 4-hydroxy-3methoxybenzamide, 2-phenylacetamide, two isomers of 3,4-dihydro-3,4,6,8-tetrahydroxy1(2H)-naphthalenone, 2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-4(1H)-quinazolinone, and desferrioxamine B. Compound 2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-4(1H)-quinazolinone showed high antiproliferative activity against colon cancer cells (HCT-8) and glioblastoma cells (SF295), with 93.9 and 87.0% of inhibition, respectively. The second focus of the thesis involved the optimization of aristolochene sesquiterpenes production by two strains of B. cinerea, followed by the biosynthetic study through feeding experiments with H (deuterium) and C isotopically labeled precursors. The H and C NMR obtained data showed that the biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene proceeds by the mevalonate pathway (MVA). The results also suggested the possible participation of the non mevalonate pathway, methylerytritol phosphate ou 1-deoxyD-xylulose phosphate (MEP/DXP), in the biosynthesis. These results might contribute to the rational design of selective fungides with application in agriculture. This thesis showed the endophytic actinobacteria as promising sources of bioactive natural products, and also showed that the isotopically labeled feeding experiments give reliable information about the natural products biosynthetic pathways.


Abstract Background The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria calls for monitoring inpatient antibiotic use to inform stewardship efforts. We estimated national trends in inpatient antibiotic usage from 2012 to 2017 in a large cohort of US hospitals. Methods We utilized the Premier Healthcare Database, containing detailed administrative records available by census region, including inpatient drug utilization data based on billing records, for all patients discharged from a convenience sample of over 700 US hospitals annually, approximately 20% of US inpatient discharges. We retrospectively estimated days of therapy (DOT)/1,000 patient-days (PDs) by year overall and by antibiotic class. To examine trends over time, we created multivariable models adjusting for hospital-specific location of antibiotic use (ICU vs. other) and hospital-specific summary measures including average patient age, average co-morbidity score, case mix index, number of hospital beds, teaching status, urban/rural location, US census division, proportion of discharges with a surgical diagnosis-related code, and proportion of PDs with an infectious disease primary ICD-9/10-CM discharge code. Estimates and models were weighted to be nationally representative using projected weights from the database. Results 58% of patients had at least one antibiotic DOT, and the overall DOT for all hospitals was 810 DOT/1,000 PDs (interquartile range 701 to 913 DOT/1,000 PDs). Glycopeptides and third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins were the most common antibiotic classes (Figure 1). Overall antibiotic DOT did not change significantly over time, P = 0.9133. However, class-specific DOT varied with large decreases in fluoroquinolones from 2012 to 2017 (55% decrease, P < 0.0001), and large increases in third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins and tetracyclines (32% and 49% increase, respectively, P < 0.0001) (Figure 2). Overall antibiotic DOT significantly varied among US census divisions (Figure 3). Conclusion Estimated overall inpatient antibiotic DOT did not change in US hospitals from 2012 to 2017, but there were significant class-specific changes. The large decrease in fluoroquinolone use may reflect increased awareness of adverse events. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.


Many kinds of dampers are invented to reduce the dynamic responses due to earthquake or strong wind. Viscoelastic damper is a kind of commonly used passive control device for vibration mitigation of structures. Its energy dissipation characteristics are affected by environmental temperature and excitation frequency. In order to describe the complex characteristics of viscoelastic dampers changing with temperature and frequency, a new model — the equivalent standard solid model, which is based on the standard linear solid model and temperature-frequency equivalent theory, is proposed. The comparison results between experimental and numerical data of viscoelastic dampers show that the equivalent standard solid model can precisely describe energy dissipation behavior of viscoelastic dampers under different temperatures and frequencies. At the same time, 52 viscoelastic dampers are applied for seismic retrofit design on Xi'an Petrol Hotel, and the finite analysis for structures with and without dampers are carried out under frequent-earthquake and infrequent-earthquake excitations. The dynamic responses of structures with and without dampers are compared. Analytical results show that viscoelastic dampers can reduce the earthquake responses effectively, and they are high-performance energy dissipation devices.


The presented work discusses the influence of modification of AlSi10Mg alloy on its solidification kinetics during the mould cavity filling. In order to study this influence, the measurements concerning temperature changes of the modified and the non-modified AlSi10Mg alloy have been done at selected places of the mould. Thus the solidification and cooling curves have been achieved. The recorded temperature changes have served as a basis for drawing the graphs representing the flow rate of the metal stream and the distance travelled by the front of the stream against the time. An addition of modifier in the form of strontium master alloy has caused a significant shortening of the flown distance. The recorded solidification and cooling curves have also allowed for determining the temperature changes at the front of the metal stream during the mould cavity filling. Taking the achieved results into account it has been found that the modified alloy begins to solidify after having passed a distance of about the one-third of the distance determined for the non-modified alloy.


At the BESSY II storage ring, a femtosecond x-ray source with tunable polarization and excellent signal-to-background ratio has been constructed and commissioned in 2004. This source is based on laser-induced energy modulation (" femtoslicing") and subsequent angular separation of the short-pulse x-rays emitted by an elliptical undulator.


The aim of this work was to express recombinant glycoprotein D of canine herpesvirus 1 in bacterial cells and to evaluate its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity when compared to traditional serological methods. The gene fragment coding glycoprotein D of canine herpesvirus 1 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, cloned into plasmid vector and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. Recombinant protein was then purified and used as an antigen in immunoblot for a detection of canine herpesvirus 1 specific antibodies. Antibody testing was performed on the panel of 100 canine sera by immunoblot with recombinant glycoprotein D as antigen and compared with indirect immunofluorescence assay. Serum samples were collected from 83 dogs with no history of canine herpesvirus 1 or reproductive disorders, and from 17 dogs from breeding kennels with a history of canine herpesvirus 1 related reproductive disorders. Sensitivity of glycoprotein D based immunoblot was 89.2% and specificity was 93%. Kappa value was calculated to be 0.8 between immunoblot and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Antibodies against canine herpesvirus 1 infection were detected in 33% of samples by immunoblot assay. Our study confirms that recombinant glycoprotein D expressed in bacterial cells could be used as a suitable and sensitive antigen for immunological tests and that herpesvirus infection seems to be common among the canine population in the Czech Republic. Viral infection, dog, plasmid, Escherichia coli, recombinant protein, immunoblot


Cyber-criminals perform ransomware attacks to make money from victims by harming their devices. The attacks are rapidly increasing on Android-based smartphones due to its vast usage world-wide. In this paper, a framework has been proposed in which we (1) utilize novel features of Android ransomware, (2) employ machine learning models to classify ransomware and benign apps, and (3) perform a comparative analysis to calculate the computational time required by machine learning models to detect Android ransomware. Our proposed framework can efficiently detect both locker and crypto ransomware. The experimental results show that the proposed framework detects Android ransomware by achieving an accuracy of 99.59% with Logistic Regression in 177 milliseconds and 235 milliseconds on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Central Processing Unit (CPU) respectively.


Spiritual atheism is recently becoming more prominent in the public discourse, thus bringing a new paradigm in living spiritually. This tendency, developed as part of the philosophy adopted by certain authors, results in emphasizing anthropology and humanism which bring forward the protection of human spirit against the illusions brought by religion and faith in God. One of these authors is a famous French philosopher and atheist Andre ComteSponville. Among his works we especially single out the book The Spirit of Atheism. In the Introduction to Spirituality without God, he addresses three major questions: Can we get rid of religion? Does God exist? and What type of spirituality for atheists is there? His version of atheism has a stamp of Christianity he was raised in, which makes him loyal to Christian values such as morality, mercy and love. On the other hand, he puts unfaith above faith, despair above hope, explaining that faith and hope alienate a person from their true self and the present life. He presents six arguments why he doesn't believe in the existence of God and why he believes that God does not exist. This is the basis for the spirituality he is trying to build, the spirituality
 that would fit anyone regardless of their religious beliefs. In the process, he relies on Christian values and Buddhist philosophy of spiritual life. This doctoral thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part, Philosophical Concept of Spirituality without God by Andre Comte-Sponville, is an interpretative and analytical presentation of spirituality without God according to Comte-Sponville. The second part, Theological and Critical Interpretation of Spirituality without God, is a theological and critical reflection on the same topic. It is our aim to present and theologically and critically examine the basis on which Comte-Sponville is building this spirituality – the life of the spirit, free from religion and free from God. Accordingly, this thesis comprises eight chapters throughout these two parts. After the introduction and a short biography of the author, the first chapter, Introduction into the Understanding of Spiritual Atheism, leads us into the topic of »spiritual atheism« by examining the tradition and the authors this type of atheism is based on and the framework of ideas it originates from. This chapter also puts an emphasis on the distinctiveness of »spiritual atheism« which, although deriving from the traditional understanding of atheism, brings up a new point of view to understanding the world and human beings. The phrase "spiritual atheism" includes the interpretation of the Comte-Sponville atheism; through his form of atheism, he tries to develop the idea of spirituality without God and religion and within this framework of ideas he offers a possible understanding of the world and human beings. The second chapter of our analytical presentation, Essential Ideas of Spiritual Atheism within the Arguments for the Existence of God, has a goal to present the arguments for God's existence. Comte-Sponville presents six arguments that corroborate his version of atheism in the positive and negative meaning of the word. After these arguments, in the third chapter, Essential Ideas of Spiritual Atheism of Andre Comte-Sponville in Three Theological Virtues, he presents his personal interpretation of theological virtues which includes man's relationship with God. The essential ideas of his version of atheism can be recognized in his understanding of faith, hope and charity. The fourth chapter, Spirituality of Spiritual Atheism, is an analytical presentation of spirituality without religion and without God, presented primarily as an idea and then as a possible practice. Spirituality that aims to be free of religion and God is a strong critique of an attempt to identify spirituality and religion. The fifth chapter, Theological and Critical Approach to Andre Comte-Sponville's Negative Atheism, is the beginning of the second part of this thesis. By using a theological and critical approach, we deal with the first three arguments that, according to Comte-Sponville, justify his atheism in its negative meaning. These are: the first argument – Ontological, cosmological and physiotheological; the second argument – Weakness of experience of God; the third argument – Incomprehensible explanation. The sixth chapter, Theological and Critical Approach to Andre Comte-Sponville's Positive Atheism, addresses the other three arguments which, according to Comte-Sponville, justify his positive atheism. These are: the fourth argument – Excessiveness of evil; the fifth argument – Mediocrity of man; the sixth argument – Desire and illusion. The fifth and the sixth chapters are a thorough study of these arguments and an unavoidable historic elaboration of these questions. They also offer the interpretation given by Comte-Sponville himself. In the seventh chapter, Theological and Critical Reading of the Interpretation of Theological Virtues by Andre Comte-Sponville, we use (as suggested by the title) a theological and critical method of studying and examining the interpretation of theological virtues, faith, hope and charity. The wisdom of Comte-Sponville that is based on faithfulness and despair as opposed to faith and hope proves to be a great challenge for the theological understanding of these virtues. By accepting this challenge, we aim to examine if his critique of faith and hope is justifiable, both as a critique and as a basis for spirituality without God. The eighth chapter, and last, Theological and Critical Approach to Spirituality without God, presents, using a theological and critical method, a reflection on the matters of spirit and spirituality concerning the questions of the source and confluence of spirit. This is the real objective of the research and a subject to a theological and critical evaluation regarding the basis for the spirituality without God. This concise overview indicates the complexity of the
 matter and the challenge it represents to theology. The arguments for the existence of God are not the source of faith, but its rational justification. This is the theory we will defend in this thesis. Also, theological virtues find their inspiration in the Revelation which demonstrates a believer's relationship with God. This is also a key to their understanding, as it does not represent alienation for the individual which we try to prove through Comte-Sponville's critique. This challenge is gladly accepted as an opportunity for dialogue and mutual examination of the meaning of spirit and spirituality in the context of our topics.


The large electricity bill for aerators and filter pumps in Koi fish farming ponds is a problem for PPM (Community Service) partners. In addition, long-term power outages can cause fish death. This koi fish farming located in Tulungagung district has an area of about 2000 m 2 which is divided into several pond plots. The decline in the quality of Koi fish is also caused by poor filtration. The purpose of this activity is to install a micro-scale Solar power plant. This micro Solar Power Plant is used as a power source for filter pumps and pond aerators. The installed 600 Wp Solar Power Plant system consists of 4 solar panels with a capacity of 150 Wp each, an 850 VA hybrid inverter, and a 100 Ah VRLA battery. Electrical energy from Solar Power Plant can power a 75 W pump with a capacity of 26000 L/h. The installation of solar panels in this pool can produce an average of 2.5 kWh of electrical energy/day. So that the electricity savings from PLN can reach IDR. 108,352.5 per month.


Both renal insufficiency and atrial fibrillation (AF) increase the risk for stroke, yet patients with renal disease are largely excluded from trials of


Objective To investigate the risk factors of chronic hepatitis B complicated by diabetes mellitus type 2 and the prophylaxis of hepatogenous diabetes.Methods 49 patients with chronic hepatitis B complicated by diabetes mellitus type 2 were selected as an experimental group and 51 patients of chronic hepatitis B without diabetes mellitus type 2 were selected randomly as a control group.An logical regression analysis was used.Results According to the univariat logical regression analysis,age,family history of diabetes mellitus,the fatty liver disease,virus ration.asparlate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio,glutamyl transferase(γ-GT)and albumin/globulin ratio were risk factors to the occurrence of chronic hepatitis B complicated by diabetes mellitus.It also shown that age,fatty liver disease,virus ration and the level of serumγ-GT were risk factors by multi-factorial logical regression analysis.Conclusion It is necessary to monitor the γ-GT and virus ration and prevent the fatty liver disease for patients with chronic hepatitis B.especially for the elderly.


Introduction Vortioxetine has demonstrated sustained efficacy and favorable safety profile in multiple clinical trials. Objectives This study aims to describe the effectiveness and safety of vortioxetine in real-world clinical practice. Methods RELIEVE is a prospective, multi-national, observational cohort study of outpatients initiating vortioxetine treatment for MDD at physician's discretion and followed for 6 months. Data were collected at routine clinical visits. The primary outcome was functioning measured by Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Depressive symptoms measured by Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9), cognitive symptoms measured by PDQ-5 and DSST were key secondary outcomes. Safety outcomes including adverse events were reported. This interim analysis presents results of 527 patients who completed the study and were followed for 6 months. Mixed models of repeated measures were used to assess improvements between baseline and month 6, adjusted for relevant confounders. Results A total of 527 patients (mean age, 50.2 years, 65% female) were enrolled from US, Canada, France and Italy, and included in the analysis. Mean SDS total score, PHQ-9, PDQ-5 scores decreased by 8.6, 7.4 and 4.7 respectively from baseline to last visit. Mean DSST score improved by 6.5 from baseline to last visit. Patients' overall functioning and quality of life significantly improved, sick leave days and underproductive days (both absenteeism and presenteeism) decreased over the entire follow up period. The overall incidence of adverse events(AE) was 25%, with the most common AEs being nausea and headache. Conclusions The results confirm the effectiveness and good tolerability of vortioxetine in a broad range of patients in routine clinical practice. Conflict of interest Dr. Mattingly has served as researcher, consultant or speaker for Akili, Alcobra, Alkermes, Allergan, Axsome, Boehringer, Forum, Genentech, Jansen, Lundbeck, Medgenics, Merck, Neos, NLS Pharma, Otsuka, Reckitt Benckiser, Roche, Sage, Shire, Sunovion, Supe


PURPOSE: A carbon nano-tube transistor having a buried gate structure and a fabricating method thereof are provided to apply effectively the gating electric field to a carbon nano-tube by forming a gate having a buried structure around the carbon nano-tube. CONSTITUTION: A carbon nano-tube transistor includes a carbon nano-tube(110), a source electrode(130) and a drain electrode(120) connected electrically to both ends of the carbon nano-tube, and a gate electrode(142) having an extension part. The extension part of the gate electrode is formed at a predetermined position apart from the carbon nano-tube. The carbon nano-tube and the extension part of the gate electrode are buried into an insulating layer. The insulating layer is formed with an anodic aluminum oxide.


Interval Farkas type inequality is an important tool to prove the optimality condition of interval optimization model. This research gives a Farkas-type inequality for AE solvability of a specific mixed interval linear system including both equality and inequality by using logical quantifiers. Some Farkas-type inequalities for different solvability established in previous literatures are special cases of the main result of this paper.


Modifications of an apparatus for the measurement of the dielectric constants of vapors are described. The apparatus has been used to determine the dielectric constants of the vapors of trimethylaluminum and dimethylaluminum chloride over a range of temperature and pressure, and methylaluminum dichloride has been measured in solution with another apparatus. The accurate calculation of the dipole moments of the molecules is prevented by strong molecular association. The data indicate a strong probability that the single trimethylaluminum molecule has a pyramidal structure and that the aluminum‐carbon bond is predominantly covalent.


Background. Absence of accessible and objective methods for studying of the dimensional neuron organization of various mediator usage leads to inconsistent estimations of the type of the relations between these cells in unique or multiple nucleus in any brain formation. Methods. On consecutive cuts of the longitudinal brain the neural structure of reticular lateral nucleus is studied by methilene blue coloring and also by the methods for revealing of norepinephrinergic and nitroxodergic neurons. The received nucleus images displayed on the monitor screen then were combined and on the basis of the received data the topochemical neuron carting was done. Results. At combination of the nucleus images received on the consecutive cuts after their coloring by the proper methods not only the features of the dimensional neuronal organization were revealed but also rather distinctively the differences of the form, the sizes and numbers of each cell population. Conclusions. The suggested method is accessible and simple in use, allows obtaining quickly the objective data for exact and detailed topochemical carting of the various mediator systems in one or several structural brain formations.


This short critique aims to share the evolving regulatory environment and compliance challenges that innovators, nanotechnologists, and public health enthusiasts in India ought to keep in mind before hopping on the bandwagon of innovative point-of-care diagnostic devices in the primary healthcare space. More significantly, the priority-setting approach suggested by the authors needs to be adapted through iterative practice and refinement in order to identify innovative point-of-care diagnostic devices that can eventually raise the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare provisions at the last-mile.


This study of stratigraphy, chronology and sedimentology at Lake Amadeus, a major playa lake in central Australia, provides for the first time a Late Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary sequence from the continent's centre. The Cenozoic sediments of the lake basin consist of two major units: the Uluru Clay; and the overlying Winmatti Beds. At least 60 m of Uluru Clay overlies Proterozoic dolomitic limestone and consists of uniform clay horizons with minor intercalated gypsum. The clay was deposited in a shallow lacustrine and fluvial environment. Conditions were periodically saline and frequently dry. The basal Uluru Clay is estimated to be over 5 Ma old. The Winmatti Beds, comprising the top several metres of basin sediments, are characterized by aeolian sand, gypsum‐clay laminae and thick gypsum sands. The dominance of saline groundwater marks the first development of a groundwater discharge playa system. The association with aeolian deposits signals, for the first time, the dominance of major aridity. ...


A process for the preparation of a beverage or beverage base in which in at least one fermentation process a medium is pumped in which the medium is pumpable and in which the fermentation process is carried out aerobically, the medium being fermented by mycelium from at least one basidiomycete.


This paper presents results of a cooperative research programme on the development of new offline process design methods for sheet metal hydroforming processes. Fundamental investigations regarding the influence of process parameters and their interplay are discussed. Parameters are to be chosen such that the high-pressure sheet metal forming process is optimised with respect to multiple quality characteristics (multi-response) i.e. blank thinning and geometrical accuracy. It is essential to these investigations to consider geometrical features within the tool design as process parameters. The data ascertainment is carried out by applying the finite element method. Multiple process variation and optimisation strategies will be modelled according to the principles of the statistical design of experiments (DOE).


The current Internet follows a location-based communication paradigm, thus is being insufficient to satisfy lately emerged communication services requirements, namely mobility, security, and scalability. Therefore, the new-generation network or future Internet architectures research has been pursuing the identifier (ID)-based communication paradigm where the locations of communicating devices that are requesting for services or that are providing the requested services do not have any significant role in the network protocol. The communication objects such as devices, contents, users, and services are assigned with IDs, which are used for identification, authentication, discovery, and delivery of services. In this paper, we first present a generalized ID-based communication framework and then show how the recently proposed ID/locator split-based networking and information-centric networking architectures fit into the framework. We then summarize the features and challenges brought about by the new proposal as well as some possible solutions to address the challenges.


To verify and simplify the numerical calculation results of the existing compaction effects estimation,use the data fitting method to fit related charts and curves of the existing compaction finite element calculations of cohesionless soil with the result of drawing relative and effective equation and coefficients expression and then putting forward the steps of applying finite element calculation results to estimate cohesionless soil consolidation effect. Introduce the existing dynamic finite element calculation results of cohesive soil and its fitting equation. The two kinds of fitting ones are verified respectively with engineering examples with the results that the calculated results agree well with experimental ones. These methods provide a practical way for the prediction of reinforcement effect change with depth before dynamic compaction.


Lake Victoria Basin is a transboundary natural resource shared by five East African Community countries. The Basin experiences unsustainable water resource utilization and management which creates conflicts among the users. This objective of this study was to examine the contribution of transboundary water governance systems in managing the water conflicts in the Basin. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and focused group discussions where respondents were clustered and purposively selected while quantitative data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS. Lake Victoria Basin Governance Performance Composite Index was also used to assess the effectiveness of governance systems in the Basin. The study findings revealed that: transboundary water governance systems with participation, integration, legal frameworks, collaboration, equity and adaptability, all with P < 0.05 negatively and significantly influence the causes of conflicts and water management challenges; integration (20%) and equity (19%) contribute highly to the model; and both adaptive and integrative water governance systems are less effective with a score of 34% and 35% respectively. The study concludes that the current management systems require an adaptive and integrative governance system. The study recommends harmonization of regional laws and policies governing the Basin and involvement of local communities in decision making.


This paper proposes more robust error concealment techniques (ECTs) for MPEG-2 intra coded frame. MPEG-2 source coding algorithm is very sensitive to transmission errors due to the use of variable-length coding. The transmission errors are corrected by error correction scheme, however, they cannot be revised properly. Error concealment (EC) is used to conceal the errors which are not corrected by error correction and to provide minimum visual distortion at the decoder. If errors are generated in intra coded frame, that is the starting frame of GOP, they are propagated to other inter coded frames due to the nature of motion compensated prediction coding. Such propagation of error may cause severe visual distortion. The proposed algorithm in this paper utilizes the spatio-temporal information of neighboring inter coded frames to conceal the successive slices errors occurred in I-frame. The proposed method also overcomes the problems that previous ECTs reside. The proposed algorithm generates consistent performance even in network where the violent transmission errors frequently occur. Algorithm is performed in MPEG-2 video codec and we can confirm that the proposed algorithm provides less visible distortion and higher PSNR than other approaches through simulations.


In Italy the debate about development and the successive engagement of the people parliament and government was based on the sensitivity to the problem of hunger which must be understood in the very broad meaning of this concept. In Italy it was only in the last 3 years that it was possible to give a more solid contribution in the form of committed funds. Hunger has always been at the base of such a commitment. While trying to find the correct approach for programming action consideration was given to what has been done in both past and present. It has been verified that hunger is at the core of underdevelopment. Often this condition is caused by a bad distribution of resources between different countries. This is a sensitive spot and should be confronted in an attempt to set the machine of development underway. The partial or unsatisfactory results that had been obtained in the first few decades of development were probably mostly because of unavoidable mistakes. A newcomer should be careful to make good use of past experiences. What happened was that there was the illusion that it was possible to intervene in the problems of the 3rd world by simply applying the principles that had been used in the 1st stages of industrialization of the West. The belief was that a strong sustained industrialization would receive support from the countryside in the form of manpower and foodstuffs. The process was thought to bring about an acceleration of economic growth to eventually benefit everybody. What happened was quite different. The industrial sector even when and where there was a certain amount of success developed in a different way. It was parallel to that of the increase in bureaucracy and often a parasite of this society taking more from the country than what it gave back. It is essential to give new vitaility to the rural world and to establish a new complementary interaction between city and countryside. On the basis of what has already been said in so many ways rural development should be privileged. As this often remains an abstract concept the effort must be made to find out what rural development really means to those who have been experiencing this.


A-site vacancies were created in lead-free piezoelectric non-stoichiometric ceramics Bi0.5+x (Na1−yKy)0.5−3xTiO3 and Bi0.5+x (Na0.82K0.18)0.5TiO3, which were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction process. The ferroelectric properties, piezoelectric performances and strain behaviours of the as-prepared ceramics were characterized, and the effects of A-site vacancies on the ferroelectric properties, piezoelectric performances and strain behaviours of the ceramics were discussed. The results show that moderate A-site vacancies in the prepared ceramics enhance the piezoelectric performance of the ceramics, meanwhile, A-site vacancies lead to a decrement of depolarization temperature Td. A large bipolar strain of 0.35% is achieved in the Bi0.505(Na0.74K0.26)0.485TiO3 ceramic at room temperature.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of new capital requirements introduced under the Basel III regulations on banks' lending rates and loan growth. The research also explores if the Basel III Accord results in a substantial decrease in the loan growth of the banking sector. Little research, if any, has been done on the new capital requirements. A qualitative approach was followed, and 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with credit managers and analyst using open ended questions to gather data on credit, interest rates and the cost of credit within the banking industry. Major findings of the research were that banks have become stricter with credit lending and the consequence was that the loan growth decreased over the past five years. The corresponding strategy for banks was to focus on the promotion of non-credit products to increase profitability.