In the Supreme CourtAEs 2008 ruling on whether Guantanamo detainees could be barred from U.S. courts, Justice Anthony Kennedy cited the U.S. Constitution, of course. But he also linked the decision to the Magna Carta. Why would a twenty-first-century judge, even under the extraordinary circumstances of the owar on terror,o invoke a document signed by an English king in the thirteenth century? To address this question, as Robert Pallitto does in this clarifying book, is to probe the history of modern civil liberties, and to explore the process by which judges decide individual rights cases. PallittoAEs work, with its insight into competing ideas about interpreting the Constitutionuooriginalismo versus oconstitutional common lawouis of critical importance to our understanding of the nationAEs founding document. Of far more than symbolic significance, the Magna Carta exerts immediate practical influence on legal outcomes, as Justice KennedyAEs opinion demonstrates. To explain this, Pallitto first goes into the CharterAEs origins, history, and nature, especially its explicit use of othe law of the lando to protect subjectsAE rights and liberty. The Magna CartaAEs legacy in the United States reaches back to the nationAEs founding, with even the colonial charters reflecting its influence. But it is in the Supreme CourtAEs reference to the Charter, spanning the institutionAEs full two-hundred years, that Pallitto finds the greatest impactumost frequently in the principles of due process (in criminal proceedings) and habeas corpus, but in many other provisions as well. And the weight of this impact registers most deeply and clearly in the development of the constitutional common lawuthe theory that courts should and do interpret and expand on constitutional texts by reference to tradition and precedent rather than to the draftersAE original intent. Charting the Magna CartaAEs influence on the contemporary jurisprudence of individual rightsufrom the legal thought of the American colonies through exemplary cases over the history of the Supreme Courtuthis book offers resounding evidence of the evolution and value of abiding principles through which American liberty endures.


of comorbidity and variations in anesthetic management, the examination of effects according to surgical procedure, the determination of effect by LD type, and more comprehensive measures of academic achievement, cognitive/memory functions, and quality of life. This study represents an initial attempt at unraveling this complex and difficult issue. Other studies planned and currently under way will, no doubt, add to the slowly accumulating body of clinical data that we hope will help to resolve this important and difficult issue.


First Editions, 3 vols. bound in 5, lge. 8vo., recent buckram cloth with contrasting morocco labels, publisher's printed wrappers preserved.
Vol. I: Les Premieres Annees du Regne (1863-1867), 1933, with 2 folding maps, pp. 456.
Vol. II: L'Apogee (1867-1873), 1934, with several tables, pp. 744.
Vol. III, Part I: L'Empire Africain (1863-1869), 1936, with 25 plates containing maps and plans (6 folding), pp. 526.
Vol. III, Part II: L'Empire Africain (1869-1873), 1938, with 11 plates containing maps and plans (8 folding), and 4 figures in the text, pp. 798.
Vol. III, Part 3, Fascicules A and B: L'Empire Africain (1874-1876), 1941, with a frontispiece, 25 plates containing maps and plans (14 folding), and 24 figures in the text, pp. xii, 1400.


Inorganic resist on the base of chalcogenide glasses As40S60-xSex were investigated as the media for phase-relief holograms formation. It was obtained that As40S60-xSex thin-film negative resist characterized by maximum light sensitivity and extensive linear section of characteristic curve. The high-effective flat diffraction gratings with sinusoidal groove profile were recorded as test-holograms.


A time-domain parameter-optimization approach to discrete linear-model identification is presented, z-domain transfer functions are sought with outputs closely matching corresponding outputs of observed systems. Optimal transfer-function coefficients are determined through the minimization of mean-square output error. The general technique developed is applied to problems in model reduction and identification in the presence of measurement noise.


The reproductive cells in testes of Microphysogobio yaluensis were investigated using light and electron microscopes. The testis of Microphysogobio yaluensis consisted of numerous testicular cysts contained synchronized cells. Sperms were full in testicular sacs of mature testes. Leydig cells were located among testicular cysts. The nucleus of primary spermatocytes was round and mitochondria were congregated in cytoplasm. The size of secondary spermatocyte was smaller than that of primary spermatocyte and the nucleus of a secondary spermatocyte was round or oval. In spermatids, the nucleus was round and electron-dense. In spermiogenesis, the nucleus was condensed and a flagellum started to be formed. The mitochondria were rearranged along the flagellum. The sperm had a round head, the acrosome was not found and a motile flagellum consisted of an axoneme with a typical 9+2 pattern of microtubule.


The rise of businesses in the food industry makes industry players think creatively. One of the trends in this industry is the "All You Can Eat" restaurant with its various variations. This type of restaurant is considered capable of being an attraction for consumers because consumers can eat every dish as much as they want without a limit on the amount. However, it is difficult to map out the factors that make consumers want to come back to the restaurant. This research will build a web application with machine learning features using the Gradient Boosting algorithm that can map whether consumers will come back or not, so that restaurant businesses can use this application to continuously improve the performance of their restaurants.


definition, theorem, or example. This style of writing, however, does demand an unusual amount of dedication from the student. As in real life, tentative definitions are introduced first and then modified when things do not work out as expected, proofs come before theorems, or rather: first we see a proof sketch, then a theorem is stated, and the real proof is left as an exercise to the readers, to help them check that they have really understood it. As JW's authors put it: It is a journey of discovery, and not a guided tour that the usual textbook will offer. Besides being a course in set theory, JW is also a "How to prove it" book—while there is no guarantee that you can do independent mathematical research after finishing JW, you will at least have an idea of how mathematical theorems are discovered (or perhaps invented). DS is a book for the teacher. You can model a whole course on it, or you can (as I just did this semester) even take a few chapters or highlights and fit them into your course. The basic structure of DS is the traditional definition-lemma-theorem-proof style, but the authors take also great care to precede formal definitions or proofs with an informal explanation or motivation. Thus, not only a teacher but also a student will profit from DS. If you are not as dedicated as JW's intended reader, you can chose to read DS at a more superficial level and skip the heavier proofs. The index and cross-references, as well as the introductory remarks to the sections and chapters also support such an eclectic reading style. While both books are purely mathematical, DS can be seen as a "philosopher's set theory," whereas JW is "mathematician's set theory," in the sense that philosophers could not care less about the Souslin lines investigated in JW, whereas working mathematicians are only rarely interested in the finer distinctions between NBG and MK described in DS. Keeping in mind that the two books speak—in style, level, and selection of the material presented— to different audiences, they are both highly informative, a pleasure to read, and can be warmly


The three-dimensional microstructural development of silicon nitride ceramics that exhibit superplastic elongation (up to ɛ = 1.34) was analyzed using a stereological analysis method. According to the microstructural change from randomly oriented grains to aligned grains along the tensile direction, the average orientation angle between the tensile axis and the major axis of a grain decreased monotonously as the strain increased. The average grain aspect ratio remained almost constant up to ɛ = 0.88 and then started to increase. Based on the microstructural development, three different modes of the change in the grain configuration-i.e., grain rotation, grain elongation, and grain translation-were considered. It is suggested that the contributions of the three modes vary according to the microstructural development during the deformation.


Introduction - Stewart R Clegg, Eduardo Ibarra-Colado and Luis Bueno-Rodriquez PART ONE: GLOBAL MYTHS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD How the Giraffe Got its Neck - Graham Sewell An Organizational `Just So' Story or, Continuous Improvement and the Limits to Managerial Orthodoxy From Imperialism to Globalization - Albert J Mills and Jean Hatfield Internationalization and the Management Text `If You Want Loyalty Get a Dog!' - Richard Dunford Loyalty, Trust and the New Employment Contract PART TWO: REMAKING THE WORLD LOCALLY The Regulation of Poverty - Victor M Soria The Failure in the Official Program against Poverty in Mexico-a Modern/Postmodern Approach Post-Soviet Management - Bruno Grancelli From State Dependency to Entrepreneurship? Alternative Socio-Technical Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region - Richard Badham and Paul Couchman An International Survey of Team-Based Cellular Manufacturing Japan in Britain, Japan in Mexico - James Lowe, Jonathan Morris and Barry Wilkinson Production Supervisory Practice in the Electronics Industry PART THREE: CRITIQUING THE GLOBAL WORLD OF MANAGEMENT THEORIES Total Quality Management in the UK Service Sector - Mihaela Kelemen A Social Constructivist Study Intelligent Organizations? - Stewart Clegg and Thomas Clarke Metaphors and Organizational Action - Luis Montano Postmodernity, Language and Self-Regulating Systems- A Mexican Case Study PART FOUR: RETHINKING VALUES, COLLABORATION AND GLOBAL MANAGEMENT AS POLITICAL PRACTICES Antagonistic Values or Complementary Value Systems? The Chances and Limitations of Dialogue in Organizations - Fernando Leal Towards a Relational Theory of Organizational Collaboration - Thomas B Lawrence, Nelson Phillips and Cynthia Hardy The Global Management of Professional Services - Royston Greenwood et al The Example of Accounting


Biographical Essay Chronology Manuscript and Archival Sources Personal Writings General Biography and Works of Special Interest Early Life Political and Official Career Personal and Professional Life Caricatures and Satires Iconography Serials Consulted Author Index Subject Index


Neuropathic pain (NP) is caused by a damage or dysfunction of the system that normally carries pain signals. Diseases followed by NP are of heterogeneous group of pathologies with the peripheral and central nervous system lesions. Pathophysiological basis of neuropathic pain is excessive excitability of neurons arising from plastic changes in the structures related to the conduction and processing of nociceptive signals. A typical example is pain in diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia. NP can significantly affect the life quality. Often it is difficult to treat NP because of its resistance to many drugs, and it is accompanied by side effects against effective pharmacotherapy.


Four dinuclear amino acid cadmium(II) complexes (Cd2(tren)2(dl-alaninato))(ClO4)3·H2O(I), (Cd2(tren)2· (l-alaninato))(ClO4)3·H2O(II), (Cd2(tren)2(dl-phenylalaninato))(ClO4)3(III) and (Cd2(tren)2(l-phenylalaninato))· (ClO4)3(IV), constructed from mixed ligands of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine(tren) and racemic or natural amino ac- ids(amino acids=dl- or l-alanine, and dl- or l-phenylalanine), have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crys- tallography. The structural analysis of complexes I and III reveals that the cadmium centers are coordinated by one tren ligand and one amino acid molecule with the unusual (N,O,O')-bridged mode, resulting in asymmetric chromo- phores of CdN4O and CdN5O in complex I, CdN4O2 and CdN5O in complex III, respectively. The utility of the four complexes as efficient water-compatible Lewis acid catalysts for the direct aldol reaction in water was examined. The reaction proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding β-hydroxy ketones in up to 99% yield. Moreover, the dias- tereoselectivity of the reaction favors the formation of the syn-isomers. Keywords Dinuclear cadmium(II) complex; Amino acid; Aldol reaction Article ID 1005-9040(2012)-01-073-06


A potential measuring apparatus using tungsten microprobe has been designed and constructed,which is composed of reference microprobe,scanning mechanical device,electrolytic cell,analog-digital converter and computer.The apparatus is simple but can evaluate the distribution of free corrosion potenftial on the surface of welded joints.Tungsten microprobe is used in the apparatus,and it is confirmed by experiments that the stability and reproducibility of tungsten microprobe meet the requirements of measuring the corrosion potentials on metal surfaces in acid environment.


Environmental health (EH) is the study of environment and environmental factors affecting the health of human. Identifying the most relevant and up-to-date and updated teaching topics of EH programs is vital to ensure competent practitioners are nurtured. Thus, this study aimed to attain the view of current content of EH programs for EH professionals and intended to recommend topics necessary for education and practice. The level of importance of current and newly proposed topics for EH courses at diploma and bachelor's level was assessed using a cross-sectional survey design. Practicing EH programs graduates were invited via social media and e-mails to participate in the survey. The respondents were asked to rank the importance of different EH topics based on 5-point Likert-type scale. Descriptive statistics were employed to report the importance of EH curricula at Malaysian tertiary institutions. It was found that between diploma's and bachelor's level, the bachelor's graduates were expected to have high exposure in existing topics such as vector control management, legislation for EH and safety, health and safety risk assessment, as well as newly proposed topics including critical literature evaluation and innovation in creating awareness activities. The findings from this survey could serve as a guide to improvise EH curricula to ensure the EH programs continue to produce students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and competencies.


Abstract : In this paper Mellin tranforms are used to determine the distribution of the product of two random variables, each of which is distributed by gamma functions and parameterized by an integer n. Furthermore, a recursive relationship is developed with respect to the parameter n to facilitate the evaluation of the resulting distribution. (Author)


Programming is the process which enables a production of software, applications and web sites. Programming develops skills for logic and critical thinking and problem solving necessary for living in today information society. In the theoretical part is pointed out a lot of positive aspects of Micro: bit technology, the suitable programming tools for elementary school pupils such as Scratch are described as well as numerous projects of programming in city of Osijek oriented toward this particular population. In the empirical part the parents' attitudes toward programming in elementary schools in city of Osijek are explored. The results of the research show parents' familiarity with elementary concepts in regard to programming, the possible connections between parents' workplaces and their perceptions and support of programming within school or out of school activities.


A device for detecting an image comprising: an image source (100); a mirror assembly (110) for diverting radiation (102) from the image source (100) is generated; and deflected a detector (120) for receiving a through the mirror arrangement (110) radiation (119), said mirror assembly (110) comprises: a first mirror (111) which is arranged to reflect the generated from the image source (100) radiation (102); a second mirror (112) arranged to select one of the first mirror (111) reflecting radiation reflected, wherein the first mirror (111) and the second mirror (112) are spaced apart and are parallel to each other or form an angle less than 90 °, a third mirror (116a) and a fourth mirror (116b), the first mirror (111) is arranged to reflect only radiation on a sensitive detector area that originates from a first portion (502) of the image source (100), wherein the third mirror (116a) is arranged to reflect only radiation on a sensitive detector area that originates from a second portion (505) of the image source (100), wherein the first portion (502) of the second partial region (505) different, wherein said fourth mirror (116b) is arranged to select one of the third mirror (116a) to reflect light reflected radiation, wherein the third mirror (116a) is disposed at a rear side of the second mirror (112), and wherein the second mirror (112) and the third mirror (116a) are formed on different sides of absorbing an X-ray support material.


A simplified method of 3-D dynamic analysis, named 3-D quasi-dynamic analysis, is presented. This method has been primarily used to evaluate stress states at identified times of peak dynamic responses of structures with flexible diaphragms. The quasi-dynamic analysis consists of extracting the accelerations predicted by the time-step integration analyses of two 2-D discrete MDOF dynamic models of a given structure (each discrete model corresponding to one of the principal orthogonal directions of the structure) at given times of interest. These accelerations are imposed on a 3-D representation of the structure (for example, a finite element mesh) as equivalent static forces. Accelerations at the diaphragms are assumed to act over the same tributary areas of the diaphragms considered in the 2-D discrete dynamic models.

The study of the firehouse of Gilroy (an unreinforced masonry structure with flexible diaphragms) during the Loma Prieta Earthquake is presented to illustrate the 3-D quasi-dynamic seismic analysis. This method was compared to the more traditional 3-D modal time-step integration and 3-D response spectra analyses. The quasi-dynamic analysis had a general good agreement with the more formal, complex and computationally extensive modal time-step integration analysis. The 3-D response spectra analysis was very conservative and had a poor correlation with both the quasi-dynamic and the modal time-step integration analyses. The case study of the firehouse of Gilroy suggested that if 3-D effects have to be considered in the evaluation of a given structure, the quasi-dynamic analysis constitutes a reliable and computationally cheaper alternative to the more traditional methods of 3-D dynamic analysis.


For the past three semesters in the Fine Arts Program at Allan Hancock College, student researchers have been sampling, researching, and firing natural clay deposits found in the campus region. Students research local clays by firing them at various temperatures and adding variable fluxes to experiment with eutectic melting points. A cooperative work experience project is being piloted to develop a model outreach/interdisciplinary curricular guide for the Minerals Resources Program.


Objective To explore the preoperative diagnosis and treatment of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis(XGP). Methods The clinical data of 16 patients with XGP from 1978 to 2003 were retrospectively reviewed, and its clinic symtoms, diagnosis and therapy were discussed in combination with literature review. Results 16 cases of patients with XGP confirmed by histopathological examination recovered well after operation, and did not relapse till now. Conclusion According to medical history, symptom, physical sign, the foam cells in urine and CT examination, XGP could be diagnosed. Sometimes, fine needle aspiration biopsy should be done in order to confirm the diagnosis of XGP. The operation was a major method for treating this disease.


April's Sandbox problem comes from Benjamin Dickman of Columbia University Teachers College. On the first day of math class, thirty-six desks are arranged in a circle for eighteen boys and eighteen girls. The teacher says that students can take turns choosing their own seats as long as the gender of the students alternates between turns. The last two students to pick will be Amanda and Bill (not necessarily in that order).


Preface Janine ROGERS: Riddling Erotic Identity in Early English Lyrics Kevin Teo Kia CHOONG: Bodies of Knowledge: Embodying Riotous Performance in the Harley Lyrics Luisella CAON: The Pronouns of Love and Sex: Thou and Ye Among Lovers in The Canterbury Tales Bart VELDHOEN: Reason versus Nature in Dunbar's "Tretis of the Twa Mariit Wemen and the Wedo" Glyn PURSGLOVE: Prick-Song Ditties: Musical Metaphor in the Bawdy Verse of the Early Modern Period Mark LLEWELLYN: "Cease Thy Wanton Lust": Thomas Randolph's Elegy, the Cult of Venetia, and the Possibilities of Classical Sex Rebecca C. POTTER: The Nymph's Reply Nine Months Later Tracy WENDT LEMASTER: Lowering the Libertine: Feminism in Rochester's "The Imperfect Enjoyment" Kari Boyd Mcbride: "Upon a Little Lady": Gender and Desire in Early Modern English Lyrics Lisa Marie LIPIPIPATVONG: "Freeborn Joy": Sexual Expression and Power in William Blake's Visions of the Daughters of Albion Nowell MARSHALL: Of Melancholy and Mimesis: Social Bond(age)s in Visions of the Daughters of Albion Monika LEE: "Happy Copulation": Revolutionary Sexuality in Blake and Shelley Daniel BRASS: "Bursting Joy's Grape" in Keats' Odes C.C. BARFOOT: "In This Strang Labourinth How Shall I Turne?": Erotic Symmetry in Four Female Sonnet Sequences Britta ZANGEN: Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market": The Eroticism of Female Mystics Fahri OZ: "To Take Were to Purloin": Sexuality in the Narrative Poems of Christina Rossetti J.D. BALLAM: Renaissance Erotic in the Poetry of John Addington Symonds R. van BRONSWIJK: The Brilliance of Gas-Lit Eyes: Arthur Symons' Erotic Auto-Voyeurism Observed Andrew HARRISON: The Erotic in D.H. Lawrence's Early Poetry Nephie J. CHRISTODOULIDES: Triangulation of Desire in H.D.'s Hymen Peg ALOI: "Smile, O Voluptuous Cool-Breath'd Earth": Erotic Imagery and Context in Contemporary Ritual Authorship Wim TIGGES: Two Tongues in One Mouth: Erotic Elements in Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's Irish Poetry and Its English Translations Sandie BYRNE: Sex in the "Sick, Sick Body Politic": Tony Harrison's Fruit Cheryl Alexander MALCOLM: (Un)Dressing Black Nationalism: Nikki Giovanni's (Counter)Revolutionary Ethics Wolfgang GORTSCHACHER: Biblio-Erotic and Jewish Erotic Configurations in Georgia Scott's The Penny Bride Notes on Contributors Index I: Selected Motifs, Topics, Themes Index II: Authors, Texts and Publications, Selected Proper Names


The feasibility of a noncontact sensor is investigated. This type of sensor can potentially be used for torque measurement in a speed-variable power transmission system. Torque can be read by examining the phase difference between two induction signals from respective magnetic sensors that detect the magnetic field intensity of permanent magnets mounted on the surface of a shaft in rotation. A real-time measuring algorithm that includes filtering and calibration is adopted to measure the torque magnitude. It is shown that this new torque sensor can perform well under rotation speeds ranging from 300 rpm to 500 rpm. As an interim report rather than a complete development, this work demonstrates the feasibility of noncontact torque measurement by monitoring a magnetic field. The result shows an error of less than 2% within the full test range, which is a sufficient competitive performance for commercial sensors. The price is very low compared to competitors in the marketplace, and the device does not require special handling of the shaft of the surface.


The bracket that connects the six conceptual chapters is the individual wage; the topics in detail are wage distribution, wage mobility and wages for two special groups: graduates in the humanities field and persons with migration background. For a long time the wage distribution in Germany was characterized as more or less stable. This changed, beginning with the economic downturn in 1992/93 when wage inequality started to increase in both parts of Germany – in West Germany wage inequality was mainly driven below the median and in East Germany above. This increase affected all groups: females and males, foreigners, self-employed and even the core workforce of prime-age dependent employed male workers, but was significantly higher for persons with lower tenure or, in other words, for persons with less job experience or those who just entered the labour market. Up to 40 percent of this group faced real hourly wage losses between 1994 and 2005 in West Germany. At the same time, wage mobility in Germany decreased. Thus, individuals faced a more stable wage distribution, with lower chances of moving upwards. However, mobility did exist for some groups: Younger workers, better educated workers and persons not working in blue-collar occupations had higher chances of moving upwards. Joint explanation of mobility and inequality make for a good description of the situation on the German labour market – higher inequality coupled with lower mobility. This means that while the wage gap in the German society widened, the chances of moving upwards decreased. Highly educated persons, defined as persons with a degree from a university or a technical college, earn the highest wages in Germany and also have higher chances of moving upwards in the wage distribution. However, this group is heterogeneous in the sense of labour market outcomes. The group in the weakest position are humanities graduates; they earn the lowest wages of all academics, face the highest unemployment rates and are more often in precarious employment. This situation is comparable to Great Britain. An important sub-group of the population living in Germany are persons with migration background. First of all, the definition of this group is inconclusive. While in traditional immigration countries like the U.S. a lot of studies use ethnic categories such as blacks, whites and Hispanics, it has been common practice to use nationality in Germany. Beginning with the large inflow of resettlers from Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, as well as the new naturalization law in 2000, this definition does not suitably describe the whole group of interest. Nowadays about 19 percent of the population in Germany have a migration background, while only 9 percent are foreigners. This share will increase in the near future as about one third of the children below the age of six in Germany today have such a migration background. These are the future working (or unemployed) cohorts of the German labour market. With regard to their wage prospects, the group of German citizens with migration background is closer to foreigners than to native Germans – there are no significant wage differences between foreigners and the group encompassing all persons with migration background. Apart from this, there are significant wage differences between native Germans and foreigners and German citizens with migration background. These differences are mainly driven by price effects. Education has a strong influence on wages, persons with an apprenticeship degree earn higher wages than persons without any degree and persons with a university degree earn higher wages than persons with an apprenticeship degree. For persons with migration background, it is of particular importance in which country and in what form of education system the degree was achieved. Persons with a degree achieved in Germany can expect higher wages than persons with a degree from their home country. Another important prerequisite for participating successfully in the German labour market is the knowledge of the German language. Better language skills indirectly lead to higher wages through improved participation and employment opportunities in better paying industries and occupations.


Laboratory experiments were performed to study changes in strain-gage bridge load calibrations on a wing structure heated to temperatures of 200 F, 400 F, and 600 F. Data were also obtained to define the experimental repeatability of strain-gage bridge outputs. Experiments were conducted to establish the validity of the superposition of bridge outputs due to thermal and mechanical loads during a heating simulation of Mach 3 flight. The strain-gage bridge outputs due to load cycle at each of the above temperature levels were very repeatable. A number of bridge calibrations were found to change significantly as a function of temperature. The sum of strain-gage bridge outputs due to individually applied thermal and mechanical loads compared well with that due to combined or superimposed loads. The validity of superposition was, therefore, established.


The capacity of patients with cirrhosis of the liver to produce a dilute urine after a water load has been extensively investigated (1, 2). The concentrating ability of these patients has not been carefully studied, although the assumption has been made that a defect exists (1, 3). The present studies describe the characteristics-of the concentrating system in patients with cir-rhosis and attempt to clarify the mechanisms involved in any existing defect. Methods Twenty-seven patients with cirrhosis of the liver of varying severity associated with chronic alcoholism and 17 patients with other chronic diseases were studied. Each patient was receiving at least 75 g of dietary protein and at least 1 g of dietary sodium per day. None gave a history of renal disease, and all had normal uri-nalysis, nonprotein nitrogen, and serum creatinine. No patients above the age of 65 were included. Except for the absence of azotemia or intrinsic renal disease, the cirrhotics represented a wide range of patients with this disease. The mean age of cirrhotics was 50 and ranged from 35 to 62 years. The degree of ascites ranged from no apparent ascites (seven patients) to massive ascites (three patients) and included varying degrees of protein depletion as estimated by degree of muscle wasting. The mean age of the 17 chronically ill patients without cirrhosis was 49 and ranged from 38 to 58 years, and they represented the only noncirrhotic patients in the medical service (180 beds) at a given time who satisfied the above criteria for inclusion in the study. The degree of ascites and degree of muscle wasting were estimated in each cirrhotic by a scale of 0 to ++++. Age and sex were recorded. 1) Special studies were carried out in nine patients with cirrhosis to evaluate and characterize the maximal * t This investigation was carried out during tenure as a Clinical Pharmacology Trainee and was supported by grants from the U. measurement of urine osmolality (Ucam) starting at 14 hours after the last oral intake and 10 hours after 5 U of vasopressin in oil intramuscularly. Urine samples were obtained intermittently until a last sample was obtained after 21 to 25 hours of dehydration. 2) Volume and urea, ammonia, sodium, and potassium concentrations of Uma. urines were measured in 11 cir-rhotics. In other patients urine sodium excretion was recorded as 0 to ++++ based on the approximate percentage of the oral sodium …


*Scientific article regarding ISIS actions and ideology, written in 2015

"The main argument in this paper is that the actions of the jihadists of ISIS will provoke important redistributions of power in the Middle East, resulting in major changes not only as regards the strategies of the main actors in the Middle East, but also for the Great Powers. It seeks to explain to what extent the emergence of ISIS provoked redefinition of threats and interests in the Middle East so that states and non-state actors were forced to cooperate in the light of a greater evil. Implications for Syria, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey are discussed. Then, the competing regional strategies of Great Powers--the U.S., Russia, Europe, and China-- in the Middle East are considered to have left a power vacuum that contributed to the ascent of ISIS. Ironically, these rival powers are being forced to cooperate in unanticipated ways in their common desire to eliminate ISIS as a threat to their strategic interests."


Abstract : Instrumentation was acquired that allowed for acquisition of emission spectra with high time and wavelength resolution. The acquired instruments were fabricated into a time-resolved spectroscopy system. This system will be used to study the emission from small particles of reactive nanomaterials that are initiated by impact with a flyer plate. The emission spectra so obtained will be used to develop a fundamental understanding of how these materials are initiated by shock waves.


The patient was a 41-year-old woman, who had been previously reported to have beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) caused by autophagy gene WDR45 mutation (1). She had been born normally, however, she developed convulsions nine months after birth. She could speak only a few words. She had dystonia, rigidity, and tremors. Her cognitive function started to decline at 19 years of age. She became bedridden by 25 years of age. BPAN is one type of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation. Iron deposition is found at the bilateral globus pallidus and substantia nigra. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hyperintensity with central hypointensity in these lesions (Picture, upper panels, arrow: substantia nigra, arrowhead: globus pallidus). The substantia nigra and globus pallidus are physiologically hypointense on T2-weigthed MRI. In BPAN, these lesions are more hypointense (Picture, middle panels). T2 star-weighted MRI (Picture, lower panels) shows these lesions much more clearly than usual T2-weighted MRI. T2 star-weighted MRI is superior in detecting iron deposition and therefore is useful for diagnosing BPAN as well as the occurrence of occult microbleeds.


Preface 1. Anatomy2. Doppler3. Transesophageal Echocardiography4. Hemodynamic Equations5. Diastolic Function6. The Aortic Valve7. The Mitral Valve8. The Tricuspid Valve9. Infundibulum, Pulmonic Valve, and Pulmonary Hypertension10. Prosthetic Heart Valves11. Cardiomyopathy12. Pericardium13. Ischemic Heart Disease and Myocardial Infarction14. Critical Care15. Operating Room16. Congenital Heart Disease17. Source of Embolism18. Endocarditis19. The Aorta and Aortic Dissection20. Masses and Tumors


Lipomyelomeningocele is a rare neural tube closure defect characterized by a subcutaneous lipoma that extends through a defect in the lumbodorsal fascia, vertebral neural arch, and dura. This painless lesion can occur anywhere along the spinal canal but usually is found in the sacral or lumbar region. If left untreated it can cause tethered cord syndrome.


Peer review advocated by many researchers has figured prominently in process writing classrooms (K. Hyland & Hyland, 2006; Shehadeh, 2011; Yong, 2010). It allows and encourages students to take an active role in managing their own learning. The study reported here was conducted because of a general disengagement with peer review in an existing course, coupled with a lack of research on its impact and ways of raising student awareness relating to organisational features of thesis writing. It examined the impact, in terms of engagement and effect on writing and learning, of modifying existing peer review guidelines to make instructions more explicit and to prompt deeper engagement in the process. Students' uptake of suggestions in peer feedback and their responses to questions about the effectiveness of the peer review process were analysed. The findings show positive improvements in terms of engagement with the peer review process and in participants' attitudes to the process. Several implications for teaching, learning and the curriculum also emerged.


Governments and industry have a growing interest in the harmonization of environmental test methods and risk assessment procedures. OECD are currently producing a set of harmonised test guidelines for studying the environmental fate and ecological effects of pesticides. FAO has published an environmental risk assessment procedure. This procedure, which is similar to those used in US and Europe, is based on calculating the ratio of the toxicity of a pesticide to indicator organisms to their level of exposure to the pesticide. The exposure depends on both the concentration of the pesticide and its bioavailability. Ratios which indicate a pesticide will not produce a harmful effect have been established using ecological field studies. Examples are presented for assessing the risk to aquatic ecosystems, earthworms and honeybees. Long-term field studies(up to 20 years) have also shown that pesticides can be used indefinitely without harming soil fertility. Herbicides can be used to avoid the ecologically damaging effects of using soil cultivations excessively for weed control.


Researches the theoretical foundation, medium type and characteristic, and developing tools of MCAI. Gives some strategies to create coursewares. Estimates the development trend of MCAI technology. Brings up own viewpoints to the current lack in MCAI.


Objective To investigate interventional treatment method of lower limb arteriosclerosis in diabetic foot and its clinical value.Materials and Methods Through the femoral artery puncture antegrade or retrograde intubation by Seldinger technique methods,the limb arteriography in 12 patients with diabetic foot were undertaken by digital subtraction angiography(DSA).Arteriosclerosis was found in 15 lower limbs,angioplasty combined eluting stent were implemented,and the curative effect at 2 weeks,4 weeks was compared.Results Limb blood flow after operations was improved in all patients.4 weeks after treatment,the clinical symptoms of numbness,pain,skin temperature,purple had significantly improved(χ2=6.85,χ2=6.95,χ2=7.02,χ=7.33,all P0.01),ABI index(0.80±0.13)were higher(0.62±0.10)(t=3.412,P0.01).Ultrasound showed blood vessel diameter increased after treatment(t=3.412,P0.05).Conclu-sion Interventional treatment of diabetic foot is minimally invasive,safe and effective,and can significantly improve the limb blood supply.


From the perspective of the historical anthropology,a research is made on the Bureaucratization of Native Officers in the Yi ethnic areas of Zhaotong in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.Analyses are made on the interactions between the"Tu Si"civilization and the core civilization and on the change in the identification of the internal sub-civilizations of Chinese civilization with"the unity in diversity".The article argues that the Bureaucratization of Native Officers was carried out because of the increasing identity conflicts between the"Tu Si"civilization and the core civilization.As a result,the "Tu Si"civilization was brought into the historical process of the Centralization.


Rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves and equations present the exceedance probability of a given rainfall intensity and storm duration expected to occur at a particular location, for the design of storm water drainage systems and hydraulic structures. The aim of this study was to develop IDF curves/equations aim for Oleh, a municipality situated in the low-lying and flood prone region of Nigeria. The study was conducted using annual maxima rainfall series (ARMS) of 28 years obtained from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet). The AMRS were extracted into 15 Nos. storm durations between 10minutes and 600 minutes. The AMRS of each duration was fitted to Gumbel (EV1), LN2 and Normal (N) distributions using the K-S and A-D goodness-of-fit module of Easyfit software, Version 5.6. The graphical plots, development of IDF models and computations of performance measures of R2 NSE and RSR, were executed in Microsoft Excel, 2010. The results of GOF tests show that for K-S tests, Gumbel (EVI) is best-fit distribution in four durations, LN2 was best –fit in Nine out of fifteen durations, and Normal distribution durations scored 2. Similarly, for A-D GOF test, Gumbel (EVI) scored three (3), LN2 scored eleven (11), while Normal distribution scored one (1). Consequently, LN2 is the best-fit distribution, seconded by Gumbel (EVI). Accordingly, LN2 and Gumbel (EVI) distributions have been adopted in the development of the IDF models for Oleh municipality, while the performances of the IDF models may be presented the inequality; 0.984 ? R2 ? 0.998; 0.990 ? NSE ? 0.998 and 0.045 ? RSR ? 0.096. The graphical plots, IDF curves and models exhibited the peculiar attributes of IDF curves/equations reported in literature. The performance measures show that the equations are robust for practical application in the design of storm water drainage systems and hydraulic structures.


The crystal structure of p-bromophenylimino(triphenyl)phosphorane was determined by X-ray diffraction and refined to R 0·099 for 3009 reflections. The crystals are monoclinic, space group C2/c, with a= 16·43, b= 13·57, c= 19·42 A, and β= 110·64°. The PN bond length is 1·567 A, the P–N–C angle is 124·2°, and the p-bromophenyl ring is 35° out of the P, N, C plane. The bonding in iminophosphoranes is discussed in the light of the results.


This paper proposes a flexible structural model of quote formation to jointly study the dynamics between buyer-initiated and seller-initiated trades and the posterior bid and ask quote revisions. The empirical reduced form counterpart is a vector error correction (VEC) model for bid and ask quotes, with the spread as the cointegrating vector, that extends the bivariate vector autoregresive (VAR) model introduced by Hasbrouck (1991a). The empirical results for several NYSE common stocks reveal that there are informational gains by not averaging the quote revision process through the quote midpoint. We find evidence of asymmetric behavior in the responses of both ask and bid prices to the innovations in the trading process. Under similar market conditions, the bid dynamics after an unexpected seller-initiated trade show significant deviations relative to the ask dynamics after a similar unexpected buyer-initiated trade.


Despite growing interest in both the work-family and telework literatures, research has been slow to investigate how an individual's preferences and supplies stemming from the work and home domains...


Simple supersymmetric SO(10) grand unified theory in five dimensions is proposed, in which the fifth dimension is compactified on the ${S}^{1}/({Z}_{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{Z}_{2}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ orbifold with two inequivalent branes at the orbifold fixed points. In this model, all matter and Higgs multiplets reside on one brane (PS brane) where the Pati-Salam (PS) symmetry is manifest, while only the SO(10) gauge multiplet resides on the bulk. The supersymmetry breaking on the other brane [SO(10) brane] is transmitted to the PS brane through the gaugino mediation with the bulk gauge multiplet. We examine sparticle mass spectrum in this setup and show that the neutralino LSP as the dark matter candidate can be realized when the compactification scale of the fifth dimension is higher than the PS symmetry breaking scale, keeping the successful gauge coupling unification after incorporating threshold corrections of Kaluza-Klein modes of the bulk gauge multiplets.


A p–n tandem photoelectrochemical water splitting cell is considered as a promising low-cost technique to convert solar energy into hydrogen. A p type CuIn0.7Ga0.3S2 is an attractive photocathode with a high photocurrent onset potential. However, it is still a key challenge to explore an efficient CuIn0.7Ga0.3S2 photocathode. Two kinds of impurities, CuxS and a metastable CuAu ordering phase, usually exist in CuIn1−xGaxS2, which are both considered to be harmful to the performance of CuIn1−xGaxS2-based solar conversion devices. However, in this study, the photocurrent of a CuIn0.7Ga0.3S2 nano-photocathode is significantly enhanced by selective electrochemical etching of a CuAu ordering phase, but not increased after etching of CuxS. Moreover, having been further coated with CdS and Pt co-catalyst, a Pt/CdS/CuIn0.7Ga0.3S2 nano-photocathode exhibits a high solar photocurrent density of 6.0 mA cm−2 at 0 VRHE under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight (100 mW cm−2) irradiation, which is comparable with the highest recorded photocurrent on a Pt/CdS/CuIn1−xGaxS2 microcrystal photocathode. This strategy will be helpful to explore other efficient Cu-chalcopyrite solar conversion devices.


Jatingaleh is located in the southern city of Semarang which is a central meeting point between the upper and lower Semarang where the vehicle flows in through a combination of local current and regional traffic, and the flow of vehicles coming in and out from the highway. The main cause of the problems that occurred in the area of Jatingaleh is due to the number of vehicular movement that occurs at the intersections. In view of the above, it is necessary to analyse the existing conditions and proffers some solutions. Before carrying out an analysis, a field surveys at peak hours, for example, in the morning (06:00 to 08:00 am) and afternoon (04:00 to 06:00 pm)should be conducted. The number of vehicles was counted manually with "short-breakcounting" according to types of vehicles. From the analysis study, the author found out that the degree of saturation (DS) was1.61 between Teuku Umar and Setia Budi road during the morning peak hours and 1.56 during the afternoon peak hours. This means that the capacity of the existing road is no longer able to accommodate the traffic flow. One of the solutions for the congestion that occurs at the intersection of Jatingaleh is to apply the efficiency of the intersection that is not in a plot with a Fly over, Underpass and the combination of Fly Over-Underpass. Based on the flow reduction calculation with 3 comparative modeling it show that the Fly Over is the most technically efficient to be applied in this research.


When technology enters the realm of education, all its sub-sectors will experience an impact that is felt both on a small and large scale. The impact on the assessment process is inevitably negative and positive. Affective Assessment is still a hot topic of conversation and the obstacles have yet to be resolved. This makes it an obstacle because technology is involved in matters of affective assessment aspects in the world of education. The purpose of this article is to discuss the problems experienced by teachers in general regarding the above obstacles, namely technology and affective assessment. The author explains how the teachers in the affective assessment process through the use of technology and so on. Articles are made through literature review research by collecting library sources related to the scope of discussion about technology, education and assessment. The article produces a solution that has been offered to solve the problems that have become obstacles for teachers in the world of education in the technology era. With the impact that occurs from technology on affective assessment, it results in problems that need to be solved with the solutions given and can be used as a basis for the future so that education can be better.


The author discusses the effect of the ion-emitting medical equipment on changes in the air-ions concentration. The study shows that in the majority of cases (except for cobalt bomb) the changes observed fall within the range of the binding norms.


Emma Davies and Davie Morgan from Health Education and Improvement Wales discuss the successful recommissioning of Bangor University's pre-registration midwifery programme


"IN LIGHT of the available scientific evidence on vaccines, the question for the media is how to report rare adverse events without distorting the public's perceptions of the true risk." 1 So ask Freed and colleagues writing in this issue ofTHE JOURNALabout the overreporting or misguided reporting of actual or feared reactions to vaccines, reporting that may discourage essential immunizations of children. The authors call on the media to report responsibly. The question, of course, is "how to report responsibly," and it is not a question for the media alone. It is also one for those who develop, manufacture, promote, and regulate vaccines, including the clinicians who give the doses or the injections. Do the media sometimes report irresponsibly on vaccines, without perspective? Yes. Do the media sometimes point out the merits of vaccination, the rarity of adverse events, and the unreliability of scattered cases and anecdotes? The


Objective To research the clinical experiences of repair nasal septum perforation with temporalis fascia.Method The experiences of repair nasal septum perforation in eight patients of the past three years was retrospective analyzed.Two patients of epistaxis in little area,led to nasal septum perforation after ND-YAG laser treatment,three patients after the traditional nasal septum reconstruction,2 patients after the trauma and 1 patient after heavy metal intoxication.Results The 8 patients were all recovered after the surgery.Conclusion Intranasal endoscopic reconstruction surgery with temporalis fascia for nasal septal perforation is economic,universal,simple,safe and effective.


A new intelligent fuzzy logic controller (FLC) based electric power train for PV fed unmanned aerial vehicles is presented in this study. The AOF architecture consists of an H-bridge inverter with a low switching frequency and a small LC filter. By adding an emulated series opposition with the H-bridge inverter to ensure good quality sinusoidal signal of the line voltage, the AOF decreases the weight and size of the power transmission network while also greatly improving its conversion efficiency. The injected voltage across this mimicked series resistance reduces undesirable harmonics caused by the non-linear load. To simulate the suggested system, a fuzzy logic controller-based simulation model was constructed, and the system was evaluated under non-linear load conditions using a closed-loop feed-back control technique. The computer results show that the active resistance compensation technique may provide high-quality sinusoidal line voltage waveforms with a THD ratio of less than 3%. Furthermore, the suggested system analysis on power losses and conversion efficiency is carried out and compared to those of a standard three-phase PWM inverter, revealing that the power losses are decreased by 31%.


Agriculture was a major exchange earns before the discovery of crude oil. In the western part of the country cocoa was a major crop produced and exported, in the northern part, it is groundnut with several pyramids of groundnuts bag on display while in the eastern part of the country, we had palm oil and kernel. In recent time due to fall in the price of crude oil in the international market, which had negatively affected the country's economy, the country is looking at diversifying its economy from a sole crude oil based one to a multidimensional based one. Smart automation of precision farming makes farming less tedious with greater results. The purpose of the research in this paper is to give a review of previous works on smart automation, discuss some of the factors responsible for optimum growth of fish farming and the architecture of the power logging unit. With the knowledge imparted by this paper, the set up a smart automation for fish farming can be easily achieved.


Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection of the central nervous system. However, disseminated cysticercosis is rare. Cysticercosis is caused by the larvae of Taenia solium, a tapeworm. Hu-mans are infected after eating contaminated food containing the eggs of the tapeworm. Its clinical manifes-tations are highly variable and depend on the number, stage, and size of the lesions and the host's immune response. We report a case of a 27-year-old lady, who presented with severe headache which was diagnosed as disseminated neurocysticercosis with characteristic imaging findings. Keywords: Disseminated neurocysticercosis, severe headache, contaminated food


A 13-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse stallion developed acute onset of colic in central Georgia in October. He was found in his stall in the morning with numerous abrasions on his head. The grain and hay that he was offered the previous evening were only partially consumed. The owner witnessed him pawing at the ground. He then became recumbent and rolled. The local veterinarian was called and arrived approximately 45 minutes later. The owner reported that the stallion continued to intermittently paw, flank watch, and roll. His rectal temperature was 101.8F, heart rate was 60 beats/minute, and respirations were 24 breaths/minute. Mucous membranes were tacky with a toxic line and the capillary refill time was 3 seconds. Gastrointestinal sounds were quiet. A nasogastric tube was passed and 8 liters of brown reflux were obtained. A rectal examination was performed and several loops of mildly distended small intestine were palpable in the midabdomen. The local veterinarian administered 500 mg of flunixin meglumine IV and gave 3 liters of mineral oil and 3 liters of electrolyte solution via the nasogastric tube. The stallion immediately appeared more comfortable and seemed interested in grazing. However, three hours later, he resumes pawing, flank watching, and rolling. He is referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University of Georgia for further evaluation.


In previous articles, the author established certain necessary conditions for control problems with constraints of the form $\psi ^\alpha (t,x) \leqq 0$$\alpha = 1, \cdots ,m$. These conditions involve certain multiplier functions $\mu _\alpha (t)$ of the derivatives of the above constraints together with multiplier constants $K^\alpha $ used in the transversality relation. In this paper, it is shown that these terms satisfy $\mu _\alpha (t^0 ) \leqq K^\alpha $ with $\mu _\alpha (t^0 ) = K^\alpha $ if $\psi ^\alpha (t^0 ) < 0$.


A hair-dyeing comb comprises an outer comb defined on an upper surface thereof with an outer comb-side injection rod receiving groove such that an injection rod can be received in the outer comb-side injection rod receiving groove, and having coupled thereto a plurality of outer comb-side comb teeth which downwardly extend; a receiving part for receiving a hairdye can; biasing means for biasing the hairdye can so that hairdye filled in the hairdye can be received in the receiving part can be injected; the injection rod received in the outer comb-side injection rod receiving groove of the outer comb to inject the hairdye filled in the hairdye can; and a knob section having an injection switch which is installed between the receiving part and the injection rod to switch injection of the hairdye filled in the hairdye can.


Despite the discussion around the appropriate choice of translation strategy and techniques, this paper borrows Xiang Mingyou's theory of the New Economy Principle of Speech into the translation of the metaphors categorized into the material culture-loaded words and expression, which are named as material cultureloaded metaphors in this paper. To illustrate the guidance of the theory in pragmatic use, this paper analyzes metaphoric text excerpted from an English novel Moment in Peking composed by Lin Yutang, a world renowned Chinese writer. Though written in English, Moment in Peking is carried with many material cultureloaded metaphors, which have fixed corresponding referents in real world due to the special geographical, historical and ecological conditions unique to China. Pragmatically, the New Economy Principle of Speech is tested to be qualified to be applied in the translation of material culture-loaded metaphors to a broad degree to achieve the maximization of utility of speech.


Background: The cross-matching test is regarded as an essential pre-transfusion test. It serves an important role in confirming the ABO/Rh compatibility of transfusion and screening for possible unexpected antibodies. We evaluated cross-matching tests in QWALYS-3 (DIAGAST, Loos Cedex, France), comparing the automated process to manual tube methods. Methods: A total of 545 crossmatching tests from 169 patients, collected from RBC concentrate transfusion orders, were performed using both QWALYS-3 and manual tube methods. All patients were follow-up tested later on with antibody identification tests to confirm the presence of unexpected antibodies in plasma. Results: None of the samples were ABO/Rh incompatible. The presence of unexpected antibodies was later confirmed in 277 tests in 56 patients. Out of those 277 tests, the concordance rate between two methods was 83.8% (232/277). In 268 tests which were later confirmed with no unexpected antibodies, manual tube methods did not show any positive results while five tests were false-positive (5/268, 1.9%) only in QWALYS-3. The overall concordance rate between two methods was 90.82%, and the kappa coefficient was 0.696 ( P < 0.05) (n=545). Conclusion: The QWALYS-3 system has its merits in accuracy, precision, and lack of possible human errors, however, the automated procedure showed some disadvantages, including relatively low cost-and-time-effectiveness, less effective cold antibody detection, and difficulties in handling small quantity samples. Thus, the QWALYS-3 system has meaningful, but only a limited value in the automation of routine cross-matching tests. (Korean J Blood Transfus 2014;25:218-225)


The progress that Brazil has made over the past few years in food and nutrition security has largely been due to the success of its civil society in transmitting its concerns to decision-makers at the policy level.


This paper reports an experiment in hydroboration without large hood space requirements, without special glassware requirements, and without inert atmospheric precautions.


C HANGES IN THE MEANING attached to a word may be associated with ideological and cultural changes. The history of the word propaganda is a striking example. This paper sketches a portion of that history. Until the sixteenth century, propaganda (with related forms) was a Latin term used only in a biological frame of reference, referring to the reproduction of plants and animals. Pope Gregory XIII (S572-85) established a commission of three cardinals de propaganda fide, to spread Catholic doctrines in nonChristian lands. In I62t, Gregory XV established a more formal organization, the sacred congregation de propaganda fide. And in i627, Urban VIII set up a collegium de propaganda to train missionaries.1 The Latin word, as William Fletcher puts it, signifies '"which ought to be propagated" and modifies "faith" much as our "sight-seeing" may modify bus, in a "sight-seeing bus." '2 The grammatical analogy may not be strictly accurate, but is indicative of the context in which the word was used. The first use of the word propaganda.in English apparently occurred in 17 18.3 It was then used in the religious frame of reference which has been described. Perhaps it is significant, as at least one writer has suggested, that the English word was associated from the first with doctrines based on faith rather than on reason.4


Fluoride-type crystals (CaF2, SrF2) doped with neodymium Nd3+ present interesting alternative as a laser active media for the diode-pumped mode-locked laser systems mainly because of their broad emission spectra as well as longer fluorescence lifetime in comparison with well-known materials as Nd:YAG or Nd:YVO4. In comparison with Nd:glass active material, SrF2 and CaF2 have better thermal conductivity. In spite of the thermal conductivity decreases with doping concentration, these crystal might be interesting alternative for the Nd:glass mode-locked laser systems. In this contribution we present the first results of the Nd,Y:SrF2 mode-locked laser diode-pumped at 796nm. Mode-locking operation using SESAM was successfully achieved in the pulsed pumping regime (pulse-duration 1.5 ms, frequency 10 Hz) with the overall average output power of 2.3 mW (corresponding to the power amplitude of 153 mW) in one output beam at the wavelength of ~1055 nm. The actual pulse-duration was 87 ps.


The development objective of the Commercial Agriculture Project for Ghana is to improve agricultural productivity and production of both smallholder and nucleus farms in selected project intervention areas with increased access to reliable water, land, finance, and agricultural input and output markets. This restructuring requires the following changes: (i) the project objectives continue to be achievable; (ii) the performance of the Recipient and other project implementing agencies is satisfactory; and (iii) the Recipient has prepared a specific action plan acceptable to the Bank to complete the project. As required under the BP (paragraph 6), this action plan covers: (i) the additional time needed to complete the procurement of all planned and ongoing activities and associated disbursements; and (ii) any actions the Recipient and/or project implementation agencies need to take to meet the revised closing date.


A comparative observation of the weights of snow crown was made on test larch trees 15, 25, 42 and 53 years in age. As a result of the comparison of the weights of snow crown in terms of load per unit area shaded by crown, any difference in weight of snow crown due to the difference in tree age could not be ascertained clearly, and as far as the 15, 25 and 42 years old trees are concerned, the weight of snow crown seemed to increase or decrease in relation to the length of branches and twigs. In the case of the 53 years old tree showing the largest weight of snow crown among all the test trees, it was found that drooping of limbs with increasing weight of snow crown was slow and the duration in and near a drooped condition when the unit shaded area becomes largest was by far longer than other test trees younger in age.


Maize is one of the important grain crops in China,and its high production is an important pillar to ensure food security of China.Speedy and scientific determination on the suitable area for maize planting can provide the most reliable decision-making reference to the jobs,such as agricultural regionalization,crops layout and accurate agriculture.In this study,the maize planting suitability was investigated by using the newest RS and GIS technologies,to guarantee the timeliness and scientific nature of the results.


Since its discovery just over a decade ago, Pannexin-1 (Px1) has been recognized in a number of important physiological and pathophysiological processes such as taste, inflammation, and tumor suppression. This large-pore, polymodal ion channel was initially identified as voltage-dependent,' though there have been no precise studies concerning the gating properties of Px1 to date. Because Px1 is expressed in excitable cells, identifying voltage-gating properties of Px1 was our primary goal. Using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique, we showed for the first time that Px1 is a weakly voltage-gated channel. Depolarizing voltages up to +200 mV revealed half-maximal activation at +51 mV and a weak voltage-dependence through generation of a complete Boltzmann activation curve. We also showed that Px1 activates in < 3.5 ms, consistent with the time frame of action potentials (1-4 ms). Opening rates of Px1 also seemed to be very weakly voltage-dependent. Further, we showed that Px1 displays consistent current decay at depolarizing voltages greater than +100 mV. Additionally, using two cell systems to exogenously express Px1, we observed a marked decrease of functional Px1 expression within ~24 hours of injection. Taken together, our findings suggest that Px1 is a fast opening, voltage-sensitive channel that may have a number of mechanisms in place to prevent uncontrolled conductivity.


This study explores the manner in which religious ideas transcended political, geographical, linguistic, and religious frontiers in the seventeenth century. Focusing on the Judaic Sabbatian movement in the Ottoman Empire and the Christian Fifth Monarchy Men in England, this project examines the networks of communication that merchants, diplomats, and millenarians utilized in order to spread millennial news between these two locations and groups. As such, this study blurs the boundary between the Sabbatian movement and Fi'fth Monarchy Men by highlighting their interconnections and simultaneously provides insight into early-modern cross-religious interactions and globalization.


This study investigates an infinite capacity Markovian queue with a single unreliable service station, in which the customers may balk (do not enter) and renege (leave the queue after entering). The unreliable service station can be working breakdowns even if no customers are in the system. The matrix-analytic method is used to compute the steady-state probabilities for the number of customers, rate matrix and stability condition in the system. The single-objective model for cost and bi-objective model for cost and expected waiting time are derived in the system to fit in with practical applications. The particle swarm optimisation algorithm is implemented to find the optimal combinations of parameters in the pursuit of minimum cost. Two different approaches are used to identify the Pareto optimal set and compared: the epsilon-constraint method and non-dominate sorting genetic algorithm. Compared results allow using the traditional optimisation approach epsilon-constraint method, which is computationally faster and permits a direct sensitivity analysis of the solution under constraint or parameter perturbation. The Pareto front and non-dominated solutions set are obtained and illustrated. The decision makers can use these to improve their decision-making quality.


The expected value of L n , the length of the longest increasing subsequence of a random permutation of f1; : : : ; ng, has been studied extensively. This paper presents the results of both Monte Carlo and exact computations that explore the ner structure of the distribution of L n. The results suggested that several of the conjectures that had been made about L n were incorrect, and led to new conjectures, some of which have been proved recently by Jinho Baik, Percy Deift, and Kurt Johansson. In particular, the standard deviation of L n is of order n 1=6 , contrary to earlier conjectures. This paper also explains some regular patterns in the distribution of L n .


Controlling the cost of electricity consumption remains a major concern, particularly in the residential sector. Smart home electricity management systems (HEMS) are becoming increasingly popular for providing uninterrupted power and improved power quality, as well as for reducing the cost of electricity consumption. When power transfer is required between a storage system and the AC grid, and vice versa, these HEMS require the use of a bidirectional DC–AC converter. This paper emphasizes the potential value of an almost unexplored topology, the design of which was based on the generation of sinusoidal signals from sinusoidal half waves. A DC–DC stage, which behaved as a configurable voltage source, was in series with a DC–AC stage, i.e., an H-bridge, to achieve an architecture that could operate in both grid and off-grid configurations. Wide bandgap power switches (silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors [MOSFETs]), combined with appropriate control strategies, were the keys to increasing compactness of the converter while ensuring good performance, especially in terms of efficiency. The converter was configured to automatically change the operating mode, i.e., inverter or rectifier in power factor correction mode, according to an instruction issued by the HEMS; the latter being integrated in the control circuit with automatic duty cycle management. Therefore, the HEMS set the amount of energy to be injected into the grid or to be stored. The experimental results validate the operating modes of the proposed converter and demonstrate the relevance of such a topology when combined with an HEMS, especially in the case of an AC grid connection. The efficiency measurements of the bidirectional DC–AC converter, performed in grid-connected inverter mode, show that we exceeded the efficiency target of 95% over the entire output power range studied, i.e., from 100 W to 1.5 kW.


The paper investigates the data on the fauna of the European Russia at the end of the XVIII century, contained in the materials of the General Land Survey, in comparison with contemporary data. The distribution ranges of the majority of large mammals observed in the study area two centuries ago, have not changed significantly, but the biological diversity has increased due to the emergence of new species.


Measures of central tendency have been widely used for summarising statistical data, with the mean being the most popular summary statistic. However, in reallife applications it is not always the most representative measure of central location, especially when dealing with data which is skewed or contains outliers. Alternative statistics with less bias are the median and the mode. Median and quantile regression has been used in different fields to examine the effect of factors at different points of the distribution. Mode estimation, on the other hand, has found many applications in cases where the analysis focuses on obtaining information about the most typical value or pattern. This thesis demonstrates that mode also plays an important role in the analysis of big data, which is becoming increasingly important in many sectors of the global economy. However, mode regression has not been widely applied, even though there is a clear conceptual benefit, due to the computational and theoretical limitations of the existing estimators. Similarly, despite the popularity of the binary quantile regression model, computational straight forward estimation techniques do not exist. Driven by the demand for simple, well-found and easy to implement inference tools, this thesis develops a series of new regression methods for mode and binary quantile regression. Chapter 2 deals with mode regression methods from the Bayesian perspective and presents one parametric and two non-parametric methods of inference. Chapter 3 demonstrates a mode-based, fast pattern-identification method for big data and proposes the first fully parametric mode regression method, which effectively uncovers the dependency of typical patterns on a number of covariates. The proposed approach is demonstrated through the analysis of a decade-long dataset on the Body Mass Index and associated factors, taken from the Health iii


This thesis studies the efforts made by society to achieve more efficient energy use in order to better utilise resources and lessen the stress on the environment. Despite the value to society promised by more efficient energy use, too few attempts are made at realising this value. One instrument available to governments in their efforts to stimulate efficiency schemes, is to encourage energy companies to supply Energy Efficiency Services (EES). It may seem paradoxical that energy companies would both deliver energy and offer EES, i.e on the one hand try to increase their sales volume and on the other hand advise on and implement schemes aiming at decreasing energy use. The fundamental problem at the heart of this thesis is whether EES offer a viable mechanism for society to achieve more efficient energy use. This problem is examined by studying how energy companies present, deliver, and carry out EES, and further how customers assess them. Our overarching research question, therefore, is: Does the supply of energy efficiency services lead to a more efficient use of energy from a public and business economics point of view?

The theoretical frame of reference is Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Based View and the research methods used are surveys and case studies. Questionnaires were sent to all the energy companies in Sweden and the United Kingdom in order to map out and compare EES operations in these two countries. Some survey questions have been explored further through case studies in the form of interviews. Questionnaires were also sent to 752 manufacturing- and real estate companies in Sweden to better understand the demand for EES.

The key findings are (1) The purpose of EES is to support energy sales rather than contributing to more efficient use of energy, (2) The demand for EES is weak and it is not stimulated, (3) The sale of direct EES involves high transaction costs, (4) The energy companies lack strategic resources aimed at direct EES and (5) EES are an insignificant part of energy companies' activities. Our findings lead to the following answer to the overarching research question: the supply of EES does not result in a more efficient use of energy – neither from the viewpoint of public economics nor from the viewpoint of business economics.

EES do not result in a economic, efficient use of energy, since managing these services requires too many resources. In addition, primarily indirect EES are sold, with limited effects on energy efficiency. Apart from this, the few direct EES that are put into practice bring about high transaction costs meaning that society's costs for increasing energy efficiency exceed what is gained in terms of better performance. The comparative study of EES concerning the Swedish and the British market shows that it is likely that supply of EES on other deregulated markets will have similar consequences.


In scholarly documents, figures are mediums for communicating scientific findings to readers in a straightforward way. Automating the generation of figure captions helps authors write informative captions that make communicating scientific findings easier to understand. In this study, figure captioning is treated as a knowledge-enhanced cap-tioning task. To this end, we create SciCap+ by extending the large-scale SciCap dataset [1] with mention-paragraphs (paragraphs mentioning figures) and OCR tokens. Experimental results show that the mentions-paragraphs, as additional contextual knowledge, significantly improve the caption generation quality compared to the figure-only base-line. Datasets and models will be publicly released.


The influence of paradoxical sleep deprivation on sorption of bromphenol blue, bromcresol green and bromthymol blue by rat's brain synaptosomes was studied. Effect of sleep disturbance (increase in the number of dye bindings) was shown to augment with the increase in hydrophobicity of the sulfophtaleinic dye.


In the past decades, new technologies were introduced and adopted in the e-learning environment to facilitate the learning process. It is commonly acknowledged that emotions are significant factor in gaining cognition which influences information processing, memory and performance. Up until now, affective computing and computer vision are hot research topics in the industries and especially in the field of education. This paper presents the level of performances for two group of students at the same class enrolled in programming course. A Video Tutoring System with Facial Expression Recognition (VTSFER) was developed as teaching tool to facilitate instructions in programming course. The system is intelligent enough to identify emotions through face recognition and was used by BSIT 3rd year students. The students was group into two in which second half of students utilized the VTSFER. An assessment was conducted and determined the level of performances to both group of students. A statistical tool t-test was used to determine the significant difference. The t-value showed a highly significant with a value of 2.1827 and a probability of 0.0382. The result presented that the second half of the students gain more knowledge in using the video tutoring system with facial expression recognition compare to the first half of students who uses a traditional video tutorial. With the intervention of face expression recognition embedded in video tutorial, students were engaged and gained more knowledge in learning.


The issue of robust orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar waveform design is investigated here with target uncertainty to enhance the worst-case space-time adaptive processing (STAP) detection performance of MIMO–OFDM radar. Based on the max–min method, the robust waveform optimisation problem is constructed under the criterion of maximising the worst-case output SINR, namely, signal–interference–noise ratio, with constraints of constant modulus and target estimation errors to enhance the robustness of STAP's detection performance to target uncertainty. To handle the obtained non-linear and complicated issue, an approach based on diagonal loading (DL) is presented. By employing DL method, the optimisation issue can be relaxed to semidefinite programming one, and thus it can be tackled very efficiently. When compared with uncorrelated signals, the state-of-the-art robust and non-robust waveform design methods for MIMO–STAP, numerical simulations reveal that the developed approach can enhance the robustness of the detection performance of STAP significantly.


Low-density foam targets for laser induced shock wave propagation experiments were produced via laser direct writing from polymeric materials. These targets were designed with dimensions of 2.0X0.25X0.3mm with a density of 100mg/cm3 and included a fully polymerized ablation layer, 15μm thick, written contiguously with the low density material in a single fabrication step. We developed a unique protocol in order to assist in the release and harvest of the foam targets from the glass substrate on which they were fabricated. The fabrication process, as well as the assembly and handling of these delicate brittle samples is described in this paper, demonstrating the flexibility, versatility and efficiency of two photon polymerization as fabrication technique that may complement conventional approaches for low density materials fabrication. An ongoing research effort is being conducted in order to reduce to the minimum the content of stitching defects between the target's building blocks.


Thus far we have focused on how a theory of enthymemes and topoi contributes to semantic and pragmatic interpretation of dialogue. In this chapter we will focus more on how agents engaged in conversation produce dialogue contributions drawing on topoi which they themselves have access to, as well as other dialogue participants' capacity to identify enthymemes and underpinning topoi. First, we will consider the link between enthymemes and cognitive load. We will discuss the notion of redundancy in dialogue in the context of Walker's (1996) research on so called information redundant utterances (irus), and how we perceive these utterances as serving to add new information to a discourse situation by pointing to specific topoi. We will discuss how enthymematic arguments are embedded in conversational games associated with speech act types such as assertion, suggestion, request, etc. We will also consider how we can model the invention of enthymematic arguments, as well as how an enthymematic relation may be accommodated based on accessible topoi.


In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method, a device and a computer-readable recording medium of the non-temporality it is provided to support the relay broadcasting using a mobile device. According to the invention, by distributing the operation load it takes to produce a relay broadcast content into a plurality of the photographer device to reduce the operation burden on the intermediary device, and as a result, able to expand the range of the photographer device capable of participating in a relay broadcast the effect is achieved.


Ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymers exhibit diverse degradation behaviour under the influence of heat and light. This paper briefly reviews some aspects of thermal- and photo-degradation and stabilization of EP copolymers. The chemical and mechanistic aspects of degradation are emphasized. This understanding is especially critical in multiphase polymers such as high-impact heterophasic copolymers, thermoplastic elastomers and blends. Aspects of stabilization relevant to EP copolymers, with special reference to hindered-amine light stabilizers, are discussed.


In a rapidly changing global environment the skills and quality required in the future, at least from an international perspective, should not only apply to specific countries and regions but the world over. Many of the challenges faced by different societies are common across the world
 – including human rights, global warming and climate change, and the increasing gap between rich and poor. It is for this reason that educational practices which cultivate people with the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to solve such issues should be developed and employed in
 countries around the world. Associate Professor Yoshio Hashimoto has embarked on a project that seeks to develop a region-based learning model. Based within the Faculty of Child Education at Kyoto Bunkyo University in Japan, Hashimoto leads a team working to enable school children to develop
 self-awareness as a member of the local community and to foster an independent, collaborative and practical attitude.


Inter-component communication (ICC) serves as a key element of any Android app's implementation. Specifically, an Android app uses Intents as the main mechanism for ICC to complete tasks such as switching between different user interfaces, starting background services, communicating to other apps on the Android device, and saving or retrieving data from device storage. Thus, dissecting how an app uses ICCs to accomplish its tasks is fundamental to understanding the app's underlying behaviors. Existing works on Android ICCs focus on resolving Intents and/or mapping ICCs for security analysis purposes. While the ICC analysis result is potentially informative, it is difficult to digest on its own and has not been utilized for app/ICC comprehension. Also, the result is based on static analysis thus does not inform of run-time app behaviors due to ICCs. We propose the first approach to dissecting Android ICCs via interactive, dynamic visualizations empowered by static and dynamic ICC analysis combined. Through multiple semantically linked views and in-situ interaction features, our approach enables real-time visual explorations of ICCs as they are triggered by user inputs to the app under analysis. It conveys rich ICC information while managing limited visual space through various visualization design strategies. Our case studies with a number of most commonly used apps have showed promising merits of the approach for both deep ICC comprehension and security vulnerability inspection, as well as practical scalability. Our tool prototype of the approach has enabled quick revelation of inefficient, intrusive, and malicious behaviors in several popular apps that were normally hidden to users.


This paper proposes a moving target defense (MTD) mechanism in order to protect smart microgrids by decreasing the vulnerability of such systems against false data injection (FDI) cyberattacks. By utilizing the proposed MTD, cyberattackers targeting voltage/current sensors in smart microgrids are limited in their success. The first step of the proposed mechanism involves making multiple copies of the relevant signals (e.g., voltage, current, etc.). The optimal number of copies is obtained by taking into account the number of available sensors and the dynamics of the physical system. Afterwards, only a small number of copies are randomly selected for transmission of their content (i.e., sensor readings). As a final step, the transmitted signals are compared to reference values generated by a recurrent neural network (RNN) in order to verify their validity. The proposed framework is experimentally validated on a lab-scale microgrid, developed in Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA, that contains photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines, storage systems, inverters, etc. The entire case study is set up as a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed utilizing OP4510 real-time digital simulator to handle the experiments.


The development of indoor molds is mainly connected to the room conditions, like air humidity, temperature or pH. The sanitary rooms, usually with elevated dampness, are a good environment for fungal growth and should be monitored for fungal concentration due to the risk of an elevated exposure to fungal allergens and mycotoxins. In the present work the diversity and the concentrations of fungal pollutants in the dormitory bathroom of Polish University was evaluated for both the ceiling and the air. The results showed that Cladosporium cladosporoides was the only species found on the dark stains on the ceiling, but in the air the variety of fungi was higher, with a total of 6 species: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, C. cladosporioides, Fusarium poae, Penicillium chrysogenum and Rhizopus nigricans. The increased concentration of A. niger and C. cladosporoides in the air suggests further control of the air pollution in order to avoid excessive exposure to mycotoxins and allergens. Moreover, the concentration of airborne fungi inside the facility exceeded some standards of fungal air contamination stated as dangerous for human health. Our study allows for unambiguously identifying isolated fungi and develop recommendations, to prevent the present outbreak of fungi as well as in the future.


Prior exposure to inescapable shock has been reported to interfere with choice-escape learning, but several investigators have failed to obtain this effect. A series of five experiments examined the conditions under which choice-escape learning in an automated Y-maze is impaired by pretreatment with inescapable shock. Inescapably shocked rats made more errors and responded more slowly than did controls only when shock termination was delayed and task-irrelevant cues were present during choice-escape training. These findings are discussed in terms of information processing and neurochemical consequences of exposure to inescapable shock.


Abstract As energy efficiency is one of the prominent issues in the today's era. Reversible computing may serve as a critical step toward this paramount issue. Optical reversible computing is one of the tactics to serve this aspiration. In this paper, an optical reversible hybrid adder-subtractor device delineated with the help of electro-optic effect inside lithium-niobate based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for WDM applications. The proposed device in this work is combinational circuits and can be used as an adder as well as subtractor in advance applications. The perception is established with the help of simulation results of beam propagation method (BPM) and mathematically proven with MATLAB simulation results.


This article presents a historical investigation into the foreign policy messages of the British Union of Fascists' (BUF) publicity and propaganda from its foundation in 1932 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, along with a discussion of the methods and institutional arrangements used to propagate its ideas of peace, empire and transnational co-operation.,The historical investigation is based upon scrutiny of original BUF documents relating to the period 1932–1939 from various archives. After cataloguing of the relevant publicity and propaganda materials in time sequence and thematically, analysis was organised using a historical institutionalism approach.,The article explains the different phases of the BUF's message development and how publications, meetings and media were used to project its ideas. It also discussed the impact of support from Viscount Rothermere's newspapers and financial support from Benito Mussolini. Consideration of publicity materials alongside files from BUF headquarters enabled identification and investigation into the communicative actors who did the publicity work, including Director of Publicity, John Beckett.,The article reflects upon how the British Union of Fascists' publicity and propaganda relates to modern manifestations of the communication of authoritarian and nationalistic political propositions and the historical continuities that endure therein.,The project makes an original contribution to the history of British political propaganda and public relations through an inquiry based upon scrutiny of historical documents in UK archives relating to BUF publicity related to foreign policy.


Brought to by Nebraska corn producers through their corn checkoff dollars— expanding demand for Nebraska corn and value-added corn products. Corn milling co-products are expected to increase dramatically in supply as the ethanol industry expands. Distillers grains, corn gluten feed, or a combination of both co-products offer many feeding options when included in pasture and feedlot diets.These co-product feeds may effectively improve cattle performance and operation profitability.When these co-products are fed in feedlot diets, adjustments to grain processing method and roughage level may improve cattle performance. Innovative storage methods for wet co-products and the use of dried co-products offer small operations flexibility when utilizing co-products.As new co-products are developed by ethanol plants, they should be evaluated with performance data to determine their product-specific feeding values.


Thank you very much for downloading contemporary marketing and consumer behavior an anthropological sourcebook. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their chosen novels like this contemporary marketing and consumer behavior an anthropological sourcebook, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful virus inside their laptop.


There is provided a system and method for displaying an image of the tool track on a user interface, wherein at least a portion of the tool is obscured from view from which the image on the user interface at some point during the process. Tool may include a cutting tool comprising a knife for cutting the juice and the clamped material for clamping the material, and self-overlap display of the knife placed on the display and / or later during cutting. Knife position may comprise a position and / or orientation of the knife, a one or all of the cut before cutting is completed, not completed, and cutting the exposed position. Systems and methods are disclosed and allow the knife to users in applications where you can see the knife that is not visible to the user, which is particularly useful for clamping and cutting the body tissue in a minimally invasive robotic surgery system in the process.


Luminescence of Ga02A103As, highly doped with Si as an amphoteric impurity, was excited by an electron beam at liquid
nitrogen temperature. Two luminescence bands with photon energies of about 1 .8 eV and 2. 1 eV are observed, showing
peculiar intensity behavior when the external excitation current is switched between a high and a low value. While the highenergy
luminescence band shows a common intensity dependence proportional to the exciting current, the low-energy
luminescence band intensity diminishes when the beam current is increased. Such an opposite run of the cathodolurninescence
intensity at preselected spectral lines just by incrementing or decrementmg the electron beam current implies optoelectronic
switching properties. A study is carried out in order to determine the physical nature of the recombination transitions, and the
process, which leads to the surprising intensity vs. excitation behavior. Experimental results are analyzed by using a set of rate
equations for a free-to-bound and a donor-acceptor pair transition, whereby an AUGER impact ionization process between two
occupied neighboring acceptors and a pair-forming donor is incorporated. Under the particular situation of highly doped and
almost compensated semiconductors, a bound state may happen at high excitation levels, which involves a close donoracceptor
pair and a neighboring second donor or acceptor. The de-excitation behavior of such a bound state resembles
characteristics know from AUGER transitions, where an electron and a hole recombine and donate the annihilation energy to a
third particle, either a hole or an electron. The consequence is quenching of the radiative recombmation efficiency of the first
transition, and under certain circumstances an increase of the recombination intensity of a second channel, which incorporates
the thus liberated third particle. Theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement.


In order to study the development status and existing problems of applying social force model for pedestrian travel,this paper systematically analyzes the relevant literatures,and the model's fundamentals,expression improvement,parameter values,feasibility and the reliability of simulated results.The research shows that the model can better reflect the phenome-non of pedestrian traffic in normal and evacuation situa-tions,the simulated results are consistent with the ob-served pedestrian flow,and has the better adaptability and authenticity,which can provide reference for the traffic facility design and pedestrian flow management.Finally,the paper summarizes the shortcomings and im-proved method of the model.


The cost estimation of a product's life cycle is a key factor in the product design process. The research is based on an innovative model of artificial neural networks (ANNs) compared to a parametric estimation. Introducing modern elements of information technologies in the area of cost estimation for a production company is a vital element of its sustainability in the era of Industry 4.0. The presented modern product life cycle cost estimation tool in the form of ANN is a reliable source of forecast that is the basis for the product life cycle cost reduction program, which is a crucial element of sustainability. Research shows that ANNs are a viable alternative to parametric cost estimation. The percentage error between estimated and historical cost values is 8.05 times lower for ANN than for the parametric approach. ANN is an adequate cost estimation model for technologically complex products. The second contribution is using technical specifications required by the customer directly to estimate the cost of a product's life cycle automatically. This can translate both into a reduction of the time needed to provide information to the client and the workload of engineers.


The constant enrichment of the practical characteristics,theoretical characteristics,national characteristics and contemporary characteristics of socialism with Chinese characteristics,is the inherent and essential demand for adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics under the new historical conditions,as well as the source of power for the promotion of successful development of the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.The key elements for enriching the "four characteristics" of socialism with Chinese characteristics lie in the following aspects:focusing on advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the practice of reform and opening up so as to enrich the practical characteristics;focusing on building the ruling party's theoretical consciousness so as to enrich the theoretical characteristics;focusing on building the unique choices for China's modernization pathway so as to enrich the national characteristics;focusing on responding to the challenges from a number of major current issues so as to enrich the contemporary characteristics.


The role of the textbooks in gender socialization provided the impetus to find out if grade one textbooks used in Philippine public schools contribute to promote gender equality, which are included in the Sustainable Development Goals (UNO, 2016),i.e. goal 4–ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, and goal 5– achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender Analysis in Textbooks laid the framework of analysis to investigate the portrayals of both sexes based on Kabira and Masinjila's(1997) productive role, reproductive role, and community role, and to assess stereo typical portrayals of gender roles as form of hidden curriculum. Ten (10) grade one textbooks were examined. Quantitative and qualitative measures of content analysis were used to gather the data. Percentage distribution was utilized to quantitatively analyze the data, while in-depth/critical analysis was used to examine qualitatively the stereo typical representations of sexes. Findings revealed that female images dominated reproductive functions; male illustrations were assigned to wide collections of productive and community roles, and gender stereotyping was manifested by frequent portrayals of traditional roles of both sexes. Gender bias is present in grade one textbooks as marked by the unequal representations of males and females in three categories of human activities, portraying males to more diverse roles requiring strength and heavy labor while illustrating females to limited activities similar to their reproductive functions.