Although important advancements have been achieved in the treatment of cancer, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, with an estimated 1.6 million deaths each year. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which makes up ~85% of lung cancer cases, is mainly treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapies, and targeted agents. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly mutated in NSCLC patients and leads to increased proliferation and cell survival. The standard-of-care treatment for patients harboring activating mutations in EGFR is treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), such as erlotinib. While tumors initially respond to TKIs, after 1-2 years most of the patients develop resistance. In ~60% of patients, TKI resistance is the results of a secondary mutation in EGFR, leading to sustained receptor activation. Whereas, in the remaining 20%, tumors turn on bypass tracks-signals to overcome inhibition of the EGFR pathway. However, in 15-20% of the cases the mechanisms underlying resistance are unknown. Hence, there is a need to identify additional mechanisms involved in TKIs resistance.
 Our laboratory performed a genome-wide CRISPR Cas9 knock-out screen to identify genes that when knocked-out would drive erlotinib resistance. Fold enrichment analysis of sgRNAs, identified the protein coding gene SUV420H2 as a top candidate. SUV420H2 is a histone methyltransferase that trimethylates H4K20 (H4K20me3), enabling the establishment of constitutive and facultative heterochromatin. The process by which SUV420H2 is reduced in tumors is unknown, yet data from human samples suggests that SUV420H2 is globally downregulated in NSCLC. Additionally, loss of H4K20me3, the modification made by SUV420H2, in preneoplasia influences prognosis of NSCLC, indicating that loss of SUV420H2 function is a crucial mechanism in carcinogenesis.
 SUV420H2 expression has historically been associated with generating constitutive heterochromatin. However, more recently SUV420H2 was found to silence euchromatin regions. Our recent data suggests that SUV420H2 leads to reduced transcription of the oncogene MET by silencing the oncogenic long non-coding RNA LINC01510 upstream of MET. These findings led us to hypothesize that loss of SUV420H2 leads to erlotinib resistance through to upregulation of oncogenes including MET. Moreover, we aim to identify genes that are dynamically regulated by SUV420H2 using chromatin immunoprecipitation in NSCLC cell lines to further understand SUV420H2-mediated gene regulation and its role in TKIs resistance.
 Citation Format: Alejandra Agredo, Arpita Pal, Nadia Lanman, Jihye Son, Andrea L. Kasinski. Loss of SUV420H2 drives EGFR inhibitor resistance in EGFR mutant NSCLC cell lines [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1104.


Underwater structures are not easy to check for the degree of damage or to repair and strengthen damaged regions. Even during repair and strengthening, quality control is very difficult, because the work is done under water. Moreover, underwater structures severely deteriorate, owing to special environmental conditions. If this deterioration continues, the structures face serious structural problems, because of the corrosion of steel rods and the loss of concrete sections. Repairing or strengthening underwater structures requires effective, economic underwater repair and reinforcement techniques that allow the same working conditions as on the ground while maintaining dry condition for the repair sections. However, systematic studies on the repair and strengthening techniques for underwater structures are insufficient. This study proposes a new repair method for underwater structures, which applies epoxy fiber panel forms and shear connectors. To demonstrate the repair effects, this study compared and evaluated the failure modes and repair effects by the surface condition of repair sections, by applying various repair methods, in consideration of the ground and underwater conditions.


The invention relates to compositions that may be used as catalysts for the preparation of polymers of carbon monoxide and at least one olefinically unsaturated organic compound. The invention also relates to a process using the catalyst compositions of the invention to prepare said polymers. The process comprises contacting the monomers in the presence of a catalyst obtained from the reaction of (a) a Group VIII metal compound with (b) a bidentate phosphorus, arsenic or antimony ligand, (c) a compound selected from the group consisting of non-noble transition metal salts having an anion of a non-hydrohalogenic acid with a pKa less than 6, and (d) a quinone.


The influences of additives LaCl 3 and Fe 2(SO 4) 3 in plating solution for electroless Ni-W-P deposition have been investigated as function of deposition rate, composition, structure and morphology of alloy formed. The results show that 1~10 mg/L LaCl 3 could accelerate deposition rate, whereas 20~100 mg/L LaCl 3 decrease deposition rate, reduce W content and diminish the grain size. Being different from LaCl 3, Fe 2(SO 4) 3 could increase deposition rate , reduce P content, and hardly affect the grain size. Energy Diffusion Specta (EDS) indicate LaCl 3 is not a consumptive additive, but Fe 2(SO 4) 3 is. Fe 2(SO 4) 3 raises deposition rate by forming catalytic centres, being deposited on the substrate surface.


Removal of neoplastic polyps is important for colorectal cancer prevention. The primary aim was to compare the complete resection rate of diminutive (≤ 5 mm) or small colorectal polyps (6–10 mm) using cold snare polypectomy (CSP) versus hot snare polypectomy (HSP).


This study was taken because some conventional refrigerators still contain refrigerant comprising CFC that can support the global warming. Moreover, the construction of the conventional refrigerators is still big and heavy so that the refrigerators are difficult to be brought for traveling. The power consumed is also still high.  Therefore, friendly and low power refrigerators must be invented. A refrigerator that can fulfil the criteria is thermoelectric refrigerator. However, this type of refrigerator has a low COP. This study presents the effect of mass flow rate on the cooler box performance to examine if there is an increase in the COP. The experiments used a thermoelectric module type TEC1-12706 with an overall size of 40 mm x 40 mm x 3.74 mm. The module was placed on the top side of the cooler box. The cooler box dimension was 24.5 cm x 20 cm x 28.5 cm. The data in the test were recorded using a DAQ MX 9714 NI data logger that was connected to a PC using the LabView program. The water mass flow rates used were varied; 5 g/s, 10 g / s, and 15 g/s and the electric power employed was 41,87 W. The results show that the higher mass flow rate used does not guaranty to increase the refrigerator performance. This is due to low ranges of the mass flow rates applied. Therefore, a further investigation needs to be conducted.


This descriptive scientific-phenomenological study set forth to discover what is like to survive a building collapse as a firefighter. The participants of the study were 3 uniformed and sworn professional firefighters performing interior operations at a commercial building structure fire. The 3 participants all become trapped and had to self-rescue as a result of a structural collapse. The data collected from the participant interviews was analyzed and transformed so as to form the structure of the study.


In recent years, a number of disruptive dielectric failures of unknown cause have occurred on grading capacitors installed on circuit-breakers switching shunt reactors. In an attempt to clarify the origin of these failures, the electrical stresses to which the grading capacitors are subjected in service have been studied. Following initial studies, attention was focused on the first parallel circuit, i.e., the circuit consisting of the grading capacitor and the associated interrupter. It is proposed that the observed failures can be explained by unequal voltage sharing under switching operations, where one interrupter of a pole prestrikes or reignites momentarily before the other interrupter(s) of the same pole. Simulations show that under worst-case conditions, the voltage across one grading capacitor of a pair may then approach a value of 1.5 times the source voltage in the case of a prestrike and three times the source voltage in the case of a reignition. These are substantial dielectric stresses as they correspond to three and six times the stationary voltage across the capacitor. Measurements of voltages and currents inside the first parallel circuit would be very helpful in a further investigation of these phenomena. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In the pull-based development model, the integrator has the crucial role of managing and integrating contributions. This work focuses on the role of the integrator and investigates working habits and challenges alike. We set up an exploratory qualitative study involving a large-scale survey of 749 integrators, to which we add quantitative data from the integrator's project. Our results provide insights into the factors they consider in their decision making process to accept or reject a contribution. Our key findings are that integrators struggle to maintain the quality of their projects and have difficulties with prioritizing contributions that are to be merged. Our insights have implications for practitioners who wish to use or improve their pull-based development process, as well as for researchers striving to understand the theoretical implications of the pull-based model in software development.


In high speed ADC, comparator influences the overall performance of ADC directly. This paper describes a very high speed and high resolution preamplifier comparator. The comparator use a self biased differential amp to increase the output current sinking and sourcing capability. The threshold and width of the new comparator can be reduced to the millivolt (mV) range, the resolution and the dynamic characteristics are good. Based on UMC 0.18um CMOS process model, simulated results show the comparator can work under a 25dB gain, 55MHz speed and 210.10µW power .


A new method of recording more precise direct diagrams of electrophoresis, diffusion and ultracentrifuge experiments by aid of a new phase-plate is described. This new method avoids the disadvantages of the line diagram (disturbances by diffraction effects), of the wire diagram and of the ordinary phase-plate diagram (partially blurred lines), writing a clear and sharp black line throughout on a bright background.


Early modern Illyrism might be described as a discursive product of the South Slavic branch of the Humanist res publica litteraria, which was during the 17th century intensively engaged in the symbolic constructing of Illyrian (trans)national identity. Intertextually and interdiscursively intertwined with the German Teutonism and Polish Sarmatism, early modern Illyrism represents both a discursive configuration of identity and a form of the symbolic political practice marked by high performative effects. As ideological product of the early modern absolutist political thinking, Illyrism can be interpreted as an utopian political platform aimed at constituting a supraregional state, culturally, ethnically and confessionally unified and homogenous, which was modelled on and legimized by the political tradition of the ancient Roman Empire. In order to express that link both semantically and symbolically, as well as to designate potential territorial scope of the new Empire which would rise from the ruins of the Ottoman one, ancient Roman administrative term Illyricum was discursively reactivated. At the time of its greatest magnitude the Roman province of Illyricum encompassed 17 smaller provinces, i.e. a whole range of territories from today's Slovenia to the Aegean islands. Within the topological scheme of the early modern Illyrian discourse, a prominent status enjoyed a topos of "Illyrian rulers". In the core of this topos is a fictive institutional tradition of "Illyrian Empire", which begins with the so-called Illyrian Emperors (whose number oscillates between 25 and 60 in various "Illyrian" works). They once ruled Roman and Byzantine Empire and originated from the "Illyrian soil" (e.g. Diocletian, Constantine I). Besides endowing the national collectivity with respective political dignity, the main function of this discursively constructed translatio imperii is to attract contemporary political powers (e.g. Italian princes and Habsburg rulers) to liberate the people "who groan under the Turkish yoke" and as "legitimate successors of Illyrian rulers" revive once potent and glorious Illyricum Imperium.


Measurement with local needle probes is a well-established method for the investigation of multiphase flows. Different measuring techniques have been employed for the needle probes in the past. The most known techniques are based on: conductivity, capacitance, optical and/or temperature measurements [1-3]. Based on the detection of single phases, these probes can provide information about void fraction, bubble size, frequency, and velocity, among others. The existing needle probe systems have limitations regarding the range of substances they are able to measure, the environmental conditions they can be applied to as well as their time resolution [3,4]. In this paper we describe two new developed needle probe sensors, which will enhance their application field. On one hand we present the further development of ultra-fast thermo needle probes for the phase-resolved temperature measurement aiming at the investigation of interfacial areas in the multiphase flow. On the other hand we introduce a new complex admittance needle probe, which is able to measure either conducting or nonconducting fluids, thus enabling the investigation of multiphase flow problems (e. g. threephase flow of oil, water and gas in the oil extraction).


Youmma Chlala (United States/Lebanon), Anasuya Sengupta (India) and Nyambura Ngugi (Kenya) spoke to Shamillah Wilson (South Africa) about their own relationship to activism, and some of the tensions they have been grappling with in an attempt to juxtapose the way the 'now' and the 'future' of the women's movement is seen.


Aiming at the problem that traditional 2D Otsu algorithm is poor in image segmentation with serious noise pollution, a new image segmentation method based on the combination of median filter and 2-D Otsu is proposed. By using the switching median filter to the noise image anti-noise, and then use the two-dimensional Otsu to image segmentation to improve the segmentation effect. The experimental results show that the new method has a good segmentation effect on the gray image with high noise, and the advantage of this algorithm is more obvious when the noise is stronger.


We have designed a cubic spline wavelet-like decomposition for the Sobolev space H 0 (I) where I is a bounded interval. Based on a special "Point Value Vanishing" property of the wavelet basis functions, a fast Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is constructed. This DWT will map discrete samples of a function to its wavelet expansion coefficients in at most 7N log N operations. Using this transform, we propose a collocation method for the initial boundary value problem of nonlinear PDE's. Then, we test the efficiency of the DWT and apply the collocation method to solve linear and nonlinear PDE's.


Objectives: this work was under taken to evaluate the influence of dietary supplementation of ginger, garlic and their combination on quail meat through assessment of its contamination with fungi and its toxins and its effect on human. Methods: We obtained 110, Japanese quail chicks of one day old were included in this study, they were further subdivided into four groups (n = 25/group): Control group was free from any dietary additions and the other three treated groups with ginger, mixed and garlic supplements, respectively for 45 days. After scarifying, skin swab specimens were assembled from quail breast and thigh muscles. Results: revealed that breast and thigh muscles in garlic treated group have the lowest counts of total mold and yeast than those of the others. Notably, control group represented the highest incidence in mold and yeast contamination as compared to that of the others. The isolated mold species were Aspergillus spp. Mucor , Penicillium spp. , Fusarium spp. , Rhizopus , Alternaria and Cladosporium spp. . The isolated Aspergillus strains were A. flavus , A. fumigatus and A. niger Conclusions and potential relevance: It could be concluded that this research established the significance of the dietary addition of ginger, garlic and their combination as antifungal agents in the quail meal whereas, the garlic was the superior supplement for an obvious and considerable decreasing of yeast and mold loads in quails meat.


Carumonam is a newer monobactam antibiotics which possesses a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against Gram negative organism. In this study, we evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Carumonam in patient with infection due to multi- drug resistan


The library of Tallinn Health Care College is a professional library, which collects, maintains, and makes the health care literature and databases available for users. Major changes in the world have brought new services to the library of Tallinn Health Care College, as well as to all other libraries. The situation has made librarians think about the ways to further support teaching and research in the College. In addition, the requirements of the College present challenges for librarians resulting in us to step out of the frames and test ourselves in a new role.


ION Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) enable new applications and require nonconventional paradigms for protocol design due to several constraints. Owing to the requirement for low device complexity together with low energy consumption (i.e., long network lifetime), a proper balance between communication and signal/data processing Capabilities must be found. This motivates a huge effort in research activities, standardization process, and industrial investments on this field since the last decade. This survey paper aims at reporting an overview of WSNs technologies, main applications and standards, features in WSNs design, and evolutions. In particular, some peculiar applications, such as those based on environmental monitoring, are discussed and design strategies highlighted; a case study based on a real implementation is also reported


Using combined cooling, heat and power systems can be an appropriate substitute for preventing emissions of pollutants and excessive consumption of fossil fuels. Utilizing renewable energy in these systems as a source of power generation can be an appropriate substitute for fossil-fuel-based systems. Therefore, in this paper, cogeneration cooling, heat and power systems based on gas-fired internal combustion engines with a solar-thermal system with evacuated tube collectors have been modelled and thermo-economic analysis has been done to compare fossil-fuel-based systems. The required rate of heat to supply the hot water is 50 kW. In the studied system, the internal combustion engine produces electrical energy. Then, the solar-thermal system with evacuated tube collectors and the gas-burning generator provide the thermal energy required by the studied building and the primary stimulus of the absorption chiller for cooling. In this study, two different scenarios are conducted in states considering simultaneous production systems and regardless of this environmental and thermo-economic analysis system. The results showed that the efficiency of the studied system was 60% in summer and 56% in winter.


Abstract : Soviet indoctrination is undertaken to create communistic morality as defined by the Soviet Communist Party. Youth indoctrination is critical. Attitudes instilled at an early age are practiced more naturally than ones imposed in adulthood. The generally consistent line, influenced by various cultural and ideological factors, is one of militaristic patriotism. Effects of such a long-term theme are difficult to reverse quickly. Indeed, the growth of Soviet global strength combines uncomfortably with such indoctrination. Any future modification of Party dominance may prove to be of less moment than the Party's legacy. However, human demands and weaknesses frustrate indoctrination program goals.


Novel antenna element and array designs with very small space occupation for low-profile mobile applications are presented. The proposed antennas can be integrated at the contour of mobile devices. The antennas operate in two frequency bands around 2.4 and 5.5 GHz, corresponding to the common wireless local area network (WLAN) bands. By utilizing multiple resonance structures, the bandwidth in the lower frequency band reaches up to 200 MHz. Therefore, the long-term evolution (LTE) frequency band at 2.3 GHz is also supported. A two-element contour-integrated compact antenna array for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems with good MIMO performance is realized by implementing appropriate decoupling strategies. All proposed antennas are manufactured and measured. Compared to conventional design approaches, the proposed approach is advantageous in several respects, e.g., the radiation elements occupy much less space and its operation is independent from the shape of the chassis. The design approach is applicable for all ultra-thin devices with conducting contours.


Thermochemical Storage (TCS) of solar energy exploits the heat effects of reversible chemical reactions. Solar heat produced during on-sun operation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants is used to power an endothermic chemical reaction; if this reaction is completely reversible the thermal energy can be entirely recovered by the reverse reaction during off-sun operation. Among such possible reversible gas-solid chemical reactions, the utilization of a pair of reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions of solid oxides of multivalent metals can be directly coupled to CSP plants employing air as the heat transfer fluid.
The concept of employing for this application ceramic foam structures made partially or entirely from the redox oxide materials has been set forth and implemented. The proposed concept combines the demonstrated capabilities of oxide redox pair materials for thermochemical cycling with the inherent heat transfer characteristics of foam structures and promotes them one step further to the development of an integrated receiver/reactor/heat exchanger configuration with enhanced heat storage characteristics. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis experiments demonstrated that the redox pair of cobalt oxides Co3O4/CoO can operate in a completely reversible, cyclic redox mode within the temperature range 800-1000oC. In this respect at first Co3O4-coated ceramic foams were prepared and subsequently, promoting this idea one step further, the manufacture of ceramic foams entirely from Co3O4 was attempted successfully. Both Co3O4-coated, as well as foams made entirely of Co3O4 demonstrated cyclic, long-term redox operation, exploiting the entire amount of Co3O4 employed. However, such structures are subjected to "chemically"-induced stresses due to the expansion-contraction of the cobalt oxide lattice during oxygen release/uptake. Design issues concern optimizing their structure and density to maximize redox performance maintaining simultaneously their structural integrity. The results are used for the manufacture of such pilot-scale foam-based reactors/heat exchangers for testing on a solar simulator facility.


ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that climate ethics must basically be risk ethics. But risk ethics is still an underdeveloped field of normative ethics. For example, rights-based ethical theories, the attractive features of which are outlined in this article, tend to prohibit all risk impositions. Such inability of rights-based theories to deal convincingly with risks could be a reason why the standard approach of climate economics, which as I try to show is based on questionable normative presuppositions, is still as influential as it is. I propose a solution to the problems rights-based moral theories have with risks and outline the basic criteria of permissible and impermissible risk impositions. Finally, I indicate that this will enable us to tackle climate risks in a promising way. The main aim of the article, however, is not to contribute to concrete questions of climate ethics but to the improvement of its normative foundations.


We define a new kind of cone quasiconvex set-valued mapping.Cone quasicon- vexities of set-valued mapping with cone semicontinuity and cone external upper semicon- tinuity are obtained by using generalized minkowski function.


A supramolecular ionic assembly comprised of an anionic oligo(phenylene ethynylene) and anilinium cations provides a unique reaction medium in which anilinum cations are concentrated and aligned. The oxidative polymerization (see figure) of aniline using the supramolecular ionic assembly (gray) yielded polyaniline (green/blue) with a number-average molar mass of 20,500 and polydispersity of 1.3.


In this paper we study a vector majorization ordering for comparing two m -tuples of vectors of a real linear space. This extends the classical approach of (scalar) majorization theory for comparing m -tuples of scalars in R . We prove a Sherman type inequality for a vectorvalued C -convex function f , where C is a cone ordering. In consequence, we obtain a Hardy-Littlewood-Pólya-Karamata type inequality generated by m -tuples of vectors in a vector space. As applications, we present majorization generalizations of the superadditivity properties of the Jensen and Jensen-Mercer functionals generated by a convex function f . In addition, we show that some sums generated by the Jensen and Jensen-Mercer functionals are Schur-concave with respect to their weight vectors. We also give interpretations of the obtained results for tridiagonal doubly stochastic matrices and doubly stochastic circular matrices. Mathematics subject classification (2010): 52A40, 06F20, 26B25, 15A39.


The excavation of the remains of Wu culture such as the stone - chambered tumulus tombs, pottery with geometry designs and Wu bronze vessels in Lianyungang provided important data for the study on the relation between Wu and other stations.


This paper describes an approach for half-duplex cooperative transmission in a classical three-node relay channel. Assuming availability of channel state information at nodes, the approach makes use of this information to optimize distinct flows through the direct link from the source to the destination and the path via the relay, respectively. It is shown that such a design can effectively harness diversity advantage of the relay channel in both high-rate and low-rate scenarios. When the rate requirement is low, the proposed design gives a second-order outage diversity performance approaching that of full-duplex relaying. When the rate requirement becomes asymptotically large, the design still gives a close-to-second-order outage diversity performance. The design also achieves the best diversity-multiplexing tradeoff possible for the relay channel. With optimal long-term power control over the fading relay channel, the proposed design achieves a delay-limited rate performance that is only 3.0dB (5.4dB) worse than the capacity performance of the additive white Gaussian channel in low- (high-) rate scenarios.


The responses of female Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) to a variety of stimuli were studied using an olfactometer bioassay. Mosquitoes responded significantly to convection currents produced by a human hand. The addition of water vapour to convection currents enhanced significantly the mosquitoes' response. Lactic acid, either alone or in combination with water vapour or/and convection currents however, did not increase the response level. Sweat extract elicited higher response than convection currents, water vapour and lactic acid. Human hands elicited significantly higher responses than any other stimuli. The presence of active chemicals other than lactic acid in human odour extract is discussed.


ABSTRACT Brazil's Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity hotspot. Efforts to restore the forest must address the tradeoffs facing family farmers. In this paper, we combine literature review and empirical analysis to evaluate the ways in which an agroecological practice – Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) – can contribute to sustainable intensification in southern Brazil. Our results show that farmers adopting MIG obtained, in general, better economic and environmental performance, but did not completely renounce the use of external inputs. Forest cover appears to have increased since the promotion of MIG and agroecology in the region and pasture area decreased, therefore, benefiting forest conservation.


In a tele-operation system with communication delay, the contact with an object on the slave side is transmitted to the master side with a delay Hence, an operator may misunderstand that the slave has not yet contacted an object and adds more force. In the end, the slave may put excessive force that collapses the object. This paper proposes a model predictive control with a variable dumping method to avoid collision on the contact in a tele-operation system with time delay. The prediction method considers the distance to the object on the slave side, and the variable dumping is implemented on the master side. The proposed method is evaluated through numerical simulations and experiments.


The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture provides a particularly complex pattern of multidimensionalnegative side-effects, ranging from food safety related effects to the deterioratian of farmland ecosystems.The assessment of the economic implications of such negative processes is fraught with many uncertainties.This paper presents results of an empirical study recently conducted in the North of Italy aimed at estimatingthe value of reducing the multiple impacts of pesticide use. A statistical technique known as conjoint choiceexperiment is used here in combination with contingent valuation techniques. The experimental design ofchoice modelling provides a natural tool to attach a monetary value to negative environmental effectsassociated with agrochemicals use, In particular, the paper addresses the reduction of farmland biodiversity,groundwater contamination and human intoxicatian. The resulting estimates show that, on average,respondents are prone to accept substantial willingness to pay premia for agricultural goods (in particular,foodstuff) produced in environmentally benign ways.


The rising number of African Americans and Hispanics turning away from higher education is creating a problem that threatens many aspects of American society. Educators can help reverse this destructive trend by creating New Media based curricula that addresses the motivational factors impeding the academic success of these students. The recent advances in personal computing, as well as the rise of the Internet and global networks offer educators an unprecedented opportunity to reengage and motivate many of these students by teaching them to develop digital content that is technically advanced, economically viable, and which stays true to their core values. This new approach, which makes use of interactive technology, can bridge the gap and make it possible for many disenfranchised African American and Hispanic students to view academia in a more positive light.
The rising number of African Americans and Hispanics turning away from college and higher education is creating a problem that threatens many aspects of American society. It has been shown that increasing numbers of these students, many without sufficient economic and socio-political influence, can lead to increased levels of poverty, criminal behavior, incarceration (James, 2004), and greater family instability. However at the same time that some of these "at risk" students are turning away from higher education, new media centric areas of our economy and popular culture are experiencing incredible growth with this same demographic (Smith, 2010).


Discrete functional limit theorems, which give independent process approximations for the joint distribution of the component structure of combinatorial objects such as permutations and mappings, have recently become available. In this article, we demonstrate the power of these theorems to provide elementary proofs of a variety of new and old limit theorems, including results previously proved by complicated analytical methods. Among the examples we treat are Brownian motion limit theorems for the cycle counts of a random permutation or the component counts of a random mapping, a Poisson limit law for the core of a random mapping, a generalization of the Erdos-Turin Law for the log-order of a random permutation and the smallest component size of a random permutation, approximations to the joint laws of the smallest cycle sizes of a random mapping, and a limit distribution for the difference between the total number of cycles and the number of distinct cycle sizes in a random permutation. @ 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Within the field of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures and more specifically, at the design of non-flexural elements such as corbels, nibs, and deep beams, the rational procedure of conception and justification referred as Strut-and-Tie Method (STM) has shown some advantages over classical algorithms of reinforcement computation based on FE analysis (eg. Wood-Armer or Capra-Maury).The STM remains a suitable alternative for the design of concrete structures presenting either elastic or plastic behaviour whose application framework is well defined in concrete structures' design codes like the EuroCodes and the AASHTO-LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.Nevertheless, this method has the main inconvenient of requiring a high amount of resources investment in terms of highly experienced personal or in terms of computational capacity for, respectively, its manual application or an automatic approach through topology optimisation.The document proposes a light alternative, in terms of required iterations, to the automation of the STM, which starts from the statement that the resultant struts and ties of a suitable ST model can be distributed according to the direction of the principal stresses, $sigma_{III}$ and $sigma_{I}$ , obtained from a planar or a three-dimensional FE model


The poetic image, thanks to this new reality that it represents, allows the reader to see differently, to see other things that the word hides, and in this difference, the image imposes a wider recognition and representation of the world, demanding an availability and an opening that are ultimately shared by the poet and his/her reader. In this case, starting from the text "Departure of the daring navigator", found in First Stories, by Guimaraes Rosa, it is expected to verify the different forms of poetic representation in the fictional narrative of Rosa, observing, for that, the literary and discursive elements and structures. Some lines of force, that make Rosa's text an experience of prose and poetry, are expected to be drawn with the bibliographical contribution of renowned reviewers and theorists.


In this paper, we present a design method of cam outline for floating cam. It is based on the kinematic analysis of the die mechanism of TPA140 powder press, a mechanical automatic press produced by DORST Company of Germany.


This paper reviews PRN code generation methods. Generated codes are used as ranging codes in the existing GNSSs. These codes are used to improve the accuracy of the ranging measurements. We present the structure of the universal code generator which can be used in the satellite navigation systems: NAVSTAR GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou. This generator provides the ability to generate ranging codes for almost 70% of all open navigation signals. Universal generator was implemented as a SystemVerilog module as part of the navigation receiver software. Using the receiver including this module, we have successfully received navigation signals that use different PRN codes. We also compared hardware resource utilization by universal generator and by GPS C/A ranging code generator. This analysis showed that the universal generator module uses less than 4 times more FPGA resources than the special GPS C/A generator module. However, the resource utilization of the correlator channel increases by only 5 percent.


We examined the potential direct and indirect host-mediated effect of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on the developmental aspects of parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor, parasitizing Corcyra cephalonica, in a Lepidoptera-parasitoid system. Bt variously affected parasitoid developmental stages based on the treatments but none stopped development. Fecundity and progeny sex ratio was significantly lowered by host-mediated Bt exposure but direct Bt ingestion affected only the latter. Bt did not affect incubation and pupal period but the larval period and total lifecycle was prolonged by host-mediated acute Bt exposure and direct Bt ingestion. Host reared in Bt diet shortened larval period and total lifecycle. Female longevity was significantly enhanced by Bt, on host reared in Bt diet, conversely, male longevity was reduced by hostmediated Bt exposure and slightly enhanced by direct Bt ingestion. Except for larval period the development rates were unaffected. Although these aspects highlight the interaction between Bt toxins and Lepidopteraparasitoid system, it certainly does not undermine the strategy of their combined use, especially as revealed by host reared in low sublethal Bt dose. The study will help to evaluate and formulate appropriate strategies for combined control and offer new avenues for the effective management of stored product pests, like C.


A patient with a strong serum inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis, a possible chemotactic factor inactivator and hyperimmunoglobulinaemia E is described. The patient had a persistent chronic dermatitis which appeared to develop following radiation of the central nervous system for an unclassified lymphoma. Other abnormalities included a general increase of serum immunoglobulins, impaired lymphocyte response to mitogens, and a high Epstein‐Barr antibody titre. This case illustrates that an increased IgE level, previously reported in association with a cellular chemotactic defect, may coexist with serum inhibitors of neutrophil chemotaxis.


This study was to compare the replication capacity of pneumococcal isolates (serotypes 1, 7F, 19F and 23F) with their adherence pattern to monolayer cells (A549). For standardization purposes, all isolates showed a normal growth curve in both bacteriological (THB + 0.5% yeast extract with and without 2% FBS) and cell culture media (RPMI + 2% FBS). In the former media, a shorter lag phase was observed for isolate serotypes 1 and 7F in presence of serum while in the later; growth yield was lower for all isolates with stationary phase approaching OD600 of 0.01 as compared to 1.0 in bacteriological media. In the replicative analysis at different growth phases of the isolates in cell culture media, growth capacity at 3 h post-incubation was frequently twice as that at 1 h, and that at early-log phase was frequently higher than that at mid-log phase at both post-incubation times. Adherence was frequently the least at early-log phase although the isolates were in the most active state of replication to increase the number of pneumococcal cells to adhere. At mid- and late-log phases, pneumococcal adherence was frequently higher although the replication was reduced. This study marks the potential correlation between pneumococcal growth fitness and adherence capacity whereby the later may not be superior during the early growth phase.


This paper proposes a new construction of rate-adaptive coding schemes based on Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes for Slepian Wolf source coding. Unlike standard rate-adaptive source coding schemes, the code construction we propose is based on finite-length code design tools that permit to greatly improve the decoding performance at short to moderate length. In particular, our method permits to limit the number of short cycles in the codes at all rates of interest, and to avoid eliminating some source bits from the code constraints. The proposed method shows a performance improvement of up to an order of magnitude at almost all the considered rates compared to the standard LDPCA construction.


Gibbs random fields play an important role in statistics. However, they are complicated to work with due to an intractability of the likelihood function and there has been much work devoted to finding computational algorithms to allow Bayesian inference to be conducted for such so-called doubly intractable distributions. This article extends this work and addresses the issue of estimating the evidence and Bayes factor for such models. The approach that we develop is shown to yield good performance. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


The CANIS customer receives cables from sites world--wide, indexes the entities mentioned in these cables and stores that information for access by analysts at a later date. The CANIS customer indexes large quantities of information mostly manually, and wishes to reduce the human resources applied to this task.


The invention proposes an attached outdoor article comprising a thermoplastically deformable molding having a wood matrix, and a thermoplastic material. Moreover, joining methods and uses for the object and in one embodiment, discloses a frame profile for a solar collector.


The chapter examines how the earliest generation of Balinese American teachers (born from the 1940s to the 1960s) were educated and how their experiences eventually brought them to work long-term in North America. Its central case study is Balinese gamelan teacher I Made Lasmawan, whose formal and informal educational experiences are contextualized within broader institutional structures and historical events that brought foreign musician-scholars to teach in American universities. The chapter concludes that musical and pedagogical lineages created by such teachers both reflect and embody systematic developments in the building of transnational musical lineages and performing and academic ecosystems.


The recent importance of antiangiogenic factors in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and in the understanding of the multisystem manifestations of this disease is bringing closer the clinical application of laboratory values for the diagnosis, assessment of severity and prediction of preeclampsia. We will briefly review some recent examples in clinical application.


Fluid flow is analyzed and a mathematics model is developed on the basis of the performance data in a fixed tube array reactor system for vinyl acetate. After the equations are solved by computer technique, the parameter profiles such as temperature in the reactor, reaction selectivity, and the VAC yield, along the fluid flowing direction are obtained. The modeling is Perfectly suitable to the reactor system.


Objective:To explore the peropertive period management of complications in elderly laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: 93 patients accepted total laryngeal resection. According to the age, the patients were divided into two groups: one group the age was more than 60 years (n=42); the other group the age was less than 59 years (n=51). The chronic diseases before operation and the complication after operation were compared between two groups. Results: In elder group (age≥60), 28.57%(12/42) patients had chronic diseases; and in younger group (age≤59), 5.88%(3/51) had chronic diseases, there were significance difference between two groups (P0.05 ) . In elder group 33.33%(14/42) patients appeared complications and in younger group 11.76%(6/51) had complications. There were significance difference between two groups (P0.05). Conclusion: As for aging, the organ,constitution and cells all appeared regression and hypofuncton in old people. The aged also have other chronic diseases, so the ability of stress to operation decent and they easy to have complications. In order to decrease the complications,detail examination and preparation must be performed before operation; chose reasonable method of operation and anesthesia according to the condition of patients; close observation of vital signs,wound,nutritional status are also important.


In previous studies it has been derived that direction of the surface current is generally the same as that of the prevailing southwesterly monsoon wind in summer over the northern South China Sea (SCS) and the only westward flow in summer in the SCS branch of Kuroshio south of the Dongsha Islands. During our crulse in August 1992, a mooring buoy deployed north of the Donsha lslands outside the continental shelf of northeastern SCS found another stable westward flow between 50m and 200m. This finding was also supported by the ADCP data and the distribution of obtained during this cruise. Besides, a westward flow outside the continental shelf is also identifiable from the observed current data obtained by a mooring buoy deployed west of the Dongsha Islands by SCSIO in Angust 1985, as wel from the calculated geostrophic currents based on two sections at both sides of the Dongsha Islands obtained by SCSIO in July 1982 and on the sections west of the Dongsha Island obtained from three China Sea Kuroshio cruises in 1966, 1970 and 1971. The path of this northwestwrd summer flow is different from that of the SCS branch of Kuroshio as has been indicated by references (5 - 7). A three dimensional numerical model simulation of the summer seaconal mean current of SCS confirms similar results.


A conjecture of Ulam states that the standard probability measure $\pi$ on the Hilbert cube $I^\omega$ is invariant under the induced metric $d_a$ when the sequence $a = \{ a_i \}$ of positive numbers satisfies the condition $\sum\limits_{i=1}^\infty a_i^2 < \infty$. This conjecture was proved in \cite{jung1} when $E_1$ is a non-degenerate subset of $M_a$. In this paper, we prove the conjecture of Ulam completely by classifying cylinders as non-degenerate and degenerate cylinders and by treating the degenerate case that was overlooked in the previous paper.


Plant viruses and aphids as their vectors, are limiting factors in the
 production of healthy seed potato. Potato Virus Y (PVY) and Potato Leafroll
 Virus (PLRV) are the two most significant potato viruses in Europe, and seed
 quality depends directly on the infection level. In order to determine the
 possibilities for healthy seed potato production in Serbia, aphid flight
 activities have been monitored for four years in four localities. Over 6400
 specimens of aphids have been collected. The number of aphids and vector
 pressure index varies depending on the localities' altitude. In localities at
 altitudes under 1000 m, they were high. The highest index was in locality
 Kotraža in 2007, when the PVY index exceeded the value of 180, while for PLRV
 it was 60. At high altitudes, above 1100 m, the number of aphids was low, as
 was the vector pressure index. The lowest index values were recorded in
 localities on Mt. Golija at 1300 m a.s.l. where the indexes for both viruses
 never exceeded value 6. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br.
 III 46008: Development of integrated management of harmful organisms in plant
 production in order to overcome resistance and to improve food quality and
 safety]


Spoken language and gender differences tend to create different language usages in how men and women using language. In analyzing language and gender, one of the ways to distinguish is by applying spoken differences. Spoken
differences explain how men and women differences in using language proposed by Haas (1979). This research analyzed the spoken differences of language and gender used by Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn as the candidates in the United
Kingdom Election Debate 2017. According to Haas (1979), spoken differences used by men and women in terms of form, topic, content, and use were applied to analyze the language and gender in the debate. This research proves that male and
female candidates showed the spoken differences during the debate. The dominance of men in politics has an effect on how women use the language. As a result, woman as politicians use men's language in order to grab attention from the audience. Therefore, the similarities of spoken differences used by male and female candidates are also found during the debate. Data were taken from the
video titled May vs Corbyn: The Battle for Number 10 – The Full Programme uploaded by Sky News on YouTube. Qualitative approach was used as the research method in this study. In addition, the results show spoken differences in using language between male and female candidates in the debate.


The effect of the relaxation of stresses produced by the β → α transformation in tin on the transformation kinetics was studied. The rate of the migration of the phase boundaries was shown to be affected by the conditions of stress relaxation. These conditions may be changed by decreasing specimen thickness and by addition of impurity atoms of Ge.


When given a choice, birds should choose to visit food sources closest to cover in order to reduce the probability of predation. We examined the effects of distance to nearest cover on bird abundance at feeders. The study was conducted at four suburban residences in and around Aurora, Illinois during the winter of 2002. At each residence, four birdfeeders were placed 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 m, respectively from the nearest tree. We monitored bird attendance at these feeders. Eight species were more abundant at feeders closest to cover: Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Distance to cover had no effect on abundance of American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Birdfeeders placed closer to cover will have more birds than feeders farther away when birds are given a choice.


Arrays of 16 and 380 microemitters, consisting of capillaries with less than 50 micrometres diameter and a length of up to 80 micrometres, were patterned photolithographically in SU-8 negative tone photoresist. Electrospray current of the ionic liquid EMI-BF4 drawn from these arrays by an external high voltage was characterised for both DC component and AC component up to a frequency of 11 kilohertz. To achieve stable emission, the diameter of the capillaries has to be reduced further, among others. It is proposed to use three-dimensional microlithography for this purpose, and first results of a feasibility study are presented.


Diurnal cycles in water outflow from a small watershed due to forest transpiration were observed 4 times during the summer. Each time the daytime outflow was reduced significantly below that during the following night. The recovery of the outflow to the steady night level takes place for several hours after sunset, and this time of recovery is shown to be controlled by the unsaturated soil water movement in the root zone.


Local government is responsible for developing local products. The products need to have sustainable competitive advantage. So far, many superior goods have been managed by local SME's with some difficulties. Regarding this, customer value plays an important role in competitive environment. However, businessman need professional assistance in building customer value and help them competing in global market. Furthermore, SME's (Small Medium-sized Enterprises) competitive advantage data is needed in order to enhance their business competitiveness. Thus, this research is conducted to analyze the competitive advantage of sasirangan fabric in Martapura's SME, Banjarmasin, the province of South Kalimantan along with the competitive advantage hierarchy. The object of this research is sasirangan fabric that is managed by local SME in Martapura river, Banjarmasin. The data is obtained through questionnaires with Likert scale given to customers and SME managers. Following this, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with PriEst software is used to analyze the data. The result shows that the main competitive advantage of sasirangan fabric as the superior goods is its purpose to represent The province of South Kalimantan identity and culture, followed by color, design, and price. Yet, sasirangan fabric need to continuously increase its customer value.


Background and Objectives: There are a few different ways to change the quantum mechanical wave function. One is the continuous evolution according to the Schrodinger equation; the others are the collapse provided by strong measurements and the weak continuous measurement. The question arises: Can the strong measurement be considered as a dynamical process. Methods: To answer the question, a dynamic model is proposed to simulate numerically the measurement of the coordinates of quantum particles. By measuring the coordinate, we mean the capture of a particle in a narrow box and the excitation of the stationary wave function in it. We consider the amplitude of the probability of transition to a stationary state as a wave function, and the non-stationary Schrodinger equation is solved using this initial function. The transition to a stationary state was modeled as a gated process. Results and Conclusion: It is shown that when measuring coordinates, along with the instant collapse, there are cases when the measurement takes a short but finite time. In particular, the projective measurement of the coordinate of one of the entangled particles takes some time and is accompanied by the correlation in the probability density of the particles coordinates. Moreover, the correlation is lost over time.


We investigate the incentives for vertical and horizontal integration in the financial securities service industry. Our analysis shows that the incentives for vertical integration depend on industry characteristics revealing, for example, that incentives increase in the demand for liquidity. Decentralized decisions might lead to an industry equilibrium with lower aggregate profits for all participants. This problem can be overcome by horizontal integration. We link our results to recent regulatory and institutional developments, and argue that multilateral trading facilities and algorithmic trading lead to lower incentives for vertical integration whereas the regulatory push towards mandatory clearing of over-the-counter trades increases the profitability of vertical integration.


Room-temperature rotational spectra are dense and difficult to assign, and so we have been working to develop methods to accelerate this process. We have tested two different methods with our waveguide-based spectrometer, which operates from 8.7 to 26.5 GHz. The first method, based on previous work by Medvedev and De Luciaa, was used to estimate lower state energies of transitions by performing relative intensity measurements at a range of temperatures between -20 and +50 ◦C. The second method employed hundreds of microwave-microwave double resonance measurements to determine level connectivity between rotational transitions. The relative intensity measurements were not particularly successful in this frequency range (the reasons for this will be discussed), but the information gleaned from the double-resonance measurements can be incorporated into other spectral search algorithms (such as autofit or genetic algorithm approaches) via scoring or penalty functions to help with the spectral assignment process.


A simple and direct algorithm to convert the psycho-acoustic model from the frequency domain to wavelet domain is presented to perform the Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform. This algorithm uses the symmetry of right half-band frequency spectrum and left half-band frequency spectrum in the process of DFT(Discrete Fourier Transform), and makes the masking threshold in the frequency domain as a signal. The inverse DFT and DWPT(Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform) are used to convert the masking signal into the wavelet domain. The wavelet coefficients' quantization stepsize of audio signal is determined according to the masking signal energy in the wavelet packet Subband, and then wavelet packet audio coding is realized.


This paper presents an algorithm for routing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in a mesh-like path topology. The algorithm improves the routing efficiency in terms of the number of concurrent moves and 90 degree turns for the AGVs.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the wind resource and energy potential of the Sanghar site for minimizing the dependence on fossil fuels and improving the environment.

Design/methodology/approach
The Sanghar site wind shear coefficient and turbulence intensity factor are investigated for a period of a year. The two-parameter k and c Weibull distribution function is used to analyze the wind speed of the Sanghar site. The standard deviation, coefficient of variation, wind power density and energy density; and capacity factor was assessed for a period of a year. The economic assessment of energy/kWh is investigated for the selection of appropriate wind turbines.

Findings
The mean wind shear of the Sanghar site was found to be 0.2509. The mean wind speed was found to be 4.766, 5.534 and 6.121 at 20, 40 and 60 m above the ground level. The mean value of the k parameter was observed to be 2.433, 2.777 and 2.862 at 20, 40 and 60 m for a period of a year. The Weibull c m/s parameter was found to be 5.377, 6.245 and 6.906 m/s at 20, 40 and 60 m. The major portion of values of standard deviation was found to be in between 0.1 to 2.00 at 20, 40 and 60 m. The mean wind power density values were observed to be 88.33, 93.5 and 110.16 W/m2 at 20, 40 and 60 m; respectively, for a period of a year. The mean coefficient of variation was found to be 0.1478, 0.1205 and 0.1033 at 20, 40 and 60 m; respectively. The mean energy density was found to be 476.75, 683.08 and 866.33 kWh/m2 at 20, 40 and 60 m; respectively. The mean capacity factor for different wind turbines was ranged between 18 to 24.83 for a period of a year. The economic assessment showed that wind turbine B has the minimum cost (US$) 0.0484/kWh.

Practical implications
The assessment provides the solution to sustainable energy generation which reduces the consumption of fuel and the effect of fluctuating price of fuel in the world market on local consumers.

Social implications
Wind energy may have social implications including environmentally friendly, consistent supply of energy during the peak summer season, less unit per cost, etc.

Originality/value
The Sanghar site is new and assessed for the first time in this research work. The Sanghar site is suitable for installing utility wind turbines for energy generation at the lowest cost.


Reheating after inflation can proceed even if the inflaton couples to Standard Model (SM) particles only gravitationally. However, particle production during the transition between de-Sitter expansion and a decelerating Universe is rather inefficient and the necessity to recover the visible Universe leads to a non-standard cosmological evolution initially dominated by remnants of the inflaton field. We remain agnostic to the specific dynamics of the inflaton field and discuss a generic scenario in which its remnants behave as a perfect fluid with a general barotropic parameter w. Using CMB and BBN constraints we derive the allowed range of inflationary scales. We also show that this scenario results in a characteristic primordial Gravitational Wave (GW) spectrum which gives hope for observation in upcoming runs of LIGO as well as in other planned experiments.


Method for producing sodium saccharin, phthalic anhydride as the raw material after it amidation, esterification, diazotization reaction, substitution reaction, chlorination reaction, amination reaction, neutralization reaction, to give time for the Baume degree of 60 ℃ 25-40Be of sodium saccharin, decolored, filtered, concentrated, crystallization, drying, and dried to give sodium saccharin finished, and wherein the amination reaction is o-chlorobenzoic acid chloride and ammonia as raw materials obtained methyl ester, methyl o-aminophenyl sulfonyl. This method can shorten the production process route, reducing production processes, reduce production costs, but also reduce ammonia emissions of wastewater, each producing 1moL sodium saccharin 1moLNH4 + emission can be reduced, so that ammonia emissions in the waste water can be reduced by 50%, It is environmentally friendly.


Introduction The main aim of the school system is to ensure that pupils learn well and achieve the goals of education. For this noble aim to be realized much depend on the teachers, who are vested with the responsibility of instructing pupils. Aremu and Akpochafo (2007) noted that teachers' relevance and services are sine quanon to the educational excellence a country may wish to attain. Without real commitment from teachers, school goals cannot be achieved. Cooper and Cartwright (1994), Kinman (1998), Spielberger and Rehieser (1994) have established that occupational stress is one of the crucial factors affecting workers' performance and this includes teachers. Stress, according to Selye (1978), refers to any external event or internal drive which threatens to upset the organismic equilibrium. Occupational stress refers to the physical, mental and emotional wear and tear brought about by the incongruence between the requirement of the job and the capabilities, resources and needs of the employee to cope with job demands (Akinboye, Akinboye and Adeyemo, 2002). Occupational stress is wide spread, rampant, and complex and has assumed great importance in work places hence Akinboye et al (2002) referred to it as the twentieth century disease. Tnetteman and Punch (2005), asserted that teachers are exposed to high levels of occupational stress no matter the level they teach. When workers experience occupational stress, it is of great loss to the organization as Cooper and Cartwright (1994) reported that about fifty percent of all the absences from work are in some manner stress related. No doubt job stress can lead to ineffectiveness, low performance, job dissatisfaction, poor motivation, absenteeism and turnover. Cooper (2002) and Kyriacou (1996) reported that researches have been undertaken in USA and Europe about the sources and symptoms of stress. Due to the importance of maximum achievement and its negative impact, most countries are carrying out researches on stress (Tnetteman, 1999; Cooper and Cartwright, 1996). The few studies done in Nigeria are Akinboye et al (2002), Azeez and Omolade (2009), Okebukola and Jegede (1989), Nwachukwu (1996), O'Lanre (2009) and Clifford (2005) but none on primary school teachers in Delta State. It is against this background that this study was conceived. The researcher wants to ascertain the sources of occupational stress for the primary school teachers and to determine the more prevalent ones. Azlihamis, Niyi, Aziah, Rusli and Mohd (2009) in their study on stress among secondary school teachers in Malaysia revealed that job related factors did not contribute much to stress. O'Lanre (2009) found out that the major source of stress for his subjects was the society. Gender is a variable to be considered. The concern is if male or female teachers perceive sources of occupational stress differently. Ravichandran and Rajendran (2007) discovered that there is gender difference in the perception of sources of stress. Manthei (1988) as reported by Ravichandram and Rajendram (2007) revealed that female teachers experience more stress than male teachers. Age and teaching experience are also demographic variables investigated. Azlihamis et al (2009) showed that the demographic variables of age, teaching experience were significantly associated with stress level. O'Lanre (2009) found that differences were significant for age. Research Questions The following research questions were asked to guide the study: 1. What are the sources of occupational stress among primary school teachers in Delta State? 2. Which of the sources of stress are more prevalent among teachers? Hypotheses The following hypotheses were formulated for this study: 1. There is no significant difference between male and female teachers' sources of occupational stress. 2. There is no significant difference in the occupational stress experienced by primary school teachers based on age. …


Abstract When joints are made between solids, the surfaces of which are soluble in water, with an epoxy-amine adhesive, blistering is observed in water vapour at high temperature and pressure. The occurrence of these blisters follows the cavitation theory in elastomers. Microscopic observation of the blisters suggest that they come from initial smaller ones which are homogeneously spread along the interface (not air bubbles or defects) and grow under the osmotic pressure developed by water condensation in the initial "sucker" and by surface dissolution. These observations led us to suggest that the solid/adhesive interface crumples during hardening of the adhesive and that many small suckers exist along the interface. This leads to a new model for the loss of adherence of epoxy-metal joints kept in high humidities.


The 1989 opening of India's "state of the art" port at Nhava Sheva followed years of problems at Bombay involving berthing delays, in- terminal congestion and attendant surcharges. One year after that opening, however, there is still reluctance on the part of operators to commit to the new port. Bombay Port Trust, meanwhile, has adjusted operations, experienced further growth, and somewhat alleviated port congestion.


Results of research the influence of inlet conditions on characteristics of axial pump with low coefficient of rapidity n s=570 are presented. Calculated researches were conducted on the basis of three-dimensional methods of computing hydrodynamics. It is shown that at operating modes of the pump at low feed rates of working liquid influence on a type of power characteristics of a stage.


In light of the problem of destroying the image′s edge and losing the image′s detail information in the traditional wavelet denoising method, a new wavelet threshold denoising method based on edge detection is presented. The image edge and non-edge character in wavelet coefficients are ascertained by decomposing the noised image and edge image, then the edge coefficients of wavelet(high frequency)decomposed and non-edge coefficients are dealt with thresholds, finally, the denoised image is obtained by reconstructing. The experimental results show that compared with the commonly-used wavelet threshold denoising method, this method can keep an image′s edge from demaging and the ratio of signal to noise is improved obviously.


Background. Primary parapharyngeal space neoplasms are rare. Tumor distribution characteristics and long‐term outcome have been quite variable in the recent literature. We report the results of a retrospective review of 172 patients with primary parapharyngeal space neoplasms treated surgically from 1960 to 1990 at a large multispecialty clinic and teaching hospital.


Functional MRI has evolved to become one of the most innovative methods to study the human brain. With a real-time fMRI system, it is possible to perform neurofeedback experiments, where stimuli are adapted in real time to the participants' measured brain activity. Cognitive processes depend on the communication between regions of the brain, and so the analysis of connectivity before, during and after a neurofeed-back experiment is of great interest. This work analyses and benchmarks some of the methods currently used on fMRI data: Correlation, Coherence and Granger Causality Mapping. Tests performed on simulated datasets showed that coherence presents robustness to downsampling, unlike correlation and Granger causality. Preliminary analysis of connectivity on an experimental dataset allowed for interesting insights on the working memory network functioning. The work developed has raised a number of questions related to the application of connectivity methods to fMRI data, results validation and optimisation of fMRI experimental setups, as well as a number of challenges to be surpassed in future work.


Patients with retinal degeneration lose sight due to gradual demise of photoreceptors. Electrical stimulation of the surviving retinal neurons provides an alternative route for delivery of visual information. Subretinal photovoltaic arrays with 70m pixels were used to convert pulsed near-IR light (880-915nm) into pulsed current to stimulate the nearby inner retinal neurons. Network-mediated responses of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) could be modulated by pulse width (1-20ms) and peak irradiance (0.5-10 mW/mm 2 ). Similarly to normal vision, retinal response to prosthetic stimulation exhibited flicker fusion at high frequencies, adaptation to static images, and non-linear spatial summation. Spatial resolution was assessed in-vitro and in-vivo using alternating gratings with variable stripe width, projected with rapidly pulsed illumination (20-40Hz). In-vitro, average size of the electrical receptive fields in normal retina was 248±59m – similar to their visible light RF size: 249±44m. RGCs responded to grating stripes down to 67m using photovoltaic stimulation in degenerate rat retina, and 28m with visible light in normal retina. In-vivo, visual acuity in normally-sighted controls was 29±5m/stripe, vs. 63±4m/stripe in rats with subretinal photovoltaic arrays, corresponding to 20/250 acuity in human eye. With the enhanced acuity provided by eye movements and perceptual learning in human patients, visual acuity might exceed the 20/200 threshold of legal blindness. Ease of implantation and tiling of these wireless arrays to cover a large visual field, combined with their high resolution opens the door to highly functional restoration of sight.


This thesis is addressing the integration of path following and formation control of a group of mobile robots to achieve flocking along specific path in the workspace. Several robots with similar capabilities are initially located in random positions and then move into a specified formation while performing path following over a designed route. The robots have to align their velocities to a common vector while approaching constant relative positions asymptotically. This problem has practical significance because it is the basic component for the development of a mobile sensor network that searches for and harvests information. Agent cooperation and coordination is motivated by several examples from nature where animals increase their chances of survival and gathering food by working in groups. Robot groups can apply the same idea to improve their coverage and reduce mission time. Wider coverage and versatility are some of the features that a (wireless) sensor network acquires when enabled to move, making it useful for surveillance and environmental inspection. Existing work has covered several aspects of the problem considered but it often ignores or tries to circumvent the discontinuities introduced into the system dynamics by the switching phenomena due to the operation of sensors and range of the communication. Another issue is the simplified dynamics (or kinematics) considered in cooperative control approaches, which raises some questions regarding its suitability for implementation on real platforms. Finally, although there is some limited work that combines formation control with flocking [46], these and other mission objectives such as path following may interfere with each other in existing formulations causing unpredictable behavior.


Care and social-emotional supports are of concern for school district leaders who want to create a caring culture throughout their district. In their study of central office leaders, Kate Kennedy and Jeff Walls found that caring leadership is complex, that school district leaders practice care in collaboration with others, that partnerships with community organizations enable a constellation of care, and that diversity and equity initiatives are considered complementary but separate initiatives. They recommend that leaders work with stakeholders across their districts to define caring, plan for the provision of social-emotional well-being supports, promote collaborative structures, cultivate internal and external resources, draw on data to drive caring initiatives, and weave an equity orientation into caring leadership structures.


The reception into Scotland of human rights protection under the ECHR and the Human Rights Act 1998 has turned out to be both problematic and controversial as a result of the combination of the devolution settlement under the Scotland Act 1998 and the separate legal system of Scotland since the Union of 1707. The paper explores the ways in which, in particular, the conflicts which have arisen as to which court should make final decisions on human rights issues have achieved an iconic status in the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments.


The experiment to determine the chemical composition of silage produced in different low cost silage making materials was carried out at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State from October to December, 2002. Five different containers and five different lining materials were used to produce silage from Panicum maximum (guinea grass). Containers used are plastic, basket, plant, trench and metallic. The linings were concrete, mud, polythene sheet, banana leave and the unlined. The plants were cut back and harvested 8 weeks later before flowering. There were chopped, wilted and ensiled for 64 days. When the containers were opened, percentage dry matter was calculated, chemical analysis of silage from different containers and covers were also determine.
There was significant differences in the ether extract, crude protein and ash content of the silage produced in the different containers with different covers at (P<0.05) the highest dry matter yield was observed in silage produced in basket container while the highest cost of production were obtained in trench container. Silage cover with polythene sheet had the highest crude protein while the silage cover with mud had the highest dry matter and least cost of production from unlined.
In conclusion, basket cover with mud can be selected for the highest dry matter production but considering cost of production, trench uncover can be selected and for the crude protein of the silage, metallic covered with polythene sheet can be selected.


The aim of this paper is to continue the study of a property Pαsȣ of three variables which generalizes the notions of compactness, paracompactness, closeness and many of their corresponding weaker forms. This property enables us to study the former defined notions and connections between them. Moreover, it helps to construct many types of these forms. The notion bg-compactness, as a new case of the several cases of Pαsȣ, is introduced and relations between bg-compactness and some types of compactness are discussed. The images of this sort of spaces under some non-continuous mappings are investigated. We define new notions of filters and nets to give more properties of our compact spaces.


T he use of botulinum toxin (BOTOX, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Irvine, Calif) for wrinkle reduction has revolutionized treatment of the aging face.1-3 This minimally invasive procedure reduces or eliminates rhytides caused by activity of the facial mimetic muscles. Botulinum toxin is deposited through percutaneous injection into or adjacent to the overactive muscles weakening or paralyzing them and thus eliminating overlying rhytides of the skin.4,5 Precise three-dimensional toxin deposition and correct dose is essential for optimizing the effect. The volume of physiologic saline used to dilute the lyophilized toxin varies,6,7 as does the method of placement in the underlying musculature. This article advocates the use of the Ultra-Fine II short needle 0.3-cc insulin syringe (product number 328438, manufactured by B-D Inc, Franklin Lakes, NJ) (Fig 1) as an optimal method of delivering precise units of botulinum toxin to the underlying musculature for cosmetic treatment of the aging face. The benefits of this specific insulin syringe are many. The greatest advantage is that it ensures accurate delivery of a specified number of units of botulinum toxin. The syringe is designed for use with insulin supplied as 100 units of insulin per cubic centimeter. When 1 mL of 0.9% saline is added to a 100 unit vial of BOTOX, the BOTOX is reconstituted to 100 U/mL. Thus the printed unit scale on the side of the U-100 insulin syringe indicates the number of units of BOTOX contained within the syringe. The unit scale is clear and easy to read and graduated in individual unit marks. The plunger tip is flat with a thin edge making reading of plunger position easy. It is possible to accurately deliver a half of a unit because the plunger moves smoothly, evenly, and accurately. Therefore a specified dose of BOTOX can be delivered without excess volume. The use of smaller volumes for injection ensures accurate placement and minimizes diffusion of the toxin and side effects. Dr Alastair Carruthers first used these syringes for BOTOX 4 years ago and was quite pleased with their performance and size. The body of the syringe with plunger measures 7.9 cm in length, allowing for easy manipulation in the hand. Dermatologists have often favored small delicate From the Department of Dermatology, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, and the Department of Dermatology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. All authors are consultants to, and researchers with, Allergan Inc. Drs A. and J. Carruthers hold stock in Allergan, Inc. Reprint requests: Timothy Corcoran Flynn, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Dermatology, Tulane University Health Science Center, 1430 Tulane Ave-TB36, New Orleans, LA 70112. E-mail: email@example.com. *Dr Flynn is currently at the Carey Skin Center. J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;46:931-3. Copyright © 2002 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. 0190-9622/2002/$35.00 0 16/74/119202 doi:10.1067/mjd.2002.119202 Fig 1. The 0.3-cc U-100 insulin syringe with 30-gauge short Ultra-Fine II needle. Syringe measures 7.9 cm in length.


In the development of advanced nuclear fuel cycles, a primary motivation is the reduction of the long-term radiotoxicity of the wastes. From a few decades to several thousand years after removal of the fuel from the reactor, americium (Am) dominates the radiotoxicity of used fuel, thus its transmutation represents an attractive option for improved management of the residues. However, every viable scenario for transmutation of Am demands some degree of separation of Am from fission product lanthanides. Partitioning of Am from curium further simplifies the transmutation process. The mutual separation of these elements is very challenging due to their similar chemistry. The focus of this work is on the utilization of the upper oxidation states of americium (Am(V/VI)) to facilitate a more efficient separation of Am from fission product lanthanides and curium. A minimum 90% efficient separation of americium from the lanthanides and curium has been achieved in the laboratory by selectively oxidizing trivalent Am to the hexavalent state using Na2S2O8. At equilibrium, lanthanides are precipitated as sodium lanthanide sulfate double salts, while oxidized Am species remain predominantly in the supernatant phase. Trivalent curium is readily coprecipitated with the NaLn(SO4)2 solid. Parallel studies of oxidized uranium, neptunium, and plutonium solutions support the conclusion that Am(VI) has sufficient stability to allow the separation to be completed in a reasonable time frame. A particular advantage of this approach is the absence of readily oxidized species that can quickly reverse the oxidation of Am and thus negate the separation. A variety of chemical and physical characterization techniques have been applied to profile the performance of the system.


By using viterbi decoder the power can be reduced according to number of stages used in each block. The efficient way to reduce data corruption in digital communication channels using various decoding algorithm. Although hardware implementations of decoding algorithms, (i.e.,) Viterbi algorithm, have shown good noise tolerance for error-correcting codes, these hardware implementations require an exponential increase in VLSI area and power consumption to achieve increased decoding accuracy in different stages. To achieve reduced decoder power consumption, we noticed the hardware implementation decoders based on the reduced- complexity adaptive Viterbi algorithm (AVA). In proposed decoding method the overall power reduced in each module can be improved when compared to previous method.


ThyssenKrupp Industrieservice has developed an integrated service concept to help reduce costs generated by an automotive customer's extensive vehicle fleet. Known as The concept addresses the complex task of handling all of the client's wheel management activities. Concepts have been developed for the fleet which have resulted in a substantial reduction of interfaces. In keeping with the principle of 'one face to the customer', the client now has only a single partner for all wheel management activities. The costs to the customer have been greatly reduced as a result, and ThyssenKrupp Industrieservice can now use the new service concept for the large vehicle fleets of other customers.


In this work we realize a study upon some of the symbolic representations of the human body in the novel Palinuro de Mexico, by Fernando del Paso. We are interested in showing in detail certain baroque and surrealist procedures which allow Del Paso to treat the human body as a metaphorical entity which is incessantly open, reticulated, and scrutinized. This fact creates a series of very complex tensions between the living body, with its context of vitality, and the body transformed into cadaver, associated with the eschatological world in perpetual decomposition. In order to achieve the construction of this stylistic and conceptual edifice, Del Paso realizes numerous, pointed procedures of micro observation and dissection. Taking a cue from medical science, the human body is seen as a neurological point where perspectives of history, religion, art and philosophy all converge.


Objective: A novel method was developed for the determination of aflatoxin M1in milk by HPLC with on-line solid phase extraction(SPE).Methods: An on-line SPE column was prepared through packing SB-C18 filler in stainless column.The loading and washing solution were water,transferring solution was acetonitrile-water(20:80,V/V),and elution solution was acetonitrile-water(15:85,V/V).Results: Under optimized conditions,a linear regression equation was fitted as follows: Y = 2.52746X-0.067 with a correlation coefficient of 0.99906.The detection of limit(LOD) was 0.04 μg/kg,and the limit of quantification(LOQ) was 0.10 μg/kg.Average recovery rates for samples spiked at various levels were 98%-105.7% with RSD was 0.79%-2.56%(n = 6).Conclusion: A simple,accurate and credible method has been successfully developed for rapid determination of aflatoxin M1in milk.


Classical phenylketonuria is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a deficiency of hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The abolition of an invariantBamHI site located in the coding sequence of the PAH gene (exon 7) led to the recognition of two new point mutations at codon 272 and 273 (2729sY-stOP and 273sePh', respectively). Both mutations were detected in north eastern France or Belgium and occurred on the background of RFLP haplotype 7 alleles. The present study supports the view that the clinical heterogeneity in PKU is accounted for by the large variety of mutant genotypes associated with PAH deficiencies. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disease resulting from deficiency of a liver specific enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH, E.C. 126.96.36.199). The extensive use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) has defined RFLP haplotypes at the PAH locus' and shown linkage disequilibrium between particular mutant genotypes and RFLP haplotypes in PKU.2 Occasionally, the observation of abnormal restriction fragments has helped in identifying the mutant genotype(s) in this disease.3 In this study we show that the alteration of an invariant BamHI site in the PAH gene has led to the discovery of two different mutations. Both occurred on the background of haplotype 7 PKU alleles originating from northern Europe. Since these two new mutations are located in exon 7 of the PAH gene, it appears that this particular exon carries the highest number of mutant genotypes identified in Unit6 de Recherches sur les Handicaps Genetiques de I'Enfant, INSERM U-12, Hopital des Enfants-Malades, 149 rue de Seavres, 75743 Paris Cedex 15, France. D Melle, F Rey, M Berthelon, A Munnich, S Lyonnet Dr L Willems Instituut, Universitaire Campus, 3610 Diepenbeek, Belgium. P Verelst, B Franqois Correspondence to Dr Munnich. Received for publication 5 June 1990. Accepted for publication 17 July 1990. PKU so far (seven mutations). This observation may have practical implications for future strategies of genetic screening in PAH deficiency. Material and methods


Abstract Exploring alternative Pt-free counter electrode with low cost and high electrocatalytic activity is always a main focus at the frontier of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, a desktop laser engraver was applied to reduce graphene oxide (GO) film on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, and the obtained graphene-based material was further used as counter electrode for DSSC. Additionally, this facile laser-scribing method was also adopted to fabricate a prototype of composite electrode via the combination of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and carbon black (CB) to enhance the specific surface area and active sites. A variety of characterizations including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted to investigate the microstructures and catalytic properties of these carbon electrodes. The findings reveal that both of the DSSCs with laser-scribed carbon electrodes show evidently increasing photovoltaic performance, and the DSSC based on RGO/CB composite electrode even presents a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.49%, comparable to 4.14% of the conventional Pt-based DSSC.


The coccolithophore fluxes and calculated coccolith CaCO3 fluxes were investigated in three time-series sediment traps, deployed for a one-year period in the West Caroline Basin in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean and in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean. These sediment trap stations were located at 3°N, 134°E (Site NT1) and 4°N, 135°E (Site NT2) in the western Pacific warm water mass region, and at 0°N, 175°E (Site NT3) in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean region, at water depths of approximately 1500 m. The greatest coccolithophore fluxes were observed at Site NT1 in September and December 1991, at Site NT2 from February to March 1992, and at Site NT3 from September through to November 1993. The calculated calcium carbonate fluxes of these coccolithophores at these three sites were 1.6, 1.5, and 1.4 g m–2year–1 at Sites NT1, NT2 and NT3, respectively. These calculated values correspond to only 23.3% of the total CaCO3 flux at Site NT1, 9.5% at Site NT2, and 11.6% at Site NT3. Florisphaera profunda, Gladiolithus flabellatus, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Umbilicosphaera sibogae, Emiliania huxleyi, Umbellosphaera irregularis and Oolithotus fragilis were the most abundant species in the coccolith flora, together comprising more than 85% of the total flora at the three Sites. Florisphaera profunda accounted for more than 50% of total flora throughout all the periods at the three sites. On the other hand, of the mass CaCO3 flux calculated for the coccolithophores, O. fragilis accounted for about 40% or more throughout the year at site NT3, and in winter at Site NT1. At Site NT3, Calcidiscus leptoporus was also an important carbonate-contributing species. The contribution of these species to the export production of carbonate appears to reflect the nutrient supply of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.


The effectiveness and urgency of the use of foreign workers in Indonesia is very effective and urgent to meet the needs of skilled and professional workforce in certain fields that can not be occupied by local workers and as a step in accelerating the process of national and regional development by accelerating the transfer of knowledge and technology and increase foreign investment in the presence of foreign workers as supporting development in Indonesia, although in reality companies in Indonesia, whether foreign or national private companies, must use the Indonesian experts themselves. The purpose of regulating foreign workers if viewed from the aspect of labor law is basically to guarantee and provide decent employment opportunities for Indonesian citizens in various fields and levels. So that in hiring foreign workers in Indonesia must be done through strict mechanisms and procedures starting with the selection and licensing procedures to supervision


Recent years have shown enthusiastic research interests in diagnostic hysteroscopy (DH), where various regions of the female reproductive system are visualized for diagnosing uterine disorders. Currently, the hysteroscopy videos produced during various sessions of patients are stored in medical libraries, which are usually browsed by medical specialists Gynecologists to visualize previous videos of a patient or to study similar cases. However, the abundant redundancy of frames in DH videos make this searching relatively more difficult for gynecologists, wasting their time browsing such large libraries. In this context, video summarization can be used to reduce this redundancy by extracting key frames, thus making the process of browsing and indexing DH videos more efficient. In this letter, we propose an efficient domainisual saliency isual attention model ynecology edical image analysis specific visual attention-driven framework for summarizing DH videos. For key frames extraction, multiscale contrast, texture, curvature, and motion based saliency features are computed for each frame using integral image, which are then fused by a linear weighted fusion scheme to acquire a final saliency map. Experimental results in comparison with other related state-of-the-art schemes confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Summary A rapid microcolorimetric meth-od for measurement of plasma histaminase has been described. Its lower limit of sensitivity is 0.1 mμM histamine oxidized/ml of plasma/minute and its reproducibility, ± 0.1 mμM. In a series of mammalian species surveyed, no activity was detected in the plasma of mice and rats; plasma from guinea pigs, dogs, squirrel monkeys, and man exhibited relatively low activities; plasma activity of rabbits and cats was somewhat higher; plasma from rhesus monkeys was more active than that of any other species. Studies of pH optimum, aminoguanidine and substrate inhibition, and substrate specificity using human plasma indicate that the primary activity measured was histaminase activity.


Cloud computing refers to the availability of IT resources based on the, particularly data storage and processing power, without the direct intervention of users to manage them. Perpetrators are taking advantage of its multi-tenant feature to deny services to the clients by orchestrating attacks called Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. A more advanced version of DoS attacks called Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks has been causing a lot of damage to service providers and clients. As a result, the importance of detecting these attacks is critical. This paper provides a hybrid approach for detecting the DDoS attacks using Self Organizing Map (SOM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). SOM is used to find the outliers, i.e. attacks, by reducing the high-dimensional dataset into a 2-dimensional representation of input space. ANN is trained on the outliers from SOM to predict attacks. The dataset used for the experiment is the real cyber defense dataset CICIDS 2017. The proposed approach achieves high accuracy of 99.66% and low false positive rate of 0.004.


The utility model discloses a vehicle-mounted cleaning system which comprises an automotive chassis (1), wherein a compartment (2) is fixedly mounted on the automotive chassis (1) and located behind an automotive head; an automatic high-pressure water supply system (5), a vehicle-mounted power supply system (6) and an automatic control box (7) are mounted in the compartment (2); a gantry system (3) is arranged between the compartment (2) and the automotive head and fixedly connected with the automotive chassis (1) and the compartment (2); and cleaning brush disc combinations (4) which can be folded laterally are symmetrically mounted on the left end and the right end of the gantry system (3). According to the vehicle-mounted cleaning system, a solar panel can be cleaned efficiently in a movable manner, the cleaning system has the characteristics of reasonable design, simple structure, rapid control, stable action, low noise, small vibration and the like, and both the cleaning efficiency and the cleaning effect are guaranteed.


The Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS) organized in 1993 accredits the measurement capability of calibration laboratories and ensures the traceability to the national measurement standards. As an essential part of accreditation of the measurement capability of calibration laboratories for the weights, the International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan) of National Institute of Technology and Evaluation has been operating the JCSS proficiency testing programs with the technical support of the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ/AIST). Up to now, five proficiency testing programs have been carried out for the JCSS weight calibration laboratories in the range of 2 mg to 10 kg. The proficiency testing programs organized by the IAJapan were carried out in accordance with ISO/IEC Guide 43 (JIS Q 17043), and the NMIJ was responsible for the technical aspect as a reference laboratory. This paper describes the methods of the five proficiency testing programs during the period from 1997 to 2009, and outlines assessment of the measurement capability of the JCSS weight calibration laboratories.


We propose a new algorithm for the approximation of the maximum a posteriori (MAP) restoration of noisy images. The image restoration problem is considered in a Bayesian setting. We assume as prior distribution multicolour Markov random fields on a graph whose main restriction is the presence of only pairwise site interactions. The noise is modelled as a Bernoulli field. Computing the mode of the posterior distribution is NP complete, i.e. can (very likely) be done only in a time exponential in the number of sites of the underlying graph. Our algorithm runs in polynomial time and is based on the coding of the colours. It produces an image with the following property: either a pixel is coloured with one of the possible colours or it is left blank. In the first case we prove that this is the colour of the site in the exact MAP restoration. The quality of the approximation is then measured by the number of sites being left blank. We assess the performance of the new algorithm by numerical experiments on the simple three-colour Potts model. More rigorously, we present a probabilistic analysis of the algorithm. The results indicate that the approximation is quite often sufficiently good for the interpretation of the image.


Comet Bennett (1970 II) was observed with the ultraviolet photometers on OAO-2 from April 13.39 to May 13.88, 1970, while its heliocentric distance increased from R = 0.77 to 1.26 a.u. An analysis of the photometer data for the emission features of OH λ 3090 and H λ1216 indicates the production rates of OH and H were 2.0 x 1029 molecule sec-1 and 5.4 x 1029 atom sec-1, respectively, at R = 1 a.u During this period the production rates of H and OH varied as R-2.3 . This is consistent with the assumption that water vaporization controls the production rate of gas in comets at small heliocentric distances.


Mathematical optimization or mathematical programming is the choice of the best elements from a set of alternatives, according to certain criteria. Extremely complex problems that have become very popular with the development of computer science can be solved by using Mathematical optimization. If it is not possible to determine the exact solution of the problem using traditional methods, we can approach to problem solving by using heuristic methods. Thereby we can determine an approximate solution. One type of the heuristics are metaheuristics. The metaheuristics are very useful approach to the optimization problems, because finding a large set of possible solutions can lead to a good solution with less computing 'effort ' than algorithms, iterative methods and simple heuristics. Simulated Annealing is a type of metaheuristics inspired by the process of the metals annealing that involves heating and controlled cooling of metals to modify the physical properties due to changes occurring in the internal structure of materials. Simulated annealing is a suitable algorithm for solving NP - hard problems such as the Traveling Salesman Problem. This paper presents the pseudocode for solving the Traveling Salesman Problem using the simulated annealing algorithm.