International law reflects systemic conditions compatible with its essence, which means that a space must exist inside the borders of that order for the presence of the phenomenon of general principles. The assumption that international law is a legal system ipso facto means that general principles must exist within its borders. A general principle of law is a necessary element of every legal order. It is a form and a tool in which the efforts of the individual seeking to comprehend a given phenomenon are materialized through imposing order on it rather than by breaking it down into unconnected and independent elements. Since law is an expression of order, law therefore applies general principles. The systematicity of law, and therefore of international law as well, creates the primary source of the binding force of any norm. Considerations of natural law or positive law justifications for the presence of general principles in international law are of little consequence, as the source of general principles is the systemic nature of the law. Order and hierarchy are part of the rationalized system in which norms of law present themselves. This dependency applies also to norms of international law. The role of the judge is to fill in the appropriate normative content (general principles) in fields constituting at one and the same time both a necessary element and a consequence of the systemic character of the international legal order. Within this context the principle of good faith constitutes one of the bases for considerations concerning the extent of the international legal order. The extent of international law reaches as far as the extent to which evidence of good faith are present among the subjects of international law. The impossibility of describing relations between two states by the use of the determinants of good faith, translated in turn into a normative general principle, determinates the limits of international law.


Power supplies for mobile devices, and has a secondary battery and a circuit board and the receiving module. Circuit board, and mounting a charge-discharge circuit including a charge circuit for charging the secondary battery by the external power input. The receiving module, power is supplied from the outside by the resonance phenomenon, and has a power reception resonant coil and the power take-out coil for outputting an external electric power to the charging circuit. Some or all of at least one of the power reception resonant coil and the inner circumference side of the power take-out coil circuit board and a secondary battery is disposed in the receiving module.


In the case of monetary problems, Mr. Chase has been influenced by the economists, but the result is not very fruitful. Hobson's theory of business cycles, though not very helpful, was at least straightforward. The new combination of oversaving and underconsumption because of a given income distribution, with Keyne's analysis in terms of saving and investment, is confusing and contradictory. Finally, Mr. Chase would set up boards of engineers to plan the economy of this country. This would be relatively simple if administered by a dictator who determined the kind and the amount of production and rationed the product. But in fact, Mr. Chase wishes to retain the pecuniary system and permit people to spend their income as they will. It seems unfortunate, therefore, that having hit on the


Preventing repeat victimization is one area of criminology that has shown particular promise in recent years. Based on the premise that persons victimized once are at higher risk than others of being victimized again, the British have developed successhl programs that focus crime prevention efforts on victims. This has been argued to be a sensible use of crime prevention resources and, indeed, a useful strategy for bringing down overall crime rates. Of all crimes, domestic violence has the highest repeat rate, especially in the first few weeks after an incident is reported to the police. In the early 1980s, officials in New York City developed the first programs to try to reduce repeat incidents of family abuse. On three occasions thereafter between 1987 and 1997, three separate field tests aimed at public housing residents who reported family violence to the police were conducted in order to evaluate the basic approaches used in these and other prevention programs. The field-test interventions consisted of (a) a follow-up home visit to households reporting a domestic incident by a police officer and social worker and (b) a public education program using community meetings, posters, and flyers to educate participants about family violence. The three field tests had inconsistent results. One analysis suggested a beneficial effect of the program while another suggested that the program had iatrogenic effects. Since the composition of the samples vaned across studies (two used family violence incidents and the third elder abuse incidents), one possibility was that the prevention program had different effects with different populations. The present paper combines the three databases to conduct a series of reanalyses to try to resolve earlier inconsistencies. The results of the reanalysis indicate that the interventions brought about an increase in reporting of new abusive incidents both to authorities and to research interviewers. We cannot say whether the higher reporting rates among people who received the interventions were due to increased incidents of abuse or greater sensitivity to abuse. The findings in the reanalysis were consistent across measures and across the three studies, indicating that increased reporting of abuse is not idiosyncratic to one of the samples, but holds across the three different types of samples used in these studies. The results suggest an urgent need for more research on interventions designed to reduce repeat incidents of domestic violence, especially in light of current trends toward stronger and more coordinated intervention in family violence matters. In the meantime, our results suggest the need for monitoring and strong supervision of programs that intervene in households whose residents have recently reported domestic violence. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.


Purpose This study aims to determine essential attributes of Sustainable Service Innovation (SSI) in the Taiwan hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach By combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies while considering perspectives on sustainable management and service innovation, the present study extends the related literature on sustainable service innovation and presents a new framework. The Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analytical approaches are employed to identify relations between dimensions and their causality attributes. Findings The findings of the DEMATEL result indicate that innovation diffusion has direct and indirect effects on dimensions of sustainable innovation and on organizational factors. Furthermore, sustainable innovation emerged as the most important attribute while the ANP analysis was employed. Practical implications The critical dimensions identified in this study may serve as guidelines that hospitality practitioners or hotel manager...


The lupus inhibitor is an autoantibody with anticoagulant properties, and is found in a high proportion of patients with 'systemic lupus eryth-ematosus (SLE) as well as in patients with a wide variety of other disorders.'3 It is characterised by prolongation of phospholipid dependent coagulation tests due to its binding to phosphodiester linkages on the phospholipid portion of the factor Xa, factor Va, phospholipid calcium complex (prothrombinase).' The clinical importance ofthe lupus inhibitor lies in its strong correlation with recurrent venous and arterial thrombosis and fetal loss due to recurrent abortion.4 In contrast, it is not associated with abnormal bleeding unless a coincident haemostatic defect such as throm-bocytopenia, abnormal platelet function, or hypofibrinogenaemia is present. Historically, a lupus inhibitor was suspected when the activated partial thromboplastin (APTT) was prolonged and the prolongation was not corrected by mixtures of patient and normal plasma.5 More sensitive assays were, however, necessary following the demonstration that a small percentage ofpatients with lupus inhibitor had a normal APTT (or partial thromboplastin time with kaolin, PTTK).367 An example of such a test is the assay developed by Exner et at in which the kaolin clotting time using mixtures of pooled normal and test platelet poor plasma has proved a sensitive system for detecting lupus inhibitors. Like other sensitive tests, however, it is relatively time consuming and, as originally described, the distinction between samples positive and negative for lupus inhibitor depended on interpretation of a graph and was not precisely defined. In view of the increasing number of requests for the lupus inhibitor test this survey was undertaken to re-evaluate the diagnosis of the lupus inhibitor in our laboratory. Our aim was to determine the rate of a positive test, the number of positive tests associated with prolongation ofthe APTT or PTTK, or both, and whether an abbreviated and sensitive screening procedure could be devised so that the laboratory work load could be reduced. Material and methods All samples referred for investigation over a period of 12 months (April 1986 to March 1987) were included in this survey. There were four main clinical indications for the lupus inhibitor test: suspected or diagnosed SLE or other connective tissue disorders; recurrent abortions; recurrent thromboses; and investigation of a prolonged APTT or PTTK. Blood was collected into sodium citrate anticoagulant and centrifuged at 1900 g for 10 minutes to produce platelet poor plasma which was then filtered through a 0-2 ,um …


The technology research of mold for microfluidic chips by SU-8 photoresist is described.Effects of factors of processes including prebake,bake,photo lithography,develop and so on,on mold are discussed.A reference for mold making process is proposed,and anti-adhesive layer process is discussed too.Further,reactive ion etching(RIE)is used to improve the adhesion between SU-8 and the silicon substrate.Finally,through above technology studies,mold used in fluid and microfluid chip are produced successfully.


CONTEXT
There is currently no medical therapy for Cushing's disease that targets the pituitary adenoma. Availability of such a medical therapy would be a valuable therapeutic option for the management of this disorder.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to evaluate the short-term efficacy of the novel multireceptor ligand somatostatin analog pasireotide in patients with de novo, persistent, or recurrent Cushing's disease.

DESIGN
We conducted a phase II, proof-of-concept, open-label, single-arm, 15-d multicenter study.

PATIENTS
Thirty-nine patients with either de novo Cushing's disease who were candidates for pituitary surgery or with persistent or recurrent Cushing's disease after surgery without having received prior pituitary irradiation.

INTERVENTION
Patients self-administered sc pasireotide 600 microg twice daily for 15 d.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Normalization of urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels after 15 d treatment was the main outcome measure.

RESULTS
Of the 29 patients in the primary efficacy analysis, 22 (76%) showed a reduction in UFC levels, of whom five (17%) had normal UFC levels (responders), after 15 d of treatment with pasireotide. Serum cortisol levels and plasma ACTH levels were also reduced. Steady-state plasma concentrations of pasireotide were achieved within 5 d of treatment. Responders appeared to have higher pasireotide exposure than nonresponders.

CONCLUSIONS
Pasireotide produced a decrease in UFC levels in 76% of patients with Cushing's disease during the treatment period of 15 d, with direct effects on ACTH release. These results suggest that pasireotide holds promise as an effective medical treatment for this disorder.


546 Background: Drozitumab is a monoclonal antibody that triggers tumor cell apoptosis by selective agonistic interaction with the Apo2 ligand/TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand death receptor 5. This study assessed the safety of drozitumab combined with FOLFOX+BV as first-line therapy in mCRC pts. Methods: Multicenter, open-label study of 2 sequential dose cohorts. Cohort 1 = 3.5mg/kg after 5 mg/kg loading dose (n=3); Cohort 2 = 7mg/kg after 10mg/kg loading dose (n=6). Pts were treated on 14-day cycles (drozitumab, FOLFOX, and BV 5mg/kg on Day 1 of cycle) until disease progression or toxicity. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT; primary outcome measure) was assessed through 2 cycles (Days 1-28). Adverse events (AE) were recorded through all cycles. Response was assessed by RECIST. Results: A total of 9 pts received 1-22 cycles (median 11) of drozitumab. No DLTs occurred. Most frequent AEs were neutropenia (89%), diarrhea (78%), nausea (78%), fatigue (67%), and anemia (56%). Most frequent Grade ≥3 AEs were fa...


Pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare and aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis and standard therapy has not yet been established.


Kudumbashree model from the state of Kerala in India has been highly successful as a model for entrepreneurship development among rural women through neighborhood groups. The Kudumbashree model is proven and most successful in enticing rural women towards entrepreneurship to address the problems affecting agriculture and, at the same time, empowering women economically. The model has the potential to make replication in developing countries. With the objective of introducing the Kudumbashree model in selected countries of Asia and Africa, the officers representing Government, civil societies, and private firms from Africa and Asia were identified and invited for training. Selected officers were trained at Kudumbashree, Kerala under the Feed The Future India Triangular Training (FTF ITT) to get exposed to the working of Kudumbashree modeland to identify the rural entrepreneurship opportunities for their home countries. The theory of change is that the trained officers from respective countries will disseminate the knowledge gained in India and implement the same in their workplace. Since India shares several similarities with the countries in Africa and Asia, Indian innovations and technologies can find a place in other similarly placed developing countries. This research showed that lack of micro-enterprises, unstable market price, and unorganized market structure were the challenges selected by trainees to try and implement Indian innovations and strategies learned through training.


The drama Felipe Angeles is analyzed in accord with George Bataille's approach, who affirmed that by means of sacrifice, human beings have destroyed their natural or animal being, in order to be, and to reveal, their non-corporal, spiritual truth. In the theatrical work of Elena Garro, the judgement of the Villista general is not only characterized as a sacrificial ritual but also as a spectacle and farce. While the adversaries of Felipe Angeles propose to give a legal appearance to the elimination of a political adversary, the general converts the trial into a public action which permits him to portray himself, by means of his discourse before the tribunal, as a martyr who accepts being sacrificed for his political ideas, his ideals, and his ethical values. He revindicates in this way the sovereignty of his pure I and his interior liberty; and at the same time, that makes possible the transcendence of his death and the persistence of his spiritual being.


A cleaning and drying apparatus for fabricating the lyocell filament yarn and a cleaning and drying method by using the same are provided to perform continuously processes after the spinning process, thereby enhancing the cleaning efficiency. The first roller(51) is rotated by the driving source and moves the extruded and solidified fiber yarns. The second roller(53) is rotated by the driving source, installed amiss from the center of the first roller and moves the fiber yarns. A washing water injector(55) injects the washing water to the first roller and/or the second roller. A washing water cistern(57) collects the washing water injected from the washing water injector. Plural injection nozzles inject the washing water into the first roller or second roller. Plural chambers(61a,61b..) partition the washing water cistern by partitions. The height of the partitions of the washing water cistern differs sequentially.


Abstract Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of the adenohypophysis, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata and caudate nucleus was determined by a spectro‐photometric method in adult, male rats adapted toan LD 12:12cycle. Results of the study show that AChE activity is highest during the light phase and lowest during the dark phase of the cycle in all the brain areas studied except the adenohypophysis, cerebellum, hippocampus and hypothalamus. These findings expand earlier observations on the circadian variation in rat brain AChE activity and suggests a relationship with reported circadian variation in the acetylcholine levels of rat brain.


The present article examines from the Reception theory and the concept of «phenomenology» the way in which three authors of English Romanticism, Southey, Coleridge and Shelley read the sacramental plays of Calderon de la Barca. As we can see, the critical comments of these authors about the theater of the Golden Age playwright are diverse and range from aesthetic delight to negative critical judgment from a position of religious prejudice.


The present invention is to provide grease for a slide which can suppress the joints due to the machine stop during the sliding of the shaft and bearings. Between itself and the shaft 22, the support is inserted into the lubricating oil 31, the pores 30, the slide bearing 16 and the slide bearing 16 formed of a porous sintered alloy impregnated in to be slidingly rotatable in the circumferential direction a grease 24 for supplying the slide bearing, and a kinematic viscosity at 40 ℃ 10 ~ 70㎟ / s, and exuding under a load of the shaft 22, the oil film between the slide bearing 16 and the shaft 22 to form a 35 characterized in that in use the base oil.


See related editorial, p 655. Study objective: To assess emergency physician knowledge of and effect on clinical practice of the ACEP "Clinical Policy for Management of Adult Patients Presenting With a Chief Complaint of Chest Pain, With No History of Trauma." Methods: We conducted a written survey of attending physicians by mail and in person at emergency medicine meetings. Residents were surveyed at their academic departments. The survey recipients were emergency physicians and residents from university, community teaching, urban, and rural hospitals. Results: Of the 338 surveyed physicians, 163 (48%; 95% confidence intervar [Oil, 43% to 54%) said that they were aware of the policy. Fifty-four percent of ACEP members said they were aware of the policy, compared with 24% of nonmembers. Of the physicians who said they were aware of the policy, 63% did not know that the policy contains rules. Seventy-one percent of the physicians who were aware of the policy incorrectly believed the policy requires treatment with thrombolytic therapy in certain cases of myocardial infarction. Physicians said they learned about the policy by reading it (42%), by word of mouth (16%), or in department/quality-assurance meetings (13%). Twelve percent of physicians believe the policy has changed their clinical practice. Conclusion: Fewer than half the emergency physicians we surveyed were aware of the policy. Of the physicians who said they had been aware of the policy, most did not know important specifics of the policy.


A wide range of fillers are already available for facial rejuvenation. Most of them are based on the use of reticulated or nonreticulated hyaluronic acid.


Hyperthermia is a promising method to enhance chemo- or radiation therapy of breast cancer and the time-temperature profile in the target and surrounding areas is the primary monitoring method. Unlike with thermal ablation of lesions, in hyperthermia there are not good alternative treatment monitoring quantities. However, there is less problem with non-monotonic thermal coefficients of speed of sound used with ultrasonic imaging of temperature. This paper tests a long discussed but little investigated method of imaging temperature using speed of sound and proposes methods of reducing edge enhancement artifacts in the temperature image. Normally, when directly using the speed of sound to reconstruct the temperature image around the tumor, there will be an abnormal bipolar edge enhancement along the boundary between two materials with different speeds of sound at a given temperature. This due to partial volume effects and can be diminished by regularized, weighted deconvolution. An initial, manual deconvolu...


Taking open access service model in Xiangyang Vocational and Technical College Library Reading Room as an example,this article analyses the drawbacks and advantages of this service mode and proposes measures to improve the open access service mode.


Knowledge about fuel load of migratory birds is important for understanding their migration in general, as it affects for example departure decisions from stopovers and the distance to fly. In fiel...


1. The Ca2+ current, K+ current, hyperpolarization‐activated current, Na(+)‐K+ pump current and the Na(+)‐Ca2+ exchange current were all blocked by appropriate blockers and the remaining time‐independent currents were investigated in single pacemaker cells of the rabbit sino‐atrial node using the whole‐cell patch clamp technique. 2. Exchanging the bathing solution from Tris‐hydroxymethyl‐aminomethane hydrochloride (Tris) Na+ free to 150 mM‐Na+ induced an inward current and the slope conductance of the current‐voltage relationship increased from 0.45 +/‐ 0.18 to 0.87 +/‐ 0.33 nS (n = 71) at ‐50 mV. The remaining conductance in Tris Na(+)‐free solution was essentially the same when Tris was substituted with tetraethylammonium (TEA) or N‐methyl‐D‐glucamine (NMG). The current density of the Na(+)‐dependent inward current obtained by subtracting the current in Tris Na(+)‐free from that in 150 mM‐Na+ solution was 0.73 +/‐ 0.21 pA/pF (n = 71) at ‐50 mV. We called this current the Na(+)‐dependent background current. 3. The membrane conductance was reduced by lowering the temperature of the external solution from 36 to 23 degrees C. In Tris Na(+)‐free solution, the temperature‐sensitive component was outward at all potentials, whereas it showed a reversal potential at around ‐20 mV in 150 mM‐Na+ solution. This reversal potential was interpreted as a sum of the Cs+ efflux and Na+ influx, by comparing the Na(+)‐dependent inward currents obtained at 36 degrees C and those at 23 degrees C. 4. Divalent cations (2 mM‐Ni2+, 1 mM‐Ba2+ or 2 mM‐Ca2+) reduced only the outward current in the Tris Na(+)‐free solution, while in the 150 mM‐Na+ solution, they reduced both the inward and outward components of the current which had a reversal potential of around ‐10 mV. 5. Amiloride depressed the membrane conductance in 150 mM‐Na+, Cs+ or Rb+ external solution, though only at negative membrane potentials, which suggests amiloride has a voltage‐dependent effect on the background current. 6. Removal of Cl‐ from the external solution or the addition of a Cl‐ channel blocker (4,4'‐dinitrostilbene‐2,2'‐disulphonic acid disodium salt, DNDS) failed to affect the membrane conductance. 7. When the monovalent cation‐dependent inward current was measured by subtracting the current in the Tris solution from those recorded in the various monovalent cation solutions, the current amplitude decreased in the order: Rb+ greater than K+ greater than Cs+ greater than Na+ greater than Li+, which suggests a poor cation selectivity of this current system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


To determine the equilibrium constant of the reaction between ATP and protein-bound tyrosine we used as catalyst the highly purified Rous sarcoma src gene transcript. J. M. Sturtevant had earlier found (personal communication) that free tyrosine O-phosphate, upon hydrolysis with alkaline phosphatase in a calorimeter (37 degrees C, pH 9), yielded a delta H degrees of -2.8 kcal/mol (1 kcal = 4.18 kJ), less than half of that found in ATP hydrolysis. Experience with protein-bound serine phosphate (in phosvitin) had shown it to be energy rich [Rabinowitz, M. & Lipmann, F. (1960) J. Biol. Chem. 235, 1043-1050]. We wondered if the same is true for tyrosine phosphate when it is protein bound. From the equilibrium constant of 2.62 (at pH 6.5 and 5 mM Mg2+), we calculate a delta G degrees' of -9.48 kcal/mol for hydrolysis of protein-bound tyrosine phosphate, assuming an approximate delta G degrees' of -10 kcal/mol for hydrolysis of ATP. The experiments show that protein-bound tyrosine phosphate is energy rich, like serine phosphate in phosvitin.


Disabled‐2 (Dab2) is an adapter protein, that along with the membrane receptors megalin and cubilin, is essential for uptake of protein‐complexed 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol (25D3) in the kidney. Previously, we showed that mammary epithelial cells (T‐47D) also express Dab2, megalin, and cubilin and internalize vitamin D‐binding protein (DBP) by receptor‐mediated endocytosis. Moreover, induction of Dab2 and megalin (protein and mRNA) by the differentiating agent all‐trans‐retinoic acid (RA) correlated with increased DBP uptake in mammary cells. A number of other absorptive epithelial tissues also express Dab2, which suggests that these tissues are capable of internalizing the 25D3‐DBP complex. In the present study, we examined the expression of Dab2, megalin, and cubilin in prostate epithelial (PC‐3 and LNCaP) and colon epithelial (Caco‐2) cancer cells and their ability to internalize DBP. Our preliminary results indicate that PC‐3 and Caco‐2 cells express Dab2 (mRNA and protein) and this expression was markedly enhanced when cells were treated with 10 μM RA. Taken together, these are the first studies to our knowledge that have characterized a potential role for Dab2, megalin, and cubilin in the uptake of vitamin D in prostate and colon cells. Supported by NIH 5R03CA128091‐03 and Iowa State University Experiment station to MJR.


In this talk I discuss properties of hot stellar matter at sub-nuclear densities which is formed in supernova explosions. I emphasize that thermodynamic conditions in this case are rather similar to those created in the laboratory by intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions. Theoretical methods developed for the interpretation of multi-fragment final stats in such reactions can be used also for description of the stellar matter. I present main steps of the statistical approach to the equation of state and nuclear composition, dealing with an ensemble of nuclear species instead of one "average" nucleus. Finally some results of this approach are presented. The emphasis is put on possible formation of heavy and superheavy nuclei.


The mechanical properties of clay-based pigmented coating films bonded with a series of carboxylated styrene–butadiene latex binders have been investigated. The in-plane tensile strength and the elongation at rupture increased with increasing amount of polymeric binder. It is suggested that this is due to an improvement in stress transfer through the structure. The mechanical behavior of the films was furthermore found to be strongly related to the properties of the polymeric binder at the usage temperature. In torsional pendulum experiments an increase in the glass transition temperature of the polymeric binder was observed when it was incorporated in the coating film. This is interpreted as being the result of a decrease in the segmental mobility of the polymer molecules due to the presence of the clay particles, i.e., due to the interaction between the clay pigments and the binder. The interaction was, however, less noticeable in experiments using an NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) technique. If the clay was replaced by calcium carbonate, a strong interaction, as measured using NMR, was observed between CaCO3 and the styrene–butadiene polymer, although the in-plane mechanical strength and ductility were reduced. A structural model accounting for some of the observed differences in mechanical behavior between clay-based and CaCO3-based coating films is suggested.


Representationalism (aka intentionalism) has been the most significant weapon in the late twentieth century defence of direct realism. However, although the representationalist objection to the Phenomenal Principle might provide an effective response to the arguments from illusion and hallucination, plausible representationalist theories of perception are, when fleshed-out, incompatible with metaphysical direct realism's directness-claim. Indeed within cognitive science, direct perception is the avowedly-radical anti-representationalist heterodoxy. Drawing on both the philosophy and cognitive science, we develop a robust argument against representationalist direct realism which does not rest on illusory cases or the notion of an object of immediate awareness. None of the representations so far posited, or in prospect, can supply the content required of a representation in a direct realist theory of veridical perception. Draft A new objection to representationalist direct realism July 2020 2 A new argument against representationalist direct realism Introduction Representationalism (aka intentionalism) has been the most significant weapon in the late twentieth century defence of direct realism. However, although the representationalist objection to the Phenomenal Principle might provide an effective response to the arguments from illusion and hallucination (Fish, 2010, p. 65), plausible representationalist theories of perception are, when fleshed-out, incompatible with metaphysical direct realism's directnessclaim. Indeed within cognitive science, direct perception is the avowedly-radical antirepresentationalist heterodoxy. (Chemero, 2009) Drawing on both the philosophy and cognitive science we develop a robust argument against representationalist direct realism which does not rest on illusory cases or the notion of an object of immediate awareness. First, we need to clarify potentially confusing terminology. Within the literature, "representationalism" and its cognates are used in two conflicting senses: representationalist direct realism (Crane & French, 2017, p. 28) and Lockean indirect realism (Armstrong, 1961). We use the term exclusively in the first sense, taking "representationalist" and "intentionalist" to be synonymous. It is in this sense that Aydede can say that "strong representationalism is the modern day's direct realism" (2019, p. 35). We also use "representationalist" to refer to arguments defending direct realism by rejecting the Phenomenal Principle (Fish, 2010, p. 65). Thus we might say that the representionalist objection is used to defend representationalist direct realism against the argument from illusion. Direct realism can be presented as a theory about the metaphysics or epistemology of perception. 2 We are concerned with the former. 4 The paper is structured as follows: 1. We write the "job description" for a representation within A a direct realist theory of perception, and B an explanation of perceptually guided behaviour. 2. Drawing on the cognitive science, we examine the candidate representations that have been widely discussed in the literature. 3. We grant that these representations provide the basis for "surrogate reasoning" (Swoyer, 1991) about their targets and thereby meet the requirements of Role B. 1 Although it is useful to differentiate in terms of the approach and focus of attention, we do not draw a hard and fast distinction between the science and philosophy of perception. Indeed we would argue for "scientifically savvy philosophy", or "philosophically sophisticated science", call it what you may. 2 Two types of issue arise in the philosophy of perception, metaphysical and epistemological, which give rise to two questions: (i) What is the direct or immediate object of awareness when we perceive? and (ii) How can perception give us knowledge of the external world? See the two Stanford Encyclopedia entries on the problem of perception: The Problem of Perception (Crane & French, 2017) and Epistemological Problems of Perception (Bonjour, 2017). 3 We take the idea of a "job description" from Ramsey (Representation Reconsidered, 2007), but develop it in a different direction. Draft A new objection to representationalist direct realism July 2020 3 4. However, we argue that these representations cannot meet the requirements of Role A. They are "second-order isomorphic" (Shepard & Chipman, 1970) to their targets and, as such, cannot supply the representational content needed to satisfy direct realism's directness-claim. 5. We address potential objections and consolidate our argument against representationalist direct realism. 1 The role of representations in a direct realist theory of perception Any representationalist theory of perception needs to address two issues: Issue 1 the relationship between the world and the representation thereof, and Issue 2 the relationship between the representation and the phenomenology of perception. Moreover, a direct realist theory of perception needs to address both issues in a way which is compatible with direct realism's directness-claim. The representationalist theory of consciousness addresses Issue 2 in a manner which, its proponents maintain, provides both a defense of direct realism against the arguments from illusion and hallucination, and an accommodation of qualia within a materialist theory of mind. (Lycan, 2015) Many variants of the representationalist theory of consciousness have been discussed in the recent literature, but they agree on the essential point that the phenomenal character of our experiences is determined by their representational content. Tye defines "Strong" and "Weak" Representationalism in terms of identity and supervenience respectively: Strong Representationalism: phenomenal character is one and the same as representational content that meets certain further conditions. Weak Representationalism: phenomenal character supervenes on representational content that meets certain further conditions.... (2009, p. 256) For the purpose of this paper we will grant that Strong Representationalism is true and that the "certain further conditions" are met. By being, in this respect, charitable to the representationalists we can put aside Issue 2 and all matters concerning the genesis and nature of phenomenal experience. Here we focus on Issue 1, the relationship between the world and the representation thereof, which has received relatively little attention in the discussion of representationalist direct realism. Strong Representationalism does not, on its own, constitute a direct realist theory of perception. Representationalist direct realism requires a representationalist theory of 4 We will use Dretske's definition of direct realism (1995). See §1. 5 They include: natural and conventional (Dretske, Naturalising the Mind, 1997) intermodal and intramodal, and restricted and unrestricted (Byrne, 2001); realist and anti-realist, content-based and vehicle based, and ontologically liberal and conservative (Thompson, 2008); strong and weak, and reductive and non-reductive (Tye, Representational Theories of Consciousness, 2009); and narrow and wide (Lycan, 2015). Draft A new objection to representationalist direct realism July 2020 4 consciousness, plus a representation able to supply the necessary representational content. Provisionally, we can outline the job description of such a representation as: Job Description Role A (provisional): To supply the representational content needed to meet the requirements of the representionalist version of direct realism However, we need to distinguish Role A from the more usual role of representations in cognitive science: that is in explaining perceptually guided behaviour. The job description for representations in this second role can be outlined as: Job Description Role B: To supply the representational content needed to explain perceptually guided behaviour The distinction between the two roles must be emphasized. The requirement for a representation in Role B is to provide the basis for an explanation of behaviour, that is behaviour that could be studied by a third party, say an experimental psychologist or roboticist. Such an explanation is concerned purely with the efficacy of the perceptual process and makes no reference to perceptual experience. In contrast, the requirement for representations in Role A is to supply the representational content necessary to account for the phenomenal character of perceptual experience. Fish describes well just how demanding this requirement will be: [Since] the representationalist insists that what it is like to have an experience is explained by its representational content, an adequate theory of content must ascribe contents to experience that are as rich and detailed as that experience's phenomenology. (2010, p. 78) Moreover, in Role A, a representation must be able to supply representational content such that the perceptual experience is not only sufficiently rich and detailed, but is also in accordance with direct realism's directness-claim. This claim can be expressed in a number of forms, but for our present purposes, that is a critique of representationalist direct realism, it is desirable to use a form of words that has the imprimatur of the representationalist camp. To this end we draw on Dretske's reference to "direct realism" 7 in the Oxford Companion to Philosophy: 6 To this end we avoid definitions in terms of an "immediate object of awareness", as in Smith (2002, p. 7), which might fall foul of the representationalists' rejection of the Phenomenal Principle. (Fish, 2010, p. 6) 7 Here Dretske takes the terms "direct realism" and "naïve realism" to be synonymous: reference to the former directs the reader to the entry on the latter. Elsewhere, confusingly, "naïve realism" is used as thoroughgoing version of "direct realism" which is associated with disjunctivism (Martin, 2004), and to distinguish between "naïve" and "scientific" r


By means of questionnaire survey data collected,with a valid sample of 592 employees,the paper studies the influence of Mianzi consciousness on knowledge sharing behavior and employee creativity. The empirical research discovers that employee's desire to gain Mianzi has a positive effect on knowledge donating,then has a positive effect on creativity mediated by knowledge donating; employee' s fear of losing Mianzi has a negative effect on knowledge collecting and knowledge donating,then has a negative effect on creativity mediated by knowledge collecting and knowledge donating. Moreover,supportive organizational communication climate moderated the relationship between Mianzi consciousness and knowledge sharing. If Chinese managers fully understand and reasonably use this mechanism of Mianzi consciousness on knowledge sharing behavior and creativity,the efficiency of knowledge management and organizational innovation performance can be enhanced.


Objective: To assess the number of unused surgical instruments during thoracic surgeries performed at a university hospital. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted by gathering data on the use or lack of use of surgical instruments present in the surgical box. Results: A total of thirty thoracic surgeries were observed, with a mean of 84.53% of instruments utilized for surgery and a mean of 15.48% of instruments left unused. Conclusion: A reconfiguration of the surgical boxes for this specialty is needed in order to optimize the utilization and the process of these instruments.


Not all environmental problems attract the same public attention. Some, such as sewage overflow into urban waterways, remain well out of the public eye while steadily increasing in severity. Others, notably the new "global environmental problems" (biodiversity loss, global warming, ozone depletion, tropical deforestation) achieve international prominence despite conflicting scientific opinion. In Environmental Sociology: A Social Constructionist Perspective John Hannigan argues that society's willingness to recognise and solve environmental problems rests primarily upon the claims making activities of a number of "issue entrepreneurs" in the science, the mass media and politics.


Session: Molecular Simulation of Surface, Interface and Confinement Effects - In Honor of Keith Gubbins' 80th Birthday I (Invited Talks) - no. 84c


The design of applications and protocols for sensor networks has the issues of minimizing energy utilization and maximizing network lifetime. Energy -efficient sensor state planning consists in findin g an optimal assignment of states to sensors in order to maximiz e network lifetime. It is based on Joint Routing & Coverage constraints, the wireless sensor networks consists of large numbers of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). It capable of measuring & reporting physical variab les. The MEMS are combined and form Joint Routing. Coverage of the sensors should be constraint such that the r ange of access is limited. It reduces the usage of energy which is used by WSN. Because WSN's are limited power as well as processing. Only a limited set of sensors that fully covers that monitored area can be switched on while the other sensors are turned off. So address the o ptimal planning of sensors states in cluster based sensor networks. The Wireless Sensor Networks minimizing energy (power) which is used by Sensors and by means of reducing the power consumption, it will maximize the life time of Network. The optimal planning of sensors states can be addressed in cluster-based sensor networks. In this, any sensor can be in the state of turned on, turned off or promoted as cluster head and a different power consumption level is associated with each of these states. An e nergy optimal topology that maximizes network life time while ensuring simultaneously full area coverage and sens or connectivity to cluster head, which are constrai ned to form a spanning tree used as a routing topology. UWB is a Radio Frequency (RF) technology that transmits bin ary data, using low energy and extremely short duration impulses or bursts (in the order of picoseconds) over a wide spectrum of frequencies. It delivers data over 15 to 100 met ers and does not require a dedicated radio frequenc y, so is also known as carrier-free, impulse or base-band radio


Review Article Medicinal as well as aromatic plants have been utilized over the ages for their poetncy and negligible side effects. As a result of this, the exploration is at its highest possible peak. Seeing this phenomenon, the climbing plant 'Clitoria ternatea, (CT) coming from the Fabaceae family and frequently referred to as 'Butterfly pea' and 'Shankpushpi'. Traditionally named as Aparajitha pushpam, has been used in Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine, due to its varied usages over centuries as a memory booster, nootropic, antistressor, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing as well as sedative agent. A vast range of secondary metabolites consisting of triterpenoids, flavanol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids has been extracted from Clitoria ternatea. Its extracts have a variety of medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, anesthetic, antidiabetic, insecticidal, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting as well as vascular smooth muscle tissue relaxing properties. This plant has a longstanding history in Traditional Ayurvedic medication for a number of diseases and the scientific and clinical research studies has reconfirmed those with modern relevance. The plant holds several active constituents like alkaloids, glucosides, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbs and so on. This review is an initiative effort to explore the phytochemical components as well as pharmacological studies of Clitoria ternatea, which have remained in professional usage in the Ayurvedic system of medicine along with an essential assessment of its future ethnopharmacological potential in the perspective of many recent findings of importance on the well-known plant species.


As EPA, industry, and others promote the use of bioremediation as a treatment alternative for environmental contamination, the health risks of such cleanup efforts must be assessed. Conversions of toxic constituents to metabolic intermediates and byproducts can result in fluctuations in toxicity over time. We have examined this process by studying the microbial degradation of petroleum products in the field and in the laboratory. For the field study, we evaluated 2 accidental releases (a coastal oil spill and a refinery leak) in which biodegradation was achieved by accelerating the proliferation of indigenous soil microbes through application of nutrient formulations. Soil samples were collected before, during, and after in situ treatment, and organics were extracted from the soils by sonication with dichloromethane (DCM). The extracts were tested for mutagenicity using the spiral Salmonella assay. Results indicated that the mutagenicity of the oil-impacted beaches depended on soil composition, nutrient formulation, and natural removal processes such as wave action. The mutagenicity of the refinery fuel-impacted soils was related to depth of collection, water table location, and levels of BTEX contamination. For the laboratory study, we evaluated the bio-degradation of 3 crude oils by 2 species of fungi combined in flasks of mineral salts.more » Flasks were incubated at 30{degrees}C for up to one month, and contents were extracted with DCM at 2-day intervals and tested for mutagenic activity. An oil that was highly mutagenic became nonmutagenid in as few as 5-6 days of treatment, while a nonmutagenic oil became mutagenic over time.« less


The moral obligations of ecological restorationists have been discussed, assessed, and argued over informally since before the creation of the Society for Ecological Restoration. Matters of a conceptual nature have been raised in sessions at several of the annual SER conferences, perhaps the best known being the session organized by William Jordan III at the 1990 conference in Chicago, "The Sistine Ceiling Debate." Yet progress toward clear articulation and resolution of issues has been slow. There is so much to accomplish in restoration and so much pressure to know more about how to do it that we run the risk, as have many other practitioners and professionals, of becoming exquisitely capable of technical tasks, and manifestly unaware of the purposes, implications, and ethical trade-offs involved. At the urging of Bill Jordan, I undertook to organize a plenary session at the 1992 SER Conference in Waterloo that would both extend previous conceptual discussions and reach for new ideas on ethical issues related to ecological restoration. At the heart of ecological restoration are questions about what distinguishes good restoration from bad restoration. These questions go beyond purely technical issues, for they are essentially questions of ethics and value. One of the issues that has proved most controversial among restorationists is posed by the increasingly common practice of restoration to compensate for--or "mitigate"damage to the environment. At the same time, the practice of restoration for mitigation purposes only raises in a peculiarly clear and urgent way basic issues such as the authenticity and value of restored ecosystems and of professional ethics, with which restorationists deal constantly in one way or another in the course of their work. Under what conditions is it appropriate to mitigate the damage done by a specific project? As there is no generally accepted definition of mitigation in the realm of ecological restoration and conservation practice, the following will serve as a working definition: mitigation is constituted by practices that reduce or reverse the effects of development. Usually, but not always, there is an implication of tradeoff; that is, the development can proceed only after the developer has somehow compensated for anticipated damage, which in extreme cases may involve the outright elimination of an ecosystem. The purpose of the open discussion summarized here was to raise some of these issues, especially those associated with the practice of restoration specifically to mitigate ecological damage, to articulate them as clearly as possible, and to give participants an opportunity to address them from the perspective of their work. At no point did we expect definitive answers to any of these questions, and of course none emerged. Rather, our purpose was to define issues more clearly and to provoke discussion and reflection, and in this way to contribute to a discussion of some of the central issues facing the restoration community. What follows is based directly on the transcripts of recordings of the workshop. The discussion began with three short lectures by Bill Jordan, John Tucker, and


The peripheral hemodynamics of 20 patients were studied 24 hours before and 24 hours following completion of Seldinger transfemoral cardiac catheterization. All patients were catheterized in the right femoral artery and vein, while in 13 an arterial needle was placed in the left femoral artery.In the catheterized leg, mean calf blood flow and venous capacitance fell while mean calf vascular resistance was increased. The placement of an indwelling arterial needle caused mean calf blood flow to fall with an increase in calf vascular resistance. Venous capacitance was unchanged. The above changes while present 24 hours after catheterization had returned to normal one week later. While no symptoms or signs of limb ischemia occurred, oscillometry showed deterioration in the lower limb pulsation amplitudes in 13 of the 20 patients. No significant changes in peripheral hemodynamics were seen in the limbs, the arteries of which had not been catheterized.Thus, although all patients were symptomless and free of signs suggestive of ischemia clinically, arterial and venous catheterization and/or the placement of an arterial needle causes significant changes which last at least 24 hours distal to the invasion of the vessels.


The invention relates to an airbag cover, in particular for use in motor vehicles, covering with a mold part and a the molding visible cover of leather or a leather-like material, wherein is arranged a layer of a material between the molding and the visible cover, at least, which is softer than the material of the molded part, the visible cover has a partial weakening, and the transition from the weakened area to the non-weakened area is designed constant. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for covering an above an airbag arranged mold part with a partially weakened visible cover, characterized by the steps of placing a weakened area in which the visible cover forming leather or leather-like material on the side remote from the visible side of the visible cover, the transition is continuously configured by the weakened area to the non-weakened area of applying at least one layer of a material which is designed softer than the material of the molding, onto the molding part as well as the application of the visible cover to the layer of softer material.


The present invention discloses a multifunctional green concrete, characterized in that the parts made of the following materials by weight: 100-120 cement, Shi Ying sand 60-80, 30-60 waste plastics, 2-5 sodium carbonate, calcium sulfate 3 -6, mica powder, 55-80, 20-25 vinyl silicone oil, oil shale 80-100, 90-110 pottery waste, waste clothing 40-50, additives 4-7, the amount of water; the multi-functional green aggregate contains shale oil and pottery waste, has good high temperature, noise performance, waste clothing fibers added to the present invention, so that the present invention is easy to crack the concrete, thereby increasing the flexural strength of the concrete and toughness .


The paper presents visual effects and their importance in the creation of visual media and film industry. After defining the field and the term visual effects, the reader is introduced to the techniques and approaches used to create visual effects, i.e., computer-generated Imagery, 3D computer graphics, motion capture, matchmoving, chroma key, rotoscoping, matte painting, and digital compositing. This is followed by a presentation of the history of visual effects from its beginnings to the digital age, taking in the most successful examples of film production such as Terminator, Toy Story, The Matrix, and Star Wars. As an example of the most representative production, the paper includes a more detailed description of the techniques, methods, and approaches used in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, focusing on the creation of the visual appearance of the Gollum character, his movement, and facial expressions, the creation of crowds with autonomous agents and the introduction of digital duplicates. The review concludes with an overview of trends for the future of the field.


This work presents an investigation of the properties of the one-dimensional, two-fluid turbulence-driven solar wind model introduced by Hollweg and Johnson (1988). It is found that the model has serious difficulties in reproducing the observed high-speed wind at 1 AU. In particular, the model proton temperatures are lower than those observed by a factor of 2 or more and the highest temperature models yield excessive wave intensities at 1 AU. It appears that the problem stems from the specific spatial distribution of heat deposition in the model. Thus this study does not rule out a turbulence-driven fast solar wind, since other forms of the turbulent evolution could probably achieve better results. A three-fluid version of the model is also presented to show that the addition of alpha particles does not significantly reduce the extreme proton temperatures displayed near the Sun by the Hollweg and Johnson work. Finally, the author suggests that the additional heating needs to be located well beyond the critical point, implying that the heating mechanism for the fast solar wind is likely not the same as that heating the solar corona.


The invention discloses an electric-hydraulic proportion control valve set, which belongs to the field of the electric-hydraulic proportion control system. The valve set comprises a first overflow valve, a balancing valve, an electric-hydraulic proportion steering valve, a double-speed switching valve, an oil case, a second overflow valve and a first shuttle valve, wherein an oil inlet is communicated with the oil inlet of the electric-hydraulic proportion steering valve; a first oil outlet of the electric-hydraulic proportion steering valve is communicated with the oil inlet of the balancing valve; a front guide port of a spring cavity of the balancing valve is communicated with the oil outlet and the oil inlet of the balancing valve respectively; a first working oil hole of a double-speed motor is communicated with the oil outlet of the balancing valve, the oil inlet of the first overflow valve, and the first oil inlet of the first shuttle valve; and the second working oil hole of the double-speed motor is communicated with the second oil inlet of the first shuttle valve, the oil outlet of the first overflow valve, and the second oil outlet of the electric-hydraulic proportion steering valve. Through adopting the electric-hydraulic proportion control valve set, millimeter high-precision route control of a winch for underwater location is realized.


In this study, I develop and estimate a model of spatial competition between grain elevators. Grain elevators compete over space for products, which they in turn supply to the market and form the demand for transportation. I model these supply and corresponding transportation demands as as a function of prices, transportation rates and a variety of control variables. These control variables capture the spatial environment from which decisions are made. Further, elevators operate in different geographic areas with differing market and demand alternatives which imply structural breaks across regions. A variety of models designed to capture geographic differences in the elasticity parameter are employed to uncover structural breaks in the data along the geography of the network. Further, these elevators compete with each other spatially, with the result that their errors may be spatially correlated. To examine this possibility, I estimate a spatial autocorrelation model for the potential spatial clustering of errors. The results suggest that demand elasticities vary across the spatial environment, and that the presence of competitors can and does have a sizable impact on the structure of demand. These results are of central importance to policy-makers as they call into question the assumptions made by models currently in use for measuring the benefits of inland waterway improvements, and yet, provide estimates that are easily adapted to the models used to measure these benefits. † This research was conducted under funding from the Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Navigation Economics Technologies (NETS) program. I would like to gratefully acknowledge the and comments from Wesley Wilson, Glen Waddell, Bruce Blonigen, Mark Burton, Chris Dager and the staff at TVA. * Kevin E. Henrickson, Department of Economics, 1285 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1285, (541) 346-4668, (541) 346-1243 (fax), email@example.com


Two-dimensional , steady, laminar equations of motion of an incompressible ∞uid with variable viscosity and heat transfer equations are considered. The problem investigated is the ∞ow for which the vorticity dis- tribution is proportional to the stream function perturbed by a sinusoidal stream. Employing transformation variable, the governing Navier-Stokes Equations are transformed into the ordinary difierential equations and ex- act solutions are obtained. Finally, the in∞uence of difierent parameters of interest on the velocity, temperature and pressure proflles are plotted and discussed.


Business financial management belongs to the applied economic and administration subject,the teaching course should give prominence to the practicality.There are so many disadvantages in the traditional financial management teaching aim.Adopting the case teaching method is helpful to change the model of thinking and the way of teaching and to better the students' comprehensive quality;meanwhile it can help teachers to improve their scientific ability and professional skill.The basic procedure of case teaching method can be divided into four parts.


This paper introduces a Fuzzy entropy-based method for the problem of feature selection. For the first time Fuzzy-Entropy is used to directly link the relative input relevance of a Radial-Basis-Function Neural-Fuzzy modelling structure. This embedded feature selection method uses the model performance as a criterion for the feature selection. The resulting model maintains its simplicity and transparency in the form of a linguistic Fuzzy-Logic rule-base. The proposed methodology is validated using a real biomedical casestudy, which concerns the signature selection for the identification of the stage of bladder cancer. The signature selection and predictive modelling results are compared to previous research work on the same dataset, and it is shown that the RBF-NF model outperforms the previous modelling attempts by achieving high predictive accuracy (>90%). The model is shown to maintain its good performance even when using just 10 genes in the gene based signature.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the influence of the human resource (HR) manager on the quality of service in an academic college, and the human resource management (HRM) outcomes of the process.Design/methodology/approach – The paper relates to a customer satisfaction survey. More than 120 questionnaires were completed by the customers (Israeli college students) for each service provider (e.g. academic departments, the students' dean, the maintenance and the logistics departments) measuring customer satisfaction via different dimensions of quality.Findings – By getting involved in the service quality improvement process, the HR manager was exposed to HRM problems such as non‐balanced workload, faulty work planning, lack of knowledge and skills, wrong placements, unclear job descriptions, etc. This information led to meaningful improvement in HRM processes (e.g. training programs, job descriptions, selection and placement and manpower planning).Practical implications – The paper discusse...


It is shown that the motion of quasineutral bunches of totally ionized plasma in a heterogeneous magnetic field should be followed (under certain general conditions) by production of relatlvistic electrons. Analysls is made of a limited bunch of quasineutral plasma composed of equal numbers of positive ions and electrons with a total transition velocity v/sub 0/ and initial velocity v/ sub 0/ < c. The case considered corresponds to the quasineutral bunch reflection in a magnetic field at 180 deg . However, the qualitative analysis convincingly demonstrates the mechanism by which any motion of the quasineutral bunch in a heterogeneous magnetic field (in addition to other processes) will result in the energy transition from the heavy fraction of the bunch to the light one. (R.V.J.)


We are participating in the challenge of identifying active compounds for target proteins using structure-based virtual screening (SBVS). We use an in-house customized docking program, CONSENSUS-DOCK, which is a customized version of the DOCK4 program in which three scoring functions (DOCK4, FlexX and PMF) and consensus scoring have been implemented. This paper compares the docking calculation results obtained using CONSENSUS-DOCK and DOCK4, and demonstrates that CONSENSUS-DOCK produces better results than DOCK4 for major X-ray structures obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB).


Objective: To identify the knowledge of Haliti-Paresi children about hantaviruses through artistic expressions. Method: This is a descriptive-interpretative and qualitative study conducted with nine children of the Haliti-Paresi ethnicity through art therapy. The analysis of the design was performed using the single analysis recording technique. Results: We analyzed 14 graphic records of nine children in three categories: physical and social environment, knowledge about the transmission of hantaviruses and knowledge about the disease/lethality. In the artistic expressions the presence of the reservoir of the disease was observed and the clinical severity with hospitalization images. Conclusion: The artistic productions of the children revealed the importance of educational and preventive measures that contribute to the improvement of the quality of life.


OBJECTIVEWe sought to determine the tumor control rate and cranial nerve function outcomes in patients with vestibular schwannomas who were treated with proton beam stereotactic radiosurgery. METHODSBetween November 1992 and August 2000, 88 patients with vestibular schwannomas were treated at the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory with proton beam stereotactic radiosurgery in which two to four convergent fixed beams of 160-MeV protons were applied. The median transverse diameter was 16 mm (range, 2.5–35 mm), and the median tumor volume was 1.4 cm3 (range, 0.1–15.9 cm3). Surgical resection had been performed previously in 15 patients (17%). Facial nerve function (House-Brackmann Grade 1) and trigeminal nerve function were normal in 79 patients (89.8%). Eight patients (9%) had good or excellent hearing (Gardner-Robertson [GR] Grade 1), and 13 patients (15%) had serviceable hearing (GR Grade 2). A median dose of 12 cobalt Gray equivalents (range, 10–18 cobalt Gray equivalents) was prescribed to the 70 to 108% isodose lines (median, 70%). The median follow-up period was 38.7 months (range, 12–102.6 mo). RESULTSThe actuarial 2- and 5-year tumor control rates were 95.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.9–99.9%) and 93.6% (95% CI, 88.3–99.3%). Salvage radiosurgery was performed in one patient 32.5 months after treatment, and a craniotomy was required 19.1 months after treatment in another patient with hemorrhage in the vicinity of a stable tumor. Three patients (3.4%) underwent shunting for hydrocephalus, and a subsequent partial resection was performed in one of these patients. The actuarial 5-year cumulative radiological reduction rate was 94.7% (95% CI, 81.2–98.3%). Of the 21 patients (24%) with functional hearing (GR Grade 1 or 2), 7 (33.3%) retained serviceable hearing ability (GR Grade 2). Actuarial 5-year normal facial and trigeminal nerve function preservation rates were 91.1% (95% CI, 85–97.6%) and 89.4% (95% CI, 82–96.7%). Univariate analysis revealed that prescribed dose (P = 0.005), maximum dose (P = 0.006), and the inhomogeneity coefficient (P = 0.03) were associated with a significant risk of long-term facial neuropathy. No other cranial nerve deficits or cancer relapses were observed. CONCLUSIONProton beam stereotactic radiosurgery has been shown to be an effective means of tumor control. A high radiological response rate was observed. Excellent facial and trigeminal nerve function preservation rates were achieved. A reduced prescribed dose is associated with a significant decrease in facial neuropathy.


RUBINO, D. L. AND B. C. MCCARTHY (Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701). Presence of aposematic (warning) coloration in vascular plants of southeastern Ohio. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 131: 252-256. 2004.-Aposematic coloration, use of conspicuous colors to advertise unpleasant qualities to potential predators, is well documented in the animal kingdom. However, similar use of warning coloration in plants to advertise physical armaments (spines, thorns, or prickles) has been, until recently, unreported. A preliminary survey of physically armed plants in southeastern Ohio (USA) revealed a high incidence of aposematic coloration-the presence of physical armaments colored differently than the structure on which they are borne. Furthermore, aposematic coloration was found in a wide variety of taxonomically diverse vascular plants. Future research into the possible role of aposematic coloration in vascular plants could greatly expand our knowledge of plant/herbivore interactions.


Angular distribution data for 800 MeV $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}(p, {p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ (2.61 MeV, ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) are analyzed to determine the sensitivity of the analysis to the neutron component of the transition density. The analysis employs the first order Kerman, McManus, and Thaler optical potential model (distorted wave Born approximation together with the impulse approximation). The total error in the multipole moment of the deduced transition density, ${M}_{n}(E3)$, is computed based on uncertainties in (1) the elastic and inelastic scattering data, (2) the geometry of the transition density, (3) the nucleon-nucleon amplitudes, (4) the proton transition density, (5) correlation corrections, and (6) medium modifications to the effective interactions. Under the presumption of an accurate theoretical model, the minimal uncertainty in ${M}_{n}(E3)$ is \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}8.5%. Such accuracy permits meaningful comparisons with results from nuclear structure theory.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREFACE CHAPTER 1 CORRELATION BETWEEN PATENTS & DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS FROM HISTORY CHAPTER 2 THE UNEQUALS: NATIONAL REALITIES & PATENT REGIMES OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD CHAPTER 3 THE INTERNATONAL TRADE REGIME IN PERSPECTIVE CHAPTER 4 THE POOR NATIONS HARMONIZE CHAPTER 5 THE MISSING PIECE OF THE TRIPS PUZZLE: PROCEDURAL MECHANISMS CHAPTER 6 TRIPS PATENT REGIME: THE POVERTY PENALTY CHAPTER 7 IS A SUBSTANTIVE REGIME ADEQUATE TO GENERATE FULL COMPLIANCE? THE BIOTECHNOLOGY DEBATE Chapter 8 Dying to Dine -The Story of the Great Agricultural Barrier CHAPTER 9 The Debate on Plant Variety Protection Chapter 10 Harvesting Poverty: The PBR Story in a Subsidy Plot CHAPTER 11 Biodiversity: The Third but Ignored Paradigm of the Trade Regime CHAPTER 12 Can the Trade Regime Lead to Sustainable Development? INDEX


SummaryEarly in the season young Cox's Orange Pippin fruits were free from mechanical stress, but stress developed rapidly when the larger fruits on the tree had grown to about 15 mm diameter. Elastic strain reached a maximum in summer when fruit diameter was about 25 mm (around mid-June) in both 1974 and 1975, despite very different weather conditions. During the rest of the growing season, elastic strain seemed to depend on the conditions of that particular year, especially on rainfall. Transverse cuts in the fruit surface gaped more than longitudinal cuts until mid-July, indicating that elastic strain was greater in the longitudinal direction—also the direction of greatest growth—but later in the season longitudinal cuts gaped more than transverse ones. Small fruits were more strained than large ones throughout the season.


Clinical features of the X-linked form of dyskeratosis congenita (X-DC, OMIM 30500) include abnormalities of cutaneous pigmentation, dystrophy of the nails, leukoplakia of the oral mucosa, lacrimal duct atresia, bone marrow failure, and increased incidence of malignancy. An autosomal dominant form also exists (OMIM 127550), and the products of the genes mutated in these two forms (DKC1 in X-DC and hTERC in the autosomal dominant form) have been shown to physically interact in the complex responsible for maintenance of telomere length. It remains unclear, however, how disruption of this function could account for all the features of X-DC. DKC1 (also known as dyskerin) associates with several small RNAs that, like hTERC, the RNA component of the telmorase complex, harbour the H 1 ACA motif. In association with small nucleolar RNAs, dyskerin acts as a pseudouridine synthase, converting uridine to pseudouridine in the post-translational modification of ribosomal RNAs. Yoon et al. have now demonstrated in an elegant series of experiments the remarkable means by which disturbance of this enzymatic activity might account for various features of X-DC. The authors took advantage of a previously characterized mouse model of X-DC in which expression of Dkc1 is decreased, allowing ready access to Dkc1-hypomorphic (Dkc1) tissue and cells. (Total inactivation of Dkc1 is lethal to yeast, fly, and mouse, and presumably to man as well). Yoon et al. first asked whether the relative lack of pseudouridine in rRNA might result in a general defect of translation. The answer was no – total protein synthesis rates were comparable in cells from mutant and wild-type animals. Was there, nevertheless, a defect in the synthesis of some particular protein or proteins? To answer this, they used microarray technology to assess the relative quantities of 1500 RNAs that were associated with actively transcribing ribosomes in cells fromDkc1 or wild-type mice. The cells they chose were primary lymphocytes, as this is a lineage that often shows proliferative disturbance in X-DC, and the 1500 RNAs were chosen to survey a wide variety of possibly relevant biological functions, including cell signalling, differentiation, apoptosis, cell-cycle control, and cancer initiation. They thus identified three genes, the tumour suppressor, p27, and two antiapoptotic genes, XIAP and BCL-xL, that each showed at least 25% less polysomal-associated message in the Dkc1 than in the wild-type cells. An unusual feature known to be shared by two of these three genes is the presence of an IRES (internal ribosome entry sequence). These sequences, which vary considerably from one gene to the next, are always found in the 5# untranslated region with respect to the coding sequence of proteins whose translation they promote, and are thought to allow direct ribosome binding to local structural features of the transcribed RNA. IRES-dependent translation is therefore largely independent of many factors that are required for general or cap-dependent translation, although most IRES-bearing genes can also be translated by cap-dependent means. One well-studied function of an IRES is to permit translation of proteins that may allow cells to survive in conditions of stress that impede general or cap-dependent translation. XIAP is an example of just such a protein, and its translation is known to be induced by gamma irradiation. Consequently, Yoon et al. measured the levels of HotSpots


A process of CNC incremental forming in which a cylindrical shell is formed a flat blank by means of conical incremental stretching and subsequent reverse incremental drawing, has the advantage of adaptability to small-lot production of cylindrical shell parts. Although the forming limit has been reported for the conical incremental stretching, the limit has not been illuminated previously for the cylindrical incremental drawing. Here we report the forming limit in the cylindrical incremental drawing of aluminum sheets. It is found that the forming limit is governed by occurrence of versatile rupture modes, and these rupture modes are avoidable by controlling the tool-path schedule in the process. Furthermore, experimental results show that the tool-path pitch is a dominant parameter in determining the success or failure of the process, because the excessive tool-path pitch forms the excess metal into a plastic hinge line in the vicinity ahead of the tool, and thus adds resistance to incremental drawing flow, which promotes rupture.


With the development of network technologies,the quality requirement of the much more complicated protocols of communication is strict.Therefore,the protocol test technology to keep the implementation of protocol correctable and effectible is on the demand of changing continuously.The paper introduces the foundation of the protocol test: Protocol Conformance Testing and its testing description language TTCN-3,and analyses the shorting of present TTCN-3 in describing synchronization and the necessity of its extension.A new inter-communication frame is introduced and a new concept of state based on the frame is given out.Using this way to improve the synchronization of TTCN-3 could make the protocol conformance testing become more convenient in the distributed testing environment.


The possibility to use the heterotrophic bacteria of Bacillus sp. for regeneration of natural montmorillonite and montmorillonite/iron oxide composite after the Cu(II) adsorption was studied and compared with the classical methods of chemical regeneration. After 10 days of bioleaching the bacteria released approximately 80% of loaded Cu(II), leaving the sorbents stable. Longer treatment and higher concentration of dissolved metal cations in the solution caused the reverse sorption of Cu(II) by bacteria. The treating of composite with adsorbed Cu(II) with organic acids (oxalic, citric) led to partial Cu(II) dissolution. The hydrochloric acid caused its structural destruction, liberated the Fe ions from the oxides precipitated on the bentonite surface. The bioregenerated sorbent was successfully repeatedly used for the Cu(II) adsorption.


The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm enables the development of new kinds of mass market applications that benefit from environment data collected by sensors. Because of the huge number of objects encompassed by the IoT, their impermanence and their world wide accessibility, the middleware community faces new challenges. Offering application developers the possibility to declare IoT variables easily discovered and transparently updated is one of these challenges. IoT systems are supported by distributed architectures where sensors and end-user applications interact through IoT platforms deployed on the cloud or on the edges. In this paper, we describe the IoTVar middleware that manages interactions between end-user applications and IoT platforms through IoTVar proxies. We show how IoTVar enables software developers to declare and manage IoT variables with a minimum number of lines of code.


The remote control of the laser marker is a typical product adopted embedded system and human-machine interface In order to operate the laser marker conveniently and save the cost of PC control a graphical interface has been developed in t e embedded operate system μ C/OS-Ⅱ by using ARM processor The hardware and software design of the remote control is completed in the design,μ C/GUI is successful transplanted to the target system and the programming of GUI task is completed.


ABSTRACT In 2010, the Government of Ontario, Canada passed the controversial Far North Act. The Act purportedly aims to promote land use planning and sustainable development while recognising Aboriginal and Treaty rights. There are, however, early warning signs that the Act could be a breeding ground for future conflict between Indigenous peoples and other stakeholder groups. This article adopts a 'sons of the soil' conceptual framework to explore the mechanisms that could give rise to the escalation of Indigenous vs. non-Indigenous conflict. The findings provide important insights for theorising the contentious politics around land and territory in diverse settler-colonial contexts.


Introduction:  The study aims to determine if any association exists between visual memory performance and diagnostic accuracy performance in a group of radiologist mammogram readers.


SINCE 1970 OBSERVATIONS HAVE SHOWN THAT THE BEARING CAPACITY OF BORED PILES DEPENDS ON A NUMBER OF MANUFACTURE PARAMETERS WHICH MUST BE KNOWN ON THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. THIS ARTICLE OUTLINES THE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY FOR THE SATISFACTORY CONSTRUCTION OF BORED PILE FOUNDATIONS. THE VARIOUS TYPES OF BORED PILES ARE RECALLED TOGETHER WITH THE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF DEFECTS DURING MANUFACTURE (BORING-PLACING OF THE REINFORCEMENT-CONCRETING), LIMITS OF NON-DESTRUCTIVE CONTROL TESTS, CONTROLS TO BE CARRIED OUT DURING AND AFTER COMPLETION OF THE WORK. MENTION IS MADE OF THE REPAIR OF PILES WHICH ARE DEFECTIVE AND OF THE MAIN ASPECTS THAT REMAIN TO BE STUDIED IN EXPERIMENTAL PLANTS. A TABLE SHOWS THE NUMBER OF IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BORED PILES.


The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying factor structure of the WPPSI-R. Previous factor analyses of the WPPSI generally have supported a two-factor interpretation. Three separate maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analyses were performed on the WPPSI-R standardization sample (N = 1,700). A one-factor (general), a two-factor (verbal and performance), and a three-factor solution were imposed on the median intercorrelation matrix of the 12 WPPSI-R subtests. A comparison of underlying theory and goodness-of-fit statistics for the three analyses provided support for the two-factor solution as best representing the underlying structure of the WPPSI-R. The verbal and performance factors correlated highly, which indicates an underlying general component. The results lend continued support for the interpretation of separate Verbal and Performance Scales and for the interpretation of a Full Scale Score.


SUMMARY Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production on the Loess Plateau in China has been threatened by water scarcity and climate change during the last decade. Sustainable crop production in this region requires managerial practices that can provide high yield and high water productivity (WP). A 7-year (2001–2008) study at the Loess Plateau Research Station of Lanzhou University investigated the effects of various conservation tillage practices on grain yield, soil water content (SWC), WP and economic return of winter wheat production. Tillage treatments included: conventional tillage (T), conventional tillage followed by stubble retention (TS), no-till (NT) and no-till followed by stubble retention (NTS). Over the entire experimental period, grain yield and WP of winter wheat ranged from 1279 to 4894 kg/ha and 0·32 to 2·41 kg/m3, respectively. Both were significantly affected by tillage treatment and year, while SWC was only affected by year. Grain yield and WP in TS was increased by 4·9, 12·1, 0·9% and 13·7, 20·4 and 3·9% compared with NTS, NT and T, respectively, over seven growing seasons. Additionally, a multiple linear regression analysis indicated that grain yield is mainly limited by SWC during planting. Despite its lower grain yield, the NTS treatment increased economic benefit by US$ 328, US$ 23 and US$ 87/ha compared with TS, NT and T, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested that increasing soil water storage at wheat sowing time and encouraging the use of NTS could improve economic returns in this region.


Direct electrochemistry of redox proteins provides exciting platforms for performance improvement of biosensors and power enhancement of biofuel cells. Nanomaterials with tailored structures and unique properties are promising building blocks to promote direct electron transfer (DET) between redox-active cofactors of proteins and electrodes. This paper reviews the advances of nanostructured materials for DET of redox proteins in recent years, and is divided into applications in biosensors and biofuel cells. Both of them focus on the performance improvement, together with discussion on major challenges and opportunities for future research. The enhancement mechanism for direct electrochemistry is also reviewed for fundamental insights.


From two aspects of fire-retardant processing method and flame retardant of MDF,the findings which domestic researchers have got were elaborated,the development prospect of MDF was forecasted.


A D-PL ( Digital-PL) chaotic model was proposed to construct ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation) of BIST (Built in Self Test) in this paper. The D-PL chaotic model is improvement of the traditional continuous PL chaotic model. The coefficient of power of 2 was used for traditional PL chaos discrete processing. This approach is conducive to the realization of hardware. Shift registers and accumulator adopted to implement iteration avoiding the direct use of the multiplier. This method can effectively reduce the circuits area After parameters optimization, the D-PL chaotic model ATPG was applied for testing digital circuits. Experiment results show that the proposed D-PL chaotic model ATPG has good randomness and ergodicity. The test pattern of D-PL Model has no correlation. It can effectively improve the digital circuits fault detection rate in BIST.


To determine the resistance of cotton species and cultivars to the herbicide diuron, a green house test was conducted in Vicosa, Minas Gerais. Genotypes of the species Gossypium: hirsutum latifolium Hutch. ( cv IAC 17 and BR 1) , G. hirsutum marie galante Hutch. (cv Veludo C 17) , and G. barbadense brasiliense Hutch. (cv rim-de-boi ) were studied . A split plot in a randomized complete block design was utilized in this experiment. The main plots were the herbicid e dosage (0,0 0, 0,0 48, 0,0 96, 0, 35 7, 0, 71 4 an d 1, 42 8 kg a. i. /h a) applied to the sand subs trat when the plants had one or two true leaves, and the subplot were the genotypes. Each plot was represented by a wood bos (3 7 x 47 x 11/cm) filled with washed sand. The seeds were acid deslinted before planting. To measure the resistance several parameters were observed such as: Phitotoxicity level 15 days after application, plant height, fresh and dry weight of plants, rate of stem elongation and rate of relative growth of aerial part. The results showed that cv IAC 17 and BR -1 were the most resistant to the chemical stress of the herbicide, the cv Veludo C 71 had in termediate resistance being the cv Rim de Boi the kg a . i . /ha was ha rmful to the plants of this cultivar. The results indicates that one should consider the specie and cultivar, before recommend ingthe application of diuron to a cotton field.


Objective To explore the prevalence rate and influencing factors of chronic diseases in Heilongjiang Province,so as to provide some information for the government to deal with the chronic diseases.Methods Based on the data from the enlarged investigation in west China of the Fourth National Health Service Survey in Heilongjiang,the influencing factors of chronic diseases were analyzed through the statistic description and two-level logit regression model.Results By certain analysis,we find that the influencing factors of chronic diseases in Heilongjiang include the type of water,income,gender,age,occupation,medical insurance,body checking,smoking,drinking and exercise.Conclusion The prevalence rates of chronic diseases among different population are different.It should be helpful to changing such status through enhancing health intervention among the poor,the female,the elder,the divorced or the bereft,the retired and the people whose living behaviors are unhealthy.


In this paper, the droplet optimisation algorithm (DOA) has been proposed. DOA emulates rainfall phenomenon. It employs some special operators to describe the droplet process, including droplet generation, droplet fall, droplet collision, droplet flowing and droplet updating. To compare performance of this algorithm against those of some up-to-date optimisation algorithms, all of the CEC 2005 contest benchmark functions have been employed. The experimental results have proven that DOA is superior to all basic optimisation algorithms and also some up-to-date optimisation algorithms.


In an electronics circuit, a set of components named as modules or blocks are connected through 'wires' called as interconnects. Floorplanning and placement are used to reduce the total area, size, power, temperature and cost of any circuit design. Various computational techniques are used to calculate and minimise the above parameters. A single IC consists of number of processing elements (PEs), which works on various voltage ranges. This makes IC power consumption increase; thereby temperature of the chip also increases. The increased temperature positions in some parts are called as hot-spots. The main goal of this paper is to focus on calculation of area, power and hotspot of any complicated VLSI circuit and to show microwind simulation output for future design of any complicated circuits for various temperature ranges. The deep submicron technology is widely used for design of any analogue circuits in microwind.


In this article we are concerned with automatic realizability results for small Galois 2-groups, particularly those of order 16. We ask when it is true that the realizability of a particular group G as a Galois group over a field K implies the realizability of another group H as a Galois group over K. In some cases, these results hold over all fields. In others, the automatic realizability depends on specific properties of K. We are also interested in field-theoretic criteria which guarantee the realizability of certain groups. By a famous result of Witt [Wi:1936], Satz, p.237, the realizability of a 2-group G over a field of characteristic 2 depends only on the minimal number of generators of G. For this reason we will always assume our fields to be of characteristic not 2. We obtain our results primarily by considering the obstructions to the realizability of the groups, expressed in terms of products of quaternion algebras in the Brauer group Br(K) of the base field K. By manipulating these expressions, one can often show that triviality of the obstruction for one group implies triviality of the obstruction for another. This is particularly true if additional information on the field, such as its level, is taken into consideration. The obstructions for these groups have appeared in various references. A complete survey of known results is provided in [GSS:1995]. We quote these results below and use them heavily in this article. Realizability questions have been considered previously in the two articles by C. U. Jensen, [Je:1989] and [Je:1992]. Jensen considers the structure of the groups explicitly in most instances, and often describes precisely how to construct fields realizing the groups, whereas our approach is less constructive. He also works with finite 2-groups in general, whereas we work just with groups of order at most 16. We obtain a number of new realizability results by our methods. Our goal is to systematically examine the groups of order 16, and what can be said about the realizability of each group as a Galois group over fields of characteristic not 2.


A new type Ⅱ restriction endonuclease, BsaO Ⅰ, has been isolated from the thermophilic bacillus Bacillus stearothermophilus O-122. This enzyme cleaves pBR322 DNA at 7 sites, pUC19 DNA at 5 sites and φ X 174 DNA at one site. The recognition sequence of BsaO Ⅰ was determined by mapping its cleavage sites on φ X 174 DNA to position 4600 and pBR322


Chapter 1 Introduction. Reviving the Study of De Legibus Chapter 2 Chapter One. Nature and the Foundation of Just Law Chapter 3 Chapter Two. The Natural Law Republic I: Laws of Religion Chapter 4 Chapter Three. The Natural Law Republic II: Laws of the Magistracy Chapter 5 Conclusion. Philosophy, Politics, and Rhetoric


An annotated bibliography of Eighty years of grape research in India published by the author in collaboration with a senior pomologist, is used here as a source for this bibliometric study. Data analysis by subject, source, and authorship reveals useful findings. Subject analysis reveals clustering of research in specific subject areas, indicating gaps. Source analysis reveals that journals are the main source of information. Authorship analysis reveals that collaborative research is more predominant in recent years. Indicates that the findings may be utilised by pomologists while designing their experiments and research projects.


Deep Learning is a machine learning area that has recently been used in a variety of industries. Unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised-learning are only a few of the strategies that have been developed to accommodate different types of learning. A number of experiments showed that deep learning systems fared better than traditional ones when it came to image processing, computer vision, and pattern recognition. Several real-world applications and hierarchical systems have utilised transfer learning and deep learning algorithms for pattern recognition and classification tasks. Real-world machine learning settings, on the other hand, often do not support this assumption since training data can be difficult or expensive to get, and there is a constant need to generate high-performance beginners who can work with data from a variety of sources. The objective of this paper is using deep learning to uncover higher-level representational features, to clearly explain transfer learning, to provide current solutions and evaluate applications in diverse areas of transfer learning as well as deep learning.


Analyzing customer purchasing data has been a challenging task for data analyzers. Even though lots of methods are introduced in this kind of research but still many barriers are there to finding the optimal pattern. Consider customer buying data is used to examine the types of parameters which is influence the customer. In this proposed work, Progressive Analysis Pattern Technique (PAPT) to predict future customer buying patterns in online shopping. We incorporated dynamic data handling prior to the proposed methodology. It will give ample purpose for the organization's perspective because the proposed work primarily focused on customer features related to the number of product quantities and product price variations of the previous purchase. Marketing strategies are most effective if they are focused to the exact client requirements. A Significant mission in campaign planning is deciding which customer to target. This research paper focusses on empirical targeting models.


A drumhead having a tone control ring which suppresses unwanted overtones while preserving the desirable fundamental tones. The tone control ring has its outside edge fixed to the drumhead hoop and extends along the inwardly facing surface of the drumhead sheet with its inside edge free to move and located inwardly of the bearing area of the drumhead. Small vent openings may be provided in the peripheral area or some other vibrational area of the drumhead to accelerate the decay of vibrations for further muffling of overtones. In an embodiment of the invention applicable to bass drums, the batterhead of the base drum is provided with an imperforate annular flap interposed loosely between the control ring and the drumhead for additional overtone suppression.


Pollution has become an intense danger to our environment. The lake pollution model is formulated into the three-dimensional system of differential equations with three instances of input. In the present study, the new iterative method (NIM) was applied to the lake pollution model with three cases called impulse input, step input, and sinusoidal input for a longer time span. The main feature of the NIM is that the procedure is very simple, and it does not need to calculate any special type of polynomial or multipliers such as Adomian polynomials and Lagrange's multipliers. Comparisons with the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) and the well-known purely numerical fourth-order Runge-Kutta method (RK4) suggest that the NIM is a powerful alternative for differential equations providing more realistic series solutions that converge very rapidly in real physical problems.


Helmut Reich's theory of relational and contextual reasoning is a courageous initiative for the resolution of cognitive conflicts between apparently incompatible or incommensurable views. Built upon Piagetian logico-mathematical reasoning, cognitive complexity theory, and dialectical and analogical reasoning, it includes the development of a both/and logic inclusive of binary either/or logic. Reich provides philosophic, theoretical, and even initial empirical support for the development of this form of reasoning along with a heuristic for its application. A valuable step beyond the limits of binary, static, and formal reasoning, it takes relationship, context, and perspectival variations seriously in an explicitly reflective and iterative system. We can and do address conflicts not resolvable by conventional appeals to logic or evidence, including those at epistemic boundaries or produced by belief-commitment differences. Although this form of reasoning has real promise, including stepping beyond complementarity in the religion-science dialogue, it seems better directed to causally explanatory theories than to other forms of rendering meaning. Finally, its coextension requirement may render it problematic where functionally coherent explananda cannot be identified or are themselves produced or constituted by a belief system.


The integral transform method is employed in the analytical solution of the non-classical eigenvalue problem that appears in connection with the analysis of forced convection in ducts, including the effect of fluid heat diffusion in the axial direction. The related eigenfunctions are expanded in terms of eigenfunctions from a simpler auxiliary eigenvalue problem, and the original eigenvalues are determined from the associated matrix eigensystem analysis. Convergence rates of the proposed solutions are illustrated and reference results established for different values of the governing parameters.


This paper examined the strategic and operational impacts of the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP system at Aramco. The impacts of ERP implementation on organization structure, decision making, systems integration, streamlining and automation of operations, control, and accountability were also examined. The paper considered the following aspects of Aramco: 1) History and background, 2) Organization structure, 3) Business and competitive environment, 4) Information technology, 5) ERP project, and 6) Conclusion and lessons learned.


Pali Buddhist Texts-explained to the Beginner. Rune. E. A. Johansson. Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies Monograph Series No. 14 Curzon Press, London, Second edition, revised and enlarged, 1977 160 pp. £4.00


Online and offline blended teaching is a kind of teaching method under the condition of information support, which has attracted much attention. It is a new mode of curriculum quality reform in higher education. "Operations research" course design with online self-study activities as the leading, offline case discussion as the main body ,build a knowledge system architecture as the core of the "Trinity" blended teaching mode, applied to the procurement logistics professional practical teaching, promoting students' learning investment, quantitative analysis in training students' thinking ability has achieved good results in cultivating, as well as operations research curriculum teaching reform provides a practical and feasible reference model.


In this paper, Static load models are developed using measurement based approach which is fundamental for on-line load modeling. The measurement data can be acquired from PMU(phasor measurement units). On the assumption that we have on-line measurement data, a scheme which is for Static load model capable to apply SCADA/EMS is developed. The Least Squares criterion is used for minimizing between measured and simulated data. In this manner, On-line Static load modeling algorithm can be developed' In this paper, a scheme that simple Static load model is applied for On-line load modeling is studied.