Promoting accountability and enhancing efficiency： Using national education accounts to track expenditure flows

Increasing accountability and efficiency in the use of public and out-of-pocket financing in education are critical to realizing the maximum impact of the meager allocations to education in most developing countries. While broad estimates and numbers are routinely collected by most national ministries and state departments of education, the lack of accuracy and reliability as well as the obtuse nature of recording and presentation of the data does not facilitate any serious policy use. A major advance in this area has been brought about by the development of NEA （National Education Accounts）, which is a new tool for measuring education expenditures in a systematic policy-~endly manner. In essence, NEAs measure the ＂financial pulse＂ of an education system, answering 4 key questions： Who is financing education？ How much do they spend？ How are funds distributed across different education providers, levels and activities？ Who benefits from or receives the services？ NEAs gather information on all spending from public, private and donor sources, and provide a snap-shot of all expenditures on education in the state or country. While not an auditing tool, it provides real time information on the flow of funds that can be used for evidence-based decision-making. It provides information to policy-makers, enabling them to discern systcm-wide inequities and identify areas that require changes in policy. In addition, the use of a standard classification of expenditures allows for data from NEAs to be comparable between and within countries. This paper provides an assessment of accountability and efficiency in the use of public and private resources in the education sector in 2 states of Nigeria. Using comparative data from implementation of education accounts in 2 states of Nigeria, it presents a breakdown of education spending by public and private sources as well as donor agencies, by types of providers, by geographical regions and by category of expenditures. It analyzes educational expenditures for the 2 states in the context of state government priorities for education, and proposes a novel way of tracking trends in education spending as a means for policy-makers to organize a strategic vision supported by resources and to evaluate the outcome of policies.     

PID-based bit allocation strategy for asymmetric stereoscopic video coding with fuzzy quality controller

Asymmetric stereoscopic video coding can take advantage of binocular suppression in human vision by representing one of the two views in lower quality.This paper proposes a bit allocation strategy for asymmetric stereoscopic video coding.In order to improve the accuracy of bit allocation and rate control in the left view,a proportionalintegral-derivative controller is adopted.Meanwhile,to control the quality fluctuation between consecutive frames of the left view,a quality controller is adopted.Besides,a fuzzy controller is proposed to control the variation in quality between the left and right views by comparing the PSNR disparity of two views with a fixed threshold,which is used to quantize the binocular psycho-visual redundancy and adjust the quantization parameter (QP) of the right view correspondingly.The proposed algorithm has been implemented in H.264/AVC video codec,and the experimental results show its effectiveness in rate control while keeping a good quality for the left view,and fewer bits are allocated for the right view so that the overall bit rate is saved by 7.2% at most without the loss of subjective visual quality for stereoscopic video.     

Oseen流动中粘性对自由表面波的影响

Based on the complex dispersion relation for the two-dimensional free-surface waves generated by a moving body in the steady Oseen flows, the effect of viscosity on wavelength and wave amplitude was investigated by means of an asymptotic method and a numerical analysis. A comparison between the asymptotic and numerical analysis for the viscous decay factor demonstrates the validity of the perturbation expansions for the wave profile. The numerical result shows that the wavelength of viscous wave is slightly elongated in comparison with that of inviscid wave.     

Analysis of 1D consolidation with non-Darcian flow described by exponent and threshold gradient

Numerous experiments have shown that the water flow in fine-grained soils can obey an exponential relationship at small gradients and a linear relationship when the hydraulic gradient exceeds a certain limit. Based on the non-Darcian flow described by exponent and threshold gradient, the theory of 1D consolidation is modified in this paper to consider a linear variation in the vertical total stress with depth and the effect of ramp loading. The numerical solutions were derived in detail by the finite difference method for excess pore water pressure and the average degree of consolidation. Finally, the influence of various parameters on consolidation behavior was investigated. The results show that the rate of consolidation is reduced when non-Darcian flow described by exponent and threshold gradient is adopted in the theory of 1D consolidation. As well the distribution of vertical total stress has a great influence on the dissipation of excess pore water pressure, either for pervious top and pervious bottom （PTPB） or for pervious top and impervious bottom （PTIB）. For the case of PTIB, the distribution of vertical total stress in a foundation has a great influence on the rate of consolidation; however, for the case of PTPB, the rate of consolidation is independent of the distribution of vertical total stress. The rate of consolidation is dependent on the ratio of the thickness of a soil layer to the equivalent head of the final average vertical total stress; the greater the value of this ratio, the slower the rate of consolidation. Finally, an increase in construction time reduces the consolidation rate of a foundation. Thus, consolidation behavior of 1D consolidation with non-Darcian flow has been thoroughly acquainted in this paper.     

DNA alkylation lesion repair: outcomes and implications in cancer chemotherapy

Alkylated DNA lesions, induced by both exogenous chemical agents and endogenous metabolites, represent a major form of DNA damage in cells. The repair of alkylation damage is critical in all cells because such damage is cytotoxic and potentially mutagenic. Alkylation chemotherapy is a major therapeutic modality for many tumors, underscoring the importance of the repair pathways in cancer cells. Several different pathways exist for alkylation repair, including base excision and nucleotide excision repair, direct reversal by methyl-guanine methyltransferase(MGMT), and dealkylation by the AlkB homolog(ALKBH) protein family. However, maintaining a proper balance between these pathways is crucial for the favorable response of an organism to alkylating agents. Here, we summarize the progress in the field of DNA alkylation lesion repair and describe the implications for cancer chemotherapy.     

Teacher learning： Reflective practice as a site of engagement for professional identity construction

This paper reports a qualitative study in response to the growing research interest in teacher learning. Informed by a sociocultural perspective, teacher learning is considered as a process of identity construction in the paper. This paper taps into the development of teacher identity embedded in teacher learning and views reflection as a social practice for enhancing teacher learning. Through a close analysis of a selected discussion thread, this paper aims to demonstrate that teacher-learners＇ reflective practice in the online learning community provided a site of engagement for developing their professional identity and shaping the practice of teaching in their process of learning to teach.     

Artistic Merits and Charm in Nicholas Jose’s The Red Thread

The Red Thread by Nicholas Jose mirrors the famous Chinese literary classic,Six Chapters of a Floating Life by Shen Fu and gives a second chance of life for Shen Fu and Yun.Destined to be attached to the Chinese classic,Shen Fuling and Ruth change their destiny as the incarnations in their protection of love and life.The co-existence of two love stories beyond time and space illustrates a quest for beauty,love and the affirmation of life in common.     

Australians win Nobel medicine prize

Two Australians won the Nobel prize for medicine on October 3, 2005 for showing that a bacterium rather than stress causes stomach inflammation and ulcers, after one of them drank a witches' brew of bacteria to prove the point. Experts said the discovery of the Helicobacter pylori bacterium by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren in 1982 was met with skepticism by the medical community,which did not think bacteria could survive in the acid conditions of the stomach. Marshall resorted to drinking a culture of the bacteria to give himself an ulcer and then to treat himself.     

A Method of Calculating the 3D coordinates on a Micro Object in a Virtual Micro—Operation System

A simple method for calculating the 3D coordinates of points on a moro object in a multi-camera system is proposed.It simplifies the algorithms used in traditional computer vision system by eliminating the calculation of the CCD( charge coupled device) camera parameters and the relative position between cameras,and using solid geometry in the calculation procedres instead of the calculation of the complex matrixes,The algorithm was used in the research of generating a virtual magnified 3D image of a micro object to be operated in a micro operation system,and the satisfactory results were obtained.The application in a virtual tele-operation system for a dexterous mechanical gripper is under test.     

A Study to Simon’s Archetypal imagein Lord of the Flies

This paper analyzes Simon in Lord of the Flies from the perspective of archetypal image by applying for the concept of Displacement proposed by Frye and shows the readers the Christ-like character—Simon,who is a saint,a prophet as well as a Christian martyr.     

International Applied Linguistics Journal

International Applied Linguistics, a new professional, refereed journal, is published quarterly a year by Australian AAP Press. The primary aim of the journal is to fulfill the need for a publication forum devoted to the discussion of topics and issues in Applied Linguistics and TEFL in the world, with a strong preference for contribu-     

A new linearly-combined bi-exponential model for kinetic analysis of the isometric relaxation process of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bufo gastrocnemius</Emphasis> under electric stimulation in vitro

There was a slow-relaxing tail of skeletal muscles in vitro upon the inhibition of Ca^2＋-pump by cyclopiazonic acid （CPA）. Herein, a new linearly-combined bi-exponential model to resolve this slow-relaxing tail from the fast-relaxing phase was investigated for kinetic analysis of the isometric relaxation process of Bufo gastrocnemius in vitro, in comparison to the single exponential model and the classical bi-exponential model. During repetitive stimulations at a 2-s interval by square pulses of a 2-ms duration at 12 V direct currency （DC）, the isometric tension of Bufo gastrocnemius was recorded at 100 Hz. The relaxation curve with tensions falling from 90% of the peak to the 15th datum before next stimulation was analyzed by three exponential models using a program in MATLAB 6.5. Both the goodness of fit and the distribution of the residuals for the best fitting supported the comparable validity of this new bi-exponential model for kinetic analysis of the relaxation process of the control muscles. After CPA treatment, however, this new bi-exponential model showed an obvious statistical superiority for kinetic analysis of the muscle relaxation process, and it gave the estimated rest tension consistent to that by experimentation, whereas both the classical bi-exponential model and the single exponential model gave biased rest tensions. Moreover, after the treatment of muscles by CPA, both the single exponential model and the classical bi-exponential model yielded lowered relaxation rates, nevertheless, this new bi-exponential model had relaxation rates of negligible changes except much higher rest tensions. These results suggest that this novel linearly-combined bi-exponential model is desirable for kinetic analysis of the relaxation process of muscles with altered Ca2^＋-pumping activity.     

Location optimization for the tuned mass damper system on a long-span floor

The L4 roof of Beijing Olympic International Conference Center is a long-span floor with a tuned mass damper system. The locations of dampers in the layout are not optimal theoretically. This paper is about the location optimization of the 74 sets of dampers on the floor. The main content includes the establishment of a 2D dot-matrix model for the structure, the optimal location combination searched by a genetic algorithm, and the optimal results for five working conditions by calculating the total weight.     

Translation of Images in Seven-character Quatrains Based on the “Aesthetic Level of Translation”

Image is a term that mainly embodies in the composition of classical Chinese poetry(CCP). Effective translation of images is crucial to the grasp of original meanings in a poem. As aesthetic beauty is the primary concern in poetry,the conveyance of beauty in image has a direct impact in translation. To analyze translation strategies of imagery beauty,the theory of“translation levels”by Xu Jun is adopted as a criterion in comparing variant English versions of CCP in the aesthetic level. Images are selected from Seven-character quatrains typified for abundant sources of images,and features of images are put forward at the aesthetic level. Through the analysis,images are rendered by recreation of the sensuous and emotional beauty.     

Finite element study on impact sound transmission through a floating floor

To understand the characteristics of impact-sound transmission through a floor is very helpful for developing sound attenuation strategies to acquire a high quality of dwellings. Sound transmission through a floating floor to the room underneath was modeled by finite-element method (FEM). The sound pressure levels calculated by the FEM model on a scale of 1:4 was compared with the measured values, which demonstrate good agreement, particularly for impact sound of a relatively low frequency. The sound pressure level in a receiving room is strongly affected by the structural characteristics of both the floor and the room. The sound pressure transmitted through a clamped floor is lower than through a simply supported floor because of the larger rigidity of the clamped floor that contributes to the attenuation mechanism of stiffness. Increase in the thickness of the fiber-glass damping layer in the floor improves sound insulation. A larger room has a larger capacity to dissipate the sound pressure and thus has a lower sound pressure level. An asymmetric configuration of room avails sound attenuation because it has weaker structural and acoustic coupling than a symmetric one.     

The Significance of Western Marxist Critique of Political Economics

China has entered the era of surplus economy when it is possible for Chinese people to satisfy their material needs. However, since the supply of cultural product is far below the level of its de mand, the people are still in a deficit state in spiritual life. The deficiency in spiritual life is quite dif ferent from that in material life, in the sense that it cannot be overcome by the development of culture industry. The way of satisfying a cultural need is wholly different from that of a material need, thus the substitute of the former with the latter necessarily leads to the alienation of needs. Only when we substitute “preference economics” with “necessary economics” is it possible for us to see the potential ity of transformation from the “bourgeois society” to the “human society”, revealed by Marxian cri tique of political economics, and to set the base for the theoretical innovation of the transformation era. Western Marxist Critique of Political Economics has provided us with a rewarding reference.     

Bifurcation and chaos of a 4-side fixed rectangular thin plate in electromagnetic and mechanical fields

We studied the problem of bifurcation and chaos in a 4-side fixed rectangular thin plate in electromagnetic and mechanical fields. Based on the basic nonlinear electro-magneto-elastic motion equations for a rectangular thin plate and the expressions of electromagnetic forces, the vibration equations are derived for the mechanical loading in a steady transverse magnetic field. Using the Melnikov function method, the criteria are obtained for chaos motion to exist as demonstrated by the Smale horseshoe mapping. The vibration equations are solved numerically by a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Its bifurcation diagram, Lyapunov exponent diagram, displacement wave diagram, phase diagram and Poincare section diagram are obtained.     

Atmospheric corrosion mapping of copper surfaces from diffuse light scattering measurements by an optoelectronic sensor system

A novel light scattering technique for mapping metal surface corrosion is presented and its results on copper exposed to atmosphere are reported. The front end of the instrument is made up of a sensor module comprising a thin beam light emitting diode （LED） illuminating a small spot on the metal surface, and a matched pair of photodetectors, one for capturing the reflected light and the other for sampling the scattered light. The analog photocurrent signals are digitized and processed online by a per- sonal computer （PC） to determine the corrosion factor defined in terms of the two current values. By scanning the sample surface using the light beam and by computing the corrosion factor values simultaneously, a three dimensional graph and a two dimensional contour map are generated in the PC using Matlab tools. The values of the corrosion factor measured in different durations of exposure to atmosphere, which obey a bilogarithmic law, testify to the validity of our mathematical model.     

恐龙和熊猫

Characters:Blue Mouse,Superboy,Dino and Baby Alien.Scene:in the Country of Dinosaurs(Blue Mouse is watching TV.It says somebody saw a panda in the Country of Dinosaurs. Blue Mouse doesn's believe it.     

E-learning Contribution to the Enhancement of Higher Education Opportunities for Women in Saudi Arabia （Pilot Study）

Establishing the NCEDL （National Centre for E-learning and Distance Learning）, electronic universities are some initiatives to introduce e-learning to the KSA （Kingdom of Saudi Arabia）, which have led to a fast, strong, and impressive movement toward e-learning in the Kingdom. However, e-learning in Saudi Arabia is still in the early stage of its development due to many challenges of e-learning that will still have to be faced. E-learning in Saudi higher education has been examined in a number of studies. Yet, focusing on e-learning among Saudi women through the social and religious customs of society is not sufficiently examined. Therefore, this research seeks to investigate the possibilities that exist for the utilization of e-learning in the enhancement of the higher education opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia within the social customs and religious beliefs by identifying the barriers to higher education for Saudi women, the modes of e-learning that currently exist within the higher education programmes in the Saudi higher education system, how e-learning can support higher education opportunities for women in Saudi Arabia, and a successful model of e-learning to improve higher education opportunities for women in the KSA. In order to achieve the aim of this research, a pilot study was made by using a semi-structured interview as a method of data collection from Saudi females who live with their related （mahram） male in the United Kingdom and a three stage coding analysis of the grounded theory analyzing the data collected from the field to formulate a theory and a model. A primarily model was presented which described the contributions of e-learning to higher education of Saudi women. The model is presented consisting of three main categories： （1） social and religious barriers; （2） women＇s use of the Intemet; and （3） women＇s use of e-learning, as well as a number of sub-subcategories. In addition, the need to illuminate the ability of Saudi women to convert e-learning into a valuable educational achievement is demonstrated. The next stage of our research will investigate all of the issues indicated by the pilot study in order to improve the success of using e-learning for Saudi women＇s higher education and eventually to devise a research theory.