Neutrally buoyant particles in low-Reynolds-number pressure-driven suspension flows migrate from regions of high to low shear, and this migration is a strong function of the local concentration. When the particle density differs from that of the suspending fluid, buoyancy forces also affect particle migration. It is the ratio between the buoyancy and viscous forces, as quantified by a dimensionless buoyancy number, which determines the phase distribution of the suspension once the flow is fully developed. Although several experiments have verified shear-induced particle migration in neutrally buoyant suspensions, data for particle migration when buoyancy effects are important are scarce. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is used here to non-invasively measure particle concentration across a pipe arising from the low-Reynolds-number flow of heavy conducting particles and light non-conducting particles in a viscous suspending fluid. A range of buoyancy numbers was investigated by varying the flow rate. In all of the experiments, a significant fraction of the particle phase was observed to migrate towards the top or bottom of the pipe, depending on the relative density of the particles. The amount of migration away from the centre of the pipe increased with increasing magnitude of the buoyancy number. Furthermore, observations of the phase distribution at several positions downstream of the inlet indicate that these suspension flows become fully developed earlier than that observed for neutrally buoyant particles. A scaling analysis for the prediction of the fully developed length is presented, which predicts shorter lengths for higher buoyancy numbers and is consistent with experimental observations. The experimental data were compared to an isotropic suspension balance model, and it was found that the particle phase distributions predicted by this model agree fairly well with the experimental observations.


BACKGROUND
Alpha-asarone (2,4,5-trimethoxypropenylbenzene) derivatives represent a new series of compounds that possess good antifeedant activity against different stored-product pests.

RESULTS
A total of 23 novel alpha-asarone derivatives were synthesised and identified by (1) H NMR, (13) C NMR and IR, and their feeding deterrent activities were tested against Sitophilus granarius L., Trogoderma granarium Ev. and Tribolium confusum Duv. Ten compounds showed strong antifeedant activities.

CONCLUSION
Some of the title compounds displayed very good and broad-spectrum activities against adult and larval Coleoptera. The results indicate that the presence of a double bond in the side chain and three methoxy groups is important for antifeedant activity.


In 1979 Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky created the prospect theory. It became an accepted and appropriate theory in explaining decision making under risk. The prospect theory has been one of the ...


The objective of this study was to evaluate the silage of two sugar cane varieties treated with increasing levels of calcium oxide. We used two sugar cane varieties (IAC 862480 and RB 867515) with three doses of calcium oxide (0, 0.5 and 1.0% of fresh sugar cane weight). We used experimental PVC silos with 10cm diameter and 50cm length, equipped with valve "Bunsen" for gases escape. It was analyzed, contents of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, ash, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and pH. The doses of lime increased the ether extract percentages of the cane sugar varieties (IAC 862480 and RB 867515). The calcium oxide application promotes an increase in dry matter and mineral matter of IAC 862480 ensiled. The contents of crude protein and crude fiber are not influenced by treatment with the calcium oxide.


The stability of the periodic solutions of the time‐dependent MHD equations in the Eulerian form is investigated. The Floquet theory for systems with periodic coefficients is generalized to this problem. An expansion procedure with respect to the amplitude e of the oscillating solution about a static equilibrium is applied to calculate the stability conditions.


A two-layer long wave approximation of the homogeneous Euler equations for a free surface flow over a rigid bottom is derived. The upper layer is turbulent and is described by depth averaged equations for the layer thickness, the average fluid velocity inside the layer, and the fluid turbulent energy. The lower layer is almost potential and can be described by Serre–Su–Gardner–Green–Naghdi equations (second order shallow water approximation with respect to the parameter H/L where H is a characteristic water depth, and L is a characteristic wave length). The interaction between the layers is due to the turbulent mixing. The dynamics of the interface separating two layers is governed by the turbulent energy of the upper layer. Stationary supercritical solutions to this model are first constructed , containing, in particular, a local subcritical zone at the forward slope of the wave. Such a local subcritical zone corresponds to an intense increasing of a turbulent layer thickness and can thus be associated with the spilling breaker formation. Non-stationary model was then numerically solved and compared with experimental data for the following two problems. The first one is the study of surface waves resulting from the interaction of a uniform free surface fluid flow with an immobile wall ('the water hammer problem with a free surface'). These waves are sometimes called 'Favre waves' in homage to Henry Favre and his contribution to the study of this phenomena. When the Froude number is between 1 and approximately 1.3, the undular bore appears. The turbulent energy of the flow is localized at the wave crests. The characteristics of the leading wave are in good agreement with the experimental data by Favre (1935) and Treske (1994). When the Froude number is between 1:3 and 1:4, the transition from the undular bore to the breaking (monotone) bore occurs. In the breaking bore, the turbulent energy is localized at the front of the bore. The shoaling and the breaking of the solitary wave propagating in a mild - slope (1/60) long channel (300 m) was then studied. Comparison
with the experimental data by Hsiao et.al. (2008) show a very good agreement of the wave profile evolution.


The energy density formalism derived from both the conventional Skyrme force with parameter set SIII and the extended Skyrme force with parameters SKE1, SKE2, SKE3 and SKE4 has been used to study the orientation dependence of the real part of the ion–ion potential for the 238U + 238U system. Also, we considered the interaction potential between 238U and three spherical nuclei. We compared our results for the real potential with the experimental results.


Context : Caesarean Section (CS) is a major surgical procedure, often performed when a vaginal delivery is considered unsafe. Objective : This study was carried out to understand the interaction between acute phase proteins and nutritional factors consequent to caesarean section. The knowledge of this interaction is important for successful management of these patients. Methods : Plasma samples from fifty (50) pregnant women booked for elective caesarean section in Ibadan, Nigeria were collected on the day preceding surgery, one day and four days post-surgery to determine the levels of CRP, vitamin C, PCV, Total protein, albumin and globulin (Glb) levels. Results : The mean age of the patients studied was 32.29 + 3.66 years, range; 24 39 years. Significant elevations were observed in the levels of TP, Glb and CRP one day post-surgery (1DPS) compared with baseline (BS) (7.36 + 1.46) vs 6.56±1.30, (4.68 + 1.33) vs 2.70±1.51, (111.43 + 68.89) vs 6.00 ± 13.27 respectively, while albumin reduced significantly (2.68 + 1.08) vs 3.87±0 .63. Similar changes were observed on day 4. There was no significant change in the levels of Vitamin C. Conclusion : One of the positive predictive indicators of good outcome after caesarean delivery is adequate nutrition. Key Words : Elective caesarian section, acute phase proteins, nutritional factors


A solid-state sandwich composed of a capacitor-InSb diode detector-GaAsP diode emitter is proposed and demonstrated for efficiently converting infrared signals of wavelengths to 5.3 µ into visible 0.6- to 0.7-µ radiation. The device integrates the low-level incident radiation and delivers it to the emitter as high-current pulses.


We believe that one of the most important recent findings in the study of the long-term dynamic social processes was the discovery of the demographic cycles as a basic feature of complex agrarian systems' dynamics. The presence of demographic cycles in the pre-modern history of Europe and China has been known since quite a long time (e.g., Postan 1950, 1973; Abel 1974, 1980; Le Roy Ladurie 1974; Hodder 1978; Braudel 1973; Chao 1986; Cameron 1989; Goldstone 1991; Kul'pin 1990; Mugruzin 1994 etc.), and already in 1980s more or less developed mathematical models of demographic cycles started to be produced (first of all for Chinese "dynastic cycles") (Usher 1989). At the moment we have a very considerable number of such models (Chu and Lee 1994; Malkov and Sergeev 2001, 2002, 2004; Malkov et al. 2002; Malkov 2002; Turchin 2003; Nefedov 2002a; 2004). We would like to discuss in some detail three approaches to modeling of demographic cycles: Turchin's (2003) models, another by Chu and Lee (1994), and finally, the model of Nefedov (2002a; 2004). The "demographic-fiscal" model developed by Turchin (2003:118–27, 208–13) connects population dynamics, state resources and internal warfare. In this model the elites controlling the state are not assumed to be selfish. It is rather assumed "that the state has a positive effect on population dynamics; specifically, it increases K [the carrying capacity]" (Turchin 2003:122). "There are many mechanisms by which the state can increase the carrying capcity... The strong state protects the productive population from external and internal (banditry, civil war) threats, and thus allows the whole cultivable area to be put into production... The second general


Abstract : The Systems Engineering and Production Directorate (SEPD), Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDEC) at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) has an engineering support contract with the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The scope of this contract provides for activities in systems engineering and manufacturing technology. The Industrial Operations Division (IOD), SEPD has the mission and function of providing technical management and engineering support as they relate to AMCOM supported weapon systems. This management and support ensures that programmatic and technical changes are incorporated only after a systematic technical evaluation and review of the total Impact and cost of the change is conducted. The systems engineering analysis evaluates the long term life cycle consequences of the change, to include impacts on the manufacturability, maintainability and supportability of the overall weapon system. In order to fulfill its mission, the IOD required programmatic and engineering support in analysis of the AMCOM systems.


We show that mid-infrared data from the all-sky WISE survey can be used as a robust photometric redshift indicator for powerful radio AGN, in the absence of other spectroscopic or multi-band photometric information. Our work is motivated by a desire to extend the well-known K-z relation for radio galaxies to the wavelength range covered by the all-sky WISE mid-infrared survey. Using the LARGESS radio spectroscopic sample as a training set, and the mid-infrared colour information to classify radio sources, we generate a set of redshift probability distributions for the hosts of high-excitation and low-excitation radio AGN. We test the method using spectroscopic data from several other radio AGN studies, and find good agreement between our WISE-based redshift estimates and published spectroscopic redshifts out to z ~ 1 for galaxies and z ~ 3-4 for radio-loud QSOs. Our chosen method is also compared against other classification methods and found to perform reliably. This technique is likely to be particularly useful in the analysis of upcoming large-area radio surveys with SKA pathfinder telescopes, and our code is publicly available. As a consistency check, we show that our WISE-based redshift estimates for sources in the 843 MHz SUMSS survey reproduce the redshift distribution seen in the CENSORS study up to z ~ 2. We also discuss two specific applications of our technique for current and upcoming radio surveys; an interpretation of large scale HI absorption surveys, and a determination of whether low-frequency peaked spectrum sources lie at high redshift.


Accepted : August, 2010 Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.] is an important vegetable crop providing a good source of income to farmers. In India, okra is grown extensively all over the country in an area of 4.32 lakh hectares with a production of 45.2 lakh tones of fruits with a productivity of (Anonymous, 2009). In Karnataka it is cultivated on an area of 8,100 hectares with a production of 73.1 thousand tones (Anonymous, 2009). The spotted bollworm of okra fruit and shoot borer, E. vitella is a widely distributed insect pest. It is estimated to cause about 69 per cent losses in marketable yield of okra due to attack of fruit borer (Rawat and Sahu, 1973). Shah et al. (2001) observed fruit damage to the extent of 91.6 per cent due to attack of fruit borers. Among the different insect pests, fruit borers take upper hand by causing direct damage to tender fruits. Though many nonchemical control strategies are advocated under the IPM umbrella, still farmers rely on chemical insecticides. Repeated use of same chemical may lead to development of resistance in insects. To over come these problems a new insecticide rynaxypyr, belonging to anthranilic diamide group was evaluated. It has larvicidal activity. The insecticide is selective in action against wide range of lepidopteran insect pests. Hence, preliminary investigations have been made to evaluate the efficacy against fruit and


The application of a variable structure system (VSS) to the control of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive is presented. The operation of an SRM drive is reviewed, and a VSS-based scheme is formulated to control the drive speed. The scheme is then tested by simulation. The results show that the VSS control is effective in reducing the torque ripple of the motor, compensating for the nonlinear torque characteristics, and making the drive insensitive to parameter variations and disturbances.<<ETX>>


The high expenses associated with acquiring and maintaining robotic surgical equipment for minimally invasive surgery entail that training on this equipment is also expensive. Virtual reality (VR) training simulators can reduce this training time; however, the current simulators are also quite expensive. Therefore, we propose a low-cost simulation of minimally invasive surgery and evaluate its feasibility. Using off-the-shelf hardware and a commercial game engine, a prototype simulation was developed and evaluated against the use of a surgical robot. The participants of the evaluation were given a similar exercise to test with both the robot and the simulation. The usefulness of the simulation to prepare the participants for the surgical robot was rated "useful" by the participants, with an average of 3.1 on a scale of 1 to 5. The low-cost game controllers used in the prototype proved to effectively simulate the controls of the surgical robot. Another test was carried out to determine the benefits of various stereoscopic displays for this simulation. This test did not show significant improvements compared to a regular display but indicated that a mobile stereoscopic display might be the most suitable option for a low-cost simulation of robotic surgery.


This dissertation explores the college major decision-making process, both for initial and subsequent major choices, and analyzes the associations between major choice behaviors and student outcomes such as time to degree and probability of graduation.


Supplemental oxygen places the immature airway at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and asthma. Hyperoxia enhances intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and contractility of airway smooth muscle (ASM), and impairs relaxation (potentially by altering cyclic nucleotide levels). The neurotrophin brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) enhances [Ca2+]i in adult ASM. We tested the hypothesis that hyperoxia‐induced airway hyperreactivity involves cyclic nucleotide‐mediated enhancement of BDNF release in human fetal (18–22 weeks) ASM cells exposed to 21% (normoxia) or 80% oxygen in the presence/absence of 1mM dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP) or 8‐Br‐cGMP. BDNF release (ELISA) was increased by hyperoxia (143% of normoxia). DBcAMP enhanced BDNF release with normoxia (242% of baseline) and even more with hyperoxia (280%), while 8‐Br‐cGMP blunted BDNF release in normoxia (57% of baseline) but to a lesser extent with hyperoxia (68% of baseline). Measurements of [Ca2+]i in fetal ASM cells showed DBcAMP increasing [Ca2+]i responses to histamine or ACh (effects enhanced with hyperoxia). Further, chelation of released BDNF using chimeric TrkB‐Fc (1?g/ml) reversed DBcAMP effects and blunted [Ca2+]i responses to below controls. We conclude that an imbalance between cAMP vs. cGMP enhances BDNF release in the developing airway, resulting in greater airway reactivity with hyperoxia. Supported by NIH grants HL056470 and HL088029


This article suggests that the lack of use of rights offerings in the United States, a phenomenon referred to as the equity underwriting paradox, can be explained by transaction costs. A sample of underwritten rights offerings provides support for the explanation. Firms making underwritten rights offerings paid lower underwriter fees but incurred significantly larger price drops just prior to the offering than did firms making underwritten offerings. Further analysis reveals that the underwritten-rights-offering price concessions are a form of transaction cost that is not found in underwritten public offerings.


Social constructivism is the dominant pedagogical theory endorsed in educational discourse today. This study set out to examine teaching and learning in Grade 11 business studies classrooms from a social constructivist perspective. The data were obtained through document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. While the teachers were positive towards social constructivist pedagogy, they were not familiar with the epistemology that underpinned its emergence. The learning of multiple perspectives through discussion, a key tenet of the social constructivist theory of learning, was not evident. Teachers indicated that they preferred direct instruction, as it enabled curriculum coverage and better control over learners. Teachers viewed social constructivist approaches as slowing down syllabus coverage and leading to loss of control in overcrowded classrooms. Limited time and higher workload due to larger classes were common deterrents.


In this paper we propose location aided storage management for data centric storage in wireless sensor networks. Sensor networks store data in three places: external, in-network, local. In-network storage allows sensor nodes as storage nodes for sensed data in the sensor network. This form in-network storage in sensor networks is called data centric storage and is achieved by geographic hashing. Geographic hashing refers to hashing of data types to geographic locations. These hashed locations are mapped to nearest sensor nodes as storage points. One interesting observation in geographic hashing is the hashed locations are mapped to static storage nodes, and the mapping is not dependent on query traffic information. If queries are originating from far areas from the given storage node then the amount of traffic generated is high. The traffic can be decreased if the storage nodes are nearer to the query points. This observation leads us to propose a location aided storage management in which storage nodes are shifted towards the query regions. Our contribution from the traffic improvement point of view is 'shifting of storage nodes towards the query regions with new query region and storage node formation algorithms'. The improvements are decrease in query traffic and faster retrieval times. We validate the proposed methods by simulations.


PREFACE The following report represents the output of a research project conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Materials Systems Laboratory under contract with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). It describes a novel approach for assessing the environmental impact of electrical products, with a focus on greenhouse gas emissions – i.e., the " carbon footprint. " The project was initiated in response to increased global attention on anthropogenic carbon emissions, which have more than tripled over the last 50 years. While public opinion on the rise in atmospheric carbon levels may remain unsettled, many governmental bodies and leading retailers are moving towards mandatory disclosure of the environmental impact of consumer products as an attempt to curtail greenhouse gas emissions through the marketplace. This has led producers to take a closer look at the impacts of their products, an effort that can be both time consuming and costly for complex products with global supply chains. This report describes, and provides high level guidance for applying, a credible, flexible, and efficient tool for mapping the intrinsic attributes of an electrical product to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Several applications of the methodology to NEMA products, and the subsequent findings, are included as appendices. Data and technical guidance on the specific applications of the methodology were obtained from NEMA members in the relevant product sections. Ongoing oversight and expertise was provided throughout the project by an Executive Working Group that included the following NEMA members.


To reduce the traffic congestion, ensuring intersection control strategy efficiency is a priority in urban transportation system. Reinforcement Learning (RL)-based method provides a new possibility for solving this complex problem. In this paper, a novel region adaptive traffic signal control (RA-TSC) strategy is proposed. As an intelligent agent, the traffic signal light can learn the optimal control policy via deep reinforcement learning algorithm, namely Double Dueling Deep Q Network (3DQN). Different from the previous researches, the proposed method takes traffic characteristics into account, and two approaches are proposed to improve the performance of intersection control: trust region state (TRS) and standardized reward (SR). Besides, prioritized experience replay is adopted to guarantee algorithm stability and optimize data exploitation. Simulation results show that the proposed RA-TSC algorithm can reduce vehicle waiting length by 20% and 15.1% respectively when compared with fixed time and original 3DQN control algorithms.


IN his speech Pro Roscio Cicero observes that Solon was right when he did not include any rule in the Athenian law for the punishment of patricide or matricide: the mention of such a possibility might give someone the idea. This was more or less the attitude of the older economics to the financing of government expenditure by the central bank. There might be differences of opinion as to when public expenditure should be covered by taxation, and when by loans on the open market; but of loans from the central bank there could be no question. That could only lead directly into the jaws of inflation. The second World War has, however, shown that, in certain prescribed circumstances, the financing of public expenditure by the central bank need not lead to any considerable rise in prices. As is well known, the Germans financed their occupation expenses by drawing on the central banks of the occupied countries. In some of these, particularly in Greece, this led to inflation on classical lines, but in others, e.g., Norway, Holland and Denmark, there was no very striking rise in prices. In Denmark and Norway, prices rose in practically the same degree as in unoccupied and neutral Sweden, which pursued a cautious and conservative financial policy. This raises, first, the question of what results followed this method of financing and the knowledge thereby acquired must be fitted into the theory of economics; and secondly, the question of what practical use can be made, in "normal" times also, of this method. It is the first question in particular which is to be discussed here.


This study investigate changes in mechanical behaviors such as indentation load-displacement and hardness of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) using cycling of thermal shock test. Relatively dense and porous TBCs on nickel-based bondcoat/super alloy are prepared using different starting granules, 204C-NS and 204NS commercial powers, and the effect of double layers of 204CNS on 204NS and 204NS on 204C-NS are investigated. The highest temperature applied during thermal shock test is 1100°C and the maximum number of cycles is 1,200. The results indicate that bilayered TBC showed a relatively mechanically resistant property during thermal shock cycles and that the mechanical behavior is influenced by the microstructure of TBCs by exposure to high temperature during tests or different starting granules.


Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo cycles of fusion and fission important for their function, maintenance, and quality control as well as direct or indirect role in different types of stem cells fate decisions. Stem cells have potential for numerous biomedical applications; however the major bottle neck in stem cell field is the stem cell differentiation and maintenance of stemness of stem cells. The regulatory factor involved in stem cell fate decision and stem cell development is not clear. Recent report suggests that mitochondria also play a role in maintenance of pluripotency and cell fate decision. This review mainly cover the role of mitochondria, reactive oxygen species and change in mitochondria structure and functions during cell fate decision in different types of major group of stem cells. This article is a part of special issue on Mitochondria.


Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectra of CO have been obtained on Pt nano-layers properly electrodeposited onto a Au/Si substrate with the Kretschmann attenuate-total-reflection (ATR) configuration. The overall intensity in reflectance for the linearly adsorbed CO band is enhanced by a factor of around 10, compared to the corresponding theoretical maximum values for bulk metal surfaces with the external infrared reflection and absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). In comparison to the so-called abnormal infrared effects (AIREs) in the literature, the band intensity is comparable whereas the band direction is normal in the present study. Surface enhanced IR absorption effect of the above Pt nanolayer can be applied to characterize the intermediate species formed in methanol oxidation. The enhancement mechanism is briefly discussed based on surface plasmon oscillation excitable on the electrodeposited Pt surfaces.


Office workers are prone to extended periods of sedentary time and low physical activity (PA). This can increase the likelihood of detrimental health effects (Baker et al., 2018; Chen et al., 2020), lead to reduced productivity for workers, and increased claims cost for employers (Jun et al., 2017). Consequently, various cognitive and physical interventions have been implemented to reduce the negative effects of sedentary office environments (Shrestha et al., 2016). Mindfulness training can help office workers become more aware of their postures (Toniolo-Barrios & Pitt, 2021) and exercise has been encouraged to reduce common areas of pain (Frutiger & Borotkanics, 2021; Kennedy et al., 2010); however, the combination of multiple behavioral interventions may lead to the greatest increase in PA (Kennedy et al., 2010). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mindfulness training, a financial gym incentive, and the combination of the two on office worker PA. PA metrics were obtained using a Fitbit Charge 2 (Fitbit LLC, San Francisco, CA) activity tracker and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Long Form (IPAQ-LF) (Craig et al., 2003). Washington state government employees with desk bound jobs participated in this study: 122 participants completed the IPAQ-LF and 145 participants wore the Fitbit activity tracker. Participants were randomly assigned to four groups: control (no intervention), mindfulness training (i.e., 8-week long didactic mindfulness training), financial gym incentive ([gym], i.e., reimbursement for gym attendance), and both ([both], i.e., mindfulness training and financial gym incentive). Data from the activity tracker (i.e., heart rate, step count, metabolic equivalent [MET]) were uploaded directly to data collection service Fitabase (Small Steps Labs LLC, San Diego, CA). IPAQ-LF surveys were distributed electronically via SurveyMonkey (Momentive Inc., San Mateo, CA) to participants on January 16, 2020, April 6, 2020, May 27, 2020, and December 13, 2020, and self-reported PA metrics (i.e., METs and sitting time) seven days prior to their survey completion date were analyzed. Participants' heart rate and METs were recorded on oneminute intervals; activity tracker step counts and self-reported METs and sitting time were analyzed on daily intervals. Outlier removal and normalization for each metric was completed. The study was divided into three monthly time periods to account for the influence of the Coronavirus pandemic and the shift to a work-from-home format: pre-transition (Jan. 10, 2020 Mar. 10, 2020), transition (Mar. 11, 2020 – Jun. 10, 2020), and post-transition (Dec. 1, 2020 – Dec. 31, 2020). Pairwise Wilcox tests with a Bonferroni correction were used to compare: 1) differences between intervention assignments and 2) percent changes of PA metrics. Data was analyzed using RStudio version 4.1.0 (RStudio, Boston, MA). Results show the both group had the largest activity tracker METs (1.38 METs/day) and step counts (6659 steps) compared to the other groups (p < 0.01). The both group had the largest self-reported PA (6.24 METs/day), a 4% greater decrease than control (p = 0.03). Participants during the pretransition period had the largest self-reported PA (5.99 METs/day) compared to transition (p = 0.02) and posttransition (p < 0.01). Considering all PA metrics, the combination of both mindfulness training and a gym incentive may be the most effective at increasing PA amongst office workers. Participants enrolled in mindfulness training for this study were encouraged to practice routines to identify, manage, and cope with stress, which encouraged individuals to be more autonomously motivated (Good et al., 2016). This may have led participants to be more conscious of their exercise commitment and to use exercise as an outlet to destress. This correlates with previous studies that found when multiple interventions are combined, a greater increase of PA may be achievable (Abedtash & Holden, 2017). Additionally, PA decreases from pre-transition to posttransition was observed suggesting the pandemic influenced participant PA. These findings suggest that a combination of cognitive and physical interventions is promising in increasing office worker PA and may have the potential to improve employee physical health.


Search systems that is used to search for information. Cite Seer was a search engine to search academic documents. Platforms are not available to discover algorithms in scholarly big data. The limitations of these search engines make the searching more difficult. Hence special purpose systems are used. Here proposes a search system to extract algorithm representations. Algorithms can be represented using pseudocode and algorithm procedures. Two methods are used for this purpose. The ways to extract textual metadata for each algorithm is discussed. Based on graph based clustering, context term is extracted. The metadata extraction is done using document element summarization. The synopsis is generated using topic modeling approach and context terms. Finally a synopsis comparison is done.


Keynote Addresses.- Model-based Image Segmentation: Methods and Applications.- Real versus Artificial Expertise: The Development of Cognitive Models of Clinical Reasoning.- Methodology.- A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Biomedical Knowledge in Medical Problem Solving Implications for Al.- Reconstructing Medical Problem Solving Competence: MACCORD.- The Role of Domain Models in Maintaining Consistency of Large Medical Knowledge Bases.- Knowledge Representation.- A Framework for Causal Reasoning with a Functional Approach.- Modelling and Knowledge (Re)presentation within HIOS+.- Medical Knowledge Representation and Predictive Data Entry.- Clinical Applications.- A Connectionist Aid to the Early Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction.- Automation of Medical Audit in General Practice.- An Intelligent System for Monitoring Infections in Heart Transplant Recipients.- Measuring Performance of a Bayesian Decision Support System for the Diagnosis of Rheumatic Disorders.- The Application of Distributed Artificial Intelligence to Medical Diagnosis.- Knowledge Representation of Discharge Summaries.- Modelling.- Dual Teleological Perspectives in Qualitative Circulatory Analysis.- Physiological Modelling Using RL.- Integrated Use of Causal and Algebraic Physiological Models to Support Anaesthetists in Decision Making.- Uncertainty Management.- Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Monitoring Using Stochastic Simulation on Graphical Models.- A Model-Based Approach to Insulin Adjustment.- A Blackboard Control Architecture for Therapy Planning.- Knowledge Acquisition.- A Comparative Evaluation of Three Approaches to the Acquisition of Medical Knowledge.- A Knowledge Acquisition Tool for Medical Diagnostic Knowledge-Based Systems.- Machine Learning in Data Rich Domains: Some Experiences from the KAVAS Project.- The User Perspective.- Patient's and Physician's Opinion about Computer Expert Systems.- Designing an Adaptive Interface for EPIAIM.- CAP: A Critiquing Expert System for Medical Education.


Tetrasubstituted (Z)-alkenes were readily prepared through the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of methyl 2-[bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phosphono]propionate with aryl alkyl ketones by employing Sn(OSO(2)CF(3))(2) and N-ethylpiperidine.


Vibrators with deformable impact support under harmonic excitation are especially useful in the case when their stationary regimes of motion are stable. This is useful in practice by applying those vibrators to single direction manipulators and various robots of space type.
For practical application it is necessary to reveal dynamical qualities of the system from where it would be possible to determine optimal regimes. For this purpose investigations of dynamics of the system by numerical methods were performed.
Investigation of dynamics of impact interactions in elements of robots is an important engineering problem. Dynamics of soft impacts in elements of manipulators and robots is investigated. The model of the investigated system is described. Numerical investigations for various parameters of the system are performed. Free and forced vibrations are investigated.
From the presented results it can be noted that for the smaller values of the coefficient of stiffness of the support period of steady state motion coincides with the period of the exciting force, while for the higher values of the coefficient of stiffness of the support period of steady state motion is equal to two periods of the exciting force. Thus it is concluded that with the increase of the coefficient of stiffness of the support behavior of the investigated vibro impact system with soft impacts experiences essential changes.
Main characteristics of steady state motion as functions of frequency of excitation are investigated. From the presented results the minimum and maximum inter impact intervals as functions of frequency of excitation, minimum and maximum velocities before impact as functions of frequency of excitation, minimum and maximum minimum displacements in inter impact intervals as functions of frequency of excitation are seen. Three resonant zones of expected single valued motions are observed in the presented results. They correspond to optimal regions of operation of the vibro impact system with soft impacts.
Results of the performed analysis of dynamic interactions with soft impacts in the elements of manipulators and robots are used in the process of design of pipe robots of advanced type.


A number of studies have been carried out and published in recent times on the major elemental compositions and isotopic geochemical aspects on the Ganga River, thus generating a wealth of information. The immense data confirmed the control of Himalayan Rivers, Ganga and Brahmaputra, on changing isotopic signatures of sea waters through geologic time. In a first ever attempt to monitor and study temporal variations in chemical composition of river water, at a particular location in the Ganga River in the Himalayas, we present information collected at a single location of the Ganga River in its initial stages (Rishikesh), studied daily over a four week period during non-monsoon season in the year 2004. The temporal variations in major water quality parameters have been inferred. The variations in chemical compositions at different periods of the day show variations indicating variable chemical weathering rates. The 84 samples collected and analysed for 13 chemical parameters and reported here, have thus generated a strong database for further studies. The variable compositions indicate the dissolution of rocks at different rates and hence there is a strong need to characterize the dissolution rates of various lithologies in river basins.


Crystalline WO 3 2 x is an infrared ~ IR ! electrochromic material having possible applications in satellite thermal control and IR switches. Optical constants of electrochromic materials change upon ion intercalation, usually with H 1 or Li 1 . Of primary concern for device design are the optical constants in both the intercalated and deintercalated states. In situ and ex situ ellipsometric data are used to characterize both the deposition process and the optical constants of the films. Ex situ data from a UV-Vis-NIR ellipsometer are combined with data from a mid-infrared Fourier-transform-infrared-based ellipsometer to provide optical constants over a spectral range of 0.031–6.1 eV. © 1999 American Vacuum Society. @ S0734-2101 ~ 99 ! 04905-2 #


Oral feeding is the best means of nutrition in surgical patients. There arc many reports on early oral feeding after lower gastrointestinal {(il) operations but data regarding upper Gl procedures is rather scant. This limited study rocuses 011 early removal of nasogastric tube and start of oral diet after transhiatal csophagcctomy. We prospectively evaluated 13 consecutive patients (8 males. 5 females) with esophageal cancer who had undergone rranshiatal csophngcctomy from March 100 I to September :lOrn. Nasogustric tube was removed on post-op day 1 and clear liquids started on day 3. Diet was advanced to son regular in tile next 5 days if the patients tolerated it. Mean age of patients was 63 years. Menu body weight and serum albumin level were 57.9 kg and 3.73 gr/dl., respectively. Tumor pathology was squamous cell carcinoma in 11 cases and adenocarcinoma in I. Location oftumor was at the lower third of the esophagus in 11 cases and middle third in one. All patients ill the study group tolerated tile protocol well. Only one patient had nausea after oral intake, without vomiting. We had one neck wound infection and OIlC pulmonary infection. There was no anastomotic leakage or fistula. A group of I() esophageal cancer patients undergoing trnnshiuta! csophagcctomy in the same period ""'('I'C used as the control group. One anastomotic leakage occurred in control group. We had no significant complication. Early nasogastric tube removal and oral feeding seems to be safe in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing transhiatal csophagcctcmy.


A clamp structure for clamping a hose-like member onto a circular support and capable of contraction from a larger to a smaller diametric dimension without loss of the circular configuration and without any internal projections, especially for use with relatively harder and thinner hose-like materials, in which the area underneath the ear is covered off during contraction to prevent leakage thereat and in which the open ends of the band can move relative to one another to change from the larger to the smaller diametric dimension while retaining a circular configuration where in engagement with the hose-like member.


Solubility is the key data for crystallization research and it contributes to investigating optimum condition and determining the theory yield.With a laser monitoring observation technique,the solubility of phenyl peri acid in binary ethanol-water mixtures in the temperature from(278 K) to(308 K) and in the solvent composition from 0.86 to 0.28 were measured by a synthetic method.The effect of solvent composition and temperature on the solubility was discussed.


This paper presents a program, written in BASIC, for computing the coefficient of concordance, rc. The coefficient of concordance is one useful method for comparing factor solutions obtained on the same variables in different studies or with different samples.


The paper is composed of two stages of analysis ; urban transportation energy characteristics and energy reduction by residential decentralization. The study area is a local area in Japan including a core city. Firstly, energy rate by travel mode is shown and then transportation energy is estimated by trip purpose and travel mode. It proved that energy for work trips by car amounts 36% or more of the transportation energy in the area. Secondly, on analysis of modal split of work trips, the effect of residential decentralization on work trip energy is shown indirectly by estimating decrease/increase in total travel demand for work trip by car.


Plant resources in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River are endemic to a class of district. The article adopts the analytic hierarchy process method to evaluate the exploitation and utilization potential of plant resources of thirty typical plant resources on the basis of their characteristics in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River, which provide scientific evidence for quantitative evaluation of regional plant resources, and we also suggest pathways offering protection and development.


This letter is to provide a review of recent works carried out on time-modulation-based nonreciprocal devices. It first provides an introduction of various modulation mechanisms and device architectures used in those studies and discusses the commonality and difference among the concepts of those approaches. Examples of on-chip implementations are presented. Potentials and challenges of time-modulation approaches in replacing ferrite-based nonreciprocal devices have also been discussed.


Abstract In our modern, interconnected and globalized world, design is in motion, to adapt to new situations. But successful Design in Motion must be based on Processes in Motion. For a target-oriented adaptation of the processes to the new, challenging conditions, the as-is procedures must be captured and analysed. For this analysis, established capturing procedures from production or administration cannot be used due to some special features of design processes and workflows, which will be discussed in this contribution. To compensate for the weaknesses of existing methods, we propose an adapted method for holistic design process capturing. With the procedure, we want to enable an economic process analysis, which is crucial for small and medium-size companies in particular. To give an insight into the practical application of the method, we exemplarily analyse the process of a shaft construction and FEM-evaluation by two different employees. Based on this analysis and to verify the relevance of the presented approach, an evaluation with respect to the requirements is done.


Abstract : The use of attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy in the study of solid propellants for the purposes of quality control and the elucidation of solid phase reactions is presented. In a separate study, the detection of CO2 using rapid-scanning optical spectroscopy during the pre-ignition phase of a solid propellant firing is reported and its value as a criterion for ignition discussed. (Author)


Earlier studies of two syllable words demonstrate that segment durations in words are contextually adjusted so as to yield word durations that are nearly equal despite differences in the inherent durations of the vowels and consonants that make up the words. The present experiment compares the temporal structure of a pair of two‐more CVCV words to that of three pairs of three‐mora words of three different types; a pair that has an "extra" vocalic mora (CVVCV), a pair that adds a consonantal more (CVCCV), and a third pair that adds a syllabic more (CVCVCV). Within each pair the medial stop differs in voicing. The results show that adjustments are made between adjacent morae, not just between adjacent segments, to compensate for inherent differences in mora durations. This problem arises since a segmental mora (i.e., long V or C) is shorter than a syllabic mora (CV), yet the durations of all three words containing them were found to be nearly equal. Furthermore, the adjustments at the mora level are made in...


Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of woven fabrics is modeled by using two soft computing approaches, namely adaptive network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN). Three fabric parameters: proportion of polyester in weft yarns, weft count, and pick density are used as input parameters for predicting fabric UPF. Two levels (low and high) of membership function for each of the input parameters are used to reduce the complexity of ANFIS. The eight linguistic fuzzy rules trained by ANFIS are able to explain the relationship between fabric parameters and UPF. A comparison between ANFIS and ANN models is also presented. Both the models predict the UPF of fabrics with very good prediction accuracy in the testing data sets.


Objective: Hallux valgus corresponds to a lateral deviation of the hallux associated with medial deviation of the first metatarsal head. The aim of this study is to evaluate for improvement in radiographic parameters of the intermetatarsal angle between first and second metatarsal. Methods: The authors evaluated and followed 18 patients (23 feet), out of which 13 were female and 5 male, with moderate to severe hallux valgus surgically treated with the technique of osteotomy of 1st metatarsal and implementation of the national classifiwedge plate, type "Puddu", associated with the repair of distal soft tissue and minimum monitoring for a period of 24 months. All patients were evaluated for improvement in radiographic parameters of the intermetatarsal angle between first and second metatarsal (AIM) and answered the questionnaire AOFAS for hallux valgus in two different moments: in the appointment for marking the surgery; and 24 months after the surgery. Results: Their ages ranged between 27 and 71 years (average of 47 years). In applying the AOFAS scale, 75% of patients had scores between 20 and 49 (average: 37.65) points before surgery reaching; after surgery, scores were between 60 and 100 (average: 87.00), when reapplied to the same scale.In the radiological study, AIM showed an average improvement of 6.44 degrees. Conclusion: The base osteotomy of the first metatarsal and the application of the national wedge plate Puddu, for the treatment of moderate to severe hallux valgus, has proved to be a safe and effective method, reducing the pre-existing radiographic AIM and leading to satisfactory surgical outcomes in most patients, however, the national plate had to be removed in a significant portion of these, due to its high profile.


Clinical history, neurologic investigations, course, EMG findings, muscle biopsy and response to diazepam treatment in two patients fulfilled criteria established by Gordon, Januszko and Kaufman for the diagnosis of the stiff-man syndrome. Both patients also presented tremor, a rare finding in this affection.


Multiple-drug therapy is raising questions about proper treatment strategies to reduce multidrug cross resistance and the need for viral load testing as a routine part of standard AIDS care. Several decision-making considerations are presented for using protease inhibitors, including suboptimal situations where diminished effectiveness and more rapid resistance may develop. Additionally, questions are considered concerning whether the "hit hard/hit early" philosophy of drug treatment is always appropriate, and which conditions indicate a clear need to use protease inhibitors. A chart is provided comparing current protease inhibitors and their antiviral potency, cell potency, clinical effects, side effects, resistance, and cost.


【Task】 The present invention relates to a fluid injection apparatus for use with a syringe, comprising an injector, a pressure jacket assembly in tandem with the injector. Injector comprises a driving piston to provide a housing forming a central opening, and through the opening the power to the syringe plunger deployed in extendable within the syringe. The pressure jacket assembly comprises at least one support arm extending outwardly from the housing in tandem with the pressure jacket and the housing. Syringe retaining member is attached to at least one support arm. Syringe retaining member, to form a syringe receiving slot, receiving at least a portion of the syringe. Light source is positioned on a support arm, facing the pressure jacket, illuminating the syringe. Syringe has an alignment flange preferably aligned flange forms a window to see the bubble inflated. Alignment flange is used to properly orient the syringe in the pressure jacket.


This study proposes a method for detecting micro-vibrations along the optical axis of a target object using video image analysis. The proposed method detects vibrations as time variances in the scaling factor of the object by checking the shift in the peaks in the spatial power spectrum of the images. We conducted an experiment wherein a checkerboard placed 2 m below the video camera was vibrated using an actuator. The results show that the proposed method could measure the vibration frequency even when the amplitude is 0.25 permille of the shooting distance.


The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Health-System Pharmacy 2015 Initiative evolved from the ASHP Vision Statement for Pharmacy Practice in Hospitals and Health Systems.[1,][1][2][2] The purpose of this collaborative landmark initiative is to ensure that pharmacists will make


BACKGROUND: In this study, our aim was to investigate the quality of dietary intake of elderly individuals and to identify the factors that may be associated with their diet quality. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 198 elderly participants. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used to evaluate nutritional status. The frequency of dietary intake was assessed using the Elderly Diet Index (EDI) score. RESULTS: The median age of study population was 76.0 years. The median EDI score was 27.0, moreover, only 27.3%of the study population had moderate or high diet quality. The results of the univariate analysis revealed that having an average or a poor appetite reduced the diet quality in the elderly which was statistically significantly (p = 0.010 and p = 0.019, respectively), and each point increase in the MNA score statistically significantly increased the chance of moderate/good diet quality by 1.16 times. CONCLUSIONS: The poor diet quality of the elderly was associated with their education, appetite, nutritional, and smoking status.


The novel method was proposed to analyze the radiated source characteristic in GTEM based on Wilson algorithm, Lee algorithm and near field wave impedance theory. According to different radiated source mechanism, radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) measurement approaches for common mode and differential mode noises were presented to improve the test accuracy by employing range-mean algorithm and variance algorithm, respectively. The experiment results show that the radiated source characteristic can be obtained and EMI measurement will be more accuracy in GTEM, which verified the suggested approaches effectiveness.


Energy subsidies are among the most pervasive and controversial fiscal policy tools in Tunisia. Their reform continues to be difficult, from a political, economic and social perspective, due to the original objectives of these measures—such as the need to protect the most vulnerable households, enhance economic growth and to foster domestic industrial growth. Due to the unsustainable budget implications, a new strategy has been initiated by the Tunisian government to reform the subsidy system in the energy sector while striking a balance between improving fiscal and equity considerations without increasing social tensions. The model shows that reducing energy subsidy generates a fiscal space for the Tunisian government. In the first bunch of simulations we supposed that this 'saved' amounts are totally directed to the reduction of fiscal deficit. This policy enhances the fiscal sustainability and reduces indebtment but have a negative impact on growth and job creation. The fiscal incidence by decile shows that the poorest groups benefit of energy subsidies more that the richest groups. This result shows the large reliance of subsidies as instrument for redistribution.


Microscopic studies of the distributions of oil and water and of their networks in the pore space, at various relative saturations, are of fundamental importance in understanding migration, distribution, entrainment and mobilization of oil in the context of a particular (enhanced) oil recovery method. There has been an upsurge of interest in quantitative image analysis of pore morphology from two-dimensional thin and polished sections; however, the subject of determining the three-dimensional geometry and topology of multifluid networks has not been dealt with at all. The authors have developed novel techniques for studying the irregular, interconnected pore space network of reservoir rocks. An image acquisition and analysis system incorporating a micro-computer, video equipment and microscope has been built for these studies. The authors are in the process of extending the methodologies to study the separate wetting and nonwetting phase networks which exist during immiscible displacement processes. As a necessary first step, they have developed the interactive computer-based technique described here to extract individual phase images, e.g., water, oil, and rock, form images containing all these phases together. The two-dimensional serial section data are accumulated on video tapes in which, for a particular cross-section, images of wetting phase, non-wetting phase and allmore » phases together are recorded and processed by the software developed by the authors.« less


selective epitaxial growth Sungbong Park The University of Tokyo, Department of Materials Engineering Summary of the paper Ge has attracted much attention due to its large optical absorption at near infrared (NIR) and compatibility to Si CMOS process. Integration of Ge photodetectors on Si waveguides is promising to realization of effective electronics-photonics (E-P) convergence. Ge pin photodiode was fabricated by selective epitaxial growth on SOI substrate and was characterized by spectral responsivity. At 1550nm, 0.24 A/W (external quantum efficiency ηext~20 %) was achieved. In particular, we focused on strain effect on responsivity spectra. It has been known that thermally-induced tensile strain in Ge causes absorption red-shift. Compared to the Ge photodiode fabricated by blanket growth with the similar device structure, the device in this work shows attenuated red-shift. Localized reciprocal lattice mapping confirmed that Ge selective mesa with 10 μm of width is not relaxed along the shorter dimension. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction reveals that Ge grown on SOI does not contain additional strain relaxation due to viscous flow of buried oxide (BOX) layer at high temperature annealing. Therefore, we assumed that Ge mesa relaxed its strain vertically along the thickness and theoretical simulation was conducted. The simulation results showed good agreement with the measured one. It is the key to understand the strain effect on responsivity spectrum of Ge photodiode on Si in order to maximize NIR photodetectability and to realize wide-band wavelength division multiplexing (WDM).


The increasing demand for transportation results in increasing demand for energy and an increase in the production of emissions. In reviewing the 1985 Canadian sectoral emission contributions to the environment, it is found that emissions from road transportation contributed approximately 30 percent to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 40 percent to oxides of nitrogen (NO sub x), 95 percent to carbon monoxide (CO), and 18 percent to carbon dioxide (CO sub 2). Clearly, these contributions are large and every effort should be made to reduce them (1,2). Some of the means which governments, transportation experts and industry can use to reduce the production of these emissions are technology, planning and lifestyle changes, standsrds, and taxation. The effectiveness and impact of these measures are discussed herein.


Identifying forms of conduct and counter-conduct in Singapore speaks to debates about governmentality's relevance to presumptively "nonliberal" societies. Examining the headscarf affair in Singapore demonstrates the shared utility of governmentality where the governance of religiosity bears similarity to how it plays out in the Anglophone West through the conduct of conduct, manifest within forms of racial and civic conduct. Closer scrutiny further reveals counter-conducts that, while diffuse, subvert and reformulate the conduct of the governed "multiracial" subject. Acts of counter-conduct take verbal, aesthetic and silent forms, reappropriating multiracial norms, reclaiming public space and reasserting a sense of belonging as compatible with Singapore's multicultural nationalism. Where they reveal failures, suppression and the continuity of governmental power, acts of counter-conducts in Singapore's headscarf affairs draw attention to new subjectivities and a desire to be other than governed.


For astronomical data analysis, there have been proposed multiple methods based on sparse modeling. We have proposed a method for Compton camera imaging. The proposed approach is a sparse modeling method, but the derived algorithm is different from LASSO. We explain the problem and how we derived the method.


The definition and the management of poverty in the age of economic globalization revolve primarily around financial factors. Material poverty is most pervasive and acknowledged because it is generally considered the antonym of wealth. The emphasis on material poverty, especially in the age of globalization, comes at the expense of human poverty that goes far beyond pecuniary aspects. Education has always been at the forefront of poverty eradication in the contemporary world and in indigenous African understanding of poverty. Participatory development is another important element in the fight against poverty. Using available data, drawing from the literature and some anecdotal observations, the author presents a comparative and conceptual analysis of poverty and its alleviation through education and community efforts in Western and traditional African cultures.


The area of the Carpathian Foothills is a culturally interesting region with many small settlement structures. The specificity of spatial values was influenced by the natural and cultural environment as well as the historically accumulating multicultural


This paper presents a method of synthesizing an observer for a class of nonlinear systems. The method is based on the moving horizon estimation technique. It can transpose the observation problem into an optimization problem. It consists on the minimization of the difference between the system measurement and its prediction on a predetermined moving time horizon. The optimization algorithm used is ''Levenberg-Marquardt''. This methodology is applied to an example of CSTR chemical reactor.


This study aimed to examine Brazilian M. oryzae populations using 18 microsatellites. Fifty cultivars were sown in plastic trays for the pathotyping of 847 isolates. The DNA of 494 isolates was extracted and purified using the modified Doyle and Doyle method, the genetic structure was determined by the software Structure, and the actual number was selected from the prediction method based on the K values. Nei's genetic distance among the subpopulations was determined with the aid of the program Genetix, and the amova was performed with the program Arlequin. Out of 847 inoculated monosporic isolates, 528 infected their respective cultivars; of the 528 isolates pathotyped, there was a prevalence of group IA and pathotype IF-1, which was the most frequent pathotype in the rice production areas of Brazil. The Bayesian clustering analysis indicated that 19 was the optimal value of K; this value was the lowest standard deviation and log (ln K) closest to zero, which predicted the 494 isolates of M. oryzae that were selected for molecular studies to be grouped into 19 subpopulations. The AMOVA detected a 37.13% variability within the 19 subpopulations and 62.87% variability among the subpopulations. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0 to 0.756. Thirty three rare alleles were found distributed among 15 out of 19 subpopulations. The Margalef index ranged from 38.69 to 79.21 for all 18 analysed locus. The results indicated that the identification of different blast resistance genes must consider the composition of each subpopulation and that the identification is most effective when performed within a subpopulation and then between subpopulations.


This paper presents a comprehensive CAD environment for MEMS/MST design. The design flow includes MEMS mechanical schematic entry, parameterized cell layout generation, LVS style error checking, lumped parameter macro-model generation, and system level modeling of the micro-system. The design environment also provides error checking between different design views. The implemented macromodel extraction technique can be used for micro-systems that can be represented as multi-component massspring-dashpot structures. Examples include accelerometers, gyros, and other structures that have rigid masses and compliant springs. A mass-produced capacitive MEMS accelerometer (Analog Devices, Inc.'s ADXL76), is employed as an illustrative example of this procedure. The accuracy of the developed method is also verified by comparing macro-model results for several other MEMS structures to the results of full 3-D physics simulations. Good accuracy is demonstrated in both spatialdomain and frequency-domain dynamic behavior of the models.


Ledin and Machin (2018) discuss perceived problems with the notions of 'text' and 'context' in systemic theory and suggest ways to deal with the 'materiality' of multimodal communication. The focus on SF approaches to multimodality is timely, given that systemic functional theory and the forms of multimodality built around it are 'hugely inspiring' and have 'transformed the landscape of visual communication analysis' (Ledin & Machin, 2018). Beyond this, systemic functional theory provides the foundations for major theoretical, methodological and analytical trends in multimodality (Tan, O'Halloran, & Wignell, 2019). It is possible that these and other research efforts (including those in CDS) might, through collaboration, lead to the establishment of the discipline of multimodality (O'Halloran et al., 2019). In this context, Ledin and Machin's (2018) concerns are understandable, given the research trajectory of multimodality where systemic theory is expected to continue to play a major role for the reasons provided in this response. Before addressing Ledin and Machin's (2018) concerns, we clarify some issues of terminology.


Campylobacter jejuni/coli has recently become a common bacterial cause of enteritis. Many community outbreaks of acute enteritis due to C. jejuni/coli have been reported, but only in a few cases contaminated food, or the source and route of the contamination could be identified, because the incubation period is rather long. It is known that this organism is widely carried in domestic animals, poultry and wild animals, but it is not clear whether food is contaminated by C. jejuni/coli. We therefore studied the incidence of this organism in food on the market. A total of 345 kinds of food, including 34 samples of chicken, 33 beef, 33 pork, 45 frozen food, 30 delicatessen, 24 vegetables, 80 fishes and shellfishes, 31 milk and 35 other kinds of food were tested.C. jejuni/coli was isolated from 14 out of 34 chicken meat samples (41.2%), but was not found in any of the 311 other kinds of food. The isolation rate of C. jejuni/coli in chicken meat was very high and thus we checked the frequency of carriage of this organism in chickens: 199 chickens from 4 flocks in 3 poultry farms were tested. C. jejuni/coli was isolated from all the chickens in three flocks but in none from the other flock. It seems to be transmitted to all the chickens in a poultry farm if one chicken has been contaminated, and the meat presumably becomes contaminated during the process of handling. C. jejuni/coli was not isolated from beef, pork or any other kind of meat product in this survey, but this organism is widely carried in domestic animals, and so these kinds of food may be contaminated by C. jejuni/coli.


As an ethnics proposition,the opinion about animal right is supported by some law researchers both in West and China.They claim that animals should be legal subjects and own some legal rights.Then animal legal rights must face to the dilemma of legislation: what animals should be right-owners? What rights should animals have and how should they fulfill their rights? These problems cannot be solved by law.In fact,the goal of animal rights is to protect animals from improper treatment.In current social conditions,the efficient solution is animal welfare legislation.


Abstract Concentrates of microbiologically produced material, highly active as a source of the animal protein factor, as measured by assay with chicks, were shown to be effective, when given parenterally, in producing an hematopoietic response in pernicious anemia.


Egypt is a classic example of a modernizing society that has already experienced a marked drop in fertility. Projections for the future need to now consider the time when Egypt will enter the next phase of demographic transition that is a declining birthrate. If demographic theory is correct - the beginning of an overall decline in fertility will be signaled by the emrgence within the urban population of fertility differences by socioeconomic class - the presence or absence of fertility differentials in urban Egypt needs to be examined if an estimate is to be made of how close this country is to ending her period of explosive growth. Data from the Census of 1960 concerning the number of her period of explosive growth. Data from the Census of 1960 concerning the number of children ever born by age of wife within given duration-of-marriage classes; education of wife within the same duration-of-marriage classes; and ocupation of husband by duration-of-marriage class are analyzed. The analysis reveals that education appears to be a most significant variable in the fertility of urban Egyptian women. There is a clear inverse relationship between the educational attainment of wives and the number of children born by them. Among women married for less than 5 years the strength of this variable is almost obscured by the operation of what appears to be a universal pattern of immediate unspaced childbearing regardless of educational level. However among women married for longer duration differences in education are increasingly reflected in fertility differentials. It appears probable from the data that at least among women married less than 20 years those who married between the ages of 20-25 had the highest fertility rates while those marrying later had significantly lower rates. Regarding occupation of hysband ranking by class is inversely correlated with fertility within each of the duration-of-marriage intervals although the range of variation is not nearly so great as that apparent when the independent variable was the wifes educational level.


Current biomaterial‐based strategies explored to treat articular cartilage defects have failed to provide adequate physico‐chemical cues in order to guide functional tissue regeneration. Here, it is hypothesized that atmospheric‐pressure plasma (APPJ) treatment and melt electrowriting (MEW) will produce microfiber support structures with covalently‐immobilized transforming growth factor beta‐1 (TGFβ1) that can stimulate the generation of functional cartilage tissue. The effect of APPJ operational speeds to activate MEW polycaprolactone meshes for immobilization of TGFβ1 is first investigated and chondrogenic differentiation and neo‐cartilage production are assessed in vitro. All APPJ speeds test enhanced hydrophilicity of the meshes, with the slow treatment speed having significantly less CC/CH and more COOH than the untreated meshes. APPJ treatment increases TGFβ1 loading efficiency. Additionally, in vitro experiments highlight that APPJ‐based TGFβ1 attachment to the scaffolds is more advantageous than direct supplementation within the medium. After 28 days of culture, the group with immobilized TGFβ1 has significantly increased compressive modulus (more than threefold) and higher glycosaminoglycan production (more than fivefold) than when TGFβ1 is supplied through the medium. These results demonstrate that APPJ activation allows reagent‐free, covalent immobilization of TGFβ1 on microfiber meshes and, importantly, that the biofunctionalized meshes can stimulate neo‐cartilage matrix formation. This opens new perspectives for guided tissue regeneration.


The theory that underpins teacher practice has been the target of many studies. Much of research aims at investigating the theoretical basis underlying a teacher ́s work. However, this paper seeks to go further and investigate the actual foundations of education professionals. To do so, 34 teachers were interviewed, with the purpose of not only finding the basis they say they use, but also the actual practical application of the theory they profess. Also investigated was how teachers conduct the process of evaluation of their students. The answers were tabulated and analyzed through Content Analysis. The results indicate teachers resort to sheer "jargons" to support their performance, which, when further investigated, is shown to be based upon common sense.


The global problems of energy supply and demand, climatic change due to artificial global warming, and providing economical and clean human comfortable condition are a complex issue. These problems have become globally political, economical and technological in the center stage of global arena. Utilization of alternative energy resources which are clean and green, hand in hand with the development of alternative clean and green technologies can indeed reduce the global and environmental problems. This paper invasions the idea of harnessing the power of clean energy resources and of developing clean technology for the production of clean environmental conditions. Synergization of clean energy resources, clean technologies and production of clean environment is implemented through the thermally activated desiccant cooling system. The experimental facility is constructed which consists of thermal energy system, desiccant cooling system and the artificially controlled environmental conditions for experimental evaluation purposes. Preliminary experimental investigation is being undertaken to evaluate the performance of the thermal energy system and of the desiccant cooling system. Based on the results, thermal energy system is functioning to its expectations. However, the desiccant cooling system still needs improvement to optimize its cooling capacity. With this study, practical combination of clean energy utilization and of clean technology development for the production of clean environment is possible through proper design and implementation.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


ABSTRACT We investigate whether rental housing discrimination directed against 2 predominant ethnic minority groups in Sydney, Australia, is more likely to occur in neighborhoods with a particular mix of ethnicities, socioeconomic profiles, or quality of social goods and whether this geographic pattern reinforces spatial disadvantages of these minorities in a way that abets their social exclusion. We construct measures of differential treatment based on in-person paired testing conducted in 2013, with Anglo, Indian, and Muslim Middle Eastern testers. We summarize 4 dimensions of postcode-level social goods using a principal component analysis reflecting school quality, crime rates, resident employment rates, proximate jobs and job growth, and commuting options. Our ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that differential treatment in the Sydney rental market is strongly related to a neighborhood's ethnic composition and 2 aspects of its social goods involving both desirable and undesirable components but is not related to the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood's population.


DERIVATIVES N-phenylbenzamide corresponding to general formula (I) wherein R SUB 1 is cyano, nitro, halogen, hydroxy, METHYL Alkil C SUB 1-C SUB 4, methoxy or tetrazol-5-YL, R SUB 2 is a hydrogen, hydroxy, O metoxy, R SUB 3 is tetrazol-5-YL group or hydrogen, R SUB 4 YR SUB 5 are hydrogen if R SUB 3 EN tetrazolyl, BUT independently selected from GROUPS CARBOXY , methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl and carbamoyl if R 3 is hydrogen SUB, SUB YR 6 is hydrogen or Methyl. Derivatives have ACTIVITY antiulcer and antiallergic.


Highly flammable polyurethane foam (PUF) remains a key risk factor associated with bedding and upholstered furniture, contributing to the yearly destruction of property and loss of lives. In an attempt to tackle this issue and develop a more benign flame retardant (FR) for PUF, a mica-based nanocomposite was deposited using layer-by-layer assembly. Chitosan (CH) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were used to stabilize high aspect ratio mica. Foam treated with eight bilayers (BL) of CH and PAA-stabilized mica preserves the porous foam structure, prevents melt dripping, and self-extinguishes during a 10 s torch test, while uncoated foam is completely consumed. When exposed to a 35 kW/m2 heat flux during cone calorimetry, the peak heat release rate is reduced by 54% and less volatile molecules are released during combustion, resulting in a 76% reduction in total smoke release. This multilayer coating serves as an environmentally benign template for flame retarding polyurethane foam and various other three-dimensional substrates.


Introduction PART ONE: MARKET EVOLUTION AND SUPPLY / DEMAND OF CHINESE ENERGY History of Chinese Energy Policy Oil Availability: Supply and Production Side Natural Gas Availability and Utilization China Energy Rising Demand, Consumption and Forecasts Market Forecasts and Researchers' Predictions Geopolitical Developments and Balance of Powers PART TWO: IMPLICATIONS ON CHINESE GOVERNMENT Government Policies and Development in Energy and Commodities PART THREE: PRICING OF OIL AND MARKETS' SYNERGIES Chinese Oil Pricing and Global Markets Integration PART FOUR:CORPORATIONS, COMPETITION AND PRIVATIZATION Chinese Commodities Corporations PART FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS AND REMEDIATION TO CHINESE RISING ENERGY DEMAND Alternative Energies and Renewables Conclusion Appendix


The utility model relates to an interconnecting cable of a loading sensor, which is used to measure the indicator diagram of a pumping unit and comprises a cable wire and a steel wire. The cable wire shows a spring shape and is wound on the steel wire. The two ends of the cable wire are fixed with the steel wire. The cable wire is wound on the steel wire, and the steel wire is used to serve as the enhanced muscle of the cable wire, so the weight of the cable wire is increased and the tensity of the cable wire is increased. The cable wire can not be swept by wind. The cable is made to be a spring shape with retractility, so the anti-folded ability is increased and the cable wire is not easy to be damaged during the working. The utility model has the advantages that the installation is convenient, the utility model can accommodate the change between the high and low temperatures and can run smoothly for a long time in the nature environment.


The industry group is the characteristics and the advantage places of an economic development in Ningbo,the brand of the district establishes the developments of the upgrade and the district economy that industry group to the industry to all have the important meaning.At analytical Ningbo development present condition and the existence problem foundations of the brand of a district up,point out should strengthen the brand consciousness and the brand managements,integrating the industry to gather a group of resourceses,strengthenning science and technology innovation,pay attention to the market service etc.establishes the counterplan measure of the brand of the district.


Porous silicon (pSi) samples were prepared by electrochemical etching of p-type silicon (p-type Si) substrate. Three pSi samples with different parameters of electrochemical etching (electrical potential, etching time, etching current) were prepared and analyzed. We studied the influence of electrochemical etching parameters on spectral reflectance of pSi structure. A modification of interference pattern was observed due to changes of microstructure. We determined the thickness of pSi layers from spectral reflectance. Solar cells with a porous structure achieve high efficiency and long life. These solar cells are predestined for use in transport. is a reflection of the incident wave on its upper and lower surface. wave reflected from the upper surface of the thin layer is numbered 1 and the wave reflected from the lower surface is numbered 2. The total reflected light is given by the superposition of the reflected waves 1 and 2. phase


By James J. McCort, M.D., Director of Radiology, Santa Clara County Hospital, San Jose, Calif. Cloth, $10.50. Pp. 252, with figures. Philadelphia, Penna., Saunders, 1966. The growing number of cases of blunt abdominal trauma in our ever-expanding hospital emergency rooms requires us to be as familiar with the roentgen signs of abdominal injury as we are with injuries of the extremities. Dr. McCort's excellent monograph amply meets the needs of radiologists and others who may be called upon to treat these cases. The book is both a text and a beautifully illustrated atlas. The text is succinct and clear, and there are many illustrative cases, supplemented by skillfully drawn diagrams. Enough clinical information is given to place in perspective the problem with which the radiologist is presented. The number of different radiological signs available on the plain films and on the gastrointestinal and urographic studies is small, but the author demonstrates how a skillful radiologist, aware of the different ty...


ABSTRACT A processing complex consisting of two sites adjacent to the Alexander River was developed prior to the 1950s for the Alexander orogenic gold mine on the West Coast of New Zealand. The mineralogy of the As has been defined at both sites, in order to evaluate potential environmental toxicity. Arsenic levels are highest (> 35 wt%) where the ore had been roasted, converting sulfides to arsenolite (As(III)2O3), which is soluble in the wet environment. High As levels elsewhere on the processing complex occur as secondary As(V)–Fe(III)–Ca minerals, including pharmacolite and yukonite, and As-bearing hematite. Sulfide concentrates stored on-site have oxidised to semi-cemented amorphous hydrous Fe(III) oxides and arsenates, resulting in localised acid generation (pH as low as 3) and As levels up to 4 wt%. Despite high levels of As in the processing residues and the wet climate, negligible As is being mobilised into stream waters, and the dissolved As level is < 0.01 mg/L.


Numerous insects live in forests as a component of forest ecosystem. Forest insect pests are defined certain insects when they adversely affect ecological, economic, and social values that we associate with forest. Kinds of forest insect pests are continually changed as a result of change of forest ecosystem and the introduction of foreign alien insect pests. Forest pest management is the maintenance of destructive insects at tolerable levels by the planned use of a variety of preventive, suppressive, or regulatory tactics and strategies that are ecologically and economically efficient and socially acceptable. However, the system of forest pest management is slighly different according to the nation and case of insect pests. Currently, the most important insect pests of Korea are Monochamus beetles and Platypus koroensis, which are insect vectors of pine wilt disease and oak wilt disease, respectively. Major forest insect pests are Thecodiplosis japonensis, a gall maker of pine needle and sapsucking insects such as black pine bast scale, Matsucoccus thunbergianae, Corythucha ciliata, Lycorma delicatula. Defoliating insects, such as Dendrolimus spectabilis, Hyphantria cunea, Agelastica coerulea, Acantholyda parki, and phloem boring insects, such as Tomicus piniperda and Ips bark beetles are also regarded as major forest insect pests. Management of forest insect pests are different from kinds of insect species. Control methods currently used are as follows; (a) Chemical control : ground and aerial spray of low-toxicity insecticide, trunk injection of systemic insecticide, fumigation, etc. (b) Biological control : release of parasitic wasps, use of Beauveria bassiana. etc. (c) Physical or mechamical control : burn, crush, etc. (d) Silvicultural practice : salvage cutting, clear cutting and reforestation, breeding of resistant trees, etc.


Solid‐state batteries (SSBs) currently attract great attention as a potentially safe electrochemical high‐energy storage concept. However, several issues still prevent SSBs from outperforming today's lithium‐ion batteries based on liquid electrolytes. One major challenge is related to the design of cathode active materials (CAMs) that are compatible with the superionic solid electrolytes (SEs) of interest. This perspective, gives a brief overview of the required properties and possible challenges for inorganic CAMs employed in SSBs, and describes state‐of‐the art solutions. In particular, the issue of tailoring CAMs is structured into challenges arising on the cathode‐, particle‐, and interface‐level, related to microstructural, (chemo‐)mechanical, and (electro‐)chemical interplay of CAMs with SEs, and finally guidelines for future CAM development for SSBs are proposed.


The present invention discloses high-strength special paper and a preparation method thereof. The high-strength special paper mainly comprises the following components by mass: 60 to 90% of plant fiber, 5 to 20% of water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol fiber and 5 to 20% of high strength high modulus polyvinyl alcohol fiber. The high-strength special paper is prepared from the water-soluble PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber and the high strength high modulus PVA fiber by combining for making the paper, the high strength high modulus PVA fiber has high strength, high modulus and good affinity for water; the water-soluble PVA fiber has good binding effect, meanwhile hydrogen bonding force can be formed between the water-soluble PVA fiber and paper pulp fiber, the retention of the paper pulp fiber is improved, by combined action of the components, the high-strength special paper has good papermaking properties, and the paper strength is further enhanced.


VOL. 77-B. No. 6, NOVEMBER 1995 This had been by a paratendinous incision in 65 fractures and a patellar-tendon-splitting incision in 36. The position of the nail in relation to the tibial plateau and anterior cortex was measured on postoperative lateral radiographs. The patients were reviewed to discover the incidence of knee pain and the need for nail removal. Results. Sixty-one of the 107 patients (56%) developed troublesome knee pain in the area of nail insertion. When a paratendinous insertion had been used 33 of 65 fractures (51%) were associated with subsequent knee pain. When nail insertion was through the tendon 28 of 36 knees (78%) developed subsequent pain. This difference was significant (chi-squared test with Yates' correction, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the mean distance of the nail from the plateau or the extent of nail protrusion beyond the anterior tibial cortex. In 49 patients (46%) the pain was troublesome enough to require removal of the nail. At a mean of 16 months after removal, pain was completely relieved in 22 patients. Seventeen had only partial relief, and the remaining ten had no improvement. The pain relief after nail removal was not related to the entry point (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.36). Discussion. Tibial nailing has been associated with excellent results in most reports but there has been some concern about knee pain. In our series this was the most common complication, and the response to nail removal was unpredictable; only 45% of the patients had complete relief. Nail position in relation to the anterior cortex and tibial plateau had no influence on knee pain. We took particular care to avoid excessive prominence of the nail at the entry site; this may explain this lack of influence. The use of a patellar-tendon-splitting approach for nail insertion was associated with a much higher risk of subsequent pain and our findings suggest that a paratendinous approach helps to reduce this. We now avoid splitting the patellar tendon for the insertion of tibial nails.


According to the stipulations of our country's current negotiable instrument law, note guarantor sign and guarantee to the note debt, corresponding note responsibility emerges on note. Note guarantor and ordinary responsibility and right of guarantor of creditor's rights exist and distinguish? When debt that guarantor guarantee invealid, how about the note responsibility of guarantor as note? All these are concerned with important problems whether the credit and debt could be realized smoothly. This article states from 3 aspects, characteristic of responsibility, guarantor of note, responsibility and civil guarantor comparison of responsibility, guarantor of note, Guaranteed that the situation with invalid debt and the impact on guarantor's responsibility are analyzed, Clear concrete situation with invalid debt according to guaranteeing in practice further, Assert the note guarantor's responsibility in accordance with the law.


Modern Romania is a nation-state containing space which has long been considered
marginal - first as part of the Roman Empire and now within the European Union. The
national narrative of Romania highlights this liminality, focusing on the interactions
between the Romans and the local Dacians on the northeastern border regions of the
Empire. Romania still contains significant material remnants of the Iron Age, including
the Roman Limes, a series of fortifications on the Danube River meant to protect the
Roman borders. As such, the archaeological tradition of this geographic space is heavily
entangled with Romania's identity as a frontier region. This paper outlines the formation
of Romanian national space, focusing on the period between the seventeenth century
and 1918. It considers the relationship between the materiality of the Roman Limes and
ideological frontiers in Romania, examining the role of archaeology in the sustainment
of the Romanian nation space.


The purposes of this research are to describe the improvement of students activities by inquiry model with pictorial riddle techniques in class VIII C SMP Negeri 7 Jember and to describe the improvement of students cognitive learning achievement after learning process. Subjects ofthis research were students in class VIII C SMP Negeri 7 Jember. The techniques of data collection were observation, test, documentation, and interview. Analysis techniques of data were qualitative and quantitativedescriptive. The results of this research are the average of student's activities on pre-cycle is 45,43% in less active category, the cycle Iis 71,29% in the fairly active category, and the cycle II is 78,7% in active category aditionelly the score average of student's learning achievements on pre cycle is 67,3, on cycle I is 75,72,and on cycle II is 81,32. The value n-gain on cycle I is 0,41 in medium category, and on cycle II is 0,62 in medium category. The conclusion of this research are there are improvement of student's activities and student's cognitive achievements by inquiry model through pictorial riddle of techniques in class VIII C SMP Negeri 7 Jember.


A variety of suggestions have been advanced to unravel the obscure picture of a "donkey burial" in Jer 22:19, such as taking it as (1) representative of the broad category of a "non-burial", (2) regarding the image as a metaphor signifying the bestial way Jehoiakim's dead body will be treated, (3) explaining the pronouncement in Jer 22:19 as an example of the disgraceful manner in which a corpse could be dealt with during a siege when circumstances hardly permit any other way of interment, or (4) deeming what was prophesied about Jehoiakim's corpse as an example of grave desecration. The purpose of this contribution is not to offer another solution, but to illustrate that, apart from the specific reference to "an ass's burial", all the other motifs associated with this image in Jer 22:19 draw on a common ancient Near Eastern literary repertoire, as is especially attested in curse catalogues and royal inscriptions.


Aquaponics is a food production system that combines aquaculture with hydroponics. The simultaneous existence of fish, beneficial bacteria and plants in the same water loop predisposes the fish and bacteria to a possible detrimental effect of plant protection products. Additionally, there is an inadequate exploration of scientific studies on the impact of pesticides on fish and bacteria in aquaponics systems. This study investigated the effects of three commercial insecticides based on the following active ingredients: pyrethrum, azadirachtin, and spinosad, on aquaponics systems. Due to ethical concerns in animal testing, applying insecticides directly to aquaponics setup was impossible. Therefore, three separate experiments were conducted: (1) Pesticide runoff rate – in which insecticides were applied to basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants grown in two hydroponic systems: media bed and floating raft. The concentrations of applied insecticides were measured in the water of nutrient solutions of the hydroponics after 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96h to establish a pattern of degradation of insecticides. The result from this experiment showed that pyrethrum and spinosad were detected in unquantifiable concentrations in the nutrient solutions. Hence, further experiments were conducted only with azadirachtin. In a biofilter trial (2) – azadirachtin, at three concentrations (1.5 µg L-1; 7.5 µg L-1; and 15 µg L-1), was added to a running biofilter to investigate the effects on nitrifying bacteria. Mild effects were recorded in the nitrification and bacteria microbiome. In the third trial (3) – Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were exposed to similar concentrations of azadirachtin for seven days (and the same period for recovery) to investigate effects on fish hematology, blood biochemistry, antioxidative enzymes in the brain, gills, muscle, liver and intestine and histopathology of gills and liver. Results showed mild effects in hematology and biochemistry profile in fish and higher levels of lipid peroxidation in the liver during the exposure. The results indicate a safe use of pyrethrum and spinosad in aquaponics setup, while azadirachtin has to be used with care, especially in coupled aquaponics systems.


Abstract Currently manufactured tractors are equipped with a three-point hitch, which is used to connect semi-mounted implements to the tractor. The tractor three-point hitch is operated hydraulically, using various types of control. The most commonly used control is a force, positional and a mixed one. Each of these types of control has its specific characteristics and some advantages and disadvantages. Finally, each type of control is suitable for certain soil and terrain conditions. Particular attention was paid to a force control, which is improving the use of the tractor with a mounted implement, but on the other hand, adversely affects the uniformity of working depth of implements on soils with variable resistance. Based on theoretical analysis and experimental measurements, there has been determined the effect of soil resistance on the tillage depth, depending on initial conditions for implement deepening. Initial conditions for implement deepening are given by the tillage depth, soil resistance, and the cutting width of a plough. It was found that soil resistance strongly affects the tillage depth, and with increasing soil resistance the tillage depth decreases non-linearly. A gradual increasing of soil resistance is associated with a less-marked decreasing of the tillage depth. These facts will be further used in research, development and experimental verification of new control systems of the three-point hitch of tractors.


This study proposes the use of standardised win cost as a simple and transparent measure of sporting efficiency in professional team sports. Standardised win cost measures the ratio of sporting performance (i.e., output) to financial expenditure (i.e. input). The specific version developed for league performance in (association) football is the wage cost per league point standardised across seasons to allow for changes in the general level of player wages as well as league restructuring. The use of standardised win cost to analyse team performance and efficiency is illustrated with data from the FA Premier League for the period 1995 – 2007.


Air pollution is one of the major health problems, especially in an occupationally exposed population such as professional bus drivers. The purpose of this study is to determine oxidative stress status in Bangkok bus drivers (n=100) compared to those exposed to a lower level of air pollution, as control subjects (n=100). The oxidative stress was determined by measuring body antioxidant system including glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and a marker of oxidative damage (malondialdehyde; MDA). Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of major genotoxic carcinogens in urban air pollution, was selected for study for the possibility of association with oxidative stress. The internal PAHs exposure was estimated by urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP). All subjects were interviewed by questionnaires. A significant difference was determined at p-value < 0.05. Bangkok bus drivers had significantly lower GSH level, with higher SOD and CAT activities as well as MDA and urinary 1-OHP levels than those of the control subjects. Other confounding factors associated with oxidative stress taken into consideration included cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and age. Cigarette smoking had a significant association with urinary 1-OHP level in smokers of both the bus driver and the control groups, and thus was a good predictor of this urinary metabolite in both groups of subjects. Only smokers of the bus driver group had an increase in GPx activity with a decrease in GSH level, an effect not observed in the control group. Alcohol consumption caused a decrease only in CAT activity in bus drivers. No other significant changes in antioxidant system, MDA level and urinary 1-OHP were observed in both groups of subjects. The significant positive correlations between SOD-GPx and SOD-CAT were found both in the bus driver and the control groups. For GSH-GPx, a significant positive correlation was found in the control group but was negative in bus drivers. At the older age (> 40 years), a significant increase in GPx activity was observed in bus drivers while an increase in SOD and CAT activities with a decrease in GSH level were observed in the control group. The significant correlations between antioxidants, MDA and age were found only in the control group. So that age was a good predictor of the degree of oxidative damage in a low pollutant exposed group. The results of the study indicated that exposure to air pollutants was probably one of the major factors contributing to oxidative stress in bus drivers. However, oxidative stress status did not seem to be a consequence of PAHs exposure per se, as no significant correlation between 1-OHP and MDA in bus drivers was observed. Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and age are also significant factors affecting oxidative stress in both the bus driver and the control groups.


As a basic word in modern Chinese,"Year" has gradually accumulated many definitions through a long-time development.The ethical culture content of "Year" and the word family of "Year" is extremely abundant.With the method of amount statistics and qualitative analysis,this article puts "Year" into the word family for observation,researches its definition system by comparing the past and the present,and expatiates the interactive relation between lexicon and culture.