—Algorithms are necessary to reconfigure pixel antennas in real time. These algorithms must carry out an efficient search to yield the electrical specifications demanded by radio transceivers. To address this problem, an algorithm that combines a random search method with a shape gram- mar model is proposed. The performance of the algorithm is compared to a Genetic Algorithm with and without a pruning mechanism. Results demonstrate that the algorithm goes through a relatively very small number of iterations to converge to the antenna specifications and consequently outperforms the genetic-based searches.


The commerce committee that managed each by Korean and Japanese was united in June 1916. The government was going to controlled the korean, and to hold the Japanese nongovernmental organization. Because the unity committee was suited to be business tax of more than ten won qualifications for membership, so the member were much increased. The Japanese member were freed from export traders, then had a variety of business type. In the years 1920's to 1930's, the member were lighted in a wholesale dealer of Busan. It reflected industrialization in Busan and increase of import in Japan in the years 1930's. On the one hand, the korean member were formed agents, Gu- Po(Keoyung-Nam) bank and founders of trade company in the years 1910's. Most of them was ruined by poor operation but the agent were working until the year 1930. In the year 1930, it was the majority of seafood merchant, rice merchant and loaner with some pro-Japan character. In this time, the major working of the commerce committee was a sample trade of Busan. A sample trade of Busan aimed at expansion of Busan commercial area that became shrinking. A sample trade of Busan was held for eight times. The displayer were limited of producers and wholesalers, and sale-procedure was only wholesale. Display products were 2/3 filled with products that made Japan, and were 1/3 filled with products that made Busan. The product were the majority of industrial products. Leading group of the commerce committeee changed itself into major product or wholesaler. A sample trade of Busan was held for industrial products sale that handled by them. The activity and change of members of the commerce committee was in close connected with it's working.


The La1 -xSrxMnO3 is the cathode materials of SOFC, which is the key part of SOFC.The production technology of La1 -xSrxMnO3 materials is widely studied with efficiency, saving energy and environment friend.Microwave synthesis was used to produce La1 -xSrxMnO3.The kinetics course of synthesizing La1-xSrxMnO3 materials by microwave technology was discussed.Using DTA-TGA and XRD analysis, the process and principle of solid reaction were examined.The results show that the reaction time and grain size of raw materials are important factor.When reaction time increases from 4 to 15 min, the crystal structure of La1 -xSrxMnO3 formes gradually.Through analysis of kinetics model, the reaction principle of La1-xSrxMnO3 was gained by microwave synthesis and the kinetics equation was built.


On the basis of the principle of magnetic pulse compression (MPC), a new magnetic pulse compression system based on magnetic switch (MS) is designed. The MPC system omits the external remagnetization circuits of the magnetic switch, and this prominent advantage can not only reduce the volume of magnetic switch, but also make the whole MPC unit more simple and compact. Detailed analysis of the working principle of this MPC system is presented. In this MPC device, we utilize the prominent advantage of magnetic switch to improve the turn-on and insulation recovery characteristics of gas switches, which can increase the repetition rate and life time of gas switches effectively. A device of this type has been successfully applied to switching a 6£1 resistive load. The current pulse produced on this load has a rising time about 500ns and its peak value and duration are 508A and 1.5µs, respectively. And the operating frequency of a three electrodes switch can reach to 200Hz.


viii type of kinetic expression are allowed. Moreover, it has a new feature that it represents the polycrystalline zeolites with a 3-D crystallite-pore network model (CPNM). In contrast to previous pore network models, the CPNM has the novel aspect of modeling the anisotropic transport inside the zeolite crystallites forming the polycrystalline zeolite membranes or layers by assigning to them two parameters to describe the orientation. In addition, it can investigate the effect of the size of zeolite crystallites and the connectivity of the intercrystalline mesopores (i.e., defects) with the intracrystalline micropores on the performance of the polycrystalline zeolite membranes, as well as the hierarchically structured catalyst systems based the zeolite layers. Since the SDM and SFDM for diffusion in micropores consider that the molecules diffuse in adsorbed state on the pore wall, the diffusional fluxes of the molecules in the micropores therefore depend on the amount of adsorbed molecules and their mobility in adsorbed state. Thus, both reliable adsorption and diffusion parameters are required in the SDM and SFDM. In this dissertation, a high-temperature high-pressure adsorption device based on a high frequency oscillating microbalance (langatate crystal microbalance, LCM) was set up to determine the adsorption parameters of gases in H-ZSM-5 close to the reaction temperatures (e.g., 200-300 °C for direct DME synthesis). It has been used to measure the single component adsorption isotherms of CO2, H2O, methanol, and DME in H-ZSM-5 at temperatures between 50 and 150 °C and pressures up to 18 bar. Moreover, a hightemperature high-pressure Wicke-Kallenbach cell (WK) was established to measure the permeation of gases through an H-ZSM-5 membrane for determination of the corrected surface diffusion coefficients in the SDM and SFDM. In the simulations of the direct DME synthesis in the core-shell catalysts based on the CPNM for the catalyst optimization, the reliable kinetic parameters of the reactions occurring in the catalysts are required. However, the calculation of the CPNM is very time-consuming, in particular when a large network size of the CPNM is required for the simulations. In order to reduce the calculation time of the simulation models based on the CPNM,


Renewed interest in urban express rail in Korea has led to a close examination of the magnitude of travel time reduction associated with developing such systems. Introduction of express rail may be perceived as a time saving incentive for trip makers in urban area. No effort has been made to predict time saving benefits accuring from implementation of urban express rail. Emprical analysis was carried out in this study on subway line #3 in seoul in an effort to assess the the amount of travel time reduction. The operating and waiting time were included in evaluating overall time differences between existing and express rail systems. The results of the analysis reveals that as much as 8,356hours per days can be saved by introducting express rail systems.


Objective To summarize the experience in management of peri-and postoperative bleeding in patients with cholelithiasis and liver cirrhosis. Methods The clinical data of 45 patients with cholelithiasis and liver cirrhosis receiving operation in our hospital from January 2000 to July 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of the 45 patients, 38 were cured and 7 died (15. 6%). For the latter 7, 5 died of hepatic-renal failure and MODS and 2 mass bleeding of gallbladder bed. The 7 dead cases had the significant correlation with Child-Pugh classification: Child A accounting for 5. 6%, Child B for 16. 7% and Child C for 33. 3%. Amongst the 9 patients (20%) with postoperative bleeding, 6 had intraabdominal bleeding and 3 gastrointestinal bleeding. Six of the 9 bleeding patients died after the operation. Conclusions The perioperative management of cholelithiasis and liver cirrhosis should be strengthened to decrease the death rate. The cholelithiasis should be firstly managed upon emergency treatment It is safe to perform laparoscopy in the patients of Child A. The safest method for treatment of cholelithiasis and liver cirrhosis is devascularization and shunt first then bile duct operation.


Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) composed of a blend of Poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) and Epoxidized Natural Rubber-50 (ENR-50) and Lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) were prepared by solution casting technique. The conductivity was measured by using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Measurement of conductivity was carried out as a function of frequency at various concentrations of salt. The SPE exhibit high conductivity of ∼10−5 S/cm at ambient temperature when 40 wt% of LiCF3SO3 was added. Increase in conductivity is attributed to increasing number of charge carriers due to dissociation of salt when the concentration of salt increased. Dielectric properties and ac conductivity of the samples were analyzed. The values of dielectric constant were found to increase with increasing conductivity of the samples. The electrical modulus shows the formation of dispersion peaks. Relaxation time of ionic charge carriers were extracted from the maximum peak of loss tangent at various concentrations of LiCF3SO3 s...


The utility model relates to a feeding device for a piglet, wherein the feeding device mainly uses a machine table as a main body, a milk powder feeder, a water heating cylinder and a mixing modulating cylinder are arranged in the machine table. The milk powder and the water at a warm temperature are mixed automatically to supply a piglet breast milk required by feeding. The making and the filling are more coincident with the automation, the operation time is reduced, the labor is saved, and the utility model is consistent with the economic benefit of large-scale piglets.


WT5BZ] The market produces obstructs in the course of economic globalization. Economic integration is the innovation of system, which overcomes the market obstucts. Enterprise integration and regional integration are two forms which split a road for the global expanding of economy. Regional, larger regional and global integration are the inevitable trends of economic integration. But how to overcome the negative influences of globalization is a difficult problem to develop economy. [WT4"HZ][


The analyses of the observations of Charles Darwin at Puente del Inca, during his second journey across the High Andes drew attention on two different aspects of the geological characteristics of this classic area. Most of his descriptions on the characteristics and the origin of the natural bridge were not published, mainly due to his poor impression of Puente del Inca. However, the application of the uniformitarian principles shows that it was formed as an ice bridge associated with snow and debris avalanches later on cemented by the minerals precipitated by the adjacent hot-water springs. Darwin's observations on the complex structural section at Puente del Inca, together with his findings of shallow water marine fossil mollusks in the thick stratigraphic column of the area interfingered with volcanic rocks, led him to speculate on several geological processes. Based on his geological observations, Darwin argued on the mountain uplift, the subsidence of the marine bottom, the episodic lateral growth of the cordillera, and their association with earthquakes and volcanic activity, which was an important advance in the uniformitarian hypothesis of mountain uplift proposed by Charles Lyell. Darwin was able to recognize the episodic nature of mountain uplift, and based on these premises he concluded that the Andes were still undergoing uplift. Taken as a whole, his ideas anticipated in many years some of the premises of the geosynclinal theory, and current hypothesis on foreland migration of the fold and thrust belts.


Visits to the dentist by older adults are a more frequent occurrence now than in the past. Unfortunately, only 43% of Americans over the age of 65 visit the dentist at least once a year. t These visits are usually for routine preventive examinations and cleanings, but what about the others who do not make a habit of routine checkups? For those older adults who do not make routine dental visits, unmanageable pain in the oral cavity is usually the main motivator for a visit to the dentist. By the time pain is present, the disease has usually progressed to where it requires more invasive, costly, and complex dental treatment, which can be traumatic, both physically and emotionally, especially to those older adults who may be cognitively compromised or physically challenged. Delaying treatment may also exacerbate existing negative beliefs this population has regarding dental treatment. Several reasons for underutilization of dental services by older people are cited in the literature. The three mentioned most commonly are financial constraints, transportation difficulties, and lack of perceived need.l" A survey of older Americans' reasons for not visiting the dentist in the last 12 months found the greatest responses were "no mouth problem" (31 %) or "no teeth" (50'}lo). Fear, cost, and access were cited by only 5% of those surveyed as barriers to visiting the dentist.' Verification that lack of perceived need is one of the greatest barriers to older adults seeking dental care was demonstrated by Holtzman et al. 5 Results indicated that key predictors of seeking dental services by older adults were dentate status and perceived need." These findings, in concert with others regarding perceived need, highlight the lack of an appropriate vehicle for increasing the older adult population's awareness. Prevention of diseases, or halting their progression, are still the best remedy. The question then arises how do we encourage dental visits by this age group? Can we increase their self-perception of dental treatment needs which may be silently present? The solution must


We have studied the impact of simultaneous Ba2+ doping at Sm3+ site (hole doping) and F- doping at O2- site (electron doping) on the structural and superconducting properties of Sm1111 system using a single source, BaF2. With BaF2 doping the extent of layering of the grains and the grain size have been improved considerably. High transport current of 875 A/cm2 at 12 K has been achieved for the doped sample. The binary doped sample shows higher TC of 51 K than the corresponding F-alone doped sample. In addition, substantially high values of HC2 and better JC-H behavior are observed for the BaF2 doped samples. These results strongly indicate the scope for SmFeAsO based conductors with higher current carrying capacity.


In 1998, the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group reported that 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy yielded a proportional reduction of 26% in mortality over 10 years in women whose breast malignancies had positive or unknown estrogen receptor (ER) status. Because most breast malignancies are ER-positive, this finding had the potential to lead to a substantial decrease in death due to malignant disease. Between 1987 and 1997, there was a decline in breast carcinoma mortality (with no accompanying decrease in incidence) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A number of interventions probably contributed to this decline, but one likely factor is the widespread use of tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting. Improved hormonal therapies in the adjuvant setting are a promising avenue for further reduction of breast cancer mortality. Randomized trials comparing newer-generation aromatase inhibitors with tamoxifen in the treatment of metastatic disease as well as in preoperative therapy have shown the newer inhibitors to be well tolerated and either as effective as or more effective than tamoxifen. Aromatase inhibitors already are widely used as first-line therapy for metastatic disease in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive tumors. Therefore, there is widespread optimism over the possibility that adjuvant use of these agents could produce survival benefits greater than those generated by tamoxifen. The first reported trial comparing an aromatase inhibitor with tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting was the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination) trial, in which 9366 women were randomized to 5 years of therapy with either tamoxifen 20 mg per day, anastrozole (Arimidex; AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE) 1 mg per day, or both agents together. The initial findings, published in June 2002, with a median follow-up period of 33 months, indicated that the results of combination therapy were not significantly different from those observed with single-agent tamoxifen, and so the combination arm was discontinued. Nonetheless, the use of single-agent anastrozole yielded a significant disease-free survival (DFS) advantage relative to tamoxifen (hazard ratio [HR], 0.83; P 0.013). There was no overall difference in survival, with identical numbers of deaths after recurrence in both monotherapy groups (n 122). In August 2002, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Technology Assessment Working Group published its unanimous conclusion that the findings of the ATAC trial were preliminary results and that a 5-year tamoxifen regimen still should be considered the standard adjuvant 1779


The ELDORA/ASTRAIA airborne Doppler weather radar was placed in service by US and French atmospheric sciences research laboratories. The ELDOR/ASTRAIA radar is designed to provide high resolution measurements of the air motion and rainfall characteristics of very large storms which are frequently too large or too remote to be adequately observed by ground-based radars. This paper discusses the measurement requirements and the design goals of the radar and presents sample measurements from a weather research field program.


Three-dimensional Schrodinger's equation is analyzed with the help of the correspondence principle between classical and quantum-mechanical quantities. Separation is performed after reduction of the original equation to the form of the classical Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Each one-dimensional equation obtained after separation is solved by the conventional WKB method. Quasiclassical solution of the angular equation results in the integral of motion and the existence of nontrivial solution for the angular quantum number l = 0. Generalization of the WKB method for multi-turning-point problems is given. Exact eigenvalues for solvable and some "insoluble" spherically symmetric potentials are obtained. Quasiclassical eigenfunctions are written in terms of elementary functions in the form of a standing wave.


Objective: To determine correlation between the Prothrombin time obtained by Prothrombin time meter with Prothrombin time estimation by clinical laboratory in neonates.
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted in the department of Paediatrics, Combined Military Hospital Lahore, from Feb 2014 to Aug 2014.
Methodology: One hundred cases, comprising of infants between the age from 0 to 28 days of both genders fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the study after seeking written informed consent. Blood samples from all selected neonates were obtained from a peripheral vein under strict aseptic conditions. The samples were analyzed on Sysmex Coagulation Analyzer CA-500 from the Pathology Department. Simultaneously a drop of blood was obtained by heel prick and spot checked by Roche Coaguchek Prothrombin Time Meter. SPSS version 17 was used for data analysis. Percentage and frequency were calculated for the qualitative variables; while mean and standard deviation were calculated for the quantitative variables. Data was analyzed by using Pearson's correlation between the values obtained with the meter and the laboratory.
Results: The mean (SD) INR values measured from PT meter was 2.176 (0.94557), while that from laboratory was 2.1467 (0.91013). A useful correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.984 (r =0.984) was found between the two values.
Conclusion: PT values obtained by PT meter did not differ significantly from the PT estimation by clinical laboratory in neonates.


Aiming to construct strategies to approach the theme of death, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we proposed to analyze how the senses of death are portrayed in children's literature. For this purpose, there were selected two children's books with the theme: "Para sempre no meu coracao", by Ziraldo (2002) and "Menina Nina: duas razoes para nao chorar", by Mauricio de Sousa and Paula Furtado (2019). In the article we present the bibliotherapy; the senses of death in different contexts and bring examples of books on the theme. Guided in some theoretical-methodological discussions of linguistics and Discourse Analysis, we perform a description of the works, focusing on verbal and non-verbal aspects. We concluded that the selected books can assist explaining the multiple ways of understanding death, besides helping parents to talk with their children and teachers to elaborate didactic strategies, following BNCC guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Elementary School I.


1 The present study examined the relationship between self-reported levels of 2 flow and the post-exercise feelings of positive engagement, revitalization, tranquillity 3 and physical exhaustion using responses from 1231 aerobic dance exercise 4 participants. Vallerand's intuitive-reflective appraisal model of self-related affect and 5 Csikszentmihalyi's conceptual framework for optimal experience served as the 6 guiding theoretical frameworks. It was hypothesized that self-reported flow would be 7 positively associated with revitalization, tranquillity and positive engagement, while 8 statistical independence was expected for physical exhaustion. First, participants 9 completed the Flow State Scale and, second, the Exercise-induced Feeling Inventory, 10 immediately after an aerobic dance exercise class. Latent variable analyses showed 11 that the higher-order flow factor was positively associated with post-exercise positive 12 engagement, revitalization and tranquillity, but not with physical exhaustion. Flow 13 state explained 35 percent of the variance in positive engagement, 31 percent of the 14 variance in revitalization and 22 percent of the variance in tranquillity. It is concluded 15 that self-reported flow in aerobic dance exercise is moderately associated with the 16 experience of positive post-exercise feelings. Physical educators may wish to employ 17 interventions to facilitate the flow experience during lessons that involve structured 18 exercise. 19 20


Sleep position is directly related to sleep quality especially in patients with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or snoring. We propose SleeP-Manager, a wearable embedded system, that is designed to aid Sleep Positional Therapy (SPT). SleeP-Manager with two wristbands monitors the sleep position of the user and gives a vibration feedback when a poor position is detected. We experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of SleeP-Manager. In order to accomplish this, an additional device of chestband is designed. The chestband provides the true sleep position and also measures the response of users to the vibration feedback. The results indicate that the accuracy of sleep position detection higher than 80%, and the ratio of desired sleep position per night increased significantly by the use of SleeP-Manager. Our questionnaire survey shows the wristband-typed device is most preferred for SPT due to the cost-effectiveness, easy-to-wear, and practicality.


Satellite high definition videos provide an opportunity to monitor moving targets over a large territory. However, the low spatial resolution and low contract of these videos make target detecting and tracking a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a zoom-in approach for detecting dim and small target proposals from each single frame of the videos to help with moving target tracking. Initialized by a coarse scale segmentation approach, dim and small targets are embedded in each superpixel due to limited size and weak signals. Similar superpixels are then merged using a graph-based approach based on the measurement of the overlap between their histograms. The background statistics become stronger and target pixels are more obvious in the merged superpixels, so that the target pixels can be extracted. Finally, the corresponding boundary box is generated for each spatially connected target pixels selected inside each superpixel. They form the dim and small target proposals. Experimental results show that our zoom-in scheme can generate less proposals with higher recall rate compared with state-of-the-art proposal extraction algorithms.


High Near-IR response photo-diode (0.1A/W@800nm) and high efficiency a-Si/a-SiGe tandem solar cell (8.38%) were demonstrated using high-density plasma fabricated a-SiGe:H deposition technology with Si2H6 and GeH4 precursor. The low temperature (140°C) a-SiGe:H films with low defect density (2.3×1016cm-3)are suitable for the applications of flexible solar self-powered multi-functional panel and 3D stacked monolithic devices.


Epithelial injury is difficult to restore normal structure and function upon self-repair. Tissue engineering technology provides hope for epithelial injury. It is showed that human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) could be ideal seed cells for tissue repair. Our study intends to assess mesenchymal
 stem cell (MSC) conditioned medium's effect on HGFs epithelization. HGFs were cultured In Vitro and divided into two groups, including control maintained at complete DMEM medium containing 10% FBS and induction group treated by MSC conditioned medium followed by analysis of cell
 proliferation by MTT assay, cell apoptosis, Keratin and vimentin expressions by real-time PCR and Western blot. IL-6 and IL-1β secretions by ELISA. MSC conditioned medium induction significantly inhibited HGFs proliferation, increased keratin mRNA and protein levels, reduced vimentin
 expression, and enhanced IL-6 and IL-1β secretions compared with control (P < 0.05). Caspase 3 activity failed to exhibit statistical significance (P > 0.05). MSC conditioned medium induced HGFs epithelization and promoted IL-6 and IL-1β secretions,
 thus providing theoretical basis for the repair function of HGFs.


Background— Neutrophil expression of the Fc γ receptor I (CD64) is upregulated in adult patients with clinically active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We tested the relationship of CD64 with mucosal inflammation and clinical relapse in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Methods— In a cohort of 208 newly diagnosed CD and 43 non-IBD controls, ileal expression of Fc γ RI/S100A9 was determined by RNA sequencing from biopsies obtained at ileocolonoscopy. In a second cohort, we tested for the peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) CD64 index from 26 newly diagnosed CD, 30 non-IBD controls and 83 children with established CD. Results— Ileal Fc γ RIA mRNA expression was significantly elevated in CD at diagnosis compared with non-IBD controls (p<0.001), and correlated with ileal S100A9 (calprotectin) expression (r=0.83, p<0.001). The median(range) PMN CD64 index for newly diagnosed CD was 2.3(0.74-9.3) compared with 0.76(0.39-1.2) for non-IBD controls (p<0.001) with 96% sensitivity and 90% specificity at the cut point of 1.0. The PMN CD64 index significantly correlated with mucosal injury as measured by the Simple Endoscopic Score-CD (SES-CD, r=0.62, p<0.001). CD patients in clinical remission receiving maintenance therapy with a PMN CD64 index <1.0 had a sustained remission rate of 95% over the following 12 months compared with 56% in those with a PMN CD64 index >1.0 (p<0.01). Conclusions— An elevated PMN CD64 index is associated with both mucosal inflammation and an increased risk for clinical relapse in pediatric CD. The PMN CD64 index is a reliable marker for sustained remission in CD patients receiving maintenance therapy.


The third part of a four-volume set of art criticism by Richard Cork, written over a 30-year period. It offers a chronicle of a turbulent period as well as an overview and survey of British art and its reception at this time. This particular work addresses the art of the 1990s. Against the odds, artists emerged from the economic blight of the early 1990s with a determination to achieve renewal, but there was a marked absence of optimism. The excitement centred on the energy of artists, while their work often grew dark and intensely sceptical, concerned with isolation, fragmentation, dislocation and frustration. Far from wallowing in morbidity, however, the new generation was resilient. This sense of defiance contributed to the surprisingly wide appeal of their work, and turned "enfants terribles" like Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin into celebrities. A strong sense of momentum was established, building in particular on possibilities opened up in the 1970s. By the time the controversial "Sensation" went on an international tour in the late 1990s, turnstile figures far outstripped expectations. Richard Cork was continually challenged and invigorated by this continuing spirit of audacity. Territorial limits were pushed out, shibboleths flouted and definitions of art widened. London became an exciting place to work, but there were plenty of other continental centres where contemporary art could thrive. Young artists from the USA and Europe held outstanding solo shows in London, while potent work came also from Canada, Mexico and Chicano Arts on the US border. Young black artists born in England also made powerful contributions. Moreover, increasing attention was paid to developments in Africa, China and Japan, ensuring that notions of contemporary art were not bounded by familiar Western limits. As a co-selector of the 1995 British Art Show, which attracted record-breaking numbers of visitors, Cork became actively involved with the new generation. His intense engagement with their often provocative work can be felt throughout this text.


Public transport plays an important role in providing easy and affordable accessibility and mobility for dwellers in a city. This demand for transportation is brought about by the increased population of connecting nodes, cities, the rural-urban migration, and the scope for socio-economical facilities i.e. better opportunities for jobs, health facilities and educational scope etc. thus the economic viability of the people which leads to an increase in the usage of private vehicles. Dhaka is an over densely populated city and its transport system comprised of many different modes of travel – both motorized and non-motorized using the same road space – resulting in a high level of operational disorder, that significantly diminishes the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing transport uses. Dhaka is experiencing lots of traffic congestion and a great lack of traffic management. There has been no study dedicated to overcome the situation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to introduce a well-organized, properly scheduled rapid mass transit system minimizing the existing deficiencies. In this paper, an attempt has been made to identify the deficiencies of existing public transport system to put forward for an appropriate rapid mass transit system to recover the huge demand. An overview of the existing modes of travel and operation characteristics has been described. Finally, some proposals for integrated hierarchical transport network options are highlighted with the context of prevailing land use and transport characteristics, socio-economic context of Dhaka Metropolitan city. The findings of this research help planners and decision makers to optimize the investment in transport infrastructure.


Abstract This article by Alexander Lock and Jonathan Sims describes the context in which Magna Carta was obtained. It distinguishes different versions of the charter and signposts particular documents and publications in the history of its transmission and interpretation up to the early nineteenth century. It also identifies various texts and objects which have indicated the charter's significance for groups and individuals at particular junctures. These include information carrying objects which might support research on Magna Carta within the context of the circulation and reception of legal meaning. A major focus of the article is a chronological account of the charter's invocation from the thirteenth century to the early nineteenth century.


Abstract Driven by the analytical needs of microelectronics, magnetic media and micro-fabrication industries, focused ion beam (FIB) systems are now capable of milling and manipulating samples for the analysis of microstructure features having dimensions of 180 nm or less, A technique for locating and extracting site specific specimens for examination by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been developed. An identified feature can be located and precisely milled with an FIB system from two sides to prepare an ultrathin sample, and then extracted from the region with a glass rod micromanipulator onto a grid for TEM analysis. This specimen preparation method has been applied to semiconductor failure analysis and to the study of metallic and ceramic microsiructures with irregular topographies and complex mufti-layered components.


A prediction interval for a binomial random variable is an important tool in many industry applications. The performance of the existing prediction intervals, however, are unsatisfactory when the true binomial proportion is near a boundary. Since the true proportion can be very small in real applications, in this study, we propose improved prediction intervals with better coverage probability than the existing methods. Their predictive distributions are compared in terms of Kullback-Leibler distance criterion and the proposed intervals are illustrated by a real data example.


Treaties — Capacity to conclude — Free trade agreements — "New generation" free trade agreements — Free Trade Agreement between European Union and Singapore ("EUSFTA") — Competence to conclude agreement — Allocation of competences between European Union and Member States — Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 2007 ("TFEU"), Article 3(1)(e) — Express exclusive competence of European Union in field of European Union common commercial policy — Whether commitments under EUSFTA falling within scope of European Union common commercial policy — Provisions falling within exclusive competence of European Union — Provisions falling within shared competence of European Union and Member States — Provisions concerning non-direct foreign investment — Provisions concerning investor–State dispute settlement mechanism — Whether European Union having exclusive competence to sign and conclude EUSFTA Economics, trade and finance — Free trade agreements — International investment — "New generation" free trade agreements — EUSFTA — Competence to conclude agreement — Provisions concerning non-direct foreign investment — Provisions concerning investor–State dispute settlement mechanism — Whether falling within shared competence of European Union and Member States — Whether European Union having exclusive competence to sign and conclude EUSFTA International organizations — European Union — EUSFTA — Competence to conclude agreement — Provisions concerning non-direct foreign investment — Provisions concerning investor–State dispute settlement mechanism — Whether falling within shared competence of European Union and Member States — Whether European Union having exclusive competence to sign and conclude EUSFTA — The law of the European Union


Abstract : The objective of this study was to conduct an analysis of the energy resources and programs of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and their relationship to the rest of the world. This appendix discusses in depth the coal resources and recoverable reserves in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and provides a perspective for present and projected future energy requirements of these countries.


: Museums today are faced with a number of challenges and currently are searching for ways to attract, retain audiences and engage with the public. In order to address these issues , researchers have called for studies to help construct a com plete understanding of the visitor experience. Few studies employ methodological approaches that provide in-depth accounts of the museum experience. This article reports preliminary findings from a narrative research study that is aimed to explore sustained visitor/museum relationships. The narrative methodology adopted for this study provides novel insights into the nature of these relationships and extends our understanding of those museum experiences that build and strengthen relationships with visitors, including the affluent ones. Historically, museums have served as important sites for cultural engagement. Despite the significant role they play in society, museums today are faced with a number of challen -ges. Some of these challenges stem from reduced government funding, resulting in increased pressure to attract diverse audiences and a need to justify the public value of museums . Other challenges may be attributed to the rapidly changing society in which we live—changes in demographics, lifestyle , leisure time activities, as well as communication and technology . The main purpose of this research is to identify the profiles of visitors, and understand better their needs as well as the numerous ways in which they experience Jerash and Umm Qais museums in Jordan. This study showcases also the main problem of Jerash and Umm Qais museums; a revision in quality of services, a marketing plan, and an activation of the educational programs in these two museums are highly recommended.


Sewage wastewater heat exchanger (SWHE) has a significant role in the performance of sewage wastewater sourced heat pump (SWSHP) system as it provides to transfer the energy of wastewater to intermediary fluid or working fluid. Thus, a theoretical analysis of the SWSHP system was carried out to investigate the effects of SWHE design parameters on the system 's performance. For this purpose, a simulation program based on the proposed mathematical model of the SWSHP system was developed in MATLAB. Afterward, the indirect type SWSHP system that can meet 50 kW heating load was theoretically designed. The influences of SW temperature, its mass flow rate, the inner diameter of the heat exchanger tube, and intermediary fluid mass flow rate on the performance of the designed SWSHP system were analyzed. The results indicate that variation of SW temperature affects the COPsys more than the variation of SW mass flow rate. Considering the ranges of parameters investigated, the COPsys raises from 2.56 to 4.51 and 2.89 to 4.27 with the variations of SW temperature and SW flow rate, respectively. Moreover, an increase in the intermediary fluid mass flow rate provides an improvement on the COPsys and COPunit. However, SWSHP performance is adversely affected by the increasing value of the inner diameter of the tubes. As a result, small changes in the design parameters of the SWHE directly affect the system performance and system operating conditions.


A pallet movement optical disk in/out and optical head feed drive mechanism comprises a drive motor. An in/out disk gear and an optical head moving gear which are in direct contact with a transversal sliding block and the optical head in the movement respectively to realize transmission of power are arranged on the motor through a change gear set, and a trigger piece which changes the power of the motor to the transversal sliding block or the optical head is arranged in the initial extreme limit position of the optical head. Compared with the prior art, the drive motor is eliminated in the utility model, however, by adopting one motor and reasonable gear connection as well as transmission changing-over mode, the purpose of accurately controlling the work of movement is also achieved. Besides, the mechanism has the advantages of novel design, reasonability, high reliability, low cost and the like.


"There are no masses," Raymond Williams wisely reminds us, "there are only ways of seeing people as masses." This idea of the social crowd, usually organic and with a mind of its own, rarely is used self-referentially; "masses" always describes others. During and immediately following World War I, American intellectuals, especially social theorists, were preoccupied with this new model for society. Authoritarian regimes abroad, America's own wartime hysteria (fueled by new communications technologies), the insistent urban context, and a consumer-based economy all made discussion of crowd behavior and mass persuasion an obvious product of new circumstances. Newer fields of sociology, psychology, and behaviorism, promised the necessary tools for understanding these "phenomena." Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion (1922) was but the most popular and enduring in a genre that drew upon earlier native and European theorists like Gustave Le Bon, E. A. Ross, Boris Sidis, and William Trotter. By 1925, the American library on the mass mind included The Behavior of Crowds (Everett Dean Martin), Social Psychology (Floyd Henry Allport), and Introduction to the Science of Sociology (Robert E. Park and Ernest W. Burgess). This new body of work distinguished "the concept of the mass, a dispersed and passive body of uprooted individuals, from the pre-World War I concept of the crowd, a physically united and active throng." The bestremembered effect of these ideas, upon the likes of H. L. Mencken, Walter Lippman, and other leading critics, was a skepticism about democracy's survival in the face of such new knowledge. But the idea of the "masses" had another life, outside of more formal circles, among Americans who were not so quick to decry a "boobocracy," or perhaps more important and long-lasting, in the rising industries of mass communication and popular culture.


Alice and Bob possess sequences x and y respectively and would like to compute the l1 distance, namely || x — y ||1 under privacy and communication constraints. The privacy constraint requires that Alice and Bob do not reveal their data to each other. The communication constraint requires that they accomplish the secure distance calculation with a small number of protocol transmissions and key exchanges. This paper describes and analyzes a privacy-preserving approximation protocol for the l1 distance that keeps the communication overhead manageable by performing a Johnson-Lindenstrauss embedding into the l1 space. Then, it performs secure two-party computation of l1 distances using Paillier homomorphic encryption. The protocol is implemented for private querying of face images, while maintaining a low communication overhead between the querying party and a remote database of face feature vectors.


The time-delay between audio signals in a microphone array is the most important feature for sound-source localization. This article presents a polarity-coincidence, adaptive time-delay estimation (PCC-ATDE), a mixed-signal technique that uses 1-bit quantized signals and a negative-feedback architecture to directly determine the time-delay between signals in the analog inputs and convert it to a digital number. This direct conversion, without a multi-bit analog-to-digital converter and further digital-signal processing, allows for ultra-low power consumption. A prototype chip in 0.18- $\mu {\mathrm{ m}}$ CMOS with four analog inputs consumes 78 nW with a three-channel 8-bit digital time-delay output while sampling at 50 kS/s with a 20-us resolution and 6.06 ENOB. We present a theoretical analysis for the non-linear, signal-dependent feedback loop of the PCC-ATDE. A delay-domain model of the system is developed to estimate the power-bandwidth of the converter and predict its dynamic response. Results are validated with experiments using real-life stimuli, captured with a microphone array, that demonstrates the ability of the technique to localize a sound source. The chip is further integrated into an embedded platform and deployed as an audio-based vehicle-bearing IoT system.


Glibenclamide Tablets are used to lower blood sugar levels and are used in the treatment of late-onset diabetes (type II diabetes mellitus) in patients whose blood sugar is not controlled by diet alone and who are not suitable for insulin injections. An effective, pleasant tasting formulation was found to have a good hardness of 3 kg/cm2, disintegration time of 27+1 seconds and in vitro drug release of not less than 95% within 30 minutes. The drug release was found to be comparable with the marketed dispersible tablet. Our drug meets all the criteria mentioned above. Specially formulation 5 is best among all the formulations. The brands of glibenclamide tablets complied with the official specification for hardness, friability, disintegration, and assay. Difference factor (f1) values were less than 15 and similarity factor (f2) values were greater than 50 for all products of glibenclamide. The hypoglycemic effect of different products of glibenclamide tablets was evaluated on normoglycemic mice. The in vivo studies indicated that there is no significant difference in percent reduction of blood glucose level between the brands of glibenclamide and the innovator product (p>0.05). Hence, based on the in vivo results and in vitro dissolution studies, the brands might be substituted with the innovator product in clinical practice.


The basic characteristics of the four levels of industrial networking; informational, control, device, and safety are explained with general information, specific requirements, and application in the industrial setting given about each level. With the explanation of the safety network, an explanation of the SIL (Safety Integrity Level) required for industrial settings is presented. Then a comparison to standard (informational) Ethernet and the other levels is presented with information on why Ethernet is not adequate for these levels. In addition, developments in Ethernet to overcome these short comings and increase its viability on an industrial level are presented and reasons that Ethernet, while increasing its presence in the industrial environment, is still not the only type of network implemented.


Abstract Ilmenite ore fine and coke breeze as reduced material briquetted with different amounts of organic materials such as molasses or pitch were studied in this investigation. The produced briquettes in reasonable conditions were reduced in a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature range of 800–1100°C to determine the factors controlling the reduction and to determine the controlling mechanism. Also ilmenite ore fines with coke breeze were reduced at the same temperature range in a nitrogen atmosphere without the briquetting process, for comparison.


We search for the signature of universal properties of extreme events, theoretically predicted for Axiom A flows, in a chaotic and high-dimensional dynamical system. We study the convergence of GEV (Generalized Extreme Value) and GP (Generalized Pareto) shape parameter estimates to the theoretical value, which is expressed in terms of the partial information dimensions of the attractor. We consider a two-layer quasi-geostrophic atmospheric model of the mid-latitudes, adopt two levels of forcing, and analyse the extremes of different types of physical observables (local energy, zonally averaged energy, and globally averaged energy). We find good agreement in the shape parameter estimates with the theory only in the case of more intense forcing, corresponding to a strong chaotic behaviour, for some observables (the local energy at every latitude). Due to the limited (though very large) data size and to the presence of serial correlations, it is difficult to obtain robust statistics of extremes in the case of the other observables. In the case of weak forcing, which leads to weaker chaotic conditions with regime behaviour, we find, unsurprisingly, worse agreement with the theory developed for Axiom A flows.


COVID-19 resulted in health and logistical challenges for many sectors of the American economy, including the trucking industry. This study examined how the pandemic impacted the trucking industry, focused on the pandemic's impacts on company operations, health, and stress of trucking industry employees. Data were collected from three sources: surveys, focus groups, and social media posts. Individuals at multiple organizational levels of trucking companies (i.e., supervisors, upper-level management, and drivers) completed an online survey and participated in online focus groups. Data from focus groups were coded using a thematic analysis approach. Publicly available social media posts from Twitter were analyzed using a sentiment analysis framework to assess changes in public sentiment about the trucking industry pre- and during-COVID-19. Two themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) trucking company business strategies and adaptations and (2) truck driver experiences and workplace safety. Participants reported supply chain disruptions and new consumer buying trends as having larger industry-wide impacts. Company adaptability emerged due to freight variability, leading organizations to pivot business models and create solutions to reduce operational costs. Companies responded to COVID-19 by accommodating employees' concerns and implementing safety measures. Truck drivers noted an increase in positive public perception of truck drivers, but job quality factors worsened due to closed amenities and decreased social interaction. Social media sentiment analysis also illustrated an increase in positive public sentiment towards the trucking industry during COVID-19. The pandemic resulted in multi-level economic, health, and social impacts on the trucking industry, which included economic impacts on companies and economic, social and health impacts on employees within the industry levels. Further research can expand on this study to provide an understanding of the long-term impacts of the pandemic on the trucking industry companies within the industry and segments of the trucking industry workforce.


This short survey discusses the role of depth in current deep learning research. Both positive and negative views towards this topic are provided and contrasted. On the positive side, the general philosophy behind depth is first presented (Section 1), followed by support from both theory (Section 2), where we highlight the efficiency and representation power of deep models, and experiments (Section 3), where we use participants of ILSVRC to illustrate the point. On the negative side, we start with the well known issue of vanishing/exploding gradient (Section 4), and finally show how and why it is possible for a deep model to be approximated by a shallow one (Section 5). This is the first of the four short surveys. 1 Pro: Hierarchical representation There is no doubt that the world around us is hierarchical: a face consists of two eyes, two ears, a mouth, and a nose; a human consists of a face, a torso, two arms, and two legs... This holds true for language as well, which is why we have WordNet [1]. Representation learning aims at learning representations of the data that capture useful information for classifiers or predictors [2]. The artificial neural network is a natural choice towards this goal, because deep neural networks have at least one hidden layer by definition, therefore each layer captures a certain hierarchical representation between the input and output. The stack of Restricted Boltzmann Machines is an excellent example to illustrate this hierarchical representation of data. Learning a stack of RBMs is quite essential for both deep belief nets [3] and autoencoders [4]. One RBM is simply a bipartite undirected graphical model, so a stack of RBMs is learned in a layer-by-layer fashion. Concretely, we clamp the data vector to the visible units, run contrastive divergence [5] until it converges, and then treat the hidden units as the new visible units and learn another RBM on top of that. Therefore, each layer serves as an extra level of abstraction of the raw data. This holds true not only for RBMs, but also for convolutional neural networks. [6] showed qualitatively how neurons in different layers respond to different types of image patches. [7] took this one step further and offered quantitative analysis of both object CNNs and scene CNNs, proving that higher layer neurons correspond to higher level (e.g. object, scene) instead of lower level (e.g. texture, object part) knowledge. Recently [8] proposed to look at the activities of groups of neurons instead of a single neuron (which corresponds to the population encoding theory in cognitive science), and showed that population encoding gives better visual concepts at a particular level. All these findings serve to show that by having a certain amount of depth, we are able to build the hierarchical representation of the input data, which is a reasonable model considering the world we live in. However, how powerful is depth from a mathematical point of view, and do we have empirical evidence to support the claim?


Abstract : The goal of the Destroyer Engineered Operating Cycle (DDEOC) Program is to effect an early improvement in the material condition of ships at an acceptable cost, while maintaining or increasing their operational availability during an extended operating cycle. In support of this goal, system maintenance analyses (SMAs) are being conducted for selected systems and subsystems of designated surface combatants. The principal element of an SMA is the review of experience (ROE). This report documents the ROE for the CG-16 and CG-26 Class exterior communications systems, SWAB group 440. The ROE is an analysis of the impact of the historical maintenance requirements on the operational performance and maintenance program of a ship system and the significance of these requirements to the DDEOC Program. The report documents a recommended system maintenance policy and specific maintenance actions best suited to meeting DDEOC goals. The ROE for the exterior communications systems included an analysis of all available maintenance data sources. The documented maintenance experience of the system was reviewed through analysis of data from the maintenance data system (MDS), casualty reports (CASREPs), and system overhaul records. Initial findings from these sources were correlated with planned maintenance system (PMS) requirements, the alterations program, and system technical manuals.


The article is devoted to the problem of topology of identity in modern world. The topology of identity is formed by scope of social interaction, where particular attention is paid to internal freedom, individuality, perception of personality as agent and active participant in social processes. The article analyzes the meaning of the notions "individual", "subject", "actor" and "actant", which are used to form the system of identity. It is being proved that the models of personal identity are associated with sociocultural environment sufficiently stronger than it has been believed in the 1980s--1990s. This can be considered as a reason of cultural rejection and social confrontation in modern world. A hypothesis is proposed that such criteria of identity as citizenship, nationality, religious affiliation appear to be exteriorization of a social agent. Today the problem of identity has shifted from variability of modern sociocultural processes, theoretical scope to practical application as globalization as destruction of steady forms of religious- substantiation of globalization processes and social cultural, territorial-political and state-national localities. transformations of modern societies. Among negative Exactly these forms constituted the frame of identity aspects of this problem it is possible to mention the measurements for previous historical epochs. However, system of phobias against presence of Muslims in modern concept of globalization is based on the principle European countries and USA, anxiety for integrity of of mobility and possibility to combine numerous elements European Christian identity. The reason of this situation of personal identity. This is not the development of is devotion of European consciousness to modern theory compulsory scheme based on single European (Christian), of personal identity and traditional correlation of the Islamic or any other cultural model. system of sociocultural values with geographical space. Topological approach to consideration of identity Today, the concept of identity topology is actualized as problem requires for alteration of attitude to determination dependence of a human on environment, social roles, of role of space, where manifestation of the Self takes status and vice a versa - environment on human. place. Understanding of the Self as ability to create unity Existence of a bearer of alien culture in culturally is the heritage of the 19 century which should be homogeneous society always initiates interaction, coordinated with modern concepts of personal identity. which leads to changes of all participants in the contact. This was emphasized by A. Touraine, who insisted that As a result, the structure of society itself and models of the Self of modern human, despite all manifestation of social practices significantly vary criteria of social individualism, completely obeys to social integration,


Arsenate uptake by a surface sample of a lateritic podzol was controlled mainly by iron oxide particles in a very finely divided state of about 50 A in diameter. Despite their size, these particles had some crystalline characteristics - they had semi-regular appearance; had limited solubility in ammonium oxalate (in darkness) and in sodium pyrophosphate; and sometimes gave ring-type electron diffraction patterns identifiable as goethite. The particles contained a high degree of substitution of aluminium for iron. They associated with other soil components, for example, forming surface deposits upon larger kaolin flakes or else microaggregates with smaller ones. They reacted with soil organic matter, which caused marked inhibition of arsenate uptake. Titanium oxides competed with iron oxides for arsenate, and were able to dominate uptake when iron oxides were removed chemically. The behaviour of other components towards arsenate was described, together with their appearance, composition and stability during a series of successive chemical treatments. No iron-organic complexes nor poorly crystalline aluminosilicates appeared to be present. Some reputedly selective reagents extracted excess aluminium, most of it coming from chloritized vermiculite. Small kaolin particles were also dissolved and, in some cases,. this caused fresh precipitation of iron oxides from iron previously held within the clay lattice.


Epidemiological studies have revealed that schizophrenia and immune diseases co-occur in the general population at higher than expected rates. Here, we evaluated whether the epidemiologic correlation between immune diseases and schizophrenia might be explained by shared genetic risk factors. We used data from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia (N=35,476 cases and 46,839 controls) to compare the genetic architecture of schizophrenia to 19 immune diseases. First, we evaluated the association with schizophrenia of 581 variants previously reported to be associated with immune diseases at genome-wide significance. Next, we investigated genome-wide sharing of common variants using polygenic risk scores for immune diseases. We identified nine variants with potential pleiotropic effects, located in regions associated with both schizophrenia and autoimmune disease. Five of these variants were located outside of the human leukocyte antigen region, and mapped to genes with known roles in calcium signaling. Polygenic risk scores revealed significant genetic overlap with schizophrenia for narcolepsy (p=4.1×10−4), primary biliary cirrhosis (p=1.4×10−8), psoriasis (p=3.6×10−5), systemic lupus erythematosus (p=2.2×10−8), type 1 diabetes (p=2.0×10−6), and ulcerative colitis (p=4.3×10−4). Genetic correlation between these immune diseases and schizophrenia, estimated using cross-trait LD Score regression, ranged from 0.10 to 0.18. We also observed suggestive evidence of sex-dependent genetic correlation between schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis (interaction p=0.02), with genetic risk scores for multiple sclerosis associated with greater risk of schizophrenia among males but not females. Our findings reveal the presence of significant genetic correlation between schizophrenia and several immune diseases, which in some cases may be sex-dependent. Author Summary Immune diseases occur at different rates among patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population. While the reasons for this are unclear, shared genetic risk (genetic correlation) has been proposed as a contributing factor. Prior studies have used GWAS data to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and a handful of immune diseases, with conflicting results. Here, we performed a comprehensive cross-disorder investigation of schizophrenia and 19 immune diseases. We identified nine individual genetic variants associated with both schizophrenia and immune diseases, including four variants close to genes involved in calcium signalling (PLCL1, BANK1, EPO, PITPNM2). We demonstrated significant genome-wide genetic correlation between schizophrenia and narcolepsy, primary biliary cirrhosis, psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, and ulcerative colitis. Finally, we identified a potential sex-dependent pleiotropic effect between schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis, with genetic risk scores for multiple sclerosis associated with greater risk of schizophrenia among males but not females. Our findings point to a shared genetic basis between schizophrenia and at least a subset of immune diseases. These results raise the possibility that the same genetic variants may exert their effects on neurons or immune cells to influence the development of psychiatric and immune disorders, respectively.


Due to the complexity of underground engineering, study on creep characteristics of surrounding rock mainly adopts laboratory simulation experiment. Recently, the similar materials are used to do the experiment both at home and abroad, yet it can't reflect the original nature and others of rock fissure in original rock mass. Through the field collection of undisturbed sample of Tertiary mudstone, the conclusions are made by laboratory model test on surrounding rock of underground tunnel and creep process regularity and failure mechanism in the surrounding rock in this paper as follows: there are three obvious stages of creep under certain stress levels, which is measured on the surface of surrounding rock mass in argillaceous soft rock tunnel--decay creep ,steady creep and accelerated creep. The surrounding rock will produce the accelerated creep damage when the stress level is over a threshold value. Creep damage of surrounding rock mainly includes the forms of roof sinking, floor working up, and forming a macro- fracture surfaces etc. Test results showed that the undisturbed surrounding rock fracture would be dissimilar to the homogeneous surrounding rock without fracture in damage model, and original fissure have a larger effect on creep damage of surrounding rock.


A BRIEF REVIEW IS PRESENTED COVERING TERZAGHI'S PIONEERING WORK OF A MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AS WELL AS PALMER'S AND BARBER'S ADDITIONS TO THE ANALYSIS PERTAINING TO THE DRAINAGE OF WATER FROM THE BOUNDARIES OF A CLAY LAYER. OTHER CONDITIONS EXAMINED ARE THE RATE OF COMPRESSION OF A CLAY LAYER: (1) SANDWICHED BETWEEN SOIL LAYERS OF LOW PERMEABILITY, (2) BENEATH A CONCRETE MAT FOUNDATION COVERING A LARGE AREA, AND (3) BENEATH A MASSIVE CONCRETE FOUNDATION COVERING A SMALL AREA. ESTIMATES VARY FROM THE VALUES OF THE COEFFICIENTS OF PERMEABILITY ON DIFFERENT SAMPLES FROM THE SAME LAYER TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT OBSERVED RATE OF SETTLEMENT MAY BE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.


Protein function is closely related to its structure and dynamics. Due to its large number of degrees of freedom, proteins adopt a large number of conformations, which describe a highly complex potential energy landscape. Considering the huge ensemble of conformations in dynamic equilibrium in solution, detailed investigation of proteins dynamics is extremely costly. Therefore, a significant number of different methods have emerged in order to improve the conformational sampling of biomolecules. One of these methods is Molecular Dynamics with excited Normal Modes (MDeNM) in which normal modes are used as collective variables in molecular dynamics. Here, we present a new implementation of the MDeNM method that allows a continuously controlled kinetic excitation energy in the normal mode space, while taking into account the natural constraints imposed either by the structure or the environment. These implementations prevent unphysical structural distortions. We tested the new approach on bacteriophage's T4 lysozyme, Gallus gallus hen egg-white lysozyme and Staphylococcus aureus membrane-bound transglycosylase. Our results showed that the new approach outperformed free MD sampling and preserved the structural features comparatively to the original MDeNM approach. We also observed that by adaptively changing the excitation direction during calculations, proteins follow new transition paths preventing structural distortions.


In the period of "the tenth five-year plans" three big companies(SINOPEC,SINOPETRO and CNOOC) invested 865 billion yuan in oil and gas,refinery,chemical and sales businesses,with 15.50% of occupied capital return rate and 16.68% of total investment inner income rate.In this paper the features of these investment returns in every business field are analyzed comprehensively.It is pointed out that China's petrochemical industry should be adjusted in the period of "the eleventh five-year plans" with the following instructions:①strengthen the exploration and development of new areas and the strategy of internationalization,to keep on the strategic succeeding and cost reduction;②speed the construction of sales network of oil products,expand the oil product trade,increase the occupation rate of the domestic market,and exploit the overseas market;③invest precisely based on the analysis of relationship between supply and demand around the country.


Using three kinds of ACC deaminase bacteria and tomato seeds'Shenzhou Fenguan'as experimental materials,tomato seeds were placed between the two sheets of filter to form a kind of sandwich pattern,and cultured them in the culture dishes which put at the angle of 0°and 90°between dishes and the water level for four days.The results indicated that the influence of tomato seedlings given was that there was a significant deviation on the seedlings' root length and hypocotyl length between the direction-placing patterns in the check group,the 90°group was longer than the group 0°in two indexes,which were up to 42.8%and 58.8%respectively,it meant that not ignorable that gravity's role in the tomato seedlings' growth.In the 90°group,the ACC deaminase bacteria selected by us,with their suspension liquid before its germination and after it,showed the same results as former,thus it meant that the effect of promoting growth was independent on inoculation timing,and was correlative with ACC deminase activity of itself.


Firstly,this paper analyzed the level emergence mechanism of talent aggregation of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on the complexity perspective.Secondly,it designed a technique to predict the trend of regional talent aggregation by using Caofeidian new district as an example.Thirdly,it proposed the main obstacles on regional,industrial and organizational levels in talent aggregation of Caofeidian.Finally,it put forward the construction which can accelerate local talent gathered pace,including constructing various infrastructure facilities,optimizing Caofeidian talent service environment,formulating Caofeidian industrial development policies,building Caofeidian talent market,adjusting administrative power,innovating Caofeidian talent institutional system and so on.


Moonlighting proteins mediate cross talk between different pathways and cellular control networks. Sometimes, they even coordinate subsequent steps in the same pathway. For this Outlook paper we asked the question, which cellular processes employ multifunctional proteins (MFPs) and what makes them so attractive to cells and organisms. After reviewing their widespread occurrence, we will focus on higher eukaryotic model systems and on few examples that are linked to ongoing work in our laboratory. We will discuss the activities of transcription factor IIH (TFIIH), and its subcomplexes containing Xpd and Cdk7, and we will cover an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS) and DEAD box RNA helicases. Furthermore, we will analyze how cells are able to properly regulate the different biological activities of multifunctional proteins and which advantages such proteins offer to cells and organisms. Finally we also note that the proteins we discuss are linked to tumor formation or recruited by viruses that coopt the multifunctional protein for yet another purpose.


In this article, we propose a highly reliable transmission strategy based on exploiting channel diversity for Internet of Things (IoT) networks equipped with cognitive radio (CR) capabilities (referred to as CR-IoT networks). Specifically, we investigate the channel-assignment problem with the objective of minimizing the number of assigned channels for each CR transmission subject to link reliability, data rate, and success probability constraints. We use the theory of continuous-time Markov chains to derive mathematical expressions for channel availability and reliability. These expressions are employed in a binary linear program model to formulate the channel assignment optimization problem, which is suboptimally solved using a polynomial-time sequential fixing procedure. Theoretical performance analysis of the proposed channel assignment scheme is derived in terms of a lower bound on the achievable probability of successful packet transmission. Through simulation experiments, we demonstrate significant performance enhancement compared to existing reliability-unaware CR channel assignment algorithms.


Australian producers and marketers of power station ash formed the ADAA (Ash Development Association of Australia Inc.) in 1991. The primary objectives are to conduct research and technology transfer on behalf of members and to assist in developing market opportunities in the use of ash materials. In achieving these objectives, the ADAA has sought to increase user awareness of the benefits arising through effective utilisation of this valuable industrial mineral resource; which if realised, has benefits for industry, the environment and the community as a whole. Ash produced during 2002 approximated to 12.5Mt (million tonnes) for Australasia (Australia & New Zealand). From the total ash produced, some 4.1Mt has been effectively utilised. The main contributors are; cementitious applications at approximately 1.35Mt, non-cementitious applications at 0.47Mt, with the balance of 2.28Mt used in projects offering some beneficial application (i.e. mine site remediation and for the construction of local haul roads). These applications and growth potentials will be discussed. The challenge for the membership ahead is identifying the next incremental step (growth potentials) for increased utilisation of domestic Ash production. The industry sectors participating in the use of ash materials will be discussed, including new areas requiring greater research and investment.


Trans‐4‐methoxy‐β‐nitrostyrene (T4MN) induced more potent vasorelaxant effects in resistance arteries from hypertensive rats than its parent drug, β‐nitrostyrene 1‐nitro‐2‐phenylethene (NPe). To better understand the influence of insertion of the electron‐releasing methoxy group in the aromatic ring of NPe, we investigated vasorelaxant effects of T4MN in isolated pulmonary artery and compared them with those of NPe in view of the potential interest of T4MN in pulmonary arterial hypertension. T4MN and NPe both caused concentration‐dependent vasorelaxation in pulmonary artery rings pre‐contracted with either phenylephrine (1 µmol/L) or KCl (60 mmol/L), an effect unaffected by endothelium removal. In endothelium‐intact preparations pre‐contracted with phenylephrine, the vasorelaxant effect of T4MN was more potent than that of NPe. However, unlike NPe, this effect was significantly reduced following pretreatment with 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ) (10 µmol/L, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor) or tetraethylammonium (5 mmol/L, a potassium channel blocker). T4MN abolished the CaCl2‐induced contractions in pulmonary artery preparations stimulated with phenylephrine (PHE) under Ca2+‐free conditions in the presence of verapamil , to preferentially activate receptor‐operated calcium channels. From these findings, we propose that T4MN evokes endothelium‐independent vasorelaxant effects in isolated rat pulmonary artery, partially by inhibiting Ca2+ influx through L‐type Ca2+ channels, as well as by activating soluble guanylate cyclase and potassium channels. The present results suggest the therapeutic potential of T4MN in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension.


As a kind of 2D spatial coordinate transform, image warping is a basic image processing technique utilized in various applications. Though image warping algorithm is composed of relatively simple operations such as memory accesses and computations of weighted average, real-time implementations on em...


The General Principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main issues related to the international protection of disabled persons under the recent convention on the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. It first critically assess the meaning inter alia of the terms disabled persons, equality of opportunity and accessibility. Second, it examines the range of human rights and difficulties associated with interpreting the content and scope of each rights, balanced against other competing rights and values. And, finally, it briefly highlights the functioning (bottom up vs. top down) of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.


Hybrid cognitive radio (CR) relays serve cellular users in a two-hop fashion, which jointly utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrums to significantly increase the system capacity. User equipments (UEs) need to be actively associated with the macro-cell BS or CR relays having a more lightly loaded spectrum if the quality of services (QoS) can be guaranteed. To this end, this paper investigates optimal user association for load balancing problem in cellular network with hybrid cognitive radio relays. Firstly, we propose a multi-objective user association optimization model to balance the loads among different tiers while reducing the total resource occupancy. Then, this multiobjective problem is converted into a single one by the linear weighing-sum method and a genetic algorithm is introduced to solve it. The numerical simulation results show that our proposed scheme can obtain more balanced resources occupation, better throughput performance, and lower blocking rate compared with the heuristic and max-power strategies.


Abstract : The funds provided by P.L. 108-11, known as IRRF 1, were available for obligation until September 30, 2004, to pay costs including: (1) water/sanitation infrastructure; (2) feeding and food distribution; (3) relief efforts related to refugees and others; (4) electricity; (5) healthcare; (6) telecommunications; (7) economic and financial policy; (8) education; (9) transportation; (10) rule of law and governance; (11) humanitarian demining; and (12) agriculture. The P.L. also directed that these funds were to be used to reimburse three U.S. government organizations for Iraq relief and reconstruction obligations incurred prior to the law's enactment. After an appropriation act, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in accordance with its Circular A-112, approves apportionments that establish the amount of obligations that can be incurred for a specific time period or activity. OMB apportions funds using Treasury Appropriation Fund Symbols (TAFS) that designate the organization, the period of availability to incur new obligations, and the Treasury account symbol. For the IRRF 1 account, the symbol was 11-1096, and the period of availability for new obligations was FYs 2003 and 2004. OMB made apportionments in both FY 2003 and FY 2004. The P.L. specified that funds were to be apportioned to only the Department of State (DoS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Treasury (Treasury), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Health and Human Services.


With the arousal optima for complex tasks being lower than those for simple tasks, the present study tested the hypothesis that arousal reduction would improve performance on a complex task and impair that on a task of moderate complexity if relaxation induction is a valid method of arousal reduction as indicated by decreased skin conductance. Twenty subjects were administered complex and moderately complex performance tasks both with and without relaxation induction in a counterbalanced design. Measures of skin conductance were recorded at predetermined intervals as an approximate measure of arousal level, Ihe results indicated that skin conductance was significantly reduced with relaxation to support the hypothesis that relaxation induction is a valid method of arousal reduction. Complex task performance was improved with relaxation for both orders of relaxation induction. Moderately complex task performance was improved with relaxation in the nonrelaxed-relaxed order, but impaired with relax ation in the relaxed-nonrelaxed order. The hypothesis that relaxation induction produces differential changes in performance on complex and moderately complex tasks was at least supported in the relaxednonrelaxed order of induction. Weaknesses in the design with possible confounding of variables are discussed with respect to improvement for future studies,


National economic problem is the scope of the macro economy. A country in order to develop their economy will surely meet some obstacles. Barriers it was an internal matter to be resolved by the state government of the country. Barriers that such uncontrolled inflation and unemployment problems that can not be separated from issues of quality and quantity of the population in Indonesia is very diverse. In resolving the problem, surely a country to apply its policy as the holder of autonomy. The policy was successful or not is an end that should be fought.


The primary phase in semi-solid Al alloy is formed during solidification of alloy,and the formation of primary phase with globular-like is closely related to semi-solid processing.The new progress of research on the formation and mechanism of primary phase with globular-like in semi-solid Al alloy is introduced recently in this paper,and the approach to applying the fractal theory to study the mechanism on formation of primary phase with globular-like in semi-solid Al alloy is put forward.


Significance
 President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has spoken of the launch of a new economic model, but he has offered little concrete evidence of any plan to close a financing gap that could exceed USD100bn over the next three years.

 Impacts
 A fiscal stimulus would help to sustain an economic recovery in the wake of a 2020 real GDP contraction likely to be in the order of 6%.
 Without some external borrowing, Algeria's foreign exchange reserves would be likely to fall below six months import cover by early 2022.
 An expansionary fiscal policy and currency devaluation would create inflationary pressures, but these would be mitigated by import curbs.


Purpose: Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with high‐risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a stand‐alone analytical tool for clinical diagnosis of HPV infection using human cervical fluids. Method: A drop‐coating deposition surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (DCD‐SERS) method was identified as the most effective method of biochemical analysis in cervical biofluids. Results: Using a 2‐µL sample, the proposed DCD‐SERS method yielded Raman spectra with high reproducibility, noise‐independence, and uniformity. Additionally, the produced spectra were independent of the volume of fluid used and detection zone analyzed within the central and the ring zones. The optical detection of HPV infection in cervical fluids could be detected accurately in the central zone. Different Raman spectra were obtained according to HPV type. In particular, HPV‐16 and HPV‐18, which are the major risk factors for cervical cancer, showed a distinct spectral difference in cervical fluids, with a similar pattern for high Raman bands at >1,000 cm−1 but a different pattern for low Raman bands at <1,000 cm−1. Therefore, all ranges of HPV‐gated DCD‐SERS could be used to detect the presence of HPV infection. Conclusions: Raman spectroscopy provides a good alternative method for early clinical diagnosis of HPV infection, and we are hopeful that this proposed method of HPV assessment will be approved for use in obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:200–206, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Based on multi-beam interference principle,an extrinsic fiber Fabry-Perot(FP) sensor was developed to measure the acoustic signal in liquid,whose interference cavity was consisted of quartz diaphragm,end of pigtail and air film.The sensitivity,amplitude-frequency and the output signals of the sensor were analyzed.The parameters of FP sensor were obtained to analyze amplitude-frequency characteristics of quartz diaphragm theoretically and experimentally.Finally,a measurement system on acoustic signals in water was developed and the effect of operation points on output signals were discussed and tested in different conditions.The experimental results indicate that the extrinsic fiber FP acoustic sensors in proposed system are able to measure acoustic signal in the liquid.Its fundamental frequency can reach to 140 kHz and sensitivity is 0.005 nm/Pa.The characteristics of output signal of the sensors are dependent on operational points and modulation depths of input signal.The sensitivity of the sensor is optimial when the operational points lie in quadrature point of operation curve.the measurement region will be increased when the output signal is frequency double for over modulation.


This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the limitations and the key dynamics of closed-loop active power control systems for voltage-source converter (VSC) HVDC, regarding stability, performance, and robustness. Detailed dynamic models are derived and the controllability and robustness issues for VSC active power control are identified. Limitations imposed by ac system strength, converter operating point, and current control design on the stability and performance of the two leading active power control principles are addressed, using frequency-response analysis and time-domain simulations. The dynamic interactions between the active power control design and the dc voltage droop control are examined. The simulations are performed using average-value VSC models and a high-fidelity modular multilevel converter model. Impacts of the active power control design on dynamic behaviors of multiterminal dc (MTDC) systems are investigated using a four-terminal model. This paper provides a systematic study on the key stability and performance issues associated with the active power control. Furthermore, the methodology offers a framework for the analysis of more complex active power and dc voltage droop controllers for future MTDC systems.


As the newest activated carbon product, activated carbon fiber has highly effective absorbent ability compared with traditional granular activated carbon. It has Particular chemical structure, physical structure and adsorption properties. The development of ACF at home and abroad, its productivity and applications and expectation of activated carbon fibers are systematically discussed in this article.


Applications across photonics require transformations of optical spatial modes. Utilizing a discrete set of phase masks and free space propagation, we experimentally demonstrate general transformations on a beam array.


Abstract: This study aims to examine the market reaction before and after the ex-dividend date and see whether there are differences in abnormal returns, trading volume activity, and security return variability before and after the ex-dividend date. The population in this study are companies listed in the Jakarta Islamic Index (JII) in 2016-2020 that consistently distribute dividends. The sample of this study amounted to 10 companies that consistently distribute dividends. The used method is the event study method with a window period of 10 days, 5 days before and 5 days after. The analysis technique used is the Paired Sample T-Test and the Wilcoxon-Signed Ranked Test. The results show that there are no differences in abnormal returns, trading volume activity, and security return variability before and after the ex-dividend date in the 2016-2020 Jakarta Islamic Index (JII). This shows that dividend announcements are not considered by investors in making investments.


We have developed a new dot‐inversion driving method for low‐power‐consumption LTPS TFT LCDs. This driving method realizes as much as a 50% reduction in power consumption as compared to the common‐electrode AC driving method commonly used in conventional low power consumption LCDs. Since the method achieves high resolution and high image quality, it is also suited for use in LCDs for mobile applications.


Patient-specific finite element (FE) models which incorporate anatomic articular surface and soft tissue geometric representations can provide important insight into knee mechanics (Li et al., 1999; Shirazi-Adl et al., 2004). However, the generation of patient-specific meshes with hexahedral elements required for an accurate contact formulation is a manual, time-consuming process (Muccini et al., 2000). Extraction of three-dimensional (3D) anatomic surfaces is accomplished with manual segmentation of medical images, but the resulting meshes are not useable for contact in FE analysis. For this reason, more efficient methods for generating patientspecific hexahedral meshes are required. Thus, this study's objectives were: to assess the feasibility of using a semi-automated morphing method to create specimen-specific hexahedral meshes of femoral surfaces from MR images and to compare the accuracy and efficiency of meshes generated with the semiautomated method and with a traditional preprocessor-segmentation based method.


The invention discloses manufacturing equipment for an arc-shaped spliced Y-shaped pile. A plurality of cement-soil cylindrical piles which are spaced for a rectangular pile distance are manufactured, and a cement-soil rectangular pile is manufactured in the distance between every two cylindrical piles by using a rectangular pile forming machine according to a working way of the rectangular pile forming machine; a cement-soil rectangular pile is manufactured in front of each of an odd number of cylindrical piles by using the rectangular pile forming machine according to the working way of the rectangular pile forming machine so that a concave arc at the rear end of the cement-soil rectangular pile in front of each of the odd number of cylindrical piles is coincided with the excircle of the cylindrical pile; a cement-soil rectangular pile is manufactured at the rear of each of an even number of cylindrical piles by using the rectangular pile forming machine according to the working way of the rectangular pile forming machine so that concave arc at the front end of the cement-soil rectangular pile at the rear of each of the even number of cylindrical piles is coincided with the excircle of the cylindrical pile; and therefore, a Y-shaped pile wall combined by mutually splicing the plurality of cement-soil rectangular piles and the plurality of cement-soil cylindrical piles in an arc shape is formed and is used for soil retention and seepage prevention of a building foundation.


The glycoprotein hormones consist of a common α-subunit and distinct, but structurally related, β-subunits which confer biological specificity. To study glycoprotein hormone gene expression, we prepared specific oligonucleotides complementary to nonhomologous regions of the α-subunit and each of the β- subunit mRNAs encoding human LH, CG, TSH, and FSH. β- Subunit mRNAs were expressed at relatively low levels in normal pituitary tissue, but were found in greater amounts in pituitary gonadotroph and thyrotroph adenomas. The lengths of the glycoprotein hormone α- and β-subunit mRNAs in normal and neoplastic pituitary tissue were indistinguishable. Expression of different members of the closely related LHβ/CGβ gene family were examined in normal and neoplastic pituitary and placenta using short oligonucleotides complementary to nonhomologous regions of the genes. Although CGβ mRNA was found previously in a pituitary adenoma, none was detected in normal pituitary tissue. In placenta, there was abundant express...


The photoalignment ability of poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene] (PMPSi) films makes it possible to use them as hole-transporting substrates for the preparation of organic oriented films. A PMPSi layer prepared by spin coating was irradiated, after drying, with linearly polarized UV light. Then, water-soluble hydroxyaluminium phthalocyaninesulfonate [Al(OH)Pc(SO 3 Na) 1-2 ] was deposited by casting. The cell ITO/PMPSi/Al(OH)Pc(S03Na) 1-2 /Al showed non-linear current-voltage characteristics. For applied voltages higher than 10 V, polarized electroluminescence was observed. Its spectral characteristic consisted of two peaks with maxima at about 320 and 700 nm; their polarized anisotropies R EL = Φ || / Φ⊥ were ca. 15 and 0.5, respectively.


ABSTRACT A green alga, Chlorococcum sp. (Chlorococcales, Chlorophyceae), was grown from scrapings of the travertine rocks from the outlet stream of the Emerald Pool, Khlong Thom Nuea, Khlong Thom District Krabi province in Southern Thailand – a classic karstic stream habitat. It was a recalcitrant alga: organic solvents did not extract chlorophyll (Chl) from the algae very well but heated Dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) was effective. Rapid light curve PAM experiments were used to quantify photosynthetic parameters: Eopt = 275 ± 9.7 µmol photons m–2 s–1, ETRmax = 277 ± 5.99 µmol e– g–1 Chl a s–1, photosynthetic efficiency (Alpha, α0) = 2.248 ± 0.112 e– g–1 Chl a. For Chlorococcum sp. deliberately grown in very low light, Eopt = 290 ± 4.89 µmol photons m–2 s–1 but ETRmax = 109 ± 0.97 µmol e– g–1 Chl a s–1, Alpha (α0) = 1.010 ± 0.192 e– g–1 Chl a. Overall, the amount of Chl b compared with Chl a was relatively low for most Chl a + b organisms (Chl b/a ≈ 0.21) but the ratio was not strongly affected by irradiance. The changes in ETRmax and α0 indicate that the Chlorococcum sp, responded to very low irradiance by increasing total Chl as Chl a, a marginal decrease in Chl b/a ratio but no substantial change in far-red absorption. The spectrum stripping technique confirmed Chlorococcum sp, is a Chl a + b organism albeit with a low Chl b content. Photosynthesis in this species was not very sensitive to pH in the range pH 5–9 but was inhibited at pH 10, indicating that it was very capable of using HCO3 – as an inorganic carbon source. Chlorococcum has a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), however based on its insensitivity to the depolarizing effects of high [K+], it is unlikely to be dependent on the membrane potential across the cell membrane. The alga is homiochlorophyllous and recovers rapidly from dessication without synthesis of new chlorophyll. Highlights The green unicellular alga Chlorococcum was found growing in travertine rock, Has Chl b/a ratio typical of green algae, contrasting with Ostreobium, Rapid light curves show optimum irradiance at about 300 µmol photons m–2 s–1, Chlorococcum has a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), Homiochlorophyllous alga quickly recovering from desiccation without synthesizing new chlorophyll.


The rhizosphere is a hot spot and a source of beneficial microorganisms known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). From the alfalfa (Medicago sativa) rhizosphere, 115 bacteria were isolated, and from the screening for PGP traits, 26 interesting isolates were selected as PGP rhizobacteria for the next tests. The objective of this study was to use a consortium of PGPR to enhance the growth of faba-bean under phosphate (P) deficiency by taking advantage of their ability to release phosphorus from rock phosphate (RP). Several examined strains were found to have a relatively high activity on P solubilization, auxin, siderophore, ammoniac production, antifungal activity, and the ability to tolerate hypersalinity and water stress. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the collection revealed six different genera, including Bacillus (46.15%), Siccibacter (23.07%), and Acinetobacter (15.38%) which were identified as the most abundant. Three of the interesting strains (Siccibacter colletis, Enterobacter huaxiensis, and Pantoea sp.) showed high plant growth promotion traits and no antagonism with Rhizobium laguerreae. These three bacteria were retained to establish a rhizobia-including consortium. The inoculation of faba-bean plants with the consortium improved growth parameters as root and shoot dried biomasses and some physiological criteria (chlorophyll content and P uptake under low P availability conditions), and the increase reached 40%. Our study could be the first report of faba-bean growth promotion by a multi-strain PGPR-rhizobia consortium involving S. colletis, E. huaxiensis, and Pantoea sp. Thus, this consortium could be recommended for faba-bean inoculation, particularly under P-limiting conditions.


This paper reports the preliminary results of an investigation into the bias that results from the exclusion of nontelephone households in national health interview surveys. Specifically, the primary purpose of the study is to assess the error in national estimates of selected health characteristics based on health interview surveys of households with telephones. There are four general areas to the investigation: (i) a comparison of telephone and nontelephone households in terms of sociodemographic characteristics; (2) a comparison of individuals in telephone and nontelephone households in terms of selected health characteristics; (3) an assessment of the impact of the exclusion of nontelephone households on national estimates for selected health characteristics of the population; and (4) the development of post-stratified ratio adjustments as a correction for the error introduced by the exclusion of the nontelephone households.


Aiming at the two dimensional plane slide rail type zero gravity hanging bracket unloading equipment used in the ground experiment of space vehicles deployable solar wing,it exists the friction of bearings moving along guide rail which causes the additional deployable moment of force.The high bearing capacity and high stiffness annular floatation cushion with circumferential pressure-equalizing groove was designed.The aforesaid hanging pulley was replaced.The extremely low friction in horizontal direction was realized.The bearing characteristic of annular floatation cushion was modeled and calculated based on equation of motion,quality equation of continuity and equation of state of gas.The simulation computation was calculated by using Fluent software.And the simulation results are mostly identical to the theory.When the gravity of suspended test specimen is within the annular floatation cushion bearing capacity,it can realize extremely low friction in horizontal direction to eliminate effects of additional deployable moment of force which caused by friction and it finally verifies the feasibility of alternative design of annular floatation cushion with pressureequalizing groove.


This paper deals with the problem of robust H∞ filter design for uncertain singular stochastic systems. Based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIS) techniques and stability theory of stochastic differential equations, stochastic Lyapunov function method is adopted to design a H∞ filter such that, for all admissible uncertainties, the filtering error system is stochastically mean-square stable, and a prescribed H∞ disturbance attenuation level is guaranteed. A sufficient condition for the existence of a H∞ filter for the system under consideration is achieved in terms of LMIS. Moreover, the explicit expression of the desired filter parameters is given.