Small businesses play an important and significant role in the social and economic development in Jordan and in other countries all over the world.
Jordan is a small and developing country, therefore, it needs more attention on all efforts which are used for development. Thus, this requires focusing on small industrial projects which help in the creation of new employment opportunities, settled workforce and facing economic stagnation.
Hence, the purpose of this study is to uncover realities concerning the small firms working in manufacturing products for local needs in the city of Jarash, in the northern region of Jordan. The realities intended to be studied in this paper are: capital, the size of work force, operating expenses, and the size of operations' volume. This study, also, intended to pinpoint the financial, managerial and economic problems facing these firms.
Finally, the researcher aimed at stating the findings of this study and suggesting recommendations to support these small manufacturing firms in the city of Jarash.


Many developing countries have taken interest in learning from the Honey Bee Network experience for replicating the model. In a UNESCO conference, the author was asked to identify the key steps that national governments can take to deal with the challenge of developing an inclusive innovation based development model. The author has identified six steps which can help the leaders in various countries.


Advertising is a type of message that attempts to infer the virtues of products, services and ideas in terms of consumer needs and wants. Some companies or organizations embrace advertising to achieve goodwill, high market share and sales. Good quality of advertisement plays a major part in creating customer fidelity and brand confidence resulting in enhancement of sales and profit. This research work examines the association between advertisement expenditure, sales and profit of twelve beverage companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange for the period 2009 to 2013.The data is analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The outcome exposed that all the dimensions which have been used in the study are positively related to each other.


Biber, Douglas & Bethany Gray. 2016. Grammatical complexity in academic English: Linguistic change in writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bloor, Thomas. 1996. Three hypothetical strategies in philosophical writing. In Eija Ventola & Anna Mauranen (eds.), Academic writing: Intercultural and textual issues, 19–43. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Hyland, Ken & Feng (Kevin) Jiang. 2016. 'We must conclude that...': A diachronic study of academic engagement. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 24, 29–42. Taavitsainen, Irma & Päivi Pahta. 2010. Early Modern English medical texts: Corpus description and studies. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.


A new mixing event method is developed in the analysis of relativistic heavy ion collision experiments with a relatively complicated background by using RQMD (Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics) as input data sample. The proposed method is then applied to the study of invariant mass distribution of Δ ++ resonance as an example. A new iterative algorithm is also proven by providing the invariant mass spectra of Δ ++ 's using different algorithms for the combinatorial background subtraction.


The problem of crystal structure analysis at macromolecular resolution is tackled using notions borrowed from small-angle solution-scattering studies. The mathematical procedure - essentially a pattern recognition approach - consists of generating all the phase combinations compatible with the data and screening them: the critical steps are the choice of the "pattern" and of the criteria which preside the "recognition". Two strategies are adopted. One is based upon use of the histogram of the electron density maps, a function more dependent on chemical composition than on physical structure: the histograms of samples of different structure and similar chemical composition are compared in search for similarity. The other strategy operates on the electron density maps and involves the principle of maximum smoothness. From the practical viewpoint, one single parameter, (Δp)4, is found to play an outstanding role in the two cases. Algorithms are worked out, implemented on the computer and tested using a variety of lipid-water phases. The comparison of samples of different structure and similar chemical composition is found to provide a powerful screening criterion. The principle of maximum smoothness is also of great help, at least to the extent that the electron density distribution is a fairly smooth function, devoid of sharp peaks (associated with heavy atoms). The practical aspects of the algorithms are discussed, as well as their possible application to crystallographic problems of more general interest.


Continuous vinyl acetate emulsion polymerization was carried out by using a mixed surfactant system of "Aerosol" OT (AOT) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It is well known that the AOT reduces surface tension considerably and has stronger monomer solubilization power than SDS. In this work, particular attention is given to observe the effects of the mixed surfactant on the molecular weights and polydispersities. In comparison with experiments using only SDS, the particle size appears similar, in the range of 190–280 nm. The conversion increased substantially to the 70% range from the 50% level observed with only SDS. All experiments were conducted at 60°C with a mean residence time of 30 min. The total surfactant concentration was maintained at 0.03 mol/L water for all experiments. It was found that once some AOT was included in the surfactant, the behavior was very similar to that observed with only AOT. The number average molecular weights were found to decrease substantially while the polydispersity increases dramatically to about 12. It is believed that AOT may act as a significant chain transfer agent in the polymerization.


Local wall thinning in pipelines affects the structural integrity of industries, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs). In the present study, a development of pulsed eddy current (PEC) technology that detects the wall thinning of pipelines covered with insulation is reviewed. The methods and experimental results, which have two kinds of probe with a single and double core, were compared. For this purpose, the single and double core probes having one and two excitation coils have been devised, and the differential probe with two Hall sensors has been fabricated to measure the wall thinning in insulated pipelines. The test sample is a stainless steel having different thickness, laminated by plastic insulation to simulate the pipelines in NPPs. The excitation coils in the probe is driven by a rectangular current pulse, the difference of two Hall sensors has been measured as a resultant PEC signal. The peak value of the detected signal is used to describe the wall thinning. The double core probe has better performance to detect the wall thinning covered with insulation; the single core probe can detect the wall thinning up to an insulation thickness of 18 mm, whereas the double probe can detect up to 25 mm. The results show that the double core PEC probe has the potential to detect the wall thinning in an insulated pipeline of the NPPs


We use factor analysis to summarize information from various macroeconomic indicators, effectively producing coincident indicators for the Chinese economy. We compare the dynamics of the estimated factors with GDP, and compare our factors with other published indicators for the Chinese economy. The indicator data match the GDP dynamics well and discrepancies are very short. The periods of discrepancies seem to correspond to shocks affecting the growth process as neither autoregressive models for GDP itself nor various coincident indicators are able to forecast them satisfactorily.


The purpose of this study is to analyze teaching method of addition and subtraction of whole number in Korea and New Zealand lower grade textbook and to get some suggestive points to develop mathematics curriculum and for a qualitative improvement of textbook. To do this, we will analyze focusing on teaching material, type and method of teaching, cases of real teaching and in the case of New Zealand, we will analyze portfolios together to see what kind of things do they deal with related to addition and subtraction. From these analyzing, the results are as follows: First, the guideline of accomplishment of group of year are stated in 2009 revised curriculum in Korea but it is rough. On the other hand, the level of accomplishment from kindergarten to high school are stated divided by eight kinds of thing in New Zealand curriculum. Second, there were common and different points in the aspect of teaching material. The common points are that both of our Korea and New Zealand are using materials related to real life intimately and the diifferent points are to use technology such as calculator and computer. They are more widely used in New Zealand than our Korea. Third, Korea had used routine method mainly but New Zealand had used method to develop creativity of learner such as to write problem corresponding to expression, posing problem corresponding to information, to complete table and find pattern and to write word problem to explain pattern and so on. Fourth, we could see special calculation strategies in the case of teaching addition and subtraction such as concept of double, compensation, various strategy based on counting of number, addition of the same number, magic square, near-double which are not finding in our mathematics textbook. Fifth, in the New Zealand textbook they had used teaching methods inducing curiosity of learner such as finding message and puzzle problem than solving given problem simply.


Key Words : project, bank, office, economy ABSTRACT : With state of the city of Jakarta which formed the backbone of the Indonesian economy, it was fitting to have the money round of high value, so that not a few economic actors who menasabahkan money dibank-existing bank. Hence, an office PT. Bank Harda built to meet the needs of the existing economy as actors in the field of banking services. Bank Harda project this memeliki contract value USD 5.000.000.000, planned for 210 days of contract execution properties Fixed Price Lump Sum. The contractors who act as consultants and planners and supervisors is PT. Fortuna Wilkon Indonesia. Bank Harda development of this land as established above 1265 m, with the number of ground floor as much as 8 pieces.


Objectives: Nephrotoxicity is monitored using serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). However, kidney damage is not detected until significant changes in levels of SCr and BUN are observed due to the time lag between kidney damage and increase in biomarker levels. This led to identification of novel biomarkers using proteomics and metabolomics, which show early signs of kidney damage in rodents. However, translating the findings to humans is lacking. The objective of this project was to identify biomarkers to detect early drug-induced nephrotoxicity in rodents using cisplatin as an exemplar and to translate those changes to humans using quantitative modeling approaches.


is excised and referred for ex tempore histopathological analysis. Intra- operativeaxillarypalpationisthenperformed,andifpalpablysuspectedLN is identi fi ed, it is excised and also referredforex temporehistopathological analysis. Depending on the fi ndings, further procedures are planned. Axillary dissection was performed in all patients in whom at least one LN was positive, and it was not performed in the case of micrometastases and negative LNs. Results: A total of 836 SLN biopsies were performed during this period in patients with breast cancer. Procedure was performed in stage T1-3 and axillary status N0. Routine practice in our institution is marking SLN with methylene blue and intraoperative axillary palpation.According to out results SLN was succesfully identi fi ed in 784 patients (93,78%). Excision of palpatory identi fi ed but uncolored LNs was performed in 244 (29,2%) patients. SLN was not identi fi ed in 52 (6,22%) patients, but palpatory suspected LNs were excised in those cases. There was total of 224 (26,8%) patients with positive LNs and in 199 (88,8%) patients were identi fi ed colored LNs. Uncolored LNs were positive for metastases in 25 (11,7%) patients, while blue colored LNs were negative or they were not identi fi ed. Palpatory exploration in addition to SLNB with methylene blue reduces false negative rate by 11,7%. Conclusions: Current guidelines recommend the unequivocal use of double SLN mapping. Our results show that the use of vital blue dye with intraoperativeaxillary palpation is a reliable method for SLN identi fi cation, without using a radioactive isotope.


Abstract The contribution attempts an evaluation of Menger's theory of money by comparison of his Geld-article (1892/1909) with his statements in the context of the introduction of the gold standard in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1892. In the first place, this concerns the goal of constancy of the value of money, but also his theory of money under uncertainty, his attitude towards the banking system, and other issues. The contribution also discusses the fundamental political dimension of pursuance of monetary policy goals and the anti-interventionist orientation of the economic liberalism of the representatives of later generations of the Austrian School.


The limitations on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) imposed by the degeneracy of atomic levels are considered. The dependence of the EIT-induced polarization rotation of the weak probe field on the characteristics of the resonant transitions and that of the control field is studied. The conditions for the 90∘-rotation without absorption are discussed.


Abstract. The Internet of Things had become more usually those recent years, it helps the human to be connected to every devices, to The Internet of Things had become more usually those recent years, it helps the human to be connected to every devices, to communicate and to share information for each other, the IoT gives many benefits to HealthCare systems and applications, it help to diagnostic and to monitor patients more closely and easier, but as other domain based on technologies, the smart Health use IT programs and Wireless network to exchange and analyse data which may be stooling by attackers if it doesn't secured and controlled permanently, as a fact of this weakness, it's possible to injure or kill some patient without being detected, this article discussing the Smart Health system, its benefits and examples of its using, also, it gives a view about security issues that can touch to this domain and best practice to follow for securing, detecting and avoiding security risks.


Citation Youssef, Mostafa, and Bilge Yildiz. " Intrinsic point-defect equilibria in tetragonal ZrO[subscript 2]: Density functional theory analysis with finite-temperature effects. " Physical Review B 86.14 (2012). Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. We present a density functional theory (DFT) framework taking into account the finite temperature effects to quantitatively understand and predict charged defect equilibria in a metal oxide. Demonstration of this approach was performed on the technologically important tetragonal zirconium oxide, T-ZrO 2. We showed that phonon free energy and electronic entropy at finite temperatures add a nonnegligible contribution to the free energy of formation of the defects. Defect equilibria were conveniently cast in Kröger–Vink diagrams to facilitate realistic comparison with experiments. Consistent with experiments, our DFT-based results indicate the predominance of free electrons at low oxygen partial pressure (P O 2 10 −6 atm) and low temperature (T 1500 K). In the same regime of P O 2 but at higher temperatures, we discovered that the neutral oxygen vacancies (F-centers) predominate. The nature of the predominant defect at high oxygen partial pressure has been a long-standing controversy in the experimental literature. Our results revealed this range to be dominated by the doubly charged oxygen vacancies at low temperatures (T 1500 K) and free electrons at high temperatures. T-ZrO 2 was found to be hypostoichiometric over all ranges of T and P O 2 , mainly because of the doubly charged oxygen vacancies, which are responsible for inducing n-type conductivity via a self-doping effect. A range of 1.3 eV in the band gap of T-ZrO 2 starting from the middle of the gap toward the conduction band is accessible to the chemical potential of electrons (Fermi level) by varying T and P O 2 without extrinsic doping. The approach presented here can be used to determine the thermodynamic conditions that extremize certain desirable or undesirable defects to attain the optimal catalytic and electronic performance of oxides.


Dear Editor, Traditionally rice body formation (proteinaceous mass) was seen in tubercular arthritis or tenosynovitis.1 Appearance and size of these proteinaceous masses resemble grains of polished white rice thus the etymology of "rice body". These rice bodies are composed of corpuscles either made of fibrin or a collagenous nucleus surrounded by a thin fibrin layer on histopathological examination.2 However, apart from tuberculosis it can be seen in many other rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematous and spondyloarthritis.25 Although rare, rice body bursitis can be a presenting manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis.6 The pathogenesis of rice body formation is not very clear yet but some theories support chronic inflammation in the synovium leading to synovial shedding; other theories are chronic bursitis, microinfarction of the synovium leading to release of fibrinous tissue inside the synovial cavity and further alteration of viscosity and content of the same and finally joint encasement.710


Since twenty-first century, the third revolution of science and technology as the core of the internet information technology makes society become more and more "smart". Under the guidance of the strategy of "smart planet", the concept and practice of "smart countryside" emerged. Using of energy and information & communication technology access to rural society to build a new "Smart countryside" in the 3I situations (Instrumented, Interconnected, Intelligent), which helps rural and poor areas out of poverty with a new form of poverty alleviation under the background of the internet. The paper analyses the mechanism of "smart countryside" poverty alleviation from the four perspectives: sustainable development of energy, social capital and knowledge, bridging the digital divide and promoting the information rights. Then, the paper investigates and summarizes seven kinds of innovation model of "smart countryside" poverty alleviation. The conclusion shows that the innovation model is conducive to the "multi-level" ecological interaction of poverty alleviation, which is "government-led, social participation, industry development and the poor benefit". It also brings environment, economy, service, the humanities, and the people's livelihood performance for poverty alleviation. Finally, the paper puts forward policies supporting system for "smart countryside" poverty alleviation from the aspects of technology, space, capital and people.


Ability of sustainable learning and skills of medical students are important. We assessed the effectiveness of CDIO based medical education in Yangzhou University. Sixty medical students at Yangzhou University volunteered to be part of a feasibility study for demonstrating the concept of CDIO. All medical students of CDIO-based group found the CDIO program to be very satisfactory, and all expressed that they would like to have further CDIO-based experiences if given the opportunity. The students of CDIO-based program and traditional program have different average mark of 86 and 77 for the OSCE (p<0.05) at the last test. CDIO could be useful in medical education.


The control technique of a parallel operation system of voltage source inverters with other inverters or with utility source has been applied in many fields, especially in uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The multi-module UPS can flexibly implement expansion of power system capacities. Furthermore, it can be used to build up a parallel redundant system in order to improve the reliability of whole power system operation. This paper analyses voltage and current status of a voltage source inverter in parallel, as well as the principle of parallel redundant system. Several control strategies according to the load-sharing problem in parallel control systems are also presented, from which the research of distributed-logic-control to realize parallel operation of four 3 kVA UPSs based on TMS320F240, a kind of real time digital signal processor (DSP), is discussed and proposed in detail.


Guardbands are often used in production testing when instrumentation inaccuracies are present. Guardbands protect against the error of inadvertently certifying a defective product to be good. Unfortunately, guardbands also increase the amount of good products that are erroneously failed in testing. This paper analyzes the testing error trade-offs due to guardband placement for the case when a manufacturing process has a specific design objective (a target) to meet. The analysis shows how to quantify the effects of the errors due to guardband placement in terms of (1) the fraction of defective product shipped to a customer and (2) the fraction of good products failed and discarded. An example is presented that illustrates how to estimate the economic consequences of errors in testing.<<ETX>>


Objective To investigate the expressions of integrin linked kinase (ILK) and protein kinase B (PKB) in normal brain tissues and glioma tissues and analyze their clinical pathological significance.Methods The SP immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expressions of ILK and PKB in 8 cases of normal brain tissues and 51 cases of human glioma samples. Results ILK and PKB protein were negative expressed in normal brain tissues. In glioma samples of different grades,the expression levels of ILK and PKB increased significantly with the increase of tumor malignancy. There was significant difference in the positive expressions of ILK and PKB between high grade and low grade glioma tissues (P0.05). The expression of ILK was correlated positively with the expression level of PKB (r=0.95,P0.05).Conclusion The expressions of ILK and PKB are closely correlated with the clinical pathological grades,which may promote the oncogenesis and progression of human gliomas. The combined detection of ILK and PKB is helpful for the evaluation of tumor malignancy and prognosis.


Orexin A and B are multifunctional neuropeptides implicated in the regulation of food intake, energy metabolism, glucose regulation, and wakefulness. They signal through two G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), orexin receptor 1 and orexin receptor 2 (OX1R and OX2R). Many previous studies have shown that orexins interact with PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathways through OX1R-coupling in other cell types, but are seldom involved in hepatocytes. Present study analysis showed that OX1R mRNA and protein was expressed in rat hepatocytes and upregulated by exogenous orexin A, in a dose-dependent manner. RT-PCR analysis showed an orexin A-induced reduction in PEPCK and G6Pase mRNA levels, two key enzymes in hepatic gluconeogenesis. Western blot analysis was used to detect the effects of exogenous orexin A acting on Forkhead box O1 (Foxo1) phosphorylation in hepatocytes. OX1R antagonist, inhibitors of PI3K/AKT, adenylyl cyclase (AC), protein kinase C (PKC), protein kinase A (PKA), and extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) were used in present experiments to investigate the intracellular mechanisms of two important signaling pathways, PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK1/2. Orexin A increased AKT phosphorylation and blockage of OX1R or PI3K reduced AKT production. Additionally, this study observed that orexin A concentration-dependently upregulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, coupled with OX1R-induced AC/PKC, but not PKA signaling transduction in hepatocytes. Foxo1 phosphorylation was upregulated with orexin A stimulation through OX1R-induced PI3K/Akt signaling and became inactivated. Using an ERK1/2 inhibitor, it was found that ERK1/2 is also responsible for Foxo1 phosphorylation. Results revealed possible intracellular mechanisms of orexin A in regulating PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling cascades in hepatocytes, as well as its role in hepatic gluconeogenesis through deactivating two key enzymes, PEPCK and G6Pase.


An RP-HPLC method was founded,which could separate several cephalosporins under the same conditions simultaneously.Six drugs,ceftazidime,cephradine,cephalexin,cefotaxime,cefoperazone and cefazolin,were determined using ODS column,acetonitrile-HAC-NaAC buffer(pH=4.0) as mobile phase,and UV(λ_(max)=254?nm).These six drugs could be separated from each other in 15 minutes.The detect limits of these six drugs are all 0.20?μg·mL~(-1).The drug amounts in pharmaceutical formulations in human urine were determined by the proposed method.The results are satisfactory.The recovery rates of six drugs in human urine are all higher than 92.4%.It is proved that this method is simple,fast and sensitive.


Water-in-glass evacuated tube solar collectors are widely used in China for their low costs. The water-in-glass collector is characterized in its large heat capacity due to the large capacity of water filled in the inner tubes. This article studies the thermal performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube collectors for space heating and mainly focuses on the effects of water capacity. A dynamic model of the water-in-glass evacuated tube collector applied to space heating systems is developed and experiments are conducted. The simulated results by the dynamic model agree well with the experimental results, while the simulated results acquired by the zero-capacity model produce significant deviations. The amounts of heat collection at different water capacities are nearly the same; the heat output increases with the reduction of water capacity. The reduction of heat output during daytime is close to the heat loss during nights. A simplified equation is proposed to calculate the heat loss during nights and can be used to evaluate the effects of water capacities on reduction of the daily heat output under various circumstances directly.


In the previous study CV Cyg (Vetesnik and Perek 1966) it was concluded that the system probably showed no period variation. Now, 27 new times of minima have been added to the other 39 found in the literature. Analysing these data, we could obtain some evidence of possible period changes of this eclipsing system. The period of CV Cyg decreases: dP/dt=(−1.175±0.078)×10 −9 [day/cycle]. Referring to this behaviour the system should be in the status of rapid mass exchange


By the orthogonal test design,the effect which steel fiber,polypropylene fiber and fly ash had to the compressive strength and impermeability of concrete were researched at normal temperature and being heated to 150 ℃.The conclusion is got from the gradation analysis and variance analysis:the complicated type of reinforced fiber mixed into cloesn't increase all properties of fiber high performance concrete after being heated;the increasing effect of long steel fiber to impermeability of concrete after being heated is outstanding,short steel fiber is more suitable for partner of long steel fiber than polypropylene fiber;the incorporation of fly ash to the concrete which had request for being heated can't be large.


It is a pleasure for me to share the opening of this outstanding issue of Pancreatology . Let me welcome you to this year's Digestive Disease Week (DDW) where we expect to excite and update you with news of the latest concepts and methodologies in pancreatic diseases. I look back on how the layout of Pancreatology has been developed with the idea of offering the reader not only information, but also the experience of modern pleasurable reading. We have been following these lines at a time when Pancreatology has been growing at an unprecedented rate, not only concerning the number of manuscripts that we receive but, more importantly, the high quality of the information being submitted for publication. This, of course, represents a situation that could not please us more, offering you the chance to sit down, relax and enjoy reading a journal of 'excellence'. The major goal of our journal is that not only one article but the entire journal will be enjoyable and interesting for you. We wish you to open our pages and meet a 'Champion' in our field, to learn how the person thinks and obtain the 'jewels' of his or her distilled wisdom. We like you to surf the 'Pancreatology and the Web' article for the only commented and curated collection of web URLs published in any journal in our field. These links provide a portal to a world of information of the most novel and provocative issues in science, including 'Stem cells', 'Pharmacogenomics' and 'Bioinformatics'. From now on this information will be just a click away from you! For the curious or those in need of short 'card-like' information on an important phenomenon, reading 'Molecular Pathways' can teach you the cell and molecular biology of signaling and transcriptional regulation in minutes. What better perhaps than hanging these articles in front of your bench or desk for inspiration as you conduct your experiments. Do not forget to include them in your slides as backgrounds for your talks (please credit the publication!). Reviews, Minireviews, and Research Capsules (the shortest of our review formats) are from experts in the field and have received extensive peer reviewing, so that when they reach your hands they represent the most updated and useful expert opinions currently available on the topic covered. We then get to the original articles: Brief Reports, Regular Articles, Case Reports, and Clinical Images. What a collection of highly selected, extensively peer-reviewed information for your delight. Published online: April 23, 2008


Exchanging ballast water from ships might cause the interactive bio-invasion of different seawater, and break ecological balance. Therefore, we described a ship ballast water system which generates hydroxyl radical from strong electric field ionization discharge. The discharge at atmospheric pressure could ionize O2 in air and gaseous H2O to form a large amount of oxygen active particles, which were injected into a tube of the ballast water treatment system to generate a high concentration of ?OH solution through the cavitation effect. The ?OH solution could kill harmful micro-organisms in ballast water quickly and efficiently. Test results showed that, after being treated by the system at a flow speed of 10 t/h, the single-cell algae and bacteria in ballast water were almost completely eliminated, and the micro-organisms did not reactivate at 48 h and 120 h. In the treated ballast water, the concentration of malondialdehyde(MDA) obviously increased while BOD and COD decreased significantly. According to the MDA test, ?OH probably kills algae and bacteria though preoxidating their cytolipin. The treatment can effectively lower the pollution from the ballast water.The results indicate that solution of high ?OH concentration significantly improves the quality of ballast water, hence it relieves the environmental threats of the ballast water discharge on local marine system.


One of the founding principles of the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers—BASRaT—was to improve the health of patients and the public with a clear focus on exercise for health and exercise rehabilitation. That goal has never been more important than it is today and it provided the inspiration for our cover image (figure 1). In the midst of a pandemic, attention will be inevitably and increasingly focused on the health of our respective nations and bring into sharp relief the challenges we face as an international community of medical and healthcare professionals. An effective response to these challenges will involve us all working together to improve our knowledge and to identify the best way to translate that into real improvements in public health.

Figure 1
The British Association for Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers has a clear focus on exercise for health and rehabilitation.

Across the UK, organisations and professional bodies representing numerous healthcare professions have already started working more collaboratively, with the goals of the individual profession being subservient to finding ways to optimise rehabilitation and the prevention of ill health. Both the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) (http://arma.uk.net) and the Community Rehabilitation Alliance are just two examples of this in the UK. These alliances cut across professional boundaries, integrate healthcare systems and support the rights of patients …


Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess agreement of potassium test results between the point-of-care-testing (POCT) blood gas analyzer and central laboratory (CL) biochemistry analysis associated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) cases. Methods: This was a prospective, comparative study of 108- paired results conducted between January 2009 and December 2010. Blood specimens were collected within 5 minutes of arrival to the emergency department from the femoral artery of cardiac arrest patients, and specimens were used for both arterial blood gas and routine laboratory analysis. Arterial blood gas analysis samples were immediately analyzed using a POCT blood gas machine [GEM Premier 3000 analyzer (Instrumentation Laboratory, Lexington, MA)]. Potassium levels obtained from the POCT arterial blood gas analyzer and subsequent CL biochemistry analysis were then compared. Results: Mean values of potassium measured were 5.17± 1.72 mmol/l using POCT and 5.37±1.79 mmol/l using CL. The mean difference±SD between simultaneous POCT and CL measurements was 0.19±0.66 mmol/l, with 95% limits of agreement of -1.48 to 1.10 mmol/l. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of POCT in diagnosing life threatening hyperkalaemia (> 6.5 mmol/l) were 85%, 97%, 85%, and 97%, respectively. Conclusion: The mean difference between the results obtained from the POCT blood gas analyzer and CL analysis were small. POCT is a thus a useful method for rapidly detecting life-threatening hyperkalaemia during CPR. However, due to wide limits of agreements, caution in interpretation of POCT results is necessary.


In this review article, Kaivon Sobhani, B.S., and, Eve Lowenstein, M.D., Ph.D., examine fibrotic skin lesions, including the cutaneous tumor dermatofibrosarcoma protuberan (DFSP).


In cinema, the beach often becomes something beyond the kind of luscious but perfunctory site suggested in classical painting and in the complexities of eighteenth-century therapeutic discourse. It is a setting for notable drama, emphatic, romantic or apotheotic. Screened beach scenes go beyond nature by showing the sands as a heightener of dramatic effect. The beach often sets the display of a particular body, powerful and young but also, like the sand, part of the cycle of history. The young body on the beach is the object of distanct adoration in Death in Venice (1971), a metaphor for commercialization in Jaws (1975), a sign of the immortality of romance in Pauline à la plage (1983), and an outgrowth of ego confronting its reality in The Beach (2000).


Ten financial institutions are offering finance leasing-loans in Albania. Even though finance leasing is a potential financing resource for small and medium enterprises in Albania (which are on average 95% of national enterprises), the value of finance leasing is one thousand times smaller than other forms of medium and long-term loans or real estate loans. Developing of finance leasing is a challenge for the progress of the financial sector, and untapped potential as well. Currently, the finance leasing portfolio is dominated by financing for personal vehicles and work-vehicles, therefore diversification of leasing products is an immediate need of consumers. This study analyzes the value of finance leasing in Albania with time series from 2008 to 2020 (with quarterly frequency). The methodology applied for data processing is the co-integration method of finance leasing and other forms of medium-term and long-term financing. Also, the ARMA method is used to forecast the value of finance leasing. We found out that there is no long-run relationship between finance leasing with medium and long-term loans. Therefore, econometric tests suggest optimal forecasting ARMA (1,1) modeling. The parameters of ARMA model are positive statistically significant with autocorrelation AR (1) and negative statistically significant with the moving average MA (1), and forecasting values have a short-run equilibrium with a wide interval.


Organic vapor emissions from storage tanks are increasingly subject to control and regulation from both national and local laws. Title 1 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require local authorities to control emissions of VOCs. Additional regulations have been imposed at the national level on hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Membrane separation, commercialized within the last decade for hydrogen recovery and nitrogen generation applications, is now emerging as an attractive method for control of VOC emissions from a variety of sources, including storage tank emissions. MTR`s vapor recovery process combines both membrane separation and condensation, making it suitable for a broad range of applications. Membranes work like filters -- except here the larger vapor molecule goes through the membrane, while the smaller air molecules are retained. The membrane process has many advantages over other control techniques: the vapor is recovered as a liquid rather than destroyed; it is a continuous process not requiring regeneration; high removal efficiencies can be achieved (90--99.99%); variations in feed conditions (air flow, VOC concentration or species) are easily accommodated; and no secondary wastes are produced. The presentation includes a more detailed description of the membrane separation process, and describes several applications of MTR`s VaporSepmore » technology for controlling vapor emissions. The first application is the control of gasoline vapors at service stations. Another application is recovery of various VOCs from storage tank emissions at a solvent recovery facility. The final application if a membrane system to control cyclohexane emissions from a storage tank. This system can operate in two separate modes: a low-flow mode to control emissions due to tank breathing, and a high-flow mode to control emissions from cleaning operations.« less


We propose approximate solutions for pricing zero-coupon defaultable bonds, credit default swap rates, and bond options based on the averaging principle of stochastic differential equations. We consider the intensity-based defaultable bond, where the volatility of the default intensity is driven by multiple time scales. Small corrections are computed using regular and singular perturbations to the intensity of default. The effectiveness of these corrections is tested on the bond price and yield curve by investigating the behavior of the time scales with respect to the relevant parameters.


Abstract: The current exploration is to epitomize the technical work in the form of design which illustrates how mortal driving can be made safer to avoid accidents and make the roads safer to drive for the drivers & also the pedestrians. The work is developed by integrating sensors predicated on alcohol content discovery conglomerating with Microcontroller board like Arduino, ATmega328 is more versatile in handling farther functions than any other conventional microcontroller. The MQ3 module is used to find the alcohol as well as smoke speck. It has reasonable perceptivity range around two measures. It is also suitable for any kind of vehicle. The sensor has one farther unique quality that it can simply be unseen from the defendants. It's too compact to fit complete set up in the form of product in machine.


Combinatorial optimisation (Wolsey and Nemhauser [22]) is applied to a wide vari-ety of real-world problems like job scheduling, capacity planning and supply-chain management. These problems are usually modelled as Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) Problems and solved using the Branch and Bound (B&B) (Land and Doig [12]) paradigm. Branch and Bound method partitions the solution space (branching) by creating constrained sub-problems (bounding) and explores those subsets of the solution space which are highly likely to produce optimal solutions. The efficiency of the Branch and Bound method in finding optimal solutions is heavily influenced by the variable and node selection heuristics used for branching (Linderoth and Savelsbergh [13]). In this paper, we propose a novel deep reinforcement learning based variable selection strategy. The proposed solution shows significant improvement over traditional branching strategies like Strong Branching (SB) (Applegate et al. [3]), which have been traditionally used for variable selection and also outperforms the current state of the art RL-based branching strategies which use PPO (Schulman et al. [20]) and DQN (Hessel et al. [11]). The results of our experiments show that the proposed solution performs consistently better than the traditional and RL-based strategies across two different NP-hard problems.


Consumers are upgrading their devices more often due to continuous advances in hardware. Old devices need to be sanitized (i.e., personal data removed with low recovery probability) before selling, donating, throwing away, or recycling the device ("disposal"), but previous works have shown that users frequently fail to do that. We aim to understand the sources of misconceptions that result in risks to personal data. Through a survey (n=131), we measure where the old devices end up and how they are sanitized. Our survey shows that while most users dispose of their devices, a large proportion of participants (73%) kept at least one old device, often due to data leakage concerns. Among disposed-of devices, 25% of participants reported using methods to erase their data that are insecure. To further explore the processes that were undertaken to sanitize devices and sources of misconception, we invite a subset of respondents (n=35) for interviews. Our interviews uncover the reasons for poor device sanitizing practices—misleading data deletion interfaces and prompts, lack of knowledge, and complex and slow disk wiping procedures. We provide suggestions for device manufacturers and retailers on how to improve privacy, trust, and convenience when sanitizing old devices.


Companies repurchase their shares for several reasons, on average leading to a positive share price effect. This research investigates the potential opportunistic timing of open-market share repurchases around at-the-money stock option grants to company executives. The relation between stock option grants and share repurchase activity is tested using ordinary least squares and logistic regression models after successfully establishing a matched panel dataset. The results show that companies significantly increase their share repurchase activity around stock option grants, supporting the anti-dilution and stock option funding theory. The CEO, CFO and CIO effectively time company share repurchases opportunistically for their private benefits by postponing the significant increase in share repurchases until after receiving at-the-money stock options. This prevents the price increasing effect to inflate the exercise price of their at-the-money granted stock options. Executives other than the CEO, CFO and CIO seem to be unable to time share repurchases opportunistically, as the share repurchase activity is significantly increased both before and after receiving at-the-money stock options. This paper reveals a new form of agency problem. The opportunistic timing is expected to be costly for shareholders and therefore additional restrictions are needed.


Network virtualization technology is envisioned as the new paradigm for modern Internet by virtue of its flexible management and allocation of physical resources, as well as fast provisioning of customized network services. Virtual network embedding (VNE), one of the main issues faced by network virtualization, has attracted interests of numerous researches due to its importance and proven NP-hardness. However, existing works addressing this issue have limitations such as inadequate generality, heavily relying on hand-craft features, inefficient to the changeable action space of the VNE problem, etc. Towards this end, we propose a VNE scheme in this paper with a new environment interpretation mechanism and a duel network based decision making architecture, which has the automatically feature extraction ability for both physical and virtual networks, and the capability of adapting to the VNE environment with changeable action space. Comparison results with existing works demonstrate the superiority of our proposal, which can bring higher acceptance ratio and larger average revenue on both synthetic and real physical networks.


This paper describes the various interfaces of the European Community Transport Policy with Automatic Debiting Systems (ADS). Areas of discussion include using ADS as a tool for fairer road use charging ADS as a new means of financing the road network, and ADS as a tool for optimizing traffic demand and mobility on congested road arteries.


Recently, independent research groups have dev eloped camera based techniques to evaluate local silicon solar cells parameters. Among these t echniques, Dark Lock-In Thermography DLIT is, conventionally, used to evaluate shunts an d minority carrier lifetime, but, since few years DLIT is becoming a versatile technique capabl e to do full solar cell characterisation. Here, we apply a DLIT based method to evaluate s olar cell local dark parameters. The method is completed by external evaluation of local series resistance from two electroluminescence images taken under different conditions.


We established a new model of hearing disturbance caused by photochemically induced thrombosis in the rat anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA). Under pentobarbital anesthesia, the left tympanic bulla and the ipsilateral AICA were ventrally approched. Rose bengal (20 mg/kg) solution was injected intravenously under selective irradiation on the AICA with the focused green light while measuring both compound action potentials (CAP) with the electrocochleogram and cochlear blood flow with laser Doppler flowmetry. The time required to completely occlude the AICA was significantly prolonged by the aspirin pretreatment. And the t-PA successfully reopened the thrombotic occlusion of the AICA followed by complete recovery of the lost CAP. We concluded that this model was potentially useful for the research on the pathophysiology and the pharmacological therapeutics of the sensorineural hearing disorders due to thrombotic ischemia of the inner ear. Key words; animal model, AICA, thrombosis, hearing disturbance


Further correction for 'Nanoparticles of Cu2ZnSnS4 as performance enhancing additives for organic field-effect transistors' by Punarja Kevin et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, 4, 5109–5115.


Despite the wealth of research which has been gathered, studied and documented with regard to a range of workplace industrial relations issues it is believed that a comprehensive analysis of the employment relationship has not been conducted for the period 1979 to 1997. Therefore, the thesis aims to add to the body of knowledge by providing an analysis of the changes which occurred within organisations and how these brought about a transformation of the employment relationship in the U.K. It explores two seemingly contrasting viewpoints which debate the extent to which change has occurred in the workplace between 1979 and 1997. The study has asserted that these two theories cannot be directly compared with each other as they are drawn from very different sets of data i.e. the argument which states that radical change occurred in the management of labour was founded on data gathered nationally whereas the opposing stance was based on information drawn from individual workplaces.The study is, on the whole founded on data gathered from five large multi-site organisations. This is justified as large organisations still employ a majority of the workforce and thus offer an opportunity to examine the impact of the various changes to workplace management at both individual site level as well as national level enabling a comparison to be made of the two opposing viewpoints outlined above.A pragmatic-critical realist approach which used a case study methodology was adopted throughout the thesis. This enabled the data to be inductively accessed from various sources. It is argued that the methods used complemented each other thus providing a solid framework within which to undertake the study. It should be noted that the research tended to be drawn from qualitative methods which concentrated on interaction between external and internal variables in order to enable an analysis of the data.The thesis concludes that although change occurred in the working relationship it was not driven by any single factor between 1979 and 1997. It is influenced by a number of factors such as the level of competition, the nature of the business, the geographical location of each site, leadership style, industrial relations legislation and theemployment relationship. It further highlights that unless insecurities and fears of the workforce are addressed by British corporate management employees will be drawn back towards traditional patterns of behaviour thus 'forcing' management to reexamine their styles and practices yet again.


Through studying the cultural implications,the development of images of the fox and cultural sources bringing about the novels of the human-fox love,this essay intends to expound the cultural psychologies of the times and the writers.


The invention relates to a high-performance angiogenesis inhibitor and a production method, which belongs to the field of the biological engineering pharmaceutical technology or protein polypeptide drugs. The invention designs a high-performance angiogenesis inhibitor RGD-ED with integrin compatibility, the inhibitor contains angiogenesis inhibition polypeptide isoleucine-valine-arginine-arginine-alanine-aspartate-arginine-alanine-alanine-valine-proline, and one or two ends of the inhibitor are respectively connected with polypeptides containing arginine-glycin-aspartate sequence. The RGD-ED of the invention can be synthesized. By the method of genetic engineering, the invention also expresses one of RGD-Eds in escherichia coli or other eukaryotic cells, and the RGD-ED is obtained by carrying out the separation, dissolution and renaturation of inclusion body protein and separation and purification by ion exchange chromatography. All the polypeptide sequences of the invention are modified by Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), heparin, dextran, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyglycol-poly (amino acid) copolymer, palmitic acid, colominic acid and liposome, which includes liposome (REV), drying liposomal (DRV) and multivesicular liposome (Mvl). In vivo and in vitro experiments, the synthetic polypeptide sequence, product of genetic engineering and modified product of the invention can notably increase the effects of inhibiting the growth of endothelial cells, inhibiting angiogenesis and resisting tumor of the present angiogenesis inhibitors, and moreover, the high-performance angiogenesis inhibitor can be used as a drug curing solid tumors and rheumatoid arthritis.


AbstractThe valence electron densities of bulk and microdefects in binary FeAl, and FeAl doping with B,Zr or Si have been calculated by using the positron lifetime parameters of the alloys. The density of valence electron is low in the bulk of FeAl alloy. It indicates that, in Fe atom the 3d electrons have well localized properties and tend to form covalent bonds with Al atoms, thus the bonding nature in FeAl is a mixture of metallic and covalent. The large open volume defects occur in grain boundaries in FeAl and the cohesion of the grain boundaries is weak due to the low density of valence electron there. When a small amount of B atoms is added into FeAl alloy, some of B atoms segregate to the grain boundaries and increase the valence electron density; this will strengthen the bonding cohesion in the grain boundaries. The other B atoms are dissolved interstitially into the bulk, they interact with Fe and Al, increase the density of valence electrons and thus the bonding cohesion in the bulk. The addition of Zr into FeAl results in the increase of the density of valence electrons in the bulk and grain boundary. Whereas, if FeAl is alloyed with Si, the density of valence electrons in the grain boundary will decrease. B and Zr are found to be beneficial elements for improving the brittleness of FeAl alloy, while Si exhibits an opposite effect.


The Second Emotion Recognition In The Wild Challenge (EmotiW) 2014 consists of an audio-video based emotion classification challenge, which mimics the real-world conditions. Traditionally, emotion recognition has been performed on data captured in constrained lab-controlled like environment. While this data was a good starting point, such lab controlled data poorly represents the environment and conditions faced in real-world situations. With the exponential increase in the number of video clips being uploaded online, it is worthwhile to explore the performance of emotion recognition methods that work `in the wild'. The goal of this Grand Challenge is to carry forward the common platform defined during EmotiW 2013, for evaluation of emotion recognition methods in real-world conditions. The database in the 2014 challenge is the Acted Facial Expression In Wild (AFEW) 4.0, which has been collected from movies showing close-to-real-world conditions. The paper describes the data partitions, the baseline method and the experimental protocol.


Mark Crosby has had two highly productive meetings with Gale Rossides, Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in the four months that he has chaired the American Association of Airport Executives' (AAAE's) Transportation Security Services Committee. As a result of those meetings, and other activities, Crosby identifies five key issues that he believes TSA, airlines, and airports need to focus on: passenger screening system improvements, cargo screening, employee screening, biometrics credentialing and biometric access control systems, and policy review.


Cryptococcal meningitis is an opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed hosts with high morbidity and mortality. Once suffering from cryptococcal meningitis, immunocompetent patients are more likely to achieve poor outcome, because of the powerful immune response. Here we present a case of cryptococcal meningitis occurring in an immunocompetent host with no definite underlying diseases and no history of taking immunosuppressive agents. We highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and optimal treatment of the cryptococcal infection in immunocompetent patients.


|Diierentiable families of r-martingales on manifolds are investigated: their innnitesimal variation provides a notion of stochastic Jacobi elds. Such objects are known 2] to be martingales taking values in the tangent bundle when the latter is equipped with the complete lift of the connection r. We discuss various characterizations of TM-valued martingales. When applied to speciic families of r-martingales which appear in connection with the heat ow for maps between Riemannian manifolds, our results allow to establish formulas giving a stochastic representation for the diieren-tial of solutions to the nonlinear heat equation. As an application, we prove local and global gradient estimates for harmonic maps of bounded dilatation.


Wit is a form of rich interaction that is often grounded in a specific situation (e.g., a comment in response to an event). In this work, we attempt to build computational models that can produce witty descriptions for a given image. Inspired by a cognitive account of humor appreciation, we employ linguistic wordplay, specifically puns, in image descriptions. We develop two approaches which involve retrieving witty descriptions for a given image from a large corpus of sentences, or generating them via an encoder-decoder neural network architecture. We compare our approach against meaningful baseline approaches via human studies and show substantial improvements. Moreover, in a Turing test style evaluation, people find the image descriptions generated by our model to be slightly wittier than human-written witty descriptions when the human is subject to similar constraints as the model regarding word usage and style.


The paper proposes a nonlinear cepstral equalization method for speech recognition. The method is based on AR modeling of clean speech power spectrum and the adding noise power to the speech. A noise ratio is introduced to provide a mechanism for adapting the reference template. An iterative algorithm is proposed to find a near optimal adaptation of reference cepstral parameters. Experiments showed that the proposed method is superior to the projection approach under severe noisy environment.<<ETX>>


Since the introduction in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) of a recommendation with regards to the development in an intercultural competence, this idea is slowly gaining ground. The initial vague realization of its importance gave way to the genuine practice of an intercultural pedagogy. Of course, the Strasbourg commission who set up the Common European Framework didn't invent the concept of interculturality from scratch, as the notion had already been circulating for a while, notably in the field of communication. Our paper sets out to problematize the importance of interculturality for both practical and theoretical aspects of translation. We will highlight the role of J.P. Ladmiral in the emergence of the notion as a key concept in contemporary translation studies. But, with the recognition of the role played by interculturality, comes the risk of transforming it into a new intellectual fad, with its clichés and mental laziness that impede understanding of the real challenges the notion poses. This is why we consider that it's important to be more rigorous in its use and try to situate it in relation to rival concepts, within each particular field of studies. With respect to the field of translation, we will evaluate whether it is appropriate to speak of an actual intercultural turn, or merely of a shift in what scholars call the cultural turn.


A Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) approach is proposed to model the impact of finite ground planes on the radiation from antennas. Taking outset in a priori known antenna characteristics a scattering problem is formed in which the antenna is modelled by an incident field and the ground plane as a scatterer. Two different antenna test cases are shown and the calculated results agree well with reference measurements.


Based on the systematic review of the development and characteristics of highway transport in Shaanxi Province,this paper analyzes the status quo,existing problems and demand of highway transport in the new situation of Shaanxi Province.And then,from the point of the realization of highway network structural optimization,a multi-objective programming model is established based on the analysis of highway traffic capacity,transport efficiency and hierarchical structure,and the future structure of the highway network in Shaanxi Province is also estimated.Finally,the paper puts forward some optimization strategies and construction priorities to achieve the Shaanxi′s sustainable and healthy development of highways in the future.


Different morphological and morphometric traits were studied in the indigenous ducks of Northeastern India under field condition namely Pati and Nageswari ducks of Assam, Tripura local ducks of Tripura and Manipur local ducks of Manipur. The recorded body weights (kilogram) at 20 weeks age were 1.040 and 0.990; 1.233 and 1.210; 1.020 and 0.980 and 1.757 and 1.689 in male and female Pati, Nageswari, Tripura Local and Manipur local ducks respectively. The mean length (centimeter) for shank, girth, keel and bill were recorded as 5.675, 31.022, 11.03 and 5.444 in Pati, 6.401, 31.124, 16.132 and 5.89 in Nageswari, 5.640, 30.971, 10.97 and 5.230 in Tripura local and 6.141, 34.000, 12.312 and 6.000 in Manipur local respectively. The average of different egg quality traits namely egg weight, shape index, air cell height, shell thickness, albumen index, yolk index, haugh unit score, yolk colour and yolk weight were observed. The average of egg weight (gram) were 58.03, 61.04, 57.84 and 66.33 for Pati, Nageswari, Tripura local and Manipur local ducks respectively.


The geometric phase and topological property for one-dimensional hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystals consisting of a simple lattice of graphene sheets are investigated systematically. For transverse magnetic waves, both plasmonic and photonic modes exist in the momentum space. The accidental degeneracy point of these two kinds of modes is identified to be a diabolic point accompanied with a topological phase transition. For a closed loop around this degeneracy point, the Berry phase is π as a consequence of the discontinuous jump of the geometric Zak phase. The wave impedance is calculated analytically for the semi-infinite system, and the corresponding topological interface states either start from or terminate at the degeneracy point. This type of localized interface state may find potential applications in manipulation of photon emission of quantum dots, optical sensing and enhancement of nonlinear effects, etc.


An application benchmark based on a set of clustering algorithms is described in this paper. The details of algorithms (K-means online, K-means batch, SOM-1 dimension, SOM-2 dimension, hierarchical K-means online and hierarchical SOM-1 dimension) are given. The code provided complies with ANSI C specifications, as a result is highly portable. The benchmark has been tested on various platforms using different compilers


The article analyzes the existing methods for the definition of psychoemotional disorders and presents information technology for the definition of psychoemotional disorders in women with various family interaction conditions that contributes to the establishment of a clear structure in the development of the information system and provides a detailed mapping of the process of determining psychoemotional disorders by designing IDEF0 diagrams. The results reflect a structured description of the psychodiagnostic process, which allows to determine psychoemotional disorders and to more clearly represent the psychological interaction of persons participating in the study. The presented technology allows to reduce the time for collection and processing of a large amount of information about the psychoemotional state of a woman and to identify the main risk factors for the development of emotional disorders. This information technology can be used by psychologists and physicians-psychotherapists.


The present invention related to methods and systems for simultaneously sensing two or more environmental parameters of a sample. Included is an inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) resonator sensor and a pick up coil in operative association with the LCR resonator sensor wherein viscoelastic changes in the sensing film cause displacement of the antenna relative to the pick up coil.


The exact statistical mechanics of the one‐dimensional classical hard‐rod mixtures in an external field is reformulated. For any number of components and arbitrary size distribution, the problem is reduced to solving only two auxiliary functions. The component density profiles, thermodynamic properties, and correlation functions are all explicit functionals of these two functions. Application is made to study the size selectivity of a hard‐rod mixture, with a uniform size distribution, confined between hard walls. Approximate theories for inhomogeneous three‐dimensional fluid mixtures, based on simple generalizations of the exact results in one dimension, are discussed.


Development of improved methods for the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles are of high priority for the advancement of material science and technology. Herein, the biosynthesis of ZnO using hydrahelix of beta vulgaris and the seed of abrus precatorius as an aqueaus extracts adduced respectivily as stablizer and reductant reagent. The support are characterized by spectroscopic methods (Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-vis)). The FTIR confirmed the presence of ZnO band. The Uv-visible showed absorption peak at corresponds to the ZnO nanostructures. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scaning electron microscopy (SEM), dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques are taken to investigation the size, structure and composition of synthesised ZnO nanocrystals. The XRD pattern matching that of (JCPDS-36-1451) card for ZnO confirmed the presence of pure ZnO NPs. SEM analysis displayed the shape of NPs to be hexagonal. The EDX revealed the composition of ZnO and a good peaks intensity are due to zinc and oxygen which indicated the formation of ZnO. The aqueous extract of beta vulgaris and the seed of abrus precatorius mediated ZnO showed various antimicrobial activity against (G-) negative of Escherichia Coli and (G+) positive Staphylococcus aureus. The antifungal activity was also tested against Candida albicans fungi with all of these clinical pathogens compared to the standard drug, suggesting that the plant based synthesis of NPs can be an excellent strategy to develop versatite and ecofriendly biomedical product.


In this paper, we review the main opportunities brought by 3D-monolithic integration for CMOS device and digital circuit. Simulation results show that 3D monolithic integration can provide up to 30% power reduction at iso-performance and 30% manufacturing cost saving for digital circuits, compared to planar technology, making it an attractive alternative to the straightforward technology scaling. We benchmark the transistor-level and cell-level 3D-monolithic integrations, where the inter-tier vias (3D-contacts) are used intra-cell or inter-cell, respectively. On the one hand, transistor-level 3D-integration can be seen as a full-custom approach, both in terms of technology and circuit design. It promises more performance but at the expense of strong Design/Technology Co-Optimizations. On the other hand, the cell-level 3D-integration ensures a 50% area reduction and a re-use of the technology/design platform. The main technology challenge relative to this integration is the thermal budget constraint of the top-level process integration and the intermediate Back-End-Of-Line (iBEOL) stability. Finally, the total isolation of the top-level transistors integrated in 3D-monolithic raises new opportunities and offers new functionalities like for example an efficient dynamic back-biasing capability.


We report first results from our effort to couple a high resolution photoemission electron microscope (PEEM) to the OK-4 ultraviolet free electron laser at Duke University (OK-4/Duke UV FEL). The OK-4/Duke UV FEL is a high intensity source of tunable monochromatic photons in the 3–10 eV energy range. This tunability is unique and allows us to operate near the photoemission threshold of any samples and thus maximize sample contrast while keeping chromatic berrations in the PEEM minimal. We have recorded first images from a variety of samples using spontaneous radiation from the OK-4/ Duke UV FEL in the photon energy range of 4.0–6.5 eV. Due to different photothreshold emission from different sample areas, emission from these areas could be turned on (or off) selectively. We have also observed relative intensity reversal with changes in photon energy which are interpreted as density-of-state contrast. Usable image quality has been achieved, even though the output power of the FEL in spontaneous emission mode was several orders of magnitude lower than the anticipated full laser power. The PEEM has achieved a spatial resolution of 12 nm.


By tracing the distribution of cool dust in the extended envelopes of post-asymptotic giant branch stars and (proto)-planetary nebulae ((P)PNe), we aim to recover, or constrain, the mass-loss history experienced by these stars in their recent past. The Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) instrument on board the AKARI satellite was used to obtain far-infrared maps for a selected sample of post-AGB stars and (P)PNe. We derived flux densities (aperture photometry) for 13 post-AGB stars and (P)PNe at four far-infrared wavelengths (65, 90, 140, and 160 μm). Radial (azimuthally averaged) profiles are used to investigate the presence of extended emission from cool dust. No (detached) extended emission is detected for any target in our sample at levels significant with respect to background and cirrus emission. Only IRAS 21046+4739 reveals tentative excess emission between 30″ and 130″. Estimates of the total dust and gas mass from the obtained maps indicate that the envelope masses of these stars should be large in order to be detected with the AKARI FIS. Imaging with higher sensitivity and higher spatial resolution is needed to detect and resolve, if present, any cool compact or extended emission associated with these evolved stars.


In this article, a new two-dimensional (2-D) analytical model of the single-gate (SG) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) is proposed. The parabolic approximation technique is used to solve the 2-D Poisson equation with suitable boundary conditions. Analytical expressions for surface potential and electric field are derived. The validity of the proposed model is tested for device scaled to 18-nm length and the analytical results are compared with Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulations.


The genus Pirata Sundevall consists of rather small, active wolf spiders that frequent the vegetation of bogs, swamps, margins of ponds and streams, and, more rarely, salt marshes. In a recent revision, Wallace and Exline (1978) divided the North American species of Pirata into groups based on genitalia, body size, leg setation, and color pattern on the carapace. Their insularis group contained two species, namely, P. insularis Emerton, which ranges from the western part of the Northwest Territories to New Brunswick and southward to Arizona and Florida, and P. cantralli Wallace and Exline, which was known only from Michigan and Ontario. Subsequent collections of cantralli indicate that it ranges as widely in Canada as insularis, though southward only to Michigan. Wallace and Exline (1978) noted the presence of a prominent, basally-directed tooth on the median apophysis of the male palpus of both P. insularis and P. cantralli. This tooth is absent in representatives of other North American groups of Pirata, but is present in males of certain Palaearctic species of the genus such as P. piccolo Dahl (Holm, 1947, Fig. 9; Fuhn and Niculescu-Burlacu, 1971, Fig. 103c), P. japonicus Tanaka (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 14), P. procurvus (Btisenberg and Strand) (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 31; Song et al., 1978, Fig. 9D), and P. praedatoria Schenkel (Song et al., 1978, Fig. 8E). This suggests that the insularis group is a widespread component of the world genus Pirata. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new species of Pirata, the male of which also has a dorsal tooth on the median apophysis and which we therefore assign to the insularis group.


The articles in this special section focus on the development and applications supported by fifth generation (5G) next generation networking. During the summer and autumn of 2014, the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) was involved in a wide range of activities related mostly to progressing the global discussion on the development of fifth-generation(5G) concepts. Most significantly, on 22–23 September, WWRF, in conjunction with techUK hosted "The 5G Huddle—Towards a Global 5G Vision," involving two days of interactive discussion aimed at bringing together senior industry and government leaders from North America, Europe, and Asia. The meeting certainly brought out the vision of the future, where the Internet of Things (IoT) and people integrate with new services ranging from medical applications to smart energy, smart buildings, robots, autonomous driving vehicles, and drones, and much agreement emerged from discussions among leading experts from government,industry, and academia from Europe, North America, and Asia. The key issues that emerged around the development of 5G technology were the IoT, spectrum management, data security, privacy, regulation, and competition as well as new business operating models. This future technology will be realized by the integration of technologies and applications on a range of infrastructures from fiber optics to wireless and satellites.


This chapter traces the availability and use of empirically based evidence relating to judicial review in England and Wales. It considers how such evidence has been used by reformers of judicial review and those concerned to evaluate the effectiveness of reforms. Attitudes to empirical and statistical data have changed significantly since the early 20th century and the chapter traces this change in the context of judicial review. It is structured around the following phases: from the 1930s to the early 1960s which was typified by the absence of empirically based evidence and scepticism amongst legal academics regarding the value of such evidence; from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s during which the value of empirical evidence on judicial review emerged; the 1980s to the mid-2000s which saw a significant growth in the available empirical evidence; and finally, the period from the mid-2000s during which empirical and statistical evidence took centre stage when governments used statistically based justifications for limiting access to judicial review.


In this paper a novel method for making serial number based authentication protocols resilient against database failure is described. The method is applicable to the situation where a single server wishes to authenticate itself to a number of clients, but cannot reliably maintain a sequence number database. The solution has recently been included in a draft international standard for third generation mobile telecommunications, [1].


The article applies a psychological methodology to the research of verbs with broad meaning. In the course of the psychological analysis certain differences and similarities in the verbal associative nets of native and non-native speakers of English are revealed.


College students cheating in examinations is becoming common.Every college and university takes actions to deal with the problem,but the results are not good at all.Cheating in examinations violates the principle of justice,ruins the general mood and discipline of the examinations,and corrupt the learning values as well.This article analyses the characteristics and reasons of college students cheating in examinations,and puts forward some counter-measures to deal with it.


. Product bundling is a common selling mechanism used in online retailing. To set profitable bundle prices, the seller needs to learn consumer preferences from the transaction data. When customers purchase bundles or multiple products, classical methods such as discrete choice models cannot be used to estimate customers' valuations. In this paper, we propose an approach to learn the distribution of consumers' valuations toward the products using bundle sales data. The approach reduces it to an estimation problem where the samples are censored by polyhedral regions. Using the EM algorithm and Monte Carlo simulation, our approach can recover the distribution of consumers' valuations. The framework allows for unobserved no-purchases and clustered market segments. We provide theoretical results on the identifiability of the probability model and the convergence of the EM algorithm. The performance of the approach is also demonstrated numerically.


CONTENTS I. Introduction 99 II. Complexes of aluminium hydride AlH3·nL 99 III. Alkali metal tetrahydroaluminates MAlH4 and their complexes MAlH4·nL 101 IV. Structure of the complexes AlH3·nL and MAlH4·nL 104 V. Electrochemistry of systems containing aluminium hydride 109


Basic principles of the theory of mechanical energy functioning in technological machines are suggested. Equations of force and speed factors are composed on the base of analytical mechanics. Calculated formulas of active and reactive powers for gears with elastic and inertia elements are deduced.


Steady-state Superconducting Tokamak (SST-1) is being designed for 1000 seconds of continuous operation with total input power up to 1.0 MW. The tokamak will have a D-shaped plasma with double null divertor. Each toroidal module of inboard as well as outboard divertor will have graphite tiles mechanically mounted on a metallic backplate made of high strength copper alloy. The poloidal crosssection of divertor plates has been designed such that the average heat flux on graphite tiles is less than 0.6 MWm2 which is nearly the limit on incident heat flux for mechanically attached graphite tiles for plasma facing components in tokamaks. As a first step towards development of plasma facing components, preliminary experiments are conducted with a test mockup to develop the mechanical mounting scheme for attachment of graphite tiles on actively cooled copper backplate. This paper describe the results of these experiments.


The literature on the relationship of the gonads to the level of calcium in the blood has recently been reviewed by Zwarenstein (1) and by Marlow and Koch (2). A study of the results which have been reported leads to the impression that the gonads (i.e. the gonadal hormones) have very little, if any, influence on the level of the serum calcium in mammals. In a recent communication, Riddle and Dotti (3), on the basis of results obtained by administering various estrogens to pigeons, doves, rats, and dogs, conclude that these substances, particularly theelin and dihydrotheelin benzoate, are potent agents in raising the serum calcium level. The actual increases in calcium level found by these investigators were small, except in the experiments on pigeons and doves. Furthermore, the data reported were obtained from very small groups of animals. On the basis of these results, Riddle and Dotti have suggested several implications relating the estrogenic substances, via the calcium balance, to sexual and racial d...


Introduction: Exposure to toxic fumes from an industrial chemical fire may not only lead to airway burns and inhalational injury but also toxic exposure via the transdermal route. Method: A 45-year-old gentleman presented with dyspnea two hours after a ten-minute exposure to toxic fumes while fighting an industrial chemical fire without personal protective equipment. He reported voice hoarseness and chest tightness. Nasoendoscopy demonstrated paranasal sinus soot and significant upper airway edema. Awake fiber-optic intubation was performed for prophylactic airway protection in the Burns ICU but bronchoscopy did not reveal any inhalational burns. However, the patient developed worsening lactic acidosis (serum lactate 2.8mmol/L to 8.1mmol/L with pH 7.28) within 12 hours post-exposure. Carboxyhemoglobin was 0.9%. Toxicology was consulted for suspicions of transdermal HAZMAT contamination, in particular cyanide given the profound lactic acidosis. The patient was given two doses of hydroxocobalamin and brought to the Hospital Decontamination Unit for de-gowning and thorough wash-down. The chemical scan meter showed high levels (352IU) of an unknown chemical on his skin pre-decontamination, which could not be detected post-decontamination. Lactate improved to 5.0mmol/L within two hours post-decontamination while acidosis resolved at eight hours post-decontamination. The patient was extubated and discharged without sequelae. Results: To our knowledge, no other human cases of transdermal cyanide poisoning have been reported. Cyanide interferes with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathways to cause toxicity and death if untreated. However, its effects via transdermal exposure are often delayed compared to exposure via more conventional inhalational routes. This makes recognition difficult and compounds the challenge of long turnaround time for blood cyanide tests. Increased transdermal absorption is possible through intact skin if moistened by sweat. Conclusion: The potential for transdermal HAZMAT absorption from exposure to toxic fumes is underrecognized. It is crucial to maintain vigilance given the challenges in diagnosing transdermal cyanide toxicity and importance of initiating treatment early.


The capability of different ansatz kernels, denoted as K(r,r{sup '}), in the calculation of the electron-electron interaction energy is investigated here for an exactly solvable two-electron model atom proposed by Moshinsky. The model atom is in the spin-compensated, paramagnetic ground state. The exact expression for the interaction energy in this state, derived by the diagonal of the second-order density matrix, is used as a rigorous background for comparison. It is found that the form of K{sub M}(r,r{sup '})=2rho(r)rho(r{sup '})-gamma{sup p}(r,r{sup '})gamma{sup q}(r{sup '},r), expressed via the rho(r) density distributions and operator powers of the one-body density matrix gamma(r,r{sup '}), results in the exact value for the interparticle interaction energy of the two-electron model atom if and only if p=q=1/2. Approximate forms with p=qnot =1/2 and with pnot =q at (p+q)=1 give deviations from the exact expression.


The KLL Auger electron production cross section has been measured for collisions between Na+, Na2+, Ne+, Ne2+, and N+ ions and Ne and N2 targets. Over a narrow velocity range (0.3-0.9au), the data reveal a dramatic dynamic effect in the 2p pi vacancy occupation probability factor Npi . This is in contrast to current available theories which invoke a static factor Npi .


Ionising radiation is known to cause chromosomal instability, which is observed as increased frequency of chromosomal aberration and micronuclei. These are listed as reliable criteria in biological dosimetry. Numerous experiments conducted on both animal and plant models demonstrated that increase in radiation dosage is followed by increased mutation frequency, and that mutations occur even at the lowest exposure. We used horse blood in vitro irradiated by low doses of ionizing radiation. Cultivation of peripheral blood lymphocytes and micronucleus test were used as biomarkers of genetic damage. The observed aberrations were recorded and classified in accordance with the International System of Cytogenetic Nomenclature. Micronuclei were identified on the basis of criteria proposed by Fenech et al . (8). Analysis of chromosomal aberration showed increased frequency of aberrations in blood cultures exposed to 0,1 Gy and 0,2 Gy compared to the controls. Microscopic analysis of chromosomal damage in in vitro micronucleus test revealed that the applied radiation dose induced micronuclei while no binucleated cells with micronuclei were found in lymphocytes that were not irradiated. In this paper we analysed the influence of low dose ionising radiation on frequency of chromosomal aberration and micronuclei in horse lymphocytes following in vitro exposure to X-rays (0,1 Gy and 0,2 Gy). Key words : chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, ionising radiation, horse lymphocytes


Modified versions of three popular nonaversive treatments for rumination in a person with profound developmental delay were evaluated using an alternating treatments design (ATD) as a component of an ABAB design. Results showed that the most effective intervention involved noncontingent feeding every 20 s for the 30 min immediately following a meal. Further analysis demonstrated that no significant increase in rumination occurred during the 60 min after the treatment procedure had expired, thus indicating that rumination was not merely postponed. Results are discussed in terms of their relation to currently popular (satiation) interventions for the treatment of rumination in individuals with developmental disability. Future research needs are proposed from an analysis of known behavioral and physiological variables and their possible interactions. ©1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this research work, ferrite nanoparticles with composition of SrFe12−x(Ni0.5Co0.5Ti)x/2O19 (x = 0-2.5 in a step of 0.5) were synthesized by a reverse micelle. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were also functionalized by employing poly(acrylic acid). Then the ferrite nanoparticles were deposited on the functionalized surface of carbon nanotubes by hetero-coagulation process. The volume percentage of carbon nanotubes was kept constant at 8 vol. % for synthesizing nanocomposites. The site preference of substituted cations in ferrite crystal structure was determined by 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. It was proved that the substituted cations were distributed in 12 k crystallographic sites. The morphology of ferrite dot array on carbon nanotubes was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Quantum Device MPMS-5S SQUID magnetometer was used to probe the variation of magnetization with applied magnetic field. It was found that with an increase in substitution content, the saturation o...


A series of articles describes how contractors are sinking giant steel tunnel sections to create an underwater highway between Boston and Logan airport. The tunnel is the first link in the $6.4 billion Central Artery/Tunnel project that will depress the elevated Interstate 93 extending through downtown Boston. Highlights of this project are described in these brief articles. The details of the construction of the immersed twin steel tubes, and how they are tightly pulled together by hydraulic pressure are described. It is also described how the tunnel design hinges on the high water table at the city end. It is described how, before tunnel work could start, an airport taxiway had to be relocated and the airport's blast wall was moved back from the highway alignment. An airport terminal will be demolished and rebuilt atop the cut-and-cover tunnel.


In the present study,three multivariate morphometrics analyses were introduced to assess the morphological variations on meristic parameters,measurable scaling parameters and truss network scaling parameters in Parabramis pekinensis,Megalobrama amblycephala,M. terminalis( Dongjiang population and Qiantangjiang population),M. pellegrini and M. hoffmanni in China. Results were shown below: No significant variation( P 0. 05) was observed on seven meristic parameters such as scale number on lateral line,scale number above lateral line,scale number beneath lateral line,soft dorsal fin( spines,rays), pectoral fin( spines,rays),pelvic fin( spines,rays),anal fin( spines,rays) among Parabramis and Megalobrama species. Based on nine measurable scaling parameters and twenty truss network scaling parameters,cluster analysis presented a relatively close relationship between M. amblycephala,M. terminalis and M. pellegrini, and these three species had relatively far relationship with the species of genus Parabramis,while they all had great morphological variation with the species M. hoffmanni. Meanwhile, certain morphological variations were detected between Dongjiang population and Qiantangjiang population of the species M. terminalis. Discriminant analysis outputted six discriminant functions with a comprehensive accuracy rate of 93. 7% among the six populations of genera Parabramis and Megalobrama. The cumulative contributive proportion of two chief principal components extracted by principal component analysis was 77. 9%,in which principal component 1 accounted for 70. 9%. Characters that played key roles in inter-species morphological variation among Parabramis and Megalobrama concentrated mainly in the direction of dorsalventral axis.


ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of mifepristone on thirty patients with ectopic pregnancy.Thirty women ,(25±3.8) years old , were diagnosed ectopic pregnancy, sixteen of them were during the first pregnancy. All of them took mifepristone 50 mg twice a day for three days. Before and after three days of taking mifepristone, serum β-HCG was monitored until β-HCG declined to the normal level when the ultrasound was repeated. The effects of mifepristone was evaluated on the fifteenth day after the final dose of mifepristone.Twenty seven patients were treated with success (90%) while three with failure(10%). Higher rate of success was obtained in those patitnts whose gestation≤50 days,ectopic gestation vesicle diameter≤4 cm,β-HCG≤2 000 MIU/ml.[Conclusion]Mifepristone is very effective in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy without side reaction.


Sympathy is usually evoked by heightened awareness of and concern for others' suffering by perceiving or reacting to their distress or need. Sympathetic contexts appear to spur creative solutions, because those who react sympathetically to others' suffering tend to seek novel, desirable, and prosocial solutions that alleviate suffering and promote well-being. We conducted two studies to investigate whether sympathy enhances creativity. Study 1 tested the feasibility of using images of distressed elderly as an unobtrusive method to induce sympathy. Study 2 sought to determine whether induced sympathy promotes cre- ativity, and whether individual differences in trait empathy moderate this effect. Results demonstrate that sympathy fosters creative originality – but not creative fluency or flex- ibility – as assessed by either content-general or content-specific creativity measures. In addition, the beneficial effect of sympathy on originality is moderated by individual differ- ences in trait empathy. The potential mechanisms that underlie these effects are discussed.


In this note we describe some of our experiences with symbolic manipulation software for the analysis of differential equations. We give several examples from our work on semilinear diffusion equations and from a bifurcation analysis of a nonlinear problem in combustion. 25 refs.


Chung, S.T.L., (2002) The effect of letter spacing on reading speed in central and peripheral vision. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 43(4):1270-6. Latham, K. & Whitaker, D. (1996). A comparison of word recognition and reading performance in foveal and peripheral vision. Vision Res. 36(17):2665-74. reading in the fovea is very easy with ordered words rxxdxxg sxxxlxtxd cxxxdxxg is pxxxxble wxth oxdxrxd wxxds not words the unordered hard fovea reading too is with in


Abstract The presence of terpinen-4-ol in the steam distillates from Melaleuca argentea, M. dissitiflora and M. linariifolia can be linked to high levels of (+)-sabinene and cis- and trans-sabinene hydrate in the leaf material. Incorporation of 18O into the terpinen-4-ol from steam distillates performed in H2 18O confirms the generation of the terpinen-4-yl carbocation intermediate from (+)-sabinene and cis- and trans-sabinene hydrate. This same mechanism is also operating during leaf aging.


The invention discloses a GAP (good agricultural practices) cultivation method for a leaf rosemary yard. The GAP cultivation method comprises the following steps: establishing and managing the leaf rosemary yard, cultivating leaf rosemary seedlings, determining a planting period, performing planting management, determining planting density, fertilizing, performing field management, performing pest and disease control, and determining a rosemary leaf harvesting period and a rosemary leaf harvesting method. By the GAP cultivation method, the problem of standardization of herb production can be effectively solved; the GAP cultivation method plays an extremely important role in ensuring the safety, high efficiency, stability and controllable quality of the leaf rosemary; the planting method and the product quality meet requirements of national normative documents; the yield and the quality can be effectively improved; the Promote standardized and industrial development of leaf rosemary planting can be promoted; the GAP cultivation method is conducive to environment protection and ecological balance; water and soil loss can be prevented; sustainable utilization of rosemary leaf resources can be achieved; through standardized, intensive and industrial rosemary planting, good economical benefits and ecological benefits can be achieved and industrial upgrade of the rosemary can be promoted.


Intrajugular administration of LHRH (0.6 and 1.2 μg) in hypophysectomized rats which received renal grafts of anterior pituitary induced a small but significant rise in plasma GH 5 and 10 min post‐treatment. LHRH, at the same dose levels, was ineffective in weight‐matched intact controls. MIF, at the dose of 1.2 μg, induced a slight GH rise 5 min after treatment in hypophysectomized‐transplanted rats, while it was ineffective in intact controls. Unlike the two hypothalamic peptides, α‐MSH (0.6 and 1.2 μg) was ineffective as a GH‐releaser in both transplanted and intact rats.


Whilst there is growing evidence that activity across the lifespan is beneficial for improved health, there are also many changes involved with the aging process and subsequently the potential for reduced indices of health. The nexus between health, physical activity and aging is complex and has raised much interest in recent times due to the realization that a multifaceted approached is necessary in order to counteract a growing obesity epidemic. By investigating age based trends within a population adhering to competitive sport at older ages, further insight might be gleaned to assist in understanding one of many factors influencing this relationship. BMI was derived using data gathered on a total of 6,071 masters athletes (51.9% male, 48.1% female) aged 25 to 91 years ( =51.5, s =±9.7), competing at the Sydney World Masters Games (2009). Using linear and loess regression it was demonstrated that the usual tendency for prevalence of higher BMI increasing with age was reversed in the sample. This trend in reversal was repeated for both male and female only sub-sets of the sample participants, indicating the possibility of improved prevalence of BMI with increasing age for both the sample as a whole and these individual sub- groups. This evidence of improved classification in one index of health (reduced BMI) for masters athletes (when compared to the general population) implies there are either improved levels of this index of health with aging due to adherence to sport or possibly the reduced BMI is advantageous and contributes to this cohort adhering (or being attracted) to masters sport at older ages. Demonstration of this


The use of depreciated and outdated agricultural equipment reflects both, on the increased cost of production (due to the higher energy component), and the greater amount of emissions produced during the operation of that equipment. The presented paper deals with energy and emission analysis of the replacement of existing farming equipment in a holding, with a new one. The analysis considers the baseline tractor and harvester and their specific agricultural operations, related to the processing of the soil and the harvesting of the production. The analysis is based on the existing energy consumption of the old machines and accounting information on the operation of the new equipment, one year after its commissioning. The study shows that the estimated energy savings from the measures of 17.2%, with a similar carbon footprint reduction. Based on the technical characteristics, CO, HC, HC + NOx and NOx emissions were also analyzed. The percentage of estimated carbon emission savings is higher than 43.5%.


This section discusses the conceptual approaches and tools of adaptive control and their applications to nonlinear processes. Adaptive control can be thought of as a system that automatically designs a control system. This technique has considerable potential for applications where the processes being controlled are not well understood or have significant nonlinearities or time-varying parameters. Adaptive control utilizes the natural steps of control system design. These include process modeling and identification (Section 2.16), relative gain calculations (Section 2.25), controller design (for example, self-tuning controllers, Section 2.29), and optimization (Section 2.20). At present, these approaches and ideas are being extended to include such new tools as artificial intelligence and as expert systems (Section 2.8), neural networks (Section 2.18), fuzzy logic (Section 2.31), and genetic algorithms (Section 2.10), among others. Therefore, it is suggested that all of these sections be studied if a thorough understanding of the subject matter is desired.