The genus Gnathostrangalia was established by Hayashi in 1985. In comparison with the allied genus Pygostrongalia, this genus is characterized by the " longer forehead, broader prothorax with more developed hind angles, broader elytra at base and rather straightly narrowed posteriorly." Five species have been transfered into this genus, viz. Strangalia aurivillei Pic (Tonkin), S. rufovittata Pic (Tonkin), Leptura bilineatithorax Pic (Tonkin), Strangalia longiceps Aurivillius (Borneo)and S. tienmushana Gressitt (China). Only single species is known from China. In this paper, two additional new species are described from Guangxi and Sichuan provinces of China, and a key to the known species of the genus Gnathostrangalia is provided.1. Gnathostrangalia simianshana Chiang et Chen, sp. nov. (Fig. 1)Female: Body black. Clypeus, labrum, mandible ligamentous fringe and galea testaceus; antennae black on basal 5 joints and yellow on 6-11th joints. Prothorax and Scutellum black, feebly pubescent, denser on posterior lobe of pronotal disc and behind lateral tubercles; Elytra yellowish brown on basal half, with two equadistant transverse black bands on the disk, the anterior band angulately extended forward at the middle, the posterior band broadened externally and attaching external margin, apical half of the elytra pichy black. Ventral surface entirely black. Fore and middle femora and tibiae yellowish brown, darkened at apices of tibiae and tarsi, hind legs black.Forehead narrowly prolonged, underside long and flat, rectangular; frons, clypeus, genae, vertex and occiput densely punctulated; mandibles slender and acute, with branched ligamentous fringe well developed ;a median groove lying in furrow from upper part of frons extending to the middle of occiput; eyes rounded and prominent; genae elongate, slightly longer than eyes; head strongly constricted behind eyes; antennae notexceeding elytral apices, basal five joints covered with short black hairs, denser and longer at apices, scape shorter than 3rd or 5th joints, subequal to 4th, 5th slightly shorter than 3rd, subequal to llth. Prothorax campanuliform with an obtuse short tubercle before middle of each side, basal angles moderately prolonged, but not reaching humeral angles, pronotal disk densely punctulated, depressed at center with a fine longitudinal inpunctat-ed line not reaching anterior and posterior margin. Scutellum triangular, thinly clothed with golden pubescence. Elytra broader than prothorax at bases, narrowed toward middle, and then straightly narrowed posteriorly, apices obliquely emarginate, marginal an- . gles acutely produced. Hind femora not reaching apex of abdomen, tibiae slender, spurs long, tarsi longer than tibia, first tarsal segment longer than remaining segments. Fifth abdominal sternum shallowly concaved.Body length: 22.5 mm ;breadth: 5 mm.Holotype: Female. Sichuan (Chongqing, Jiangjin, Simian Shan) 1200 m. 27-VI -1991. by Yin Youping, adult on flowers of Emberifereae.Paratype: Female. body length 23 mm, breadth 5 mm. collecting data same as holotype, by Xiao Chonggang.This species differs from G. rufovittata Pic from Tonkin, Vietnam in= (1) elytra pitchy black on posterior half instead of only blackened at apices, (2) with two transverse black bands on basal half of elytra disk instead of one black longitudinal stripe and two small black spots, (3) basal five antennal joints black, and apical six joints yellow instead of only 9- 1 Oth and part of 11th joints ochraceus.2. Gnathostrangalia nigriventralis Chiang et Wang.sp. nov. (Fig. 2)Body yellowish brwon. Head tipped with black on apices of mandibles and apical joints of maxillary palpi; occiput and antennae black. Prothorax black on basal and apical margins, a pair of oblique black stripe on disc; largely black on the intercoxal process of mesosternum and narrowly margined with black on coxae; fore and middle tarsi blackish brown, hind tibiae and tarsi black. Elytra testaceus, decorated with a subquadrate spot on basal fifth and a larger transverse spot before middle, with external end reaching l


Pictorial lettersheet with two images on one page shows (top) miners in camp eating and reading; and (bottom) miners standing in front of log cabin; with attached blank leaf.


Six fluorescent benzazolylvinylene derivatives were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and related molecular parameters. The thermal stability was determined in terms of the steps of degradation and its fitting parameters, such as maximum degradation rate (Rmax), maximum degradation rate temperature (TRmax), degradation temperature range, which is related to the half-width at half-height values (Γ), and the kinetic parameters: activation energy (Ea), pre-exponential factor (A), and reaction order (n) obtained by Barrett's method. Different organic substitutes and heteroatoms do not play a fundamental role in the thermal behavior of the studied dyes. The compensation effect between pre-exponential factor and activation energy was confirmed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 495–500, 2006


A rapid heating type electric water heater comprises a semi-open or closed water flow heating device, a water tank inner container, an electric heating tube and a water nozzle, wherein the water tank inner container is made of a single-layered or double-layered plastic material (containing metal), and work under water source pressure is preset; and a plurality of pressure release valves are mounted on the water tank inner container (8), and are preset to work under water source pressure. According to the rapid heating type electric water heater, one rapid heating semi-open or closed water flow heating device (7) is arranged on the electric heating tube, a semicircular partition board (21) is fixed on the electric heating tube through a mounting frame, the water nozzle (9) is switched on, the electric heating tube (6) is powered on and work, water is heated once flowing through the electric heating tube, is directly conveyed to the upper part of the water tank through water pipes (22) mounted on the semicircular partition board, and is discharged from a hot water outlet, then the water nozzle is switched off, and heating is stopped. The rapid heating semi-open or closed water flow heating device (7) adopts a container with the volume about 1 liter, and the electric heating tube is arranged in the container provided with a water inlet and a water outlet. The water nozzle (9) is switched on, the electric heating tube (6) is powered on and work, water is heated once flowing through the electric heating tube, hot water is directly conveyed to the upper part of the water tank through the water outlet, the hot water is discharged, and heating is stopped when the water nozzle is closed.


Articles you may be interested in Direct non-Born-Oppenheimer variational calculations of all bound vibrational states corresponding to the first rotational excitation of D2 performed with explicitly correlated all-particle Gaussian functions Communication: HK propagator uniformized along a one-dimensional manifold in weakly anharmonic systems We offer a more formal justification for the successes of our recently communicated " directed Heller-Herman-Kluk-Kay " (DHK) time propagator by examining its performance in one-dimensional bound systems which exhibit at least quasi-periodic motion. DHK is distinguished by its single one-dimensional integral—a vast simplification over the usual 2N-dimensional integral in full Heller-Herman-Kluk-Kay (for an N-dimensional system). We find that DHK accurately captures particular coherent state autocorrelations when its single integral is chosen to lie along these states' fastest growing manifold, as long as it is not perpendicular to their action gradient. Moreover, the larger the action gradient, the better DHK will perform. We numerically examine DHK's accuracy in a one-dimensional quartic oscillator and illustrate that these conditions are frequently satisfied such that the method performs well. This lends some explanation for why DHK frequently seems to work so well and suggests that it may be applicable to systems exhibiting quite strong anharmonicity. C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. INTRODUCTION Semiclassical methods for quantum time propagation aspire to accomplish propagation of states as faithfully as possible with as few resources as necessary. Frequently, due to their classical underpinnings, they also yield invaluable physical insight behind the phenomenon they are modeling. The earliest formulation of such a method was the well-known van Vleck-Morette-Gutzwiller (VVMG) propagator. Today, perhaps the most popular variant of the VVMG is the Heller-Herman-Kluk-Kay (HK) propagator, 1–4 a uniformization of VVMG expressed in so-called initial value representation. Unfortunately , despite many efforts, HK has seldom been found to be computationally feasible in systems with dimension greater than ten. This is largely due to the prohibitive cost of computing the stability matrix elements associated with the trajectories that contribute to its uniformizing integral. Not only does the dimension of these matrix elements increase with the number of degrees of freedom of the system but the number of trajectories necessary for convergence also tends to proliferate. Efforts to alleviate this problem have frequently found some effect, especially in chaotic systems. These include cellular dephasing, 5 Filinov filtering, 6 and throwing out divergent trajectories. 7 However, these methods have proven ineffective in many other systems and only reduce the growth of …


In this paper, we propose a within-host viral dynamic model incorporating non-cytolytic cure process and the infection term with saturated mass action principle. It is been shown that the global behavior of the model counts on the biological threshold parameter, namely, basic reproduction number. We establish that the infection gets eradicated if the basic reproduction number is less than unity and persists in the host body if the basic reproduction number is greater than unity. A comparison study of three various viral infection models is performed through numerical analysis and the obtained results suggest that the inclusion of saturated mass action principle and cure rate has a significant impact in the viral infection dynamics. Further, an application of the proposed model to some in vivo data of HBV transgenic mice.


Two mesoporous gallosilicates with extra‐small particle size were synthesized via wet impregnation starting from lactate or citrate‐type Ga(III) precursors. The structural and textural properties of the materials were extensively characterized by different techniques. Both materials consist of nanosized particles and display a remarkably high surface area and a pore size distribution typical of mesoporous MCM‐41‐like materials. The two solids were tested as catalysts in acetalization of glycerol with acetone to produce solketal (2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4‐methanol). Both catalysts displayed excellent performances and achieved higher turnover numbers compared to other Ga‐silicates reported in literature. The outstanding activity of these catalysts is attributed to the combination of acidity, large specific surface area as well as to the full accessibility of the active sites as consequence of the impregnation procedure. The best catalysts are truly heterogeneous with absence of Ga leaching and reusable in successive catalytic cycles after thermal treatment without significant deterioration of the catalytic performance.


In the present study, we developed a microplate reader assay to detect natural products able to limit toxin production by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, the major cause of Fusarium Head Blight in cereals and trichothecene contamination in grains worldwide. In the biosensor assay, we exploited a F. graminearum isolate expressing GFP-tagged trichodiene synthase, encoded by TRI5 (TRI5-GFP), which catalyses the first step of the trichothecene biosynthesis pathway. This allowed us to monitor the first step of toxin production by fluorimetric assay.


The study of shadows is a common elementary science topic that facilitates students' development of understanding about light and associated waves. All elementary students have observed numerous shadows, but need assistance in developing understanding. Previous research studies about shadows were utilized in organizing aspects associated with shadows. This review paper encourages teachers to utilize three principles of learning: students' prior knowledge about shadows, factual and conceptual knowledge related to shadows, and metacognition requiring students to think about their personal understanding about shadows; thereby, promoting students' science literacy.


For linear objects it is proposed method of synthesis of time optimal closed loop control systems. In this method determination of switching function of optimal relay regulator is reduced to the solution of linear partial derivatives equation by the method of characteristics, utilizing results of phase space method.


A complete investigation of three-point bending at large deflections was attempted with the view of applying it as a test method for the determination of the effective modulus of elasticity of materials. A general solution of the problem was attempted by considering friction forces at the supports, axial forces along the beams tested at large deflections, and the effect of finite depth. The solution was carried out for homogeneous, perfectly elastic materials with equal tensile and compressive moduli under the assumption that plane sections remain plane at large deflections and that no appreciable effect of shear or stress concentrations at the position of load application exists. The effect of roller supports of finite radius was also considered. The results obtained by the present theory provide sufficient data for the design of a bending test under any given conditions or accuracy required.


To sum up it may be said that the State of Punjab is quite rich in both indigenous as well as exotic lac host flora, with as many as 26 recorded species (7 being exclusive for the State), and if fair trials in accordance with the latest techniques are given there are immense possibilities of successful cultivation of, lac in the State and localities like Hoshiarpur can serve ideal for establishment of brood lac farms.


Hamas is a very radical Palestinian organization in its fighting against Israel with a strong sense of Islamic religion.It was formed under the Islamism Risorgimento and it delegates the interests part of the Muslem and does not recognize Israel.Because of the unpopularity of the Faraj,the Hamas won the ruling power of the region in 2006.The Hamas' policy has changed from violence to realism.The rising Hamas made the political situation of Palestine changed the two fights with each other.The rising Hamas also brings new uncertainties to the Middle East Peace.The future of the Hamas is decided by which direction the Hamas policy willgo.


One of the most recent global environmental problem is noise pollution. Noise pollution is a component of environmental pollution. Like any other type of pollution, noise pollution has negative effects on environmental factors. The main sources of noise are: industry, urban areas and transport. To reduce the level of noise pollution is necessary to determine the pollution sources that cause the noise. In this paper we propose to determine the level of noise pollution produced by belt conveyor used to transport minerals in the open pit type careers. Also, we will present possible solutions to reduce the level of noise pollution produced by belt conveyors.


This thesis considers the effect of disruptive waves and turbulence on a horizontal axis tidal stream turbine (TST), in terms of performance and survivability. The TST reaction to transient fluid flow is modelled analyti cally using Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT). Standard BEMT corrections are evaluated for the TST application and an alternative op timisation method is proposed for the steady state BEMT, improving compatibility with transient and depth dependent inflow, as well as the non-dimensionalisation constant needed to calculate the performance co efficients. Also, an alternative BEMT tip and hub loss implementation has led to a significant improvement of the turbine axial force prediction and in the high induction region. Validation studies are presented for BEMT coupled with regular, nonlin ear wave theory and good agreement is found with published experimental data. A novel method to simulate irregular sea states is developed to cou ple with BEMT and a combined reactive coupling of waves and current is implemented. The TST performance in an irregular sea state is con sidered against turbine performance with real ADCP data and a good agreement is found. This work evaluates the BEMT implementation for the specific application of modelling TST's and significantly improves the fundamental theory, applicability and quality of results in this case.


We present a case of bilateral renal artery dissection, with the related computed tomographic images, caused by blunt torso trauma. Discussion includes the etiologies of this type of injury, the diagnostic modalities, and treatment options.


METHODS: A nationwide cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database was conducted for HNC patients who underwent free flap reconstructions between January 1998 and December 2010. A retrospective analysis of 16325 free flap procedures was performed and 30-day postoperative fatal cases were identified. Each case of patient mortality was randomly matched with 10 patients without 30-day mortality, allowing logistic regression to be calculated by propensity-score matching.


Within the group of endogenous psychoses manic-depressive illness is a subgroup which can be explicitly described. The psychopathologic phenomena of their current status (Momentagefüge) are disorders of drive and mood. The time structure generally exhibits the characteristic sequence of acute phases and "free" intervals, while in detail there are numerous variations of intensity, such as siurnal variation of mood etc. An essential of the definition of endogenous psychoses has always been their periodicity. However, in the majority of cases that periodicity was not conclusively proved. On the basis of one representative case factor analyses of a long and complete series of daily self-rating scales were performed. A dichotomy of time series of mood scores and of drive scores was used for autocorrelation. Thereby two different multiday periods were established. Two periods of this type combine to produce an interferential period, which does not generally occur on a continual scale, but only in a systematic selection. This was the subject of investigation. From 100 phase schedules (Phasenkalender) of manic-depressive psychoses 18 cases with long periods were selected by means of a special technique of cross-correlation, which were re-analyzed under methodologically more stringent conditions. Such re-analyses confirmed the initial hypothesis. The entire phase schedule is composed of interferential periods...


Every year million tons of dyes and toxic compounds are discharged as industrial waste which pose a threat to the environment and human health. Thus, environmental concern over discharge of coloured wastewater has been on the rise. A competent method which is environmentally acceptable and economically viable is desired to treat the textile effluent prior to discharge into the environment. In the present study, twenty-three locally isolated Rhodococcus strains were examined as biological tools for decolourization of crystal violet. The tested microorganisms which were locally isolated Rhodococcus strains demonstrated promising ability to decolourize crystal violet as evidenced by the change in the colour of the dye from dark purple to pale purple on nutrient agar plates. One of the best strains namely Rhodococcus strain UCC 0004 formed clear zone around the colonies of the bacteria after 5 days of incubation period. This strain demonstrated good growth and completely decolourized 0.6 mM crystal violets after 5 days of incubation period. Further investigation was carried out by comparing the ability between immobilized cells and whole cells of Rhodococcus strain UCC 0004 for efficient crystal violet removal. The results showed that the percentage of crystal violet decolourization was highest ability to degraded when immobilized cells in gellan gum (99 a ± 0 %) and calcium alginate (98a ± 2 %), were used compared to heat killed cells which yielded (11c ± 0 %) of crystal violet removal. These findings clearly indicated that the immobilized cell of Rhodococcus strain UCC 0004 has a huge potential as biological tool to remediate actual wastewater containing crystal violet.


The observation that the fingerprints of children disappear from surfaces more quickly than those of adults initiated a study to characterize the chemical components in fingerprints. Samples were obtained from about 50 individuals ranging in age from three to 64 by extracting chemicals from the fintertips using rubbing alcohol. Using combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, a wide range of compounds were identified. It was found that the chemical compositions of fingerprints were quite different in children and adults. In general, the samples obtained from children contained higher levels of relatively volatile free fatty acids. Samples from adults were found to have higher concentrations of less volatile long chain esters of fatty acids. These esters are thought to originate from sebaceous glands located on the face and the levels of these compounds increase substantially after puberty. In addition to these compounds, a variety of other compounds were observed that could be used to develop improved methods for fingerprint detection at a crime scene. Further, the observation of specific compounds raises the possibility of being able to identify personal traits (gender, habits, diseases, etc.) via the analysis of components in fingerprints and/or skin.


An explicit approximation for surface potential as a function of terminal voltages is developed for partially depleted polysilicon thin-film transistors. The resulting model has taken both Gaussian deep states and exponential tail states into account, which provides a complete modeling for surface potential. Furthermore, a drain current model based on terms of surface potential is proposed. Surface potential and drain current calculations are successfully verified by comparisons with numerical and experimental ones.


Group oversees development of analytical papers for the purpose of providing useful and timely input to the climate change negotiations. These papers may also be useful to national policy makers and other decision-makers. In a collaborative effort, authors work with the Annex I Expert Group to develop these papers. However, the papers do not necessarily represent the views of the OECD or the IEA, nor are they intended to prejudge the views of countries participating in the Annex I Expert Group. Rather, they are Secretariat information papers intended to inform Member countries, as well as the UNFCCC audience. Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America. Where this document refers to " countries " or " governments " it is also intended to include " regional economic organisations " , if appropriate. New technologies will play a critical role in achieving the objective of the UN Convention on Climate Change. Without radical changes in lifestyles, only a massive deployment of carbon-free (or close to carbon-free) energy technologies can power the world economy and satisfy growing energy needs, especially of the developing world, while stabilising atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the long run. Reduced energy-related CO 2 emissions can be created by technical improvements at different levels and involve: x End-use technologies in all sectors: household and commercial, industry, transport, which could reduce the amount of energy used x Fuel switching from coal to oil to gas; x Increased efficiency of energy conversion (such as power plants and refineries); x Phasing in non-carbon energy sources, such as nuclear power and renewable energy sources; and x CO 2 capture and storage. It is not possible to define what exact mix of these various technologies would best be able to stabilise atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, at what level and for what price. However, excluding any option is likely to make achieving the objective of the Convention more expensive and/or to raise the level of concentration ultimately reached. Over the next several decades, non-or low carbon-emitting energy technologies are not likely to be competitive with current high emitting technologies beyond some " niche markets " , particularly given the relative abundance of carbon-rich fossil fuel resources. However, delaying action until prices are competitive may lead to unacceptably high CO 2 atmospheric concentration levels. Pricing carbon emissions (directly or indirectly – e.g., through quantified objectives) would expand markets for existing and forthcoming carbon free …


Under restriction of an isotropic elastic response of deformed lattice, develops a covariant theory of finite elastoplasticity in principal axes of a pair of deformation tensors. In material description, the tensor pair consists of the plastic deformation tensor and the total deformation Cauchy‐Green tensor. Applies the proposed theory to elastoplastic membrane shells, whose references and current configurations can be arbitrary space‐curved surfaces. Pressure‐insensitive von Mises yield criterion with isotropic hardening and a quadratic form of the strain energy function given in terms of elastic principal stretches are considered as a model problem. Through an explicit enforcement of the plane stress condition we arrive at a reduced two‐dimensional problem representation, which is set in the membrane tangent plane. Numerical implementation of the presented theory relies crucially on the operator split methodology to simplify the state update computation. Presents a set of numerical examples in order to illustrate the performance of the presented methodology and indicate possible applications in the area of sheet metal forming.


The relation between virtue and evil is always the subject in literature. Most works ever existing tell a story that virtue beats evil, maybe except the novel 《Words Are Monster》.


This article discusses the complex question health care models and proposes the theoretical and methodological construction of a model articulating teaching and service delivery by means of an interdisciplinary and multi-professional approach. This construction would be one of the structural axes in the consolidation of curricular guidelines proposing changes in the education (and in the practice) of professionals working in the health area. Such changes would meet the prerogatives of the Brazilian care delivery model known as SUS and would be based on professional qualification focused on the social health needs of the country and seeking to deliver comprehensive care. The Teaching and Assistance Program (Programa Docente-Assistencial - PDA) of Florianopolis - a space where teaching activity and service delivery are articulated allowing continued reflection on the micro work processes of its participants - is considered an ideal scenario for the discussion/construction of this proposal.


Alloying with Si is shown to destabilize the strongly bound hydrides LiH and MgH2. For the LiH/Si system, a Li2.35Si alloy forms upon dehydrogenation, causing the equilibrium hydrogen pressure at 490 °C to increase from approximately 5 × 10-5 to 1 bar. For the MgH2/Si system, Mg2Si forms upon dehydrogenation, causing the equilibrium pressure at 300 °C to increase from 1.8 to >7.5 bar. Thermodynamic calculations indicate equilibrium pressures of 1 bar at approximately 20 °C and 100 bar at approximately 150 °C. These conditions indicate that the MgH2/Si system, which has a hydrogen capacity of 5.0 wt %, could be practical for hydrogen storage at reduced temperatures. The LiH/Si system is reversible and can be cycled without degradation. Absorption/desorption isotherms, obtained at 400−500 °C, exhibited two distinct flat plateaus with little hysteresis. The plateaus correspond to formation and decomposition of various Li silicides. The MgH2/Si system was not readily reversible. Hydrogenation of Mg2Si appears...


We report observational parameters for 62 H20 maser sources, 23 not previously reported, and upper limits of H20 maser emission for 223 nondetected sources. The detected long-period variàbles (LPVs) are at D < 1.8 kpc for a detection limit of about 1 Jy. The distance adjusted detection rate varies from 18% for Miras variables with P < 200 days to over 50% for stars with P > 300 days and seems to be determined primarily by the amount of material in their associated circumstellar shells, since detected stars have infrared to photospheric flux ratios [flux(12 /xm)/flux(2.2 /an)] > 0.2, whereas nondetected stars have ratios less than 0.3. Stars in the overlap region, 0.2 < r < 0.3, may have been observed at the wrong phase. The minimum mass-loss rate needed to sustain detectable H20 maser emission from stars in this program is 0.5 x 10 M0 yr . The mass-loss rate increases with period. Mira variables with H20 masers have more asymmetric light curves (/ = 43) compared to nondetected Miras variables (/ = 46). The average H20 maser flux (normalized to 1 kpc) for Mira variables in our observing program with P < 300 days is about 15 Jy km s, corresponding to L(H20)/L(star) «lx 10" 10 or L(H20)/L0 « 3 x 10" 7 and to a photon luminosity « 10-10 s. The low detection rates for Mira variables with P < 200 days is primarily due to the smaller amount of material in their circumstellar shells as compared to the longer period Mira variables and does not appear to be a strong function of their lower metallicities. Subject headings: circumstellar matter — masers — stars: mass loss — stars: variables: other (long-period variables)


A new passive technique for reducing vibration and noise using purely nonlinear absorbers has been studied, which is called the "Targeted Energy Transfer" (TET) phenomenon. Compared to classical passive systems (Frahm absorbers, Helmholtz resonator), a single nonlinear absorber works in a limited range of forcing but in a wide band of frequency. A system comprised by a linear system with one degree-of-freedom (DOF) coupled by a nonlinear absorber (nonlinear energy sink, NES) has been used to analyze the beginning of the TET phenomenon. The desired working zone for the NES has been defined and an ana lytical formula of the level of forcing for the beginning of TET has been established by a simplified approach. In this paper, a linear system with two DOFs coupled by one NES is analyzed to enhance the robustness of TET and the effective TET range. A method of extension for the NES is introduced by the motion of working point of the NES. By using a single term harmonic balance approach, the simplified expressions for the nonlinear normal modes (N NMs) and the periodic forced responses of the systems are determined analytically. We can see that the NES can work for the two DOFs linear system. Numerical simulations are also performed to verify the results.


Purpose. The article analyzes the causes, preconditions, geopolitical and geohistorical goals of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The reaction of the West to the Russian geostrategy of revenge has been clarified. It has been proven that the hybrid war which has been going on since February 2014 has created a deep crisis in the global security system. The Russian Federation, having violated the norms and principles of international law, bilateral and large-scale agreements, annexed the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
Methodology.The methodological basis of the article is a set of philosophical and scientific principles, approaches, and special scientific methods of understanding international legal phenomena and geopolitical processes taking place in the world. The use of these methods provided an opportunity to solve the tasks and the main task is to prove that Russia threatens international law. On this basis, a fundamental conclusion was drawn that Putin's Russia must disintegrate as an empire in order to restore world law and order.
Results: Russia attacked Ukraine without declaring war and again called into question the international order in Europe on February 24, 2022, when the Russian leader announced the launch of a "special military operation" against Ukraine. He called its goal the "demilitarization" of the country. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began shelling the cities of Ukraine and its military and civilian infrastructure. The recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics by Russian President Vladimir Putin preceded this madness on February 21, 2022.
However, the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation has deep historical roots. The absorption of Ukraine and its human resources is one of the key tasks in the development of the project of Russian imperialism. The current process of formation and development of Putin's Russia has always been accompanied by war with Ukraine. Russia aimed to destroy our young state. The history of relations between the Ukrainian and Russian peoples is a chronicle of wars, the liberation struggles of Ukrainians, and a consistent policy of Russification and assimilation of our people.


On the eve of the amphibious assault at Gallipoli, practically all the senior military officers involved feared disaster. Disaster promptly ensued, with a large loss of life including among Australian units. The resignation of Admiral Fisher compounded the disaster and led to the fall of the Asquith Ministry and formation of Coalition government. Days after the landings, the British government was stunned to learn that Russia had no wheat available for export. Fortuitously, the price of wheat fell thanks to an unexpected bumper North American crop. After another failed attack at the Dardanelles in August 1915, British government finally cuts its losses and quit the Gallipoli peninsula.


Abstract : This report proposes a method for achieving improvements in the precision of determining Fleet Replacement Squadron student aviator proficiency. The proposed method is the Computer Aided Training Evaluation and Scheduling (CATES) system. It provides a computer managed1 prescriptive training program based on individual student performance.


e issue of flexibility in manufacturing systems has been extensively discussed in the literature. The various aspects of flexibility demonstrated by manufacturing systems have also been explored. While such research provides insights into the characteristics and functioning of manufacturing systems it is the factors that contribute to the various aspects of flexibility that have to be exploited in achieving flexibility in practice. This paper describes the effects of two such factors; transporter speed and machine flexibility on the complexity of control in manufacturing cells. An experimental procedure is described which enabled the determination of the effects f transporter speed and machine flexibility on the complexity of cell control. The data for the investigation was obtained from some manufacturing organizations implementing flexible manufacturing systems.


Objective To investigate the incidence of HBV infection among new senior middle school students,and to provide the evidence for making preventive strategy. Methods Totally 2,756 new senior middle school students from 2006 to 2009 were selected as the target population,and the 5 HBV infection parameters,HBsAg,HBsAb,HBeAg,HBeAb and HBcAb were tested using ELISA method. Results Among the 2,756 samples,the positive HBsAg was detected in 123 samples,with the positive rate of 4.46%.From 2006 to 2009,the positive rate was declined from 5.67% to 2.73%.The positive rate of boys was 3.08%,and that of girls was 2.3%.As far as the infection pattern of HBsAg positive population,the results showed that the positive rate of HBsAg,HBcAb and HBeAb was 47.15%.The positive rate of HBsAg and HBcAb was 28.46%.The positive rate of HBsAg,HBeAg and HBcAb was 16.26%.The positive rate of HBsAg and HBeAg was 4.88%,and the positive rate of unique HBsAg was 3.25%. Conclusions The results suggest that HBV infection rate in new senior middle school students is reduced gradually in recent years.However,there is still relative high frequency of HBeAg positive rate(21.14%) among HBsAg positive population and it may be the risk for HBV transmission.Therefore,enhancement of the management of HBV carriers and hepatitis B immunization to new senior middle school students are necessary.


Generalized phase density and component fugacity equations are presented which represent several of the widely used cubic equations-of-state. A component pseudoization procedure is described which preserves densities and viscosities of the pseudo components and original mixture as functions of pressure and temperature. The full compositional simulation necessary for below-dewpoint cycling is performed for the near-critical condensate using a wide range of component pseudoizations. Results show the well-known necessity of splitting the C7+fraction and indicate a minimum set of about 7 total components necessary for acceptable accuracy. 21 refs.


Background: Role clarity is important for patient care but challenging in graduate medical education (GME). Methods: Badge buddies were integrated for all GME trainees at a single institution, and surveys were conducted prior to and 5 months following implementation. Results: There were 932 pre- and 498 postimplementation respondents. Following implementation, both trainees and nurses reported improved awareness of GME training level, but there were no changes in patient/family perceptions. Conclusions: Badge buddies improved caregiver awareness of GME training level but did not impact patient/family perception. Patients appear to be focused primarily on relationships with caregivers and communication skills rather than a provider's specific role.


The article deals with the applied software quality assessing issues. The work relevance is determined by the fact that currently, in the normative documents there is a list of the main characteristics assessing the application programs quality, which, as shown, is not fully fit for purpose, providing no quality control and compliance testing programs to customer requirements, formulated in the development task. One of the reasons for the current situation is the systems' quality evaluating exclusively quantitative indicators impossibility that combines both technical means and a human operator. An attempt to use world practice, for example, relatively successful quality models from the ISO/IEC 25000: 2014 standards have not yet been implemented: the model itself is allowed for use by regulatory documents (GOST R ISO/IEC 25010-2015), but the quality indicators described in it are not accepted. Private improvements to existing methods do not solve the problem systematically. In the article, based on the software existing approaches to assessing the quality analysis, a scientific and practical problem's formulation is formulated and one of the approaches to its solution is proposed, based on the existing methods' refinement for assessing quality based on the model described in GOST R ISO/IEC 25010, taking into account real users needs, interpreted through reducing the errors' likelihood of the first and second kind that arise when using the software. The formulated problem solution will provide a general increase in the automated control effectiveness through the use of the quantitative and qualitative assessments of the software being developed


Objective
To explore the relationship between perceived stress and work well-being of medical stuffs, and test the mediating effect of self-efficacy between above two variables.

Methods
A total of 1 296 doctors from 29 hospitals in Beijing were assessed by work well-being scale, general self-efficacy scale (GSES) and Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between perceived stress and work well-being.

Results
(1) Perceived stress(37.62±7.20) was negatively correlated with general self-efficacy(2.47±0.55), cognitive work well-being(4.16±0.78) and affective work well-being(21.57±5.63)(r=-0.456, P<0.01; r=-0.406, P<0.01; r=-0.542, P<0.01). General self-efficacy was positively correlated with cognitive work well-being and affective work well-being(r=0.382, P<0.01; r=0.510, P<0.01)(2) In the relationship between perceived stress and affective work well-being, general self-efficacy played a partial mediator role(P<0.01), the mediating effect was 14.5%. In the relationship between perceived stress and cognitive work well-being, general self-efficacy played a partial mediator role(P<0.01), and the mediating effect was 46.3%.

Conclusion
Perceived stress of medical stuffs influenced their work well-being through self-efficacy. It is advised to improve the medical stuffs' self-efficacy in order to raise their level of work well-being.

Key words:
Work well-being; Perceived stress; Self-efficacy; Mediating effect


In this study, a structure for an automated competency management system model is presented. The system involves an advanced approach to competency identification and evaluation that takes into account the prediction of future activities in competency development. Once competencies are identified and graded for all resources, they are then matched to running projects via a domain of action related to each project. The acknowledged competencies are then linked to a time management factor, or the occupational rate, in a manner that the percentage of time dispensed by each resource on a project in a domain of action including a defined competency is shown. An enrollment criterion for the automated competency management system is proposed. The presented model may be applied for both products and services. Keywords: automation, competency, job models, organizational processes


It analyzes the application of CIS in the animation theme park construction and operation. Based on the theory of CIS,through the on-the-spot investigation of Hangzhou′s animation theme parks,from five aspects including concept identification,behavior recognition,visual recognition,sound recognition,environment recognition,at last it analyzes and finds out the problems of three typical animation theme parks. By the CIS system for establishment and management guidance,animation theme parks can have a normalization method,also it is good for designers,managers and visitors which have a more smooth communication relationship.


This year is the jubilee of Robert Koch's discovery of the tubercle bacillus. Although this discovery was possibly his most notable piece of work, yet had the tubercle bacillus been first discovered by some other worker Koch would still stand out as one of the greatest names in the history of bacteriology. In India we owe him a special debt not only for his discovery of the universal tubercle bacillus but because of his work on one of our indigenous diseases, cholera, and his demonstration of the causative organism, the vibrio which now bears his name.


An apparatus has been developed which permits optical measurements up to 30 kbar at 1.5K using a piston-cylinder-type high-pressure cell. Using this apparatus, studies of the hydrostatic pressure effects of absorption spectra of KI and KBr doped with Tl+ or In+ have been made up to 10 kbar. Under high pressure, a mutual mixing occurs due to the electron-lattice interaction between the excited states corresponding to the A, B, C and D absorption bands, even at low temperatures, resulting in the give-and-take of the absorption intensity between these absorption bands. To explain the mutual mixing, the pressure dependence of the electron-lattice coupling is taken into account. The pressure variation of the A band shape is also discussed in connection with the pressure dependence of the electron-lattice coupling constants.


The thermooptic coefficient, thermal conductivity κ, and nonlinear index of refraction of the mixture of potassium laurate and water, around the critical micellar concentration (cmc), are measured as a function of the amphiphile concentration, using the Z-Scan technique in a millisecond time scale. In this time scale, during which the sample is exposed to the laser beam, heat diffusion takes place and, in the same time, the thermodiffusion process is not present. Our results indicate that the presence of micelles in the solution, in a concentration domain up to 100 × cmc, does not significantly modify the thermal conductivity of the solution, with respect to the value of κ in the solution of isolated amphiphilic molecules. On the other hand, the presence of micelles in the solution modifies the thermooptic coefficient and the nonlinear index of refraction behaviors as a function of the amphiphilic concentration (c). When this result is compared with the behavior of the electrical conductivities of the amp...


SUBTITLE: THE RACE IS ON EUROPE, AS THE MAJOR CARRIERS SEEK TO GAIN A DECISIVE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BY DEVELOPING OR FURTHER REFINING THEIR HUBBING STRATEGIES.


The intra-axonal events governing formation of presynaptic terminals are still poorly understood. Pinto et al. reveal a mechanism by which a localized decrease in proteasome degradation and resultant accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins at nascent sites signal assembly of presynaptic terminals.


Recommendations about elimination of the thermal insulation's defects are offered in this research. The recommendations are based on the thermal imaging inspection of residential buildings, which were built with aseismic demands. The designing construction solution of filler structures taking into account the increase of comfort in the room is presented. In the proposed work the typical designs structures of the site supporting floor slab on a brick wall (width 770 mm). Aseismic horizontal frame is abutting to the floor slab on the same level. The insulation layer of 140 mm width made with expanded polystyrene sites on the whole height of the wall. This layer is braked aseismic horizontal frame on the floor slab level. The aseismic horizontal frame is covered by the expanded polystyrene of 20 mm width. The thermal bridge in the direction of the facade is very typical for this designing construction solution. The thermal bridge is in the mid-height of the floor slab near the insulation layer. The purpose of the research is to find a solution which will minimize or elimination thermal bridge with using additional insulation layer sites in the different level. Repeatability of thermal imaging inspection of designing construction solution and theoretical calculations in the software package ElCut are confirmed. The presentation is illustrated with examples of temperature fields for the different residential buildings.


In recent years, an enormous pressure was put on the need to design and develop products that are compliant with the stringent environmental regulations set up various countries. Among the problems that need to be addressed is the need to design and develop environmentally friendly products that are energy efficient and easy to recycle. In this study, the effect of metal salt generation processing on the tensile strength of the bonded interface of Al/Al and Al/Cu was investigated by SEM observations of interfacial microstructures and fractured surfaces. Aluminum surfaces were modified by boiling in 5% aqueous solution of NaOH for 30 s and 98% formic acid for 60 s. Copper surface were modified by boiling 98% formic acid for 60 s. Solid-state bonding was performed at bonding temperature of 673 ~ 813 K and under a pressure of 6 MPa ( bonding time of 1.8 ks). Using metal salt generation bonding technique, the bonded joint is able to reach 0.2% proof stress at lower bonding temperature and with less deformation.


This study aimed at investigating the degree of using social media in the educational process by the teachers of the upper-primary stage in Jordan from teacher's perspective. The survey method used in this study is the descriptive method. The data were collected using a questionnaire and was developed to achieve the objectives of the study. The population of the study includes 37703 teachers of the upper primary stage in governmental and private schools, supervised by the Ministry of Education in Jordan for the academic year (2016/2017). The study sample consisted of 2133 teachers (766 male teachers and 1367 female teachers) who were randomly selected according to the stratified random sampling. The first question was answered by calculating the mean and the standard deviations of the sample individual's responses based on the items of the questionnaire related to the degree of using social media in the educational process in the upper primary stage in Jordan. In answering question one, the mean and the standard deviations of the responses of the sample individuals were calculated on the questionnaire based on the degree of using social media in the educational process in the upper primary stage in Jordan in general, and also for each dimension of the study questionnaire. Results of question one showed that the degree of using social media means by the teachers of upper primary stage in Jordan was low. In answering question two, the significant statistical differences (α = 0.05) based on the degree of using social media in the educational process by the teachers of the upper primary stage in Jordan due to their gender, school type, and academic qualification were examined through calculated means, standard deviations, the independent samples t-test, and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of question two showed that there are statistically significant differences at α = 0.05 on the scores of the respondents in the study sample. This, however, can be seen in terms of the dimensions of the degree of using social media by teachers of upper primary stage in educational process in Jordan, for the whole tool, due to gender in favor of males. The differences were in the dimension of knowledge, skills, and value for males. In terms of the social dimension, the differences were in favor of females. There are no statistically significant differences at α = 0.05 on the degrees of the respondents to the study sample on the dimensions of the use of social media by teachers of upper primary stage in educational process in Jordan, and based on the degree of overall tool, according to school type variable (governmental, private). In the light of the study results, a number of recommendations were proposed, including enhancing the methods of the use of social media means in the educational process, and overcoming the obstacles that hinder the use of social media in the learning and teaching process.


In an attempt to increase interest and motivation for historical awareness among third year students enrolled in cultural studies, the following project was designed to facilitate the assimilation of basic historical knowledge. By combining the modem newspaper format with periods of history, which for obvious reasons could not have been reported in the press, it was hoped to stimulate interest in joumalistic style and presentation, approach history from a novel angle, and as a by-product, maintain language skills.


The invention provides a maintaining method of multimedia terminal equipment, which comprises the following steps: when the multimedia terminal equipment is started to enter a system, monitoring whether the system is damaged or not, and if so, restarting the multimedia terminal equipment, and entering a safe mode for safe upgrade so as to repair the system. The invention also provides the multimedia terminal equipment. The multimedia terminal equipment and the maintaining method thereof of the invention realize the function that the multimedia terminal equipment automatically checks and detects whether the equipment is damaged or not, and if being damaged, safe upgrade and repair are automatically carried out. The invention effectively reduces the repair rate of the equipment and greatly lowers the maintenance cost of the equipment.


This study was conducted to investigate morphological characteristics and effects of temperature on the development of Piezodorus hybneri on soybean. The unibanded stink bug, Piezodorus hybneri, is a serious insect pest in soybean fields giving damage to seeds in pod and leaves of soybean lowering both quality and yield. Eggs were spherical and laid in two raws on the leaves and pods of soybean plants. Body lengths of females and males were 9.8 mm and 8.7 mm, respectively. Egg hatch rates were better in higher temperature within the range of examined temperatures, which ranged in . The development periods of eggs at the temperatures of 20, 25, 30 and were 10.7, 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0 days, respectively. Mean developmental periods of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th nymphs at were 3.2, 3.4, 3.4, 3.3 and 5.9 days, respectively. Development threshold and effective accumulative temperature were and 65.5 DD (day degree) for egg stage, and 322.8 DD for nymph stage, and 386.4 DD from egg to adult, respectively. Oviposition began from 10 days after emergence at , and the longevity of female and male were 52.5 and 38.2 days, respectively. Total number of eggs and egg masses laid by a female at were 496 and 21.3, respectively, The longevity of adult female was shortened with increasing temperature, whereas the total numbers of eggs laid by a female were decreased.


To increase domestic ring life,DLC film ring was researched and developed.Unbalanced magnetron sputtering method was used to treat ring surface,DLC film was sputtered and electroplated on the ring.DLC film surface appearance,bonding strength of the film-substrate and wear resistance in different frequency were tested and contrasted with Cr-plated ring and polished GCr-plated ring.The results show that friction coefficient of DLC film ring is less,wear resistance of the DLC film ring is better and the ring life can be improved.


This study aims at examining the causal relationship between energy consumption, natural resources, environmental pollution (i.e., CO2 emissions) and climate change (i.e., Greenhouse gas emissions ‐ GHG) in the context of Pakistan, over the period of 1975–2012. The study applied bivariate cointegration and Granger causality technique for robust inferences. The results show that energy demand increases gas rents, natural resource rents, and oil rents while it exhausts the natural resources. Natural resources further affected by air pollution and climate change in a country. The results of Granger causality indicate that there is a bidirectional causality between (i) energy consumption and net forest depletion, (ii) energy demand and oil rent, (iii) forest rents and CO2 emissions, (iv) natural resource depletion and GHG emissions, and (v) net forest depletion and GHG emissions, while, there is a unidirectional causality running from CO2 emissions to oil rents, from net forest depletion to CO2 emissions, and from GHG emissions to forest rent, mineral rent, natural gas rent, and oil rent in a country. Finally, the study confirmed the "neutrality hypothesis" between coal rent, natural resource rent, and GHG emissions in Pakistan. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 638–648, 2017


Results of treating 181 patients for hemiparesis after a cerebral stroke or a craniocerebral injury by local exposure of the pathological focus to decimeter electromagnetic waves (DW) and alternating magnetic field (AMF) are presented. It is shown that these treatment methods improve the cerebral circulation and contribute to earlier restoration of the motor functions, especially, if used in combination with sulfide baths, therapeutic physical exercises and massage. The therapeutic effectiveness of the DW- and AMF-therapy is confirmed objectively by so informative examination methods, as rheoencephalography, ultrasonic dopplerography, and thermography.


ACE inhibitors have been shown to reduce mortality by about 20% when used on a long-term basis in high-risk post-infarction patients. In the majority of previous trials, ACE therapy was not administered during the first day of MI to avoid the risk of provoking hypotension. However, early initiation of ACE inhibition has the potential benefit of early ventricular …


The Academic scholarch Carneades of Cyrene withdrew from active lecturing several years before his death. He handed the Academy over – either formally or informally – to a successor, who remained in charge for six years (137/6–131/0 BC) and passed away in Carneades' own lifetime. Philodemus reports this episode three times in the Index Academicorum. Since 1869 scholars have never questioned the notion that Carneades' lifetime-successor was a namesake: Carneades, son of Polemarchus (also called Carneades the younger). Now, new readings of several lines in all three passages reveal that the name of Carneades' successor was actually Polemarchus of Nicomedia – a man skilled in dialectical methods. There never was a second Academic named Carneades.


Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to carbon fuels is desirable solutions to replace conventional fossil fuels. Herein, SnS2 nanosheets (NSs) were fabricated via facile hydrothermal method, which transformed to thinner and more...


In this study, hydrocalumite-like Ca2Al-NO3− layered double hydroxides (Ca-Al LDHs) with different microstructures were synthesized. The crystalline properties, structure composition, morphology and particle size distribution of the Ca-Al LDH (CAL) samples were illustrated. To obtain the chloride uptake performances of CAL, the influences of contact time, initial concentration of Cl−, pH of reaction solution and coexistence anions on the chloride uptake were examined systematically. Compared to the CAL samples obtained at a higher aging temperature, CAL synthesized at 60 °C demonstrated the minimum average particle size (6.148 μm) and the best Cl− adsorption capacity (211.324 mg/g). Based on the test results, the main adsorption mechanism of chloride ion on CAL was recognized as an interlayer anion exchanging reaction other than the dissolution-precipitate mode. With the increase in the pH value of reaction solution from 7 to 13, it was found that the amount of chloride ion adsorbed by CAL increased slightly, and the solution could remain at relatively high pH value even after the adsorption. The presence of CO32− and SO42− reduced the adsorption capacity of CAL dramatically as compared with OH− due to the destruction of layered structure and the formation of precipitates (CaCO3 or CaSO4). The interference sequence of the investigated anions on the chloride uptake of CAL was SO42−, CO32− and OH−, and the order of interlayer anionic affinity was Cl− > OH− > NO3−. The results illustrated that the synthesized CAL could be used as a promising chloride ion adsorbent for the corrosion inhibition of reinforcement embedded cement-based materials.


An experiment is described in which male mice received, in one group, an X-ray dose of 600 r given at a high dose-rate and, in a second group, a dose of 600 r of cobalt 60 γ rays given at a low dose-rate; spermatogonial specific locus mutation rates were studied. The induced mutation rate was significantly lower in the chronically irradiated group; this confirms the report of Russell, Russell and Kelly (1958). A significant difference in the mutability of the d-locus was found between experiments carried out at Harwell and the acute X-ray experiments reported by Russell and Russell (1959).


An attempt was made to devise a simple expression or formula to describe radiative heating in the atmosphere by ozone absorption. Such absorption occurs in the Hartley, Huggins, and Chappuis bands and is only slightly temperature and pressure dependent.


We determined the effect of ingesting a single meal‐like amount of protein on protein digestion and absorption kinetics and the subsequent time‐dependent regulation of postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates in vivo in humans. Seven healthy young males (age: 22±1 y, BMI: 24.8±1.2 kg/m2) received a primed continuous L‐[ring‐2H5]phenylalanine infusions and ingested 38 g intrinsically L‐[1‐13C]phenylalanine‐labeled milk protein concentrate. Biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis in the basal‐state and 1, 2, 3, and 5 h after protein ingestion. Exogenous phenylalanine appearance in the circulation rapidly increased after protein ingestion (P<0.001). Dietary protein‐derived phenylalanine released in the circulation was 11±2% of the total intake within the first 1 h, followed by 14±1%, 12±1%, and 20±1% within the subsequent 1–2 h, 2–3 h, and 3–5 h of the postprandial period, respectively (total 56±4% over the 5 h period). Myofibrillar protein synthesis rates tended (P=0.10) to increase (absolute change from basal: 0.010±0.008 %/h) immediately following protein ingestion at 0–1 h. Myofibrillar protein synthesis rates were significantly increased at 1–2 h (0.035±0.012 %/h) and myofibrillar protein synthesis remained elevated between 2–3 h (0.019±0.005 %/h) and 3–5 h (0.016±0.004 %/h) after protein ingestion when compared to basal rates (all, P<0.05). Our results show that postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates rapidly increase after protein ingestion and remain elevated above baseline values for at least 5 hours after protein ingestion in healthy young males.


Summary A limited survey was made of the toxicity to bull spermatozoa of several antibiotics including four brands and two salts of penicillin, three brands and three salts of streptomycin, one lot of dihydrostreptomycin, two salts of aureomycin and one lot of chloromycetin. Differences in spermatozoa motility were not attributed to brands, lots or salts of either penicillin or streptomycin. Dihydrostreptomycin sulfate was not toxic to spermatozoa at levels as high as 8 mg. per milliliter of diluted semen. The initial toxic level of aureomycin was found to be above 0.0625 mg. per milliliter while that of chloromycetin was found to be above 0.5 mg. per milliliter of diluted semen.


CYP2D6 is responsible for the metabolism of 20‐25% of currently prescribed drugs and thus the study of its genetic variation are of particular importance to pharmacogenetics, as the various combinations of variant alleles result in a diverse set of metabolic profiles. However, little is currently known about the frequency of functionally important CYP2D6 SNPs in black South Africans. Therefore, this study aims to genotype four functionally important SNPs across the coding region of CYP2D6, in order to determine the allelic frequencies in black South Africans. In this study 90 unrelated black Bantu‐speaking participants were genotyped, using the tetra ARMS-PCR method for each of the four SNPs: rs16947, rs1135840, rs1065852 and rs28371706. These frequencies were compared with those from other populations, using 1000 Genomes Project data. Knowledge of the novel frequencies, of these polymorphisms, and their resulting metabolic classes, would prove important for reducing both adverse drug reactions and improving drug dosage calculations, with respect to the black South African population.


The aim of this research is to synthesise two mechanical designs of walking assistive devices that can reduce the joint loading of the knee. One of them is a passive adjustable body weight support device that can provide a prescribed percentage off loading to the user consistently without any power requirements. Another one is a wearable robotic knee brace that can provide assistance to the knee during level walking, sitting and walking downstairs with very little power consumption.


Abstract Since US President Donald J. Trump took office in January 2017, the future of the global economy has looked distinctly uncertain. This is not because a process of clear and purposeful change can be said to be underway. Instead, it is because of a pattern of piecemeal, inconsistent and contradictory fragments of policy, both domestic and international in orientation, in the arenas of trade, taxation, business relations, finance and banking, social and welfare provision, immigration, and environmental protection, whose cumulative significance remains unclear. The modest task of this essay is therefore to sketch the contours, patterns, inconsistencies and confusions presented by the Trump administration's approach to shaping the US economy and, by extension, the global economic order, and on that basis to offer an interpretation of its emerging implications for inequality both within the United States and across the world.


A diluting and dispensing system is described for providing concentrations of ethylene as low as 0.1 ppm to a number of different chambers in a continuous flow system for treatment of plant tissue. Several concentrations can be provided simultaneously. The system eliminates the need for routine recharging of the ethylene reservoir.


The article presents a textological analysis of the epic "Meret-oolak" performed by D. K. Turushpanov. The decod- ing of "Meret-oolak" audio recording was made by different native speakers − I. Y. Arbachakov and L. N. Arbacha- kova. When working with the archival audio recording of the epic under study as the primary source, the authors followed the main principle of practical textology − the authenticity of the research material. In this study, a com- parison was made of the tirade from "Meret-oolak" (published and translated into Russian in 119 lines) with "Meret sar attyg Meret Oolaқ" (154 lines, respectively), decoded by the authors. The textological analysis revealed that in the version of I. Arbachakov, there are omissions of words, phrases, lines, some epic formulas, and the common place "The Creation of the Earth." In addition to omissions, typos in the text and inaccuracies in translation into Russian were found. Also, the Russisms with affixes of Shor cases, the phrases adapted in Shor, as well as pure Russisms and Russian vernaculars, were identified. Siberian folklorists engaged in audio decoding of heroic epics noticed the slips of language, repetitions, variorum, and mistakes that are natural in the live performance of the epic. Using the available audio recording of the analyzed text, we were able to repeated- ly listen to it and compare it with the published text. As a result, the authors have identified some words in typical places and restored the epic formulas and one "common place".


In support of the community-based education philosophy, nursing faculty at a small health careers college in the Midwestern United States incorporated a service-learning experience involving Sudanese refugee families and Latino community members into its accelerated community-based nursing program (acE) curriculum. The purpose of the servicelearning experience is to allow students the opportunity develop relationships through which


The aim of this study is to examine the services offered by the public libraries in the context of distance learning students. I wanted to examine if there has been any discussion among the public libraries on how the new needs and demands affect them. To get a premonition on the development in Sweden I have focused on the public libraries in the province of Blekinge, which in many ways can be looked upon as precursors. Interviews have taken place with the distance learning students contacts at the local public libraries, the responsible librarian and a distance learning organiser at the local university college, the county library consultant and one of the chief librarians. I have reached the conclusion that no thorough discussion on the far-reaching aspects has taken place. I strongly emphasise the need and importance of such a discussion and more long-range planning among the public libraries in Sweden in order to ensure continuity for traditional library work and to prevent stagnation in the development.


Abstract Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp. 'California Blackeye') plants were grown at seven rates of phosphorus (P) fertilization: 0.0 to 3.6 mM P provided weekly. When plants were eight weeks old, stomatal conductance (Cs) was measured before and after lowering soil water potential to ‐1.0 MPa with a sorbitol solution. Prestress Cs was between 4 and 5 mm/s in 0.0 to 2.4 P plants and varied between 5 and 7 mm/s in 3.0 and 3.6 P plants. Declines in Cs were similar after lowering of soil water potential in plants of all treatments except 0.6 P, which tended to have lower Cs.


The Sal'nikov thermokinetic oscillator model is investigated in a spherical reactor with a temperature-dependent surface/volume ratio. If the temperature is driven sinusoidally, period doubling and chaos occurs. A typical chaotic state of the model is analyzed by various methods, like attractor reconstruction, dimensional analysis and computation of Lyapunov exponents. We demonstrate that unstable periodic orbits embedded in the strange attractor are stabilized by a continuous delay time method according to Pyragas. Two simple stabilized orbits are shown and discussed. We also use the continuous method of chaos control for the tracking of unstable orbits through a sequence of period doublings and chaos.


The applications of AA6082 alloys in the structural and transport are found to be more due its light weight. To improve strength to weight ratio and stress resistance, the carbides/oxides are added and this will leads to improvement in the mechanical properties and high stress sustainability. In this research work, AA6082 Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) is manufactured through the ex-situ casting process with the Silicon Carbide (SiC) reinforcements of 2.5 & 5 wt% and the microstructure evolution, hardness, dry sliding wear behavior and tensile properties of MMCs are investigated. As-cast AA6082 showed the dendritic microstructure with intermetallic eutectics. The presence of SiC particulates in AA6082 resulted in decreased grain size and equixed grains. The hardness of the tested as casted AA6082 samples was found to be 81 HV which has been increased to 93 HV and 107 HV and the tensile strength of AA6082 is increased by 16% and 41% by addition of 2.5 wt% SiC and 5 wt%SiC respectively due to the presence of the SiC particulates. At the same time coefficient of friction of AA6082 is found to be decreased by 11.8% and 20.5% for the testing load of 10N and the corresponding decrease in wear rates were found to be 50.8% and 70.3% respectively. The worn surface showed the continuous groove parallel to sliding direction with short cracks, bidirectional rough grooves with peeled-off SiC, unidirectional smooth scratches along the sliding surfaces for as-cast AA6082, AA6082-2.5 wt SiC and AA6082-5 wt SiC respectively that indicates the significant effects of SiC particulates on wear mechanism.


This is the last of a suite of three papers about the transition that occurs in numerical simulations for an idealized equilibrium, subtropical, eastern-boundary upwelling current system similar to the California Current. The transition is mainly explained by the emergence of ubiquitous submesoscale density fronts and ageostrophic circulations about them in the weakly stratified surface boundary layer. Here the high-resolution simulations are further analyzed from the perspective of the kinetic energy (KE) spectrum shape and spectral energy fluxes in the mesoscale-to-submesoscale range in the upper ocean. For wavenumbers greater than the mesoscale energy peak, there is a submesoscale power-law regime in the spectrum with an exponent close to -2. In the KE balance an important conversion from potential to kinetic energy takes place at all wavenumbers in both mesoscale and submesoscale ranges; this conversion is the energetic counterpart of the vertical restratification flux and frontogenesis discussed in the earlier papers. A significant forward cascade of KE occurs in the submesoscale range en route to dissipation at even smaller scales. This is contrary to the inverse energy cascade of geostrophic turbulence and it is, in fact, fundamentally associated with the horizontally divergent (i.e., ageostrophic) velocity component. The submesoscale dynamical processes of frontogenesis, frontal instability, and breakdown of diagnostic force balance are all essential elements of the energy cycle of potential energy conversion and forward KE cascade.


Ocean thermal is one of renewable energy sources in which the seawater temperature difference is about 20℃. Several studies have been carried out related to the conversion systems, environmental, economics, including optimum siting of the conversion systems. Among others, supporting structures for such the systems play a great role in contributing to the feasibility of the project. However, it seems there has been no common concensus or guideline to which supporting structures fit best to a particular case under consideration. Further works are required to fill this gap so that a better understanding on the supporting structures may be presented. The purpose of this work is to conduct a systematic literature review of the available studies that attempted to deal with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) structures. The type of the structures, the type of loads, and the most frequent critical structural parts are reviewed and presented in this paper.


This artcle generalized analyses reason of 240/275 seriation diesel engine off breakdown,system has summed up the treatment method that the locomotive owes a malfunction face to face in wielding and examining and repairing process,technology measure and effective office procedure having summed up locomotive depot all round in order what be adopted maturity happened in the restraint closing down malfunction.


The Simpson Group is a well-known petroleum-bearing unit that ranges up to 2,300 ft in thickness in the subsurface of West Texas. No published accounts prior to this study definitely acknowledge the presence of outcrops of Simpson rocks in that area. However, a close inspection of the interval between the outcropping thick carbonate rocks of the El Paso Group (Lower Ordovician) and those of the Montoya Group (Middle-Upper Ordovician), from two measured sections in the Beach and Baylor Mountains, revealed the presence of part of the Simpson Group. Conodonts were collected systematically from these beds and found to be correlative, in part, with the lower Simpson in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma. Multioistodus compressus, the most diagnostic conodont, with "Chosonodina lunata, Acodus campanula, Acontiodus curvatus, and Scandus sinuosus, among others, indicate a Joins to Oil Creek assignment. The persistent argillaceous dolomites and quartz sandstones of the lower Simpson reflect deposition in a shallow-marine depression called the Tobosa basin. This elliptical depression was separated from the Oklahoma basin by the partly emergent Texas peninsula. Warping of the Tobosa basin, concurrent with regional emergence on the Mid-Continent at the end of Simpson deposition, resulted in erosion of the Simpson and the unconformable overlap of Montoya strata; in any traverse from the basin center to the basin margin, progressively older Simpson strata are overstepped by the Montoya. This additionally verifies that the Simpson in Beach and Baylor Mountains (at the margin of the Tobosa basin) is lower Simpson.


The microstructues and properties of the handle-welded machine taps of W6Mo5Cr4V2 steel were investigated after being austenitized respectively in vacuum and in salt bath and then being quenched.The study reveals that grain size and solubility of carbides in the tap austenitized both in vacuum and in salt bath at the same temperature and subsequently quenched are quite the same.After being tempered,however,the carbides in the tap austenitized in vacuum are finer and more homogenous as compared with those of the tap austenitized in salt bath,with the tap achieving a first-rate level in cutting ability.


We present a formal method, based on the logic of possibility, to fuse uncertain sensory information and to produce an estimate of the position of a mobile robot. The robot navigates in an office environment, using a topological map, with the assistance of a "slave" robot acting as a portable local landmark. Each relevant place in the map is characterized by a set of logical formulae axiomatizing both "crisp" knowledge and uncertain information from the sensors. At each time instant during navigation, the necessity degree of each place is calculated using a purely syntactical method based on sequent calculus.


The Federal Government's greenhouse policy is mainly based on nuclear energy and clean coal technology. The policy includes some measures to promote alternatives like energy efficiency and renewable energy. However, these alternatives are viewed as secondary. The emphasis in the Government's policy statements has been on clean coal technology and nuclear energy. To gauge the level of public support for the Government's greenhouse strategy, the Australia Institute commissioned Pollinate to conduct an online survey. Respondents were asked whether they would prefer a strategy based mainly on nuclear power and clean coal technology or a strategy based mainly on energy efficiency and renewable energy. They were also asked to select their preferred source of electricity from a list of renewable and non-renewable options. A large majority of Australians (74 per cent) would prefer a greenhouse strategy based mainly on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Only 19 per cent of Australians prefer the Government's approach that focuses mainly on nuclear power and clean coal technologies.


In this work, we present a single-ended Schmitt-trigger (ST) based 12T static random access memory (SRAM) cell. The proposed cell employs cross-point data aware write structure, and thus supports bit interleaving architecture to mitigate soft errors. The proposed cell does not suffer from read disturbance as bit line is completely isolated from bit storage node. Simulation is done on 180 nm CMOS technology on Cadence. Read static noise margin (RSNM) of the proposed cell is improved by1.42X as compared to conventional 6T bit cell at Vdd=0.7 V. The proposed cell offers 0.0065X lesser write '1' delay as compared to previously proposed ST based 11T SRAM. Keywords: HSNM, read delay, RSNM, SRAM, write delay, WSNM Cite this Article Mansore SR, Gamad RS, Mishra DK. Schmitt-Trigger Based 12T SRAM Cell with Enhanced Stability . Journal of Semiconductor Devices and Circuits . 2018; 5(1): 5–10p.


One-pot synthesis of POM-salt ([Himi]4[SiMo12O40] (1)) was achieved by mixing silicomolybdic acid and imidazole in acidic conditions and characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM, EDX, ICP-OES and XPS. The structure of 1 was confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis. The matching of the simulated PXRD pattern with the experimental pattern indicates the phase purity of 1. Interestingly, 1 showed highly selective and sensitive colorimetric detection of hydrated zinc chloride (ZnCl2·2H2O). The addition of ZnCl2·2H2O into 1 in the DMSO–H2O mixture shows the formation of blue colour. Furthermore, metal ions including other anionic zinc salts did not produce any colour change. The limit of detection was calculated to be 0.15 μM. Similarly, solid mixing of ZnCl2·2H2O with 1 can also produce a visible blue colour change. On the other hand, anhydrous ZnCl2 did not form any color change under the same conditions. The mechanistic studies indicate that the reduction of Mo6+ to Mo5+ might be responsible for the selective colour change. The reversible colour change between colorless and blue colour upon addition of EDTA into 1-ZnCl2·2H2O demonstrates the reusability of 1. Furthermore, microbial activity of 1 was investigated towards a series of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial and fungal strains. Effective bactericidal activity of 1 was analyzed against Staphylococcus aureus.


Sputter erosion depths in Si films deposited on Al substrates by PVD, CVD and plasma spay methods were measured after exposure to As^+ ions in a DC implanter beam and Ga^+ ions with a scanned FIB. Erosion depths are measured by optical methods. Metallic contamination in the deposited Si films were measured with RBS. Si surface textures were examined by SEM. Graphical abstract Si erosion depths for As^+ and Ga^+ ions normalized to 40 keV As^+ nuclear stopping powers


Background: A "Stener-like" lesion of the knee is defined as a distal avulsion of the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) with interposition of the pes anserinus between the ligament and its tibial insertion—a displacement impeding anatomic healing. Because of the scarcity of these injuries, the literature is limited to case reports and small case series. Purpose: To assess the effect of surgical repair of acute Stener-like lesions of the sMCL on the following outcomes: return to preinjury level of sporting function; time to return to preinjury level of sporting function; functional performance; injury recurrence; and any other complications. Study Design: Case series: Level of evidence, 4. Methods: This prospective single–surgeon study included 23 elite athletes with a mean age of 27.2 years (range, 19-37 years). Of the participants, 20 were men (87%) and 3 were women (13%). The mean body mass index was 23.1 ± 2.3. A total of 16 athletes were soccer players (70%) and 7 were rugby players (30%), with isolated acute, traumatic Stener-like lesions of the sMCL of the knee confirmed on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical repair was undertaken with primary suture anchor repair with ligament repair or reconstruction system (LARS) augmentation. Predefined outcomes were recorded at regular intervals after surgery. The minimum follow–up time was 24 months (range, 24-108 months) from the date of surgery. Results: The mean time from injury to surgical intervention was 9 days (range, 3-28 days). Overall, 15 (65%) athletes had isolated distal sMCL injuries requiring anatomic suture anchor repair at the distal tibial insertion site only, and 8 (35%) athletes had concomitant injuries of the proximal and distal sMCL and required anatomic suture anchor repair at the proximal and distal attachment sites. Ten athletes required LARS augmentation at the time of the index operation. All study patients returned to their preinjury level of sporting activity in professional soccer or rugby. The mean time from surgical intervention to return to full sporting activity was 16.8 ± 2.7 weeks. At 6 and 24 months' follow–up, all patients had Tegner scores of 10. At a 2–year follow–up, all study patients were still participating at their preinjury level of sporting activity. Three patients developed complications around the LARS that required further surgery to remove synthetic material; however, this did not affect function. Conclusion: Surgical repair of acute Stener-like lesions of the sMCL is associated with a high return to preinjury level of sporting function, excellent functional performance, and a low risk of recurrence at short–term follow-up in elite athletes.


As more and more photovoltaic units are being installed, some LV networks have already attained their maximum hosting capacity, i.e. the maximum amount of distributed energy resources that they can accommodate during regular operations without suffering problems, such as overvoltages. As an alternative to network reinforcement, active network management (ANM) can, to a certain extent, increase their hosting capacity by controlling the power flows. In the framework of ANM, a distributed control scheme was previously presented. It makes use of a distress signal sent by each participating unit, when its terminal voltage is higher than 1.1 p.u. All units then proceed to absorb the maximum reactive power available. If the problem is not resolved, the units proceed to active power curtailment. This paper extends this control scheme to the case of unbalanced three-phase four-wire distribution networks with single- and/or three-phase inverters. The control scheme works by first partitioning the inverters into four groups, three for the single-phase inverters (one for each phase), and one for the three-phase converters. Each group then independently applies a distributed algorithm similar to the one previously presented. Their performance are then compared to those of two reference schemes, an on-off algorithm that models the default behaviour of PV inverters when there is an overvoltage, and the other one based on an unbalanced OPF. Its resulting total curtailed energy always lies between the two, with the on-off algorithm presenting the poorest performance, and the proposed algorithm losing its edge when the network is strongly unbalanced.


This study is conducted to assess the influence of radio, poster/billboard/leaflet and healthcare workers as media for contraceptive messages on the use of family planning by women of reproductive age in Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. The study used descriptive survey research design. Questionnaires was used to collect data from one hundred and twenty respondents, selected using simple and systematic random sampling technique. The study used frequency tables and percentage to analyses the data, while chi-square was used to answer the research questions at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study indicate that listening to contraceptive messages on radio; reading or seeing contraceptive messages on posters, billboards and/or leaflets and meeting and talking with health care worker on contraceptives strongly influenced use of family planning. The study recommends that Government and other implementing agencies should use the mass media especially radio and posters/billboards/leaflets as the main source of Family planning information at the community level to ensure wider reach and depth of information. All Healthcare workers should be trained on basic family planning method and should offer family planning services routinely to all women of reproductive age who visit hospitals and clinics.


Objective To report clinical, electrophysiological and pathological changes in typeⅠof hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) in a Chinese family. Methods The proband was a 28-year old man with pain loss in both legs as well as painless ulcer over 1 year. His mother also suffered from numbness and multiple ulcer of feet in her thirties. Sympathetic skin response (SSR), motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity as well as sural nerve biopsy were performed in the proband. Results The amplitude of SSR was delayed in the hands and disappeared in the feet. Sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) was slow in the upper limbs (the SCV of right ulnar nerve was 33 m/s and of left median nerve was 45 m/s) and vacant in the low limbs. Motor nerve conduction velocity was mildly decreased in the upper limbs and markedly slowed down or did not react in the low limbs. Sural nerve biopsy showed total loss of myelinated fibers and marked loss of unmyelinated fibers. Conclusions Our study confirmed the existence of typeⅠHSAN in China. Both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers were involved. SSR, evaluating the function of sympathetic nerve, is useful for the diagnosis of HSAN.


Chronic kidney disease and atherosclerosis are considered to be inflammatory process in which T cells and cytokines participate. This study determines the effect of statin therapy as an anti-inflammatory agent on the level of CD4+CD28null T lymphocyte population, and subsequently on atherosclerosis in patients with chronic renal disease.

 We recruited 90 chronic kidney disease patients. The patients were divided into three groups according to carotid intimal medial thickness (CIMT) as an indicator of atherosclerosis. Two groups (group A in whom CIMT above 0.95 mm and B in whom CIMT below 0.95 mm) were given statin (atorvastatin 20mg) while the third group (group C in whom CIMT below 0.95 mm) continue only on the conservative treatment for CKD patients. CD4+CD28null T cells was measured in the three groups at the beginning of the study and after 6 months of statin therapy.

 CD4+CD28null T cells was decreased in statin groups (group A and B) when compared to no-statin group (group C) at the end of the study. Multivariable regression analysis for the effect of statin therapy showed that statin can independently increase the percentage of decrease both CD4+CD28null cells at the end of our study (p-value <0.0001).

 Our study demonstrates that statins reduce CD4+CD28null T cells in CKD patients especially with atherosclerosis suggesting that statins may help in altering the inflammatory process that lead to atherosclerosis.


A project of cleaning dismantled metals is going on at INER. The test work has been performed. Results showed that the activity decreased from 45 {micro}Sv/h to background level after 20 minutes electrolytic polishing. These cleaned metals could be reused through melting and fabricating. These metals could also be classified as BRC waste to facilitate the waste management if they can pass the identification and be admitted by the government authority. In order to achieve the planned target, some electro-decontamination facilities have been established. An automatic electropolishing facility with six cells was designed to clean the contaminated metals in plate type with dimensions less than 50 cm x 50 cm. Another automatic electropolishing facility was specially designed for treating the contaminated pipes. In addition, mobile electropolishing facilities were also established for large pieces of metal and some fixed equipment. In this cleaning project, a practical recycling and treatment method for electrolyte has been developed in order to comply with the requirement of secondary waste minimization.


Given that divorce has become a recurring challenge with increasing intensity in our world today accompanying broken families, economy and social contagion, as well as the existence of difference in happiness between the couple and their children. Thus, a mathematical model for predicting the rate of divorce tendencies in the Nigerian society is hereby developed. Factors influencing the rate of divorce were outlined and mathematical relationships between these factors were established. Afterwards, the developed model was validated and the real life data collected were contrasted with the model data predictions using suitable statistical tools. The findings from the comparison showed that the real life data and the model data predictions have a higher degree of correlation; consequently, recommending the model as a benchmark measure for predicting rate of divorce/marital instability in Nigeria. In the same vein, recommendations were made at the end of the model analysis which when adhered to would yield.


This study reports the potential of SCATSAT-1 scatterometer data for catchment-scale hydrological applications related with river water level estimation and flood detection. New approaches have been developed for estimation of river water levels and detection of surface flooding using Oceansat-II scatterometer (OSCAT) and SCATSAT-1 scatterometer-based highresolution backscatter and brightness temperature (BT) datasets respectively. Ku-band sigma-0 and BT data, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model and observed hydrometric data have been used in this study. Catchments of gauging sites and their influencing areas were delineated using the topography, wetness conditions and land-cover variations. OSCAT time series of scatterometer image reconstruction data were used to develop model function between basin water index and ground-observed river-stage datasets. Subsequently, inverting these functions on SCATSAT-1 observations, river water levels for 2017 were estimated at different gauging sites. A study on the magnitude of each flooding event in terms of intensity, duration and extent of area affected was also carried out using the scatterometerbased BT data analysis. The study demonstrated that high temporal resolution scatterometer data has the potential to fill the gap of coarser temporal resolution altimeters (10–35 days) for river heights and Synthetic Aperture Radar Data (7–25 days) for surface flooding with the advantage of capturing extreme events.


The prevalence of diabetes has been on the rise in recent years, with a significant increase in China. 1980 epidemiological data on 300,000 people in 14 provinces and cities across the country showed that the prevalence of diabetes was 0.67%. By 2013, the prevalence had skyrocketed to 10.4%. Subcutaneous injection is the main route of insulin administration, however, patient compliance is poor and there are many adverse effects. This paper analyzes the advantages and disadvantages from both non-injectable and injectable delivery perspectives through a literature review. This paper finds that insulin pumps and insulin needle-free syringes are both good treatments for diabetes, but they are expensive and not easily accessible on a large scale, while oral administration is also a good treatment, but with low bioavailability. This paper provides researchers with new developments and perspectives on the future of insulin delivery and provides patients with a painless and efficient way to administer insulin.


Adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces have different anatomical structures and varied chemical compositions. This asymmetry between leaf sides dictates that the spectral properties (reflectance, transmittance, and emissivity) of adaxial and abaxial surfaces are not identical. Laboratory measurements have demonstrated that this difference is significant over certain wavelengths. However, the influences of leaf dorsoventrality on such parameters (e.g., reflectance and brightness temperature) at the canopy scale have received little attention from the remote sensing community. One of the reasons is the lack of canopy radiative transfer models that can handle leaf dorsiventral properties. Although 3-D ray-tracing- or Monte Carlo-based models can achieve this, they are too complex to be implemented for massive tasks due to their low computational efficiency. Instead, they usually serve as benchmarks to evaluate other models. This study develops a unified optical-thermal canopy radiative transfer model considering leaf dorsiventral properties. It is based on the 1-D scattering by arbitrary inclined leaves (SAIL) model and, thus, has excellent efficiency and is easy to use. Evaluation of the proposed model by comparing it with the 3-D ray-tracing discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model shows that it is consistent with DART, with normalized root mean square errors (NRMSEs) of 0.013 and 0.005 within a reflective (for reflectance) and an emissive [for directional brightness temperature (DBT)] bands, respectively. Preliminary analyses ignoring leaf dorsoventrality within the optical and thermal spectral ranges by using the measured leaf spectra demonstrated that it induced significant errors in canopy reflectance (up to 40%) and DBT (up to 0.2 K) estimates under certain wavelengths. However, it should be noted that the influences of leaf dorsoventrality are determined by leaf adaxial/abaxial spectra, which still need to be explored due to limited measurements, especially under the thermal infrared bands.


The continuous cooling transformation(CCT)curves of steel Q235 with the different diameter of specimen were determined by dilatation method.The microstructure of the specimen were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results show that the influence of the specimen diameter on CCT curves is marked;as specimen diameter increases,the CCT curves shift to right below;there is no obvious influence of the the specimen diameter on the final microstructure of the steel.In order to obtain precise CCT curves,the diameter of the specimen should be chosen in the range of 3 mm and 6 mm.


The 1980s and 1990s are historical periods of economic reforms in both China and the former Soviet Union. Comparative study of principal proposals of economic reform and transformation in the two countries in this period is the subject of this thesis. There are five main chapters excluding the introduction. Chapter 2 is the theoretical framework of the thesis which is based on essential concepts of Comparative Economic System. Before the main theme began, primary economic problems and difficulties in pre-reform periods in China and the former Soviet Union were discussed in Chapter 3. So was a brief review of reform efforts in the past in the two countries.

In Chapter 4, major proposals of economic reform in Chinese economy from late 1978 till 1992 were studied. These included reform measures in the rural economy, the opening up policy, state-owned enterprises reform, new policy for non-state sector and comprehensive plans after 1985. Chapter 5 discussed the 1987 reform package, the 1990 reform plans including Presidential Plan and Shatalin Plan. A brief summary of the Russian reform plan in 1991 was also done in this chapter.

Chapter 6 is the concluding part of the thesis. The author compared in detail the two cases and drew conclusions as the following: (a) Both Chinese and Soviet reformers designed the transformation from centralised planning control to decentralised market-oriented economy; (b) The structures of the existing economic system, i.e., decision--making, information, motivation and ownership structures, required various degrees of alteration in the two countries. Soviet reformers called for massive destatisation and privatisation of the state-owned undertakings, while China insisted on a structure with predominant state-owned enterprises; (c) The economic reforms strategies in the two countries are different.


"Constitution of the Labor Youth League: adopted by the Second National Convention, February 22, 1954." by Labor Youth League. 1 image. Has additional notes.