In a screening trial, 98 genotypes and cultivars were tested under field conditions. Among the 50 NBPGR lines, 20 AICRIP genotypes, 5 IIHR genotypes and 23 cultivars and hybrids, EC-514117, EC-514190, LE-23, LE-30, Arka Vikas, Akra Abhaya and Akra Saurabh were found resistant to GBNV-To.


Self-aggregation processes are rarely reproducible owing to their dependence on various experimental parameters (aging of stock solutions, their concentration, concentration of working solutions, ionic strength, etc.). However, by enucleating the dependence from one parameter (in this case, the dependence of aggregation from the concentration of the working solutions), it has been possible to hierarchically control self-aggregation of the protonated form of tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin.


The increasing applications of parallel robots in domains such as medical or machine-tools require a high accuracy. As a result, the geometrical calibration of these mechanisms becomes a major step to reach the expected accuracy. An effective and simple calibration method based on 1D and 3D measurements of a new low cost artifact is presented and then validated on the Surgiscope/spl reg/, a structure based on a delta parallel robot used in neurosurgery.


Commercialisation of the vote, citizenship and democratic consolidation in Benin.
 In Benin, democratic consolidation and the creation of new systems of political subjectivity are taking place, paradoxically, in the melting-pot of clientelist practices and the more general matrix of the «government of the belly ». We can thus see that the «political migration» of electors, who «eat up» indifferently the money of the candidates, has become a means of asserting the rights of the «individual-citizen». The hypothesis of the commercialisation of democracy is then examined in order to understand the complex and ambivalent methods for «taming» the pluralism of the modem world. The repertoire of the belly, which is generally used to stigmatise the injustice and greed of politicians, is now being used as an expression of equity, social justice and democratic accountability. In order to explain this, we must go beyond the utilitarian approach to electoral dealings and analyse the moral systems in which representations of power and money are set and take a deeper look into the «internal architecture of civic virtue» of ordinary citizens. As long as we can distinguish the registers of cunning from those of the trust, humility and «self-respect» which compose the moral capital of the «xomé» (the belly, interiority) , we can see that in the melting-pot of «government of the belly», decisive changes are taking place in the representations of political accountability.


Our results indicated that glucocorticoid responsiveness of the porcine GnRHR gene promoter is conferred by element(s) located within 287 to 307 bp upstream of the translational start site. Consistent with this, EMSA analysis indicated enhanced binding at this site with nuclear extracts from glucocorticoid-treated α T3-1 cells compared to those treated with vehicle. Finally, signaling pathways other than protein kinase A and C are stimulated following treatment of αT3-1 cells with dexamethasone. References


Technological developments particularly in the area of information technology are revolutionizing the banking industry. With the development of this technology, Commercial banking is undergoing rapid change. Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a seemingly simple technique. Data is stored in RFID tags that are attached to objects or located in Smart cards, and this data can be read using radio signals and presented on a display by using a suitable reader. The data can then be transmitted automatically to an information technology (IT) system for further processing (Hasen &Gillert, 2008). The appeal of this technology is its convenience and efficiency offered to both the consumers and the merchants. (Banks, Pachano,Thompson & Hanny, 2007) RFID's ability to perform as an auto-identification technology was first utilized by the Royal Air Force in World War II to differentiate between friendly and enemy aircraft. Friendly planes were abStraCt


Objective:To investigate the relations between flavone content and particle size, growth condition of different diameters of Capparis Spinosa L. cell aggregation and discuss the possible mechanism. Methods:According to the differences of cell diameter, we selected 3 different sizes of Capparis Spinosa L. cell aggregation and determined flavone content, correlated enzyme activities and recultivate curve. Results:The cell aggregations had differences in shape as well as size, flavone content, enzyme activities, growth speed and so forth. The flavone content of the smallest cell aggregation was approximately twice compared to the larger ones, and its malonaldehyde content, the phenylalanine ammonialyase and peroxide enzyme activities and recultivate curve presented the same change tendency.Conclusion:The flavone content has certain relations with particle size and growth condition of different cell aggregation. The small individual contacts fully with the oxygen and the nutrient of culture medium, which is benefit to cell growth and the secondary metabolite accumulation.


Excerpt Phlegmonous gastritis, a bacterial infection of the stomach, was first described in 1862 (1). Although the infection can be treated, it is frequently misdiagnosed, with serious and often fa...


Conventional multiuser detection techniques either require a large number of antennas at the receiver for the desired performance, or they are too complex for practical implementation. Moreover, many of these techniques, such as successive interference cancellation (SIC), suffer from errors in parameter estimation (user channels, covariance matrix, noise variance, etc.) that are performed before the detection of user data symbols. As an alternative to conventional methods, this paper proposes and demonstrates a low-complexity practical machine learning-based receiver that achieves similar (and at times better) performance to the SIC receiver. The proposed receiver does not require parameter estimation. Instead, it uses supervised learning to detect user modulation symbols directly. We perform comparisons with minimum mean square error (MMSE) and SIC receivers in terms of symbol error rate (SER) and complexity.


In this work, the effects of metal inert gas (MIG) welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a UNS S41003 steel were studied. UNS S41003 steel sheets were welded with AISI 309LSi wire using two different welding energies: high energy (HE) and low energy (LE). Samples extracted from the base metal (BM), heat affected zone (HAZ), and fused zone (FZ) were subjected to microhardness and Charpy impact tests. Tensile tests were performed on samples extracted from the BM. Micrographic analyses of the structures obtained in the welds were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microfractographic images of tensile and impact fractures were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result, the predominance of austenitic microstructure with the presence of delta ferrite islands was observed in the FZ. In HAZ there was a pronounced increase in the grain size of the ferrite phase with the existence of laths martensite predominantly in its grain boundary. The BM showed greater hardness than the metal from the FZ and HAZ. The impact toughness was higher in the FZ compared to BM and HAZ.


According to the characters of the neuron activities,an ANN model is put forward based on dynamic threshold to schedule flow shop. It is shown in the study that the proposed model can simplify the process of the network operation,correct the performance of 2\|values output functions. Due to the decrease of complexity, the convergence speed and the effectiveness of the method are greatly improved. The model can also make the algorithm to converge in the global optima point more possibility because of the effect of simulated annealing.


Owing to the use of surface acoustic waves, the frequency range of this type of filter is expanded to the high frequency range and can reach several gigahertz. To implement filters on surface waves, piezoelectrics like a quartz plate are used. However, quartz is rarely used for the manufacture of broadband filters. Barium titanate or lithium niobate is commonly used.The difference in the operation of SAW filters from quartz or piezoceramic filters is that not a volumetric oscillation of the piezoelectric is used, but a wave propagating over the surface. In order to prevent body waves that could distort the frequency response, special constructive measures are taken. Most of the advantages of SAW devices are directly related to their physical structure: low weight and dimensions; linear (or defined by requirements) phase; shape factor approaching unity (very high squareness); exceptional out-of-band suppression; temperature stability. Since the center frequency and the shape of the frequency response are determined by the topology, they do not require complex settings in the equipment and cannot be upset during operation. Manufacturing technology compatible with semiconductor manufacturing allows them to be produced in large volumes with high reproducibility. Filtering devices on distributed components are considered. Since narrow band filters are constructed on surface - acoustic waves, there are difficulties in providing the vertex of the amplitude - frequency characteristic uniformity. When designing and creating new high-frequency electronics components, there is a need to reduce filter losses and harmonization. Offered the design and mathematical model of a comb filter based on a ring resonator of surface - acoustic waves and two waveguides on surface - acoustic waves, which are connected to a ring resonator at opposite points taking into account integral losses. This model helps to consider and calculate the propagation of waves inside the annular resonator in the light of losses. A topological scheme is described, which is described by the distribution of the energy of the signal and the coefficients of division. The division coefficients are represented as mathematical relations. The solutions of the amplitude and phase expressions by the method of successive approximations are presented. Reducing the loss in the filter and reducing the effect of the partition coefficient lead to an increase in the figure of merit of the ring resonator, which allows to take this into account when designing, since the characteristic moves to the range of higher damping values. We get a result that significantly reduces the bandwidth attenuation of the filter due to the loss reduction. The result obtained is described in the form of a linear circuit with feedback. The obtained characteristics are inherent in the comb filters, and the result is explained by the fact that the investigated structure is presented in the form of a linear circuit with delay and feedback. Also, it can be concluded that the advantages of the SAW are light weight and dimensions, temperature stability and relative ease of design and manufacture.


Medical records of 238 dogs
 presented within 2 years (2003-2004) with neurological deficits resulting
 from intervertebral disk disease and surgical
 treatment at the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery of the University
 of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
 were reviewed. The aim of the study was the assessment of the prognosis of intervertebral disk diseases on the basis of a large case
 load with the help of advanced imaging techniques and modern therapy
 modalities. The results obtained were evaluated to ascertain the need for new
 treatment strategies in dogs such as stem cell implantation therapy.
 77% of the dogs belonged to the
 small and 23% to the large breeds. Dachshunds were the most common breed with
 46% of all animals. The average age was 7.1 years (ranging from 2 up to 19
 years). The intervertebral disk space most often
 affected in the small breeds was between C3-C4 and Th12-Th13. In the group of
 the large breeds the more caudal disk protrusions at C4-C7 and L1-L2 were
 predominating. The degree of neurological deficits was primarily determined
 by the location and the velocity of disk extrusion and secondarily by the
 duration of clinical signs.
 In 63 dogs an extradural
 compression of the spinal cord by extruded disk material was diagnosed using
 a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Furthermore, the T2-weighted images
 revealed an intramedullary hyperintensity
 at the site of compression in 44% of the patients. 24% of the dogs had additionally
 an enlargement of the central canal. The remaining 56% showed a normal signal
 intensity of the spinal cord. The dogs with signs of an alteration of the
 spinal cord in the magnetic resonance images up to the length of one
 vertebral body had no influence on functional outcome, but these findings may
 have a negative effect on the recovery time.
 In consideration of the location
 and extension of the compressive material a ventral slot technique was
 performed in 18%, a hemilaminectomy in 77%, and a laminectomy in 5% of the patients. A prophylactic
 fenestration of affected intervertebral disk spaces
 was conducted in 21% of the operated animals. Complications during surgery
 consisted predominantly of bleedings from the internal sinus venosus. However, this was not a significant factor for
 the ability to ambulate or the time to ambulation. 85% of the patients showed a good
 and 15% a poor long-term functional outcome. The presence of deep pain
 sensation and the weight of the dog were the only variables detected as
 having a significant impact on prognosis. In the paraplegic dogs without deep
 pain perception a good functional outcome was observed in the cases where
 sensation of deep pain was regained within a few days following surgery. Two
 patients of this group regained the ability to walk after a period of six
 month despite a lack of deep pain perception and showed an uncoordinated gait
 interpreted as "spinal walking". Furthermore, the time lapsed to
 ambulation depended on the degree of neurological deficits before surgery,
 and patients with a cervical lesion had a more rapid recovery than patients
 with a thoracolumbal disease. All other variables,
 including age, previous signs of intervertebral
 disk disease, steroid medication preoperatively, a lower motor neuron
 involvement and performance a durotomy did not
 significantly influence the outcome.
 Episodes of recurrence of clinical
 signs occurred in 21% of the discharged patients during a follow-up time of
 three years. In consideration of the location signs appeared in 16% of the
 group with a cervical and in 22% of the group with a thoracolumbal
 intervertebral disk disease. Within the limits of
 this study it was not possible to give an evidence
 about the prophylactic value of a fenestration or the influence of physical
 rehabilitation on the outcome.
 Radiographic changes of the
 vertebral column such as spondylosis, spondylarthrosis, a norrowed disk space up to a fusion of the vertebral
 bodies mostly were found at the site of a removed intervertebral
 disk. However, these findings did neither cause a hyperesthesia nor a
 constriction of the patient´s movement.
 In the patients evaluated in our
 study we can conclude a valuable result of the surgical decompression of intervertebral disk disease. In ~ 11% with poor outcome
 new treatment strategies could provide options for regeneration of the spinal
 cord.


Electrodeionization(EDI) water softening technology was invented.The EDI equipments for water softening have the following characteristics: producing water continuously,deeply remove hardness,no workers on duty,no use of any chemical for regeneration.As a product with high and new technology for soft water preparing,EDI water softening equipments will replacing the traditional equipments and be wildly applied in preparing industrial boiler make-up water,cooling water,some industrial water,and some other fields.


Introduction: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative progressive disease, relatively rare and fatal, caused by a degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons. Main symptoms of ALS are weakness, atrophy, fasciculation, cramps, spasticity, dysarthria, dysphagia and dyspnea. After the diagnosis, the condition takes from 3 to 5 years to present progressive incapacity resulting in respiratory insufficiency and death. In front of the interventions available, this condition requires a multidisciplinary teamwork, in order to promote better quality of life for the patients. Objective: Collect data from Brazilian literature about the physiotherapeutic motor treatment in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – ALS. Method: Bibliographic research, realized between April and July of 2014, on Scielo and Lilacs databases, Capes periodic and Neurosciencias Magazine, restricting the research to articles about motor physiotherapy published in Portuguese with no screening for year of publication. Results and Discussion: 851 articles were found in the databases, but only eight served the criterion of inclusion. The techniques more frequently reported were Hydrokinesiotherapy, Resisted exercises, Kinesiotherapy and Prospective Neuromuscular Facilitation. Conclusion: Motor physiotherapy in patients with ALS is being insufficiently reported in Brazilian literature. Investment in new studies in this area is needed because physiotherapy has an important role in the functional performance, actuating in different positive aspects aiming a better life quality for the patients.


Effects of different concentrations of chemical antiseptics combined with wax coating on fresh keeping of seedless Shatang mandarin stored at room temperature were studied.The results showed that all protocols of 2,4-D,thiabendazole,prochloraz or carbendazim and wax had profound effect on inhibiting postharvest diseases of Shatang mandarin.The treatments of 2,4-D(0.010%,m/v)+ thiabendazole(0.025%,v/v)+ dilute soluble wax(0.50%,v/v) and 2,4-D(0.010%,m/v)+ prochloraz(0.100%,m/v)+ soluble wax(100%,v/v) had the best commercial fruit ratio after stored 60 days with 95.0% and 95.3% respectively.The two treatments had better effects on restraining the loss of nutrition and preventing fruit decay.


Nitric oxide is an important biological mediator of muscle relaxation in the cardiovascular system. Following our discovery that nitric oxide was also responsible for tonic relaxation of colonic muscle by the enteric nervous system, we investigated the possibility that its synthesis was increased in ulcerative colitis, which may explain the impaired contractility of colonic muscle associated with this condition. The effects of human leukocytes on precontracted colonic circular muscle from male Wistar rats was investigated. Muscle strips were mounted in organ baths and mechanical activity measured with isometric force transducers. Amino acids were measured by high performance liquid chromatography and an amino acid analyser in rectal biopsies from patients with active ulcerative colitis (AUC) and compared with quiescent (QUC) and healthy controls (HC). Citrulline concentration was taken as an indirect measure of nitric oxide synthesis. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was measured in rectal biopsies from patients with AUC and HCs. The production of C-citrulline from C-arginine was taken as an index of nitric oxide synthase activity. Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mononuclear cells relaxed precontracted colonic circular muscle strips and this was reduced in the presence of NO antagonists. Citrulline concentrations were significantly greater in rectal biopsies from patients with AUC than QUC or HCs. Incubation of biopsies from AUC with L-NMMA reduced citrulline levels. Constitutive NOS and inducible NOS activities were increased in AUC but were undetectable in HCs. Faeces from AUC but not HCs had constitutive NOS activity. We conclude that nitric oxide synthesis is increased in ulcerative colitis. Mucosal inducible NOS activity is increased in AUC and probably originates in leukocytes which produce sufficient nitric oxide to relax colonic muscle in vitro and may contribute to the motility disturbance in AUC. Faecal constitutive NOS activity is increased in AUC and may arise from an abnormal colonic microflora present as a pathogenic factor in this condition.


The article aims to sensitise teachers to their perception of engineers and scientists. It also highlights the life and achievements of one outstanding woman mechanical engineer, namely Ilene J. Busch-Vishniac, and summarises the achievements of other outstanding women in mechanical engineering. Teachers can use the examples of these outstanding female engineers as role models to inspire their students.


The collection of Crustacea of the Natural History Museum in Vienna (NHMW) dates back to the middle of the 18th century. The oldest specimens documented were acquired in 1806. In the 19th century, the collection increased rapidely with material obtained from collectors - e.g., J. Natterer, Brazil; G. Frauenfeld, Red Sea; T. Kotschy, Gulf of Persia; I. Pfeiffer, Indonesia - , during various expeditions - e.g. the circumnaviagation of the 'Novara' 1857-1859, the Austrian-Hungarian Northpole-Expedition (18721874), the deep-sea expeditions of the 'Pola' to the Eastern Mediterranean (1890-1893) and the Red Sea (1895-1898) - in exchange with other museums, institutes or scientists - e.g. the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; the British Museum, London; P. Roux, Marseille, E. Ehlers, Gottingen; H.N. Kroyer, Copenhagen; J.G. de Man, Ierseke - or purchased - e.g. Museum Godeffroy, Hamburg. Most important among the types are the species described by C. Heller, H. Balss, and O. Pesta. In addition, the collection houses the extensive material of Adriatic decapods on which O. Pesta based his classical monograph "Die Decapodenfauna der Adria".


This review addresses the concept of ontogenetic origin of health and disease (DOHaD) and the new concept of paternal origin of health and disease (POHaD). These concepts are based on scientific evidence that environmental factors impacting mother or father can play a role in reprogramming the health of their off springs throughout their life span. Moreover, the changes that have arisen can be transmitted through generations via diverse epigenetic mechanisms. Terms, such as epigenetics (a kind of "driver" for these concepts), epigenetic inheritance (including Intergenerational Inheritance – from generation to the next generation and Transgenerational Inheritance – through generations), epigenetic changes caused by the environment (Environmental Epigenetics) are discussed. Vulnerable periods towards epigenetic changes (Windows of Susceptibility) that occur in male germ cells responsible for epigenetic inheritance are considered. Epigenetic epidemiological studies in the field of reproductology are described; their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. These studies can serve as the basis for obtaining new knowledge about the causes of epigenetic variations in germ cells that occur in health and upon exposure to environmental factors as well as the inherited phenotypic outcomes.


Polyethylene glycol-insoluble cell walls, total pectin content, neutral carbohydrate released from the cell walls, ss-galactosidase (EC 220.127.116.11.3.) and polygalacturonase (EC 18.104.22.168.7.) activities were determined in apples cultivars Jonica, Jonagored, Kovelit, Idared, Mutsu and Lysgolden during their storage at 4-6°C and 90% RH. The ultrastructure of apple tissue was also determined by scaning electron microscopy (SEM). There were differences between the activity of ss-galactosidase, polygalacturonase, pectin and neutral sugar content in apple cultivars. Good correlation was found between the SEM structure and the chemical analysis.


Conventional water purification of acid mine water from opencast lignite mining yields iron hydroxide sludge which is currently not utilized. Through a new microbiological oxidation process the dissolved iron can be precipitated in an acidic environment in conjunction with sulfate producing iron hydroxysulfate (IHS). Such IHS is characterized by high solid content whose high purity makes its recycling interesting. The goal of this thesis has been to design a method for processing and beneficiation of the IHS using microwave technology. Experimental studies for the treatment of IHS material have been carried out comparing microwave and conventional thermal treatments in the rotary kiln (RK) in batch mode. Finally, a scaling-up of the microwave processing method has been suggested. The microwave treatments of IHS were conducted in a multimode microwave cavity, operated either at 2.45 GHz and/or 5.8 GHz. The experiments systematically shows that temperatures > 680 °C are necessary to reduce the proportion of sulfate, and that the thermal decomposition of the IHS is associated with a change in color. The color appearance can be then used as an indicator for the desulfurization of the IHS. For treatment periods of 800 s desulphurization of IHS is only obtained at powers of 1800 W (2.45 GHz), although this always leads to the formation of high temperature gradients (hotspots). The degree of reduction of the sulfur is related to the efficient electromagnetic coupling of the microwaves to the IHS material. Coupling is maximized upon the appearance of magnetite phase which formed as a result of the reducing atmosphere conditions in the hotspot area. The developed microwave treatment of IHS is a multistep discontinuous process. The IHS product with reduced sulfate content is suitable after micronization for the utilization as a pigment for coloring heavy clay, roof tiles, porcelain tiles and manufacture of paints. The conventional thermal treatment of IHS in the rotary kiln at 900 ° C produces a homogeneous sulfate-free product with similar potential applications in industry. Additionally, potential uses are as a pigment for coloring cement and concrete paving stones, and as iron raw material in metallurgy processes. The comparison of both IHS treatments shows that the specific energy consumption for the RK-process is 2.5 times higher than that conducted with a microwave oven. The use of this microwave technology for IHS processing has a promising potential for industrial applications and contributes to an efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. Inhaltsverzeichnis V


In this paper,the concept of layer paracompactness in L-topological spaces is defined,and some basic properties of layer paracompactness are discussed.Also,the comparisons between this new type of paracompactness and two types of commonly used fuzzy paracompactness are given in detail.


Objective
To explore the application value of surgical operation combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for rectal carcinoma in phase Ⅱ and Ⅲ and to evaluate the effect of surgical resection.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed from January 2012 to January 2017, including 70 cases of middle and lower rectal carcinoma in phase Ⅱ and Ⅲ in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University. Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy before operation was applied. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy: total dose 50 Gy, 2.0 Gy for once, 5 times per week, 5 weeks in total, the radiation field 5 wild for pelvic irradiation. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: XELOX (oxaliplatin, capecitabine)/ FOLFOX (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil) was used for synchronous chemotherapy. After radiotherapy, the patients received surgery in 6-8 weeks. All the operations were performed according to the total mesorectum excision (TME) specification.

Results
A total of 70 patients underwent neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The adverse effect rate was 15.71% (11/70) of grade Ⅰ and 7.14% (5/70) of grade Ⅱ. No grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ adverse reactions occurred. The tumor stage of 94.29% (66/70) patients reduced. The TNM stage of the postoperation was decreased compared with that before neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (χ2= 7.846, P < 0.05). Tumor resection rate was 94.29% (66/70).

Conclusion
Surgical operation combined with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy before operation for middle and lower rectal carcinoma in phase Ⅱ and Ⅲ has a favorable efficacy and safety, which can alleviate the tumor staging and increase the eradication rate of tumors.

Key words:
Rectal neoplasms; Chemotherapy, adjuvant; Radiotherapy, adjuvant; Total mesorectal excision


The premalignant role of Thrombin (Thr) in tumor adhesion, growth, metastasis, and angiogensis is well recognized [1], being correlated with overexpression and activation of protease activated receptor (PAR-1) in primary breast tissues [2] and breast cancer (BC) cell lines [3 – 4]. Anti-coagulant therapies have been tried for cancer patients, however with several concerns regarding multiple drug interactions and risk of thrombocytopenia. Triterpenic acids (TAs), in particularly, the lupane, oleanane and ursane-type structures, have been associated to a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities including anti-angiogenic, as well as inhibitors of human platelets aggregation, sparking renewed interest with regard to their potential in cancer treatment, as well as new anti-coagulant therapies. The present work aims to determine anti-Thr activity of four TAs (ursolic, betulinic, betulonic and oleanolic (OA)), in comparison to hirudin (a natural Thr inhibitor). The amidolytic Thr activity (using a chromogenic bioassay), as well as a Thr-induced fibrinogen polymerization assay were performed in the presence of different TAs concentrations. Furthermore, the role of pure TAs upon PAR-1 protein expression, using a human BC cell model (MDA-MB-231), was also assessed by western blot. According to the results, the four TAs present the capacity to inhibit Thr activity, being ursolic and betulinic acids, the most potent ones. Regarding the effect of TAs upon PAR-1 protein expression, BC cells MDA-MB-231 were incubated for 48h with IC50 values, previously determined for each TAs. The results demonstrated the capacity of certain TAs to donwregulated PAR-1 protein expression, along with a significant decrease on cellular viability. The results bring new insights on dual effect of TAs as modulators of Thr activation as well as inhibitors of PAR1 signaling, underlying their therapeutic potential as new anti-coagulant compounds with anti-tumor properties. Keywords: Triterpenic acids, thrombin, protease activated receptor (PAR-1), breast cancer References: [1] Duarte, M. et al. (2007)J Bras Pat Med Lab 43(6): 441 – 449. [2] Tiburcio, M. et al. (2012) Oncology Letters 4: 647 – 657. [3] Even-Ram, S. et al. (1998) Nat Med 4(8): 909.914. [4] Ross, D.T. et al. (2000) Nat Genet 24: 227 – 235.


The present invention relates to a supercharging system (6) for an internal combustion engine (1), the system includes a power turbine (7), a compressor (8) and an electric system (20), the electrical system (20) by any type of delivery system (16, 19) connected to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine or any other vehicle drive shaft, wherein the inlet receives exhaust gas turbine, such that rotation of the turbine of the turbine, thereby producing mechanical energy via rotation of the drive shaft.


Digital watermarking is an encryption technology commonly used to protect intellectual property and copyright. Although watermarks possess advantageous secrecy and robustness, environmental interference in the image propagation through the Internet is inevitable and, certainly, human-based image modification can also destroy the watermark. In this study, we restored watermarks that had already been affected by noise interference, used the Walsh-Hadamard codes as the watermark identification codes, and applied salt-and-pepper noise and Gaussian noise to destroy watermarks. First, we used a low-pass filter and median filter to remove noise interferences. Although these filters can suppress noises, watermarked images remain unidentifiable when the noise interferences strongly. Finally, we used a back-propagation neural network algorithm to filter noises, obtaining results that exceeded our expectations. We removed nearly all noise and recovered the originally embedded watermarks of Walsh-Hadmard codes.


The action of vasoactive drugs has been investigated by arteriography by e. g. VOGLER (1954), who studied the effect of Hydergin® upon the arteriovenous anastomoses in leg ulcers and varicose veins. The possible usefulness of bradykinin in arteriography does not appear yet to have been analysed, how ever; this polypeptide acts as a vasodilator and is probably a natural body fluid substance in man (LEWIS 1962). The purpose of the present report is to describe the results of artériographies performed in 26 patients immediately after the slow intra-arterial injection of bradykinin and to stress its value as a vasodilator in these types of examination. A comparison has also been made in a smaller number of patients with other vasodilators, viz. acetylcholine and histamine. The study forms part of a larger series of investigations on the peripheral circulations in patients with amputat ed legs.


The last decade has witnessed a demographic change on unprecedented scale - people are living longer and with more complex, long term conditions. This paper presents a programme which seeks to rethink how palliative and end of life care can be provided equitably, efficiently and sustainably for future generations. It explores the methodological approach undertaken by university researchers, to engage communities in conversations around a topic often seen as taboo. The community engagement focuses on understanding what is important to individuals in life, care, and end of life. A methodology, named the Life Cafe, has been developed to gather research in an informal manner within community groups and familiar environments. The Life Cafe comprises critical artefacts, activities and resources, co-developed with community members developed to answer the research questions. The Life Cafe has become a product that can be used across different services to establish what matters to individuals and enable difficult conversations.


The present invention relates to a system (100) for creating a magnetic field using a superconductive magnet (102) for producing said magnetic field. The system (100) according to the invention comprises a first branch including the superconducting magnet (102) modeled by an inductor (L ') in series with winding a residual resistance (R'2), a second branch comprising a resistor ( R'3) of protection and a third branch comprising a power source (103). The system further comprises a fourth branch formed by a resistance (R'1) connected in series with a limiter superconducting device (106) rocking current of a low resistance state to a high resistance state to when the current through the above a tripping current, said first, second, third and fourth branches being mounted in parallel.


We report the investigation of the magnetic susceptibility (χ), specific heat (CP), electrical resistivity (ρ) and magnetoresistance (MR) studies of the compound Ce2Ru3Ge5. Ce2Ru3Ge5 crystallizes i...


In this paper, we compare the values of the resonant frequency computed according to the OMI algorithm, DFT, and interpolated DFT methods for a set of 100 free decaying oscillations. It is unequivocally demonstrated that the performance of the different methods can be listed in the following order: (1) OMI, (2) YM, (3) YMC, (4) Agrež, and finally (5) the well known Yoshida method, Y. For very short signals the order of the best methods is different: (1) OMI, (2) YMC. It is pointed out that the DFT methods, including the Yoshida method, are discouraged for analysis of signals that are too short. This effect is explained in terms of spectral leakage. By contrast, short free decaying signals can be successfully analyzed with the OMI and the YMC method. We conclude that the use of the OMI and the YM, i.e. the interpolated DFT method, can substantially increase the resolution of low-frequency resonant mechanical spectrometers (the decrease in dispersion of experimental points and the minimization of relative errors can be readily obtained.) For this reason a much more precise estimation of the logarithmic decrement is also simultaneously feasible.


We present our results on nanostructuring of metal layers and transparent materials with femotsecond laser pulses. The challenge is to develop a simple laser-based technology for the fabrication of periodic nanostructures in metal layers and in high refractive index transparent materials with a structure size of the order of several hundreds nanometers. This is required for many applications in photonics, for fabrication of photonic crystals and microoptical devices, data storage etc. The reduction of the damage and ablation thresholds with increasing number of pulses is studied.We present our results on nanostructuring of metal layers and transparent materials with femotsecond laser pulses. The challenge is to develop a simple laser-based technology for the fabrication of periodic nanostructures in metal layers and in high refractive index transparent materials with a structure size of the order of several hundreds nanometers. This is required for many applications in photonics, for fabrication of photonic crystals and microoptical devices, data storage etc. The reduction of the damage and ablation thresholds with increasing number of pulses is studied.


This article examines the relationship among gender, imperialism, and the Cold War through the lens of the life and work of Pearl S. Buck, prominent author and activist. Based on her background in China, Buck criticized American actions in the Cold War as an outgrowth of Western racism and imperialism, resulting in the alienation of Asians from the United States. Buck's gendered critique emphasized the harm done to women both in the United States and Asia by American reliance on military solutions; the inferior position of women in U.S. society, she argued, did not justify the American claim to world leadership. However, Buck also recognized the complicity of many American women in the Cold War drive, so her analysis was more nuanced than that of some women's peace activists. This article demonstrates connections between Buck's ideas and recent scholarship on women, gender, and foreign relations.


Applying a new synthetic approach using [Co(cyclam)Cl2]Cl as educt afforded crystallization of the layered compound [Co2(cyclam)2Sn2S6]·2H2O by replacement of the axial Cl− ions in the complex by Co–S bonds to the in situ generated [Sn2S6]4− anion.


In recent times, thermoplastic waste materials are being extensively used as fine and coarse aggregates in the concrete mix as an environmentally friendly construction material. This study aims at utilizing polypropylene (PP) as a partial substitute for the conventional coarse aggregates in M30 grade concrete. The different replacement levels of coarse aggregates such as 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% by weight were used in concrete. Sieve analysis, specific gravity, and water absorption tests were performed in all replacement levels of aggregates. The mechanical (compressive and split tensile tests) tests were conducted after 3, 14, and 28 days. The change in mechanical properties of concrete with the addition of different weight proportions of plastics was studied experimentally. Further, experimental values were predicted using the two-parameter Weibull distribution and artificial neural network (ANN)-based statistical approaches. The Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm was used in predicting the mechanical properties using the ANN. A good correlation was obtained between the experimental and predicted values with an error (%) of less than 10. The decrease in mechanical properties with the increase in replacement levels of coarse aggregates in concrete was observed in both experimental and predicted approaches. This can be attributed to poor bonding between concrete and PP aggregate owing to the development of agglomerations and the hydrophobic nature of PP. However, the strength values of 20% PP-embedded concrete specimens are closer to 0% PP-embedded concrete specimens. Therefore, 20% PP-embedded concrete specimens can be used for primary load-bearing applications to utilize plastic waste and reduce the cost of the component.


Statistics is a field of study that deals with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. It is used to make inferences about populations based on samples, to test hypotheses, and to develop models. Applications of statistics in data analytics: Data analytics is the process of using data to extract insights and make better decisions. Statistics is a key tool in data analytics, and it is used for a variety of tasks, such as: Data cleaning: This is the process of removing errors and inconsistencies from data. Data exploration: This is the process of understanding the data by summarizing it and looking for patterns. Data modeling: This is the process of building models that can be used to predict future outcomes. Data visualization: This is the process of displaying data in a way that is easy to understand. Applications of statistics in artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science that deals with the creation of intelligent agents, which are systems that can reason, learn, and act autonomously. Statistics is a key tool in AI, and it is used for a variety of tasks, such as: Machine learning.


Recent demonstrations [1] show that superlattice, mixed ferroelectric-antiferroelectric, fluorite-structure gate oxides with negative capacitance (NC) can go beyond state-of-the-art high-$\kappa$ HfO2 based equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) scaling [1–3]. However, the physical origin of NC in such gate stacks, especially a quantitative understanding of the gate capacitance, needs more detailed investigation. Here we present a comprehensive study of these gate stacks by combining pulsed-voltage and impedance measurements with compact modeling and 2D phase field simulations. We show that (i) a quantitative agreement between experiment and model can be reached and (ii) 2D effects play a critical role in determining what EOT can be attained. Our experimentally calibrated model provides insight into how substantially larger EOT scaling could be achieved.


This paper presents a method for detection and restoration of old film blotches. We employ an approach based on the global motion segmentation. Blotches are detected as the image areas pixels of which do not follow any parametric global interframe transformation model. The detected blotch areas in the interesting image frame are replaced with the warp-compensated image areas produced by transforming the other image frames. This paper presents the results of the simulations using real old film sequences. The simulation results demonstrate the robustness and the good performance of the presented method.


BaSnF4 fluoride ion conductor has been prepared by mechanochemical milling technique at room temperature. The as-prepared material crystallizes in the cubic fluorite-type structure due to disordering of metal cations. The cubic phase transforms to tetragonal structure by annealing at 460 K. The ionic conductivity of the cubic phase is two to three orders of magnitude lower than the annealed sample. The complex conductivity of the investigated materials has been analyzed by a power-law model in order to extract the hopping rates and the concentration of mobile ions, the parameters that control the overall conduction behavior. The estimated values of the concentration of mobile ions are found to be of the same order, indicating that the conduction process is controlled by the mobility of charge carriers. BaSnF4 has been found to belong to a new class of nonoxidic giant dielectric constant materials with a value of e′∼105, which is independent of temperature and frequency over wide ranges. It is found that t...


A mathematical model for the mammalian cell cycle is developed as a system of 13 coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The variables and interactions included in the model are based on detailed consideration of available experimental data. Key features are that the model is autonomous, except for dependence on external growth factors; variables are continuous in time, without instantaneous resets at phase boundaries; cell cycle controllers and completion of tasks associated with cell cycle progression are represented; mechanisms to prevent rereplication are included; and cycle progression is independent of cell size. Eight variables represent cell cycle controllers: Cyclin D1 in complex with Cdk4/6, APCCdh1, SCFβTrcp, Cdc25A, MPF, NUMA, securin-separase complex, and separase. Five variables represent task completion, with four for the status of origins and one for kinetochore attachment. The model predicts distinct behaviors consistent with each main phase of the cell cycle. The response to growth factors shows restriction-point behavior. These results imply that the main features of the mammalian cell cycle can be accounted for in a quantitative mechanistic way based on known interactions among cycle control factors and their coupling to tasks involved in replication of DNA. The model is robust to parameter changes, in that cycling is maintained over at least a five-fold range of each parameter when varied individually. The most sensitive parameters are those associated with the initiation and completion of mitosis. The model is suitable for exploring how extracellular factors affect cell cycle progression, including responses to metabolic conditions and to anti-cancer therapies. Author Summary We created a model, that is, a set of mathematical equations, to represent the entire cell cycle in mammals. All terms in our equations correspond to actual biological mechanisms. We solved the equations and verified that they show similar behavior to real-life cell cycles. We designed our model to cycle only when enough external growth factors stimulate it, as real cells do. Our model helps us better understand how the cell cycle is controlled. One very important aspect of control is how the cell ensures that its DNA is copied only once per cell cycle. If "rereplication" (copying a section of DNA twice in the same cycle) occurs, it can cause harmful DNA damage. We considered several mechanisms that some biologists believe play a role, and found that most could not explain how rare rereplication is. Two mechanisms did work well, and we used them to make two variants of the model, which show similar behavior. The model has many potential applications. The cell cycle is altered in most cancer cells, so understanding how these changes affect control is useful. Many widely-used drugs affect the cell cycle, and our model can be used to study these effects.


Abstract A numerical investigation is presented to show the existence, formation and possible realization of large-amplitude solitary potentials in a charge varying dusty plasma with trapped ion particles. These nonlinear localized structures are self-consistent solutions of the Vlasov equation representing saturated states of a three-stream unstable collisionless dusty plasma. The saturation is provided by an interplay between ion trapping and dust charging. It is found that under certain conditions the effect of dust charge variation can be quite important. In particular, it may be noted that the dust charge variation leads to an additional enlargement of the nonlinear localized structure. Furthermore, our results show that the dust charge variation provides an alternate physical mechanism causing dissipation and as a consequence causes the wave amplitude to decay and transfer to the so-called noise tail.


A simple but efficient pre-processing step for SPIHT (set partitioning in hierarchical trees) image coding is proposed. It reduces the computational complexity and increases the performance for lossy image coding.


Two-component systems are signal-transducing ATPases that use energy released from ATP hydrolysis to effect responses to changing environmental conditions. The phosphorylated aspartate is contained within another type of protein termed a response regulator, which undergoes a phosphorylation-induced conformational change that serves to elicit a response. The histidine kinase domain is invariably flanked by sequences that are not conserved within the family and supply specific regulatory functions. The essential features are kinase dimerization, nucleotide binding, and histidine phosphorylation. A proton donor would also be expected to facilitate the transfer reaction from acyl phosphates through general acid catalysis. There are two ways in which the kinases modulate the rate of response regulator phosphorylation. First, the rate of histidine phosphorylation controls the availability of phosphodonor. This aspect of kinase function is an inherent feature of the kinase proteins, independent of the regulators. The second mechanism involves protein-protein contacts between the kinases and their cognate regulators that enhance the rate and determine the specificity of regulator phosphorylation. Many histidine kinases function to facilitate the rate of dephosphorylation of their cognate response regulators. Histidine kinases must bind the dephosphorylated form of the regulators and release the phosphorylated form. When the rate of histidine phosphorylation is high, the phosphotransfer reaction would predominate; when the rate of histidine phosphorylation is low, the dephosphorylation reaction would be favored.


This "Methods to Policy†piece discusses opportunities and challenges in reconciling increased demands for evidence to be "patient-centered†with the realities of highly diverse patient circumstances, preferences, and clinical situations.


This chapter discusses the physics of rotating black holes, introducing new features like rotational frame dragging. The Kerr solution is discussed, as is the Newman–Penrose approach and the black-hole perturbation theory.


This work reports on the premixed propane-air ame propagation in a long length (1.8 m) straight rectangular (51×25 mm) duct. The mixture is assumed to be homogenous inside of the duct. Di erent equivalence ratios are examined. Two cases of fully opened and fully closed end outlet conditions are considered here. The ame behavior along with its propagation in the duct including initial stage of ame growing after the ignition, ame nger shape, ame-wall touch, ame atten pro le, tulip ame formation, tulip ame lips collapsing, and possible subsequent inversion/inversions are discussed. At each step, the ame-feeding ow interchangeable e ect is explored using numerical simulations. Furthermore, the physical mechanisms behind the tulip ame and the subsequent inversion/inversions (especially the rst ame inversion in opened end outlet case) are illustrated. Also, similarities and di erences between these two phenomena are studied. In terms of the numerical method, two CFD software packages, Star CCM+ and OpenFOAM have been utilized. The available EBU (Eddy Break-Up) combustion model in Star CCM+ code, while its reaction rate is limited to Arrhenius reaction rate, is employed (semi-laminar model). The XiFoam model which is the embedded turbulent combustion model in OpenFOAM is also used. Other famous numerical combustion models such as TFC (turbulent model), FSC (it can capture both laminar and turbulent conditions simultaneously), and TFM (laminar and turbulent combustion model) are made based on the XiFoam model. Also, these models (XiFoam, TFCFoam, FSCFoam, and TFMFoam) are coupled with adaptive mesh library in order to make the ner mesh at the ame location (3D geometries). The new models are named: XiDymFoam, TFCDymFoam, FSCDymFoam, and TFMDymFoam. Moreover, further modi cations are made to make these new models ready for 2D cases. The capability of these models for simulation of premixed propane-air ame propagation in the duct has been examined.


In Tunisia, as in many Mediterranean countries, olive growing plays a strategic economic role at it makes possible the exploitation of the poorest soils of the southern regions. In the present work, two major cultivars, Chemlali of Sfax and Meski, were used. Callogenesis was induced easily from many types of tissues, i.e. explants taken from young or adult trees, but none showed induction of somatic embryos. Besides, young zygotic embryos were collected 20, 30,40, 120 days after full bloom and tested for their somatic embryogenic capacity. The embryos were grown on MS medium and kept in the dark for 6 weeks followed by 16 h photoperiod for two months. Somatic embryogenesis was observed on 70-day-old zygotic embryos in medium containing either low cytokinin concentration or the combination NAA and 2iP, with a rate reaching in some cases 30%. The use of active charcoal seems to improve the embryogenic capacity of immature zygotic embryos.


In the pentastomid Raillietiella aegypti the structure of the genital apparatus and of oogonia, previtellogenic and vitellogenic oocytes was studied by light and electron microscopy. The ovarian wall consists of a single-layered epithelium covered by a basement membrane of varying thickness. The ovary is characterized by numerous, lateral, sac-like evaginations in which the oocytes lie. Centrioles indicate mitotic activities in oogonia. In previtellogenic oocytes the ooplasm is poor in organelles, containing only a few mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum, but many free ribosomes. In vitellogenic oocytes there is a rapid multiplication of mitochondria and a proliferation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The cytoplasm also contains cortical vacuoles, yolk spheres, dictyosomes and pinocytotic vesicles. The mitochondria lie in one big cluster and combine to the Balbiani body (= yolk nucleus). Two types of yolk spheres differing in morphological details are formed in the oocytes of R. aegypti.


Collaborative virtual assembly environment is a vital computer-aided design tool in product design and can be used as a learning and training tool. It helps in supporting complex product design by enabling designers to collaborate and communicate with other designers involved in the product design. This paper proposes a collaborative virtual assembly environment built in two phases for the immersive and non-immersive environments. Phase one was developed in Unity 3D using Virtual Reality Toolkit (VRTK) and Steam VR. Whereas, phase two was built using Vizard and Vizible. This work aims to allow scientists and engineers to discuss the concept design in a real-time VR environment so that they can interact with the objects and review their work before it is deployed. This paper proposes the system architecture and describes the design and implementation of a collaborative virtual assembly environment. The outcome of this work is to be able to resolve communication and interaction problems that arise during the concept-design phase.


A 28-year-old male presented with complaints of heartburn and reflux, diagnosed as Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) dependence. On 24-hpH metry, DeMeester Score was 168 and fraction of time at pH < 4 of 26%. Endoscopy revealed laxity of lower esophageal sphincter, endoscopic Hill grade II and small hiatal hernia. Patient had symptoms (> 2 years) despite optimal therapy. Post consent, he underwent successful Endoscopic full thickness plication with GERDxTM device (G-SURG, Germany) (Fig-a). Procedure was uneventful hence discharged on second day.


In this paper,we introduce a new pointing device for Ubiquitous computing environment.The user's eye is an integral part of the system. This relatively simple system makes it possible to realize novel features such as the "tele-click".


PECIFIC pairing of complementary strands was proposed by MARMUR and LANE (1960) and DOTY, MARMUR, EIGNER and SCHILDKRAUT (1960) as the mechanism of renaturation of DNA. Later, sedimentation studies of renatured mixtures of isotopically light and heavy strands ( SCHILDKRAUT, MARMUR and DOTY 1961; ROWND 1963), reenforced their case. In a test of this mechanism, HERRIOTT (1961a) annealed a mixture of two DNAs from related strains of Haemophilus influenme carrying different but linkable markers. It was thought that on the basis of the proposed mechanism, hybrid units such as pictured in A of Figure 1, should form and transform recipient cells to both markers. An increased number of doubly marked transformants was observed which was a linear function of the annealed DNA concentration. A number of other models of this unit were considered but none seemed more probable than model A. However, the low recovery of doubly marked units, and some recent results, suggest that model A may not represent the doubly marked unit formed on renaturation. Segregation, which was expected from the pictured hybrid unit, was not detected in a clonal analysis (YAMASHITA 1964). Evidence on the mechanism of transcription (CHAMPE and BENZER 1962; BAUTZ 1963; GUILD and ROBISON 1963; MARMUR and GREENSPAN 1963; HAYASHI, HAYASHI and SPIEGELMAN 1963)


During electrostatic bonding, also known as anodic bonding, silicon is bonded to glass by applying an external voltage and simultaneous heating to temperatures of 200...450 $\deg$C. While cooling to working temperature after bonding happened pieces are mutually deformed. Due to linear thermal expansion coefficients mismatch of anodically bonded glass and silicon samples an internal stress state is generated. Such stresses are called thermal mismatch stresses. The aim of this paper is a determination of technological and design solutions to achieve minimal thermal mismatch stresses in resulting bond.
The nonlinear dependence of linear thermal expansion coefficients of bonded samples' materials on temperature makes it difficult to minimize thermal mismatch stresses by chosing materials with close average thermal expansion coefficients in particular temperature range. To assess means of lowering thermal mismatch stress in this paper two different ways to describe assembly are used: two thin bonded layers and multilayered composite material.
Based on properties of two brands of glass (LK5, Borofloat 33) and silicon used with described mathematical models thermal mismatch stresses at temperature $T_w$ in samples bonded at several different temperatures $T_b$ are evaluated. Bonded silicon surface stress dependence of glass to silicon wafer thickness ratio is evaluated. Based on such evaluations one can say that by varying thickness of glass bonded to silicon one can obtain zero thermal mismatch stress at a particular depth of material or obtain stress of some defined value at this depth.
Models of assembly description used in this paper can be used to optimize anodic bonding process parameters. Such usage aimed to minimize thermal mismatch stresses at device working temperatures is presented in this paper.


Topographical guidance and chemotaxis are crucial factors for peripheral nerve regeneration. This study describes the preparation of highly aligned poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) fiber conduits coated with a concentration gradient of nerve growth factor (NGF) (A/G‐PCL) using a newly designed electrospinning receiving device. The A/G‐PCL conduits are confirmed in vitro to enhance and attract the neurite longitudinal growth of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons toward their high‐concentration gradient side. In vivo, the A/G‐PCL conduits are observed to direct a longitudinal stronger attraction of axons and migration of Schwann cells in 15 mm rat sciatic nerve defects. At 12 weeks, rats transplanted with A/G‐PCL conduits show satisfactory morphological and functional improvements in g‐ratio, total number, and area of myelinated nerve fibers as well as the sciatic function index, compound muscle action potentials, and muscle wet weight ratio as compared to aligned PCL fibers conduits with uniform NGF (A/U‐PCL). The performance of A/G‐PCL is similar to that of autografts. Moreover, mRNA‐seq and RT‐PCR results reveal that Rap1, MAPK, and cell adhesion molecules signaling pathways are closely associated with axon chemotactic response and attraction. Altogether, by combining structural guidance with axon chemotaxis, the NGF‐gradient/aligned PCL fiber conduits represent a promising approach for peripheral nerve defect repair.


A laser photoacoustic technique has been developed to evaluate the surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocity of porcelain. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm was focused by a cylindrical lens to initiate broadband SAW impulses, which were detected by an optical fiber interferometer with high spatial resolution. Multiple near-field surface acoustic waves were observed on the sample surface at various locations along the axis perpendicular to the laser line source as the detector moved away from the source in the same increments. The frequency spectrum and dispersion curves were obtained by operating on the recorded waveforms with cross-correlation and FFT. The SAW phase velocities of the porcelain of the same source are similar while they are different from those of different sources. The marked differences of Rayleigh phase velocities in our experiment suggest that this technique has the potential for porcelain identification.


Eccrine Porocarcinoma is a rare neoplasm arising from sweat glands. It was first described by Pinkus and Mehregan as 'Epidermotropic eccrine carcinoma'. It may occur de novo or as a malignant transformation of an eccrine poroma. It is commonly found in older age group and in the lower extremities. Clinically, it may present as a verrucous plaque, polypoid growth or an ulcerative lesion of long duration. Local recurrence and metastasis to skin, lymphnodes, viscera, and bone may occur. Treatment is wide local excision. Metastatic lesions can be treated with chemotherapy. We report a case of eccrine porocarcinoma of the scalp in a 50 years old female who presented to us with a bosselated, firm, painless, non-tender, freely mobile swelling over left fronto-parietal region of 12 years duration. It was excised and histopathological diagnosis was Eccrine Porocarcinoma. In literature, scalp porocarcinoma is a very rare tumor.


A new record subsection of the genus Clematis L. from Henan of China and a unrecorded variety in Flora of Henan(1981) were reported in the paper. It presents a further supplement study on the genus (Clematis L.) in Henan, also for China's Clematis L. study.


The technology is growing so rapidly, so the new technology must be enhanced and must be adopted. This paper discusses the issues in purchasing the tickets while travelling through railway. It explains how to purchase tickets through smartphone when the passenger doesn't want to stand in the line for buying tickets. It uses Global Positioning System to detect passenger travelling from any source to any destination. It can help the governmental organization to identify people travelling without ticket and used tickets through trains or metros. As soon as passenger gets down from the train or metro his or her ticket will be automatically deleted from his smartphone. So he or she cannot use this ticket again for travelling. This paper suggest a user friendly automated ticketing system which will automatically deduct the passenger's fare according to the distance travelled as well as detect the passenger's identification. This paper basically deals with the identification and ticketing of the passengers sitting in the train and emergency alerting system by making calls or sms to railway police and also stores ticket in server and user's cloud.


Objective To discuss the methods and application value of treating the cholecystolithiasis and polyps with laparoscope and choledochoscope for preservation of cholecyst. MethodsThe clinical date of 68 patients with cholelithiasis and cholecystic polyp who were treated by laparoscope and choledochoscope between Mar. 2006 and Aug. 2008 were analyzed. In 51 cases with simple gallstone, the bottom of gallbladder was incised with electrosurgical knife of laparoscope, then all the stones were removed with choledochotome, the incision of gallbladder was sutured with 3-0 absorbable suture by two-layers suturing method. For 5 cases with stone incarcerated in the neck of gallbladder, gallbladder neck was cut, the stones were removed, and then the plastic operation was performed with 3-0 absorbable suture and single-layer suturing method. If the neck was not dilated, the incision was sutured with transversal incising and vertical suturing method. In 7 cases with gallstones complicated with choledocholithiasis, the choledocholithotomy was performed besides the cholecystolithotomy. Of the 5 cases with cholecystic polyps, 3 cases had cholesterol polyps of gallbladder, the polyps were removed with choledochoscope. Two cases had adenomas of gall bladder, partial cholecystectomy was performed on them. ResultsThe operation had been performed successfully on all the cases, 1 case of gallstone that was complicated with choledocholithiasis changed to open choledocholithotomy. Two patients had bile leakage 10 mL a day for 2 days, the drainage tubes of abdomen were pulled out on 4th postoperative day. The operation time was 85 -240 (109±33) minutes, the postoperative hospital stay was 4-10 (6.0±0.8) days. All the patients were cured. After 1-29 months follow-up of 58 cases, 1 case (1.59%) had stone recurrence. ConclusionsTotal laparoscopic cholelithotomy and polypectomy of gallbladder have important roles for preservation gallbladder , especially, partial cholecystectomy and gallbladder neck plastic operation are the new operative methods safe and feasible in treating the adenomatoid polyp of gallbladder and the stones incarcerated in the neck of gallbladder.


A case of a right sided ureteral obstruction is reported. This may be interpreted as ovarian vein syndrome. It demonstrates that not only aberrant renal arteries but also atypically running veins may produce ureteral obstruction.


Presidential studies are evolving from historical and biographical explorations to more methodologically rigorous ones. Contemporary studies can benefit from a typology of presidential activities that allows us to actually see what presidents do. This paper develops a typology, and uses data from the Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon administrations to explore activity. The data largely confirm existing notions about activity and travel, but dispute popular conceptions of presidents being primarily legislators. One advantage of activity data is the ability to explore commonalities across presidencies. For example, support exists for the notion that presidents invest more time in legislative and social activities in election years. Another advantage is the ability to explore empirically presidential-congressional relations. A regression analysis determines that contact with Congress is driven primarily by members' institutional status and secondarily by partisan concerns. There is also some evidence that contact with Congress varies directly with a president's legislative success.


This study grasped the problem by examining the consciousness of professors about the e-learning and reached a conclusion as follows. The teaching-learning model of e-learning should be developed. Universities should develop study system modules that can select assortatively by learners according to the e-Learning course and present a new education model of university for the liberal arts course, areas needing an industry-academic cooperation and an lifelong education in university and so on. Also, the one step e-Learning course of four weeks quantities should be administered through developing combination courses that appropriately combine advantages both face-to-face courses and on-line courses to activate the e-Learning.


The utility model discloses a drymeal press pressure monitor, relating to an equipment which is used in the automatic drymeal machine, measuring and controlling the press form the pressure, controlling the bound of pressure. The utility model comprises a pressure pickup, a pressure monitor control feeler mechanism and a pressure control instrument. The pressure monitor control feeler mechanism comprises an eccentric link, a top swing armed lever, a top traveler, a fairlead, a tyrannous dog, a uprush, a cavity die, a bottom arm connecting bar, a long link and a pressure stain foil, wherein one end of the top swing armed lever is pinjointed with the top eccentric link, the other end of the top swing armed lever is positioned on the top of the top traveler which is arranged in the fairlead, the tyrannous dog is positioned on the top slide, the uprush is arranged at the bottom of the top traveler, the undershoot is positioned at the top of the bottom traveler which is arranged in the fairlead, wherein the pressure pickup and the pressure stain foil are positioned in the top traveler or the bottom traveler, and the pressure pickup is connected with the pressure monitor control instrument by signal wires.


..........................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements...... ..................................................................................v List of Figures and Legends...................................................................... ....xv List of Abbreviations... ...............................................................................xvii Chapter 1: Introduction and Background....................................... .................. 1 1.1: Introduction to Farnesoid X Receptor................................................... 1 1.1.1: Role of FXR in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids.............. 4 1.1.2: Role of FXR in lipid and glucose metabolism.............................. 9 1.1.3: Targeting FXR for pharmacotherapy...................................... 12 1.2: The Role of Epigenetic Mechanisms in Regulating Nuclear Receptor Function............................................................................................ 15 1.2.1: Overview of histone modifications associated with active/repressed gene transcription..................................................................................... 16 1.2.2: Overview of co-factors and pioneer factors that are involved in nuclear receptor-mediated transcriptional regulation........................... 18 1.3: Introduction to HNF4α in Regulating Liver Homeostasis........................ 20


Particles in the Indoor Environment: Sources & Health Effects in Developing Countries Airborne Particulate Matter: Source Apportionment & Modeling Study Airborne Particulate Pollution in a Tropical Urban Environment: Health Risk Assessment of Residents in High-Rise Buildings Particulate Matter Originated from Mining-Metallurgical Processes Particulate Matter Dispersed by Vehicles on Unpaved Roads Recent Trends of Particulate Matter Delhi: A Mega City A Review of Composition & Sources of Atmospheric Particulate Matter in Tanzania Non-Respiratory Health Hazards of Particulate Matter Possible Effects of Ambient Air Pollution on Male Reproduction: Literature Review Lanthanides, Actinides & other Elements in the Atmospheric Fine & Coarse Fractions by INAA Satellite Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Particulate Matter Using Seven Types of GM (1, 1) Model to Forecast Hourly Particulate Matter Concentration in Hualien City of Taiwan Carbonaceous Aerosols: Spatial Distribution & Sources.


We introduce a Monte Carlo model based on random deposition and diffusion limited aggregation in order to study the morphological evolution of deposition of nanofilm, which is difficult to carry out by the experimental methods. The instantaneous evolution of morphology and the corresponding parameters are observed when employing a novel perspective, modeling the aggregation of nanoscale units. Despite simplifying the chemical details, the simulation results qualitatively describe experiments with bulky precursors, and the strong dependence of growth rate on steric hindrance is obtained. Moreover, the well know behavior that the delay before steady growth is accurately predicted and analyzed based solely on modeling. Through this work, the great influence of steric hindrance on the initial stage of ALD is described.We introduce a Monte Carlo model based on random deposition and diffusion limited aggregation in order to study the morphological evolution of deposition of nanofilm, which is difficult to carry out by the experimental methods. The instantaneous evolution of morphology and the corresponding parameters are observed when employing a novel perspective, modeling the aggregation of nanoscale units. Despite simplifying the chemical details, the simulation results qualitatively describe experiments with bulky precursors, and the strong dependence of growth rate on steric hindrance is obtained. Moreover, the well know behavior that the delay before steady growth is accurately predicted and analyzed based solely on modeling. Through this work, the great influence of steric hindrance on the initial stage of ALD is described.


Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) has known to have antiinflammatory properties in various inflammatory disease, however the effect of MSCs on the inflammation is reported to be variable depending on the disease entity, contact time, application time and administration site for the delivery. The study was aimed to analyze the contact time-dependent effect of human mesenchymal stem cells(hMSCs) on IL-17 and INF-r secreted by CD4+ T effector memory cells. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) was obtained from the healthy voluntary donors with informed consents(n=5). The study was performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. CD4+ T cells were purified through MACS separator with the human CD4+ T Cell Isolation Kit II (Miltenyi Biotec). CD4+ T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 and cultured in medium supplemented with IL-1β and IL-23. The bone marrow derived hMSCs got in contact with CD4 T cells on 0 day, 3 days, and 5 days after stimulation at a T cell-to-MSC ratio of 10:1. We found that the earlier hMSCs were contacted to CD4+ CD45RO+ T cells, the more effect was suppressive on both IFN-γ and IL-17A secreted by CD4+ effector memory T cells. In fact, later contact of hMSCs to activated T cells dropped most suppressive effect of hMSCs down on effector memory CD4 T cells. It suggested that the earlier time point contact might be the better for hMSCs to down-regulate the functions of effector memory CD4 T cells after activation.


In the light of the First Principle contained within the 1984 Data Protection Act, the Data Protection Registrar is concerned about some of the current practices being carried out within the financial sector. His staff would like to reach agreement with the financial sector so that the Registrar can be satisfied that their disclosure of information to third parties is done fairly and lawfully. This paper sets out some of the areas of concern, and a detailed account of the Registrar's view.


Field observations and experiments in the Republic of South Africa demonstrated that burrowing male field crickets, Acanthogryllus fortipes, call in alternation by singing during the interval of si...


Giant left atrium (GLA) is a condition characterized by an extreme enlargement of the left atrium with a diameter more than 65 mm and it is frequently associated with long standing rheumatic mitral valve desease. The incidence of left atrial thrombus among patients with mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation varies from 7 to 38%. Anticoagulation therapy achieves a high rate of resolution of left atrial appendage (LAA) and left atrial cavity thrombi, but in selected patients surgical therapy must be considered.


Traditionally, marine ecosystem structure was thought to be bottom‐up controlled. In recent years, a number of studies have highlighted the importance of top‐down regulation. Evidence is accumulating that the type of trophic forcing varies temporally and spatially, and an integrated view – considering the interplay of both types of control – is emerging. Correlations between time series spanning several decades of the abundances of adjacent trophic levels are conventionally used to assess the type of control: bottom‐up if positive or top‐down if this is negative. This approach implies averaging periods which might show time‐varying dynamics and therefore can hide part of this temporal variability. Using spatially referenced plankton information extracted from the Continuous Plankton Recorder, this study addresses the potential dynamic character of the trophic structure at the planktonic level in the North Sea by assessing its variation over both temporal and spatial scales. Our results show that until the early‐1970s a bottom‐up control characterized the base of the food web across the whole North Sea, with diatoms having a positive and homogeneous effect on zooplankton filter‐feeders. Afterwards, different regional trophic dynamics were observed, in particular a negative relationship between total phytoplankton and zooplankton was detected off the west coast of Norway and the Skagerrak as opposed to a positive one in the southern reaches. Our results suggest that after the early 1970s diatoms remained the main food source for zooplankton filter‐feeders east of Orkney–Shetland and off Scotland, while in the east, from the Norwegian Trench to the German Bight, filter‐feeders were mainly sustained by dinoflagellates.


Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics, nutritional status, and clinical outcomes of the patients who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) or proximal gastrectomy (PG). Methods: Seventy-three patients with gastric cancer who underwent TG (n=57) or PG (n=16) from January 1991 to December 2000, were divided into two groups (TG group and PG group). Then, their hospital records and survival data were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in age, sex, tumor size, histologic type, time of gas out, hospital stay, postoperative mortality and morbidity, recurrence, and survival rates between the two groups. The PG group showed higher rates of the postoperative esophageal reflux and anastomotic stricture than the TG group (p


As the usage of software is growing rapidly, accessing the software reliability is a critical task in development of a software system. So, many Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGM) are used in order to decide upon the reliable or unreliable of the developed software very quickly. In this paper, the well-known SRGM called as Hyper exponential Growth Model is adopted for time domain data based on Non Homogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP) which is used in accessing the reliability of developed software. The parameters are estimated using Maximum Likelihood Estimator.


In this paper, a hydraulic model experiment was conducted to investigate the mechanism of longshore sediment transport on a sloping beach of 1:7 using a circular wave tank equipped with a spiral wave maker. The experimental results revealed that cross-shore sediment transport was predominant up to the formation of equilibrium cross-section. Then the longshore sediment transport was actively dominant near the bar after the development of equilibrium topography. The wave-breaking positions and the characteristics of sand displacement in the vicinity of the wave-breaking zone were observed throughout the installation of fluorescent sands in different cross-sections under several wave conditions on the same terrain to presume the coastal erosion. From the outcomes, it was confirmed that the gradient of the average water level due to the obliquely incident waves breaking and the differences in breaking positions along the shoreline accelerated the generation of longshore currents and longshore sediment transport in the sloping beach profile. Moreover, the actively longshore sediment transport tendency throughout the breaking waves and the longshore current had been confirmed in this study where the gradually increasing wave heights influenced the stronger degree of wave breaking on the sloping beach, which enhanced the sediment transport procedure to deform the beach profile.


Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) have recently attracted extensive attention for applications in high power energy storage devices. Various materials have been investigated as candidates for electrodes in supercapacitors, including carboneous materials, conducting polymers, and transition metal oxides. 1‐3 Nickel hydroxide Ni(OH)2 ,i s one of the active transition metal hydroxide from the series of different pseudocapacitive materials used for supercapacitor due to their low cost, large theoretical specific capacitance and well defined redox behavior. 4‐6 However, poor electrical conductivity and low cycle life restrict pseudocapacitive Ni(OH)2 from practical applications. Thus, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was introduced to increase the conductivity of Ni(OH)2 and to achieve a higher utilization of the Ni(OH)2 nanostructures. 7‐10 However, these composite materials were mostly powder-based or non-flexible 7,8 and the addition of polymer binder used in conventional ink-spread processing of electrodes inhibits the iontransportintheelectrolyteanddegradestheelectricalconductivity, leading to an obvious capacity loss and low fabrication-efficiency. 11 CNT films can be a promising type of current collector for lightweight and flexible electrodes due to their good electrical conductivity, chemical stability and mechanical durability. 12‐15 Here, we report a facile synthesis of Ni(OH)2 nanoflakes which anchor on the flexible CNT films substrate to fabricate freestanding electrodes for supercapacitors. The as-prepared hybrid electrode displays ultrahigh specific capacitance, superior cycling performance and excellent rate capability.


According to the research of the data transformation problem in DEMS, this paper analyzes the key technology of data transformation and how to access database by MFC ODBC. The transformation among various engineering databases has been implemented with MFC ODBC.


Kazakhstan flora is rich in promising little-studied plants that are used in folk medicine, but additional deep research is required for their introduction into medical practice with the help of modern scientific techniques. An interesting object for introduction into the official medical and pharmaceutical practice is the Alfredia Nivea Kar. & Kir, family Asteraceae, whose extracts have a neurotropic effect.
The aim. Regarding mentioned above, in order to create new medicines based on the grass of the Alfredia nivea, it is necessary to develop methods of its macro and microscopic identification.
Materials and methods. Macro- and microscopic studies of the grass of Alfredia nivea were carried out in accordance with the methodology of SPhU 2.8.23 "Microscopic examination of medicinal vegetable raw materials". Macroscopic studies were performed using magnifying glass and binocular microscope MBS-9, microscopic-using MS Microscopes 10 (eyepiece X5, X10, X15, lenses x10, x40), micromed XS-4130 (WF15X, Opera, lens X40/0, 65, x10/0,25) with microphoto addon (China).
Results. The morphological and anatomical features of the Alfredia nivea grass. Diagnostic features of the structure of stems, leaves and flowers of this species were revealed.
Conclusions. The macroscopic and anatomical identification parameters of the grass of the Alfredia of Snow. The study of the morphological and anatomical features of the stems, leaves and flowers of Alfredia nivea, considering the requirements of European pharmacopoeia. Diagnostic features of the structure of stems, leaves and flowers of the species were found, which were used as key quality indicators for standardization and identification of raw materials


A resource discovered method gravely affects the performance of P2P system.This paper proposes a probabilistic and exhaustive search algorithm called PingPangRoll,which absorbs the merits of structured and unstructured P2P.The topology of system employs a relaxed random multigraph which is scalable.Firstly evaluate the necessary number of replica of data and query by the birthday paradox theory,which is required to satisfy the user's reliable requirement,and then map the replica of data and query onto peers in the network by Ping-Pang mapping to perform the exhaustive search.This algorithm overcomes the drawback that the search area is limited and some existing resources can not be found in the unstructured P2P.


Abstract Changing environments have the potential to alter the fitness of organisms through effects on components of fitness such as energy acquisition, metabolic cost, growth rate, survivorship, and reproductive output. Organisms, on the other hand, can alter aspects of their physiology and life histories through phenotypic plasticity as well as through genetic change in populations (selection). Researchers examining the effects of environmental variables frequently concentrate on individual components of fitness, although methods exist to combine these into a population level estimate of average fitness, as the per capita rate of population growth for a set of identical individuals with a particular set of traits. Recent advances in energetic modeling have provided excellent data on energy intake and costs leading to growth, reproduction, and other life‐history parameters; these in turn have consequences for survivorship at all life‐history stages, and thus for fitness. Components of fitness alone (performance measures) are useful in determining organism response to changing conditions, but are often not good predictors of fitness; they can differ in both form and magnitude, as demonstrated in our model. Here, we combine an energetics model for growth and allocation with a matrix model that calculates population growth rate for a group of individuals with a particular set of traits. We use intertidal mussels as an example, because data exist for some of the important energetic and life‐history parameters, and because there is a hypothesized energetic trade‐off between byssus production (affecting survivorship), and energy used for growth and reproduction. The model shows exactly how strong this trade‐off is in terms of overall fitness, and it illustrates conditions where fitness components are good predictors of actual fitness, and cases where they are not. In addition, the model is used to examine the effects of environmental change on this trade‐off and on both fitness and on individual fitness components.


Rich superclusters are the ideal environment for the detection of cluster mergings, because the high peculiar velocities induced by the enhanced local density of the large-scale structure favour the cluster-cluster collisions, in the same way as seen in the simulations. The Shapley Concentration supercluster represents a unique laboratory where it is possible to follow cluster mergings and to test related astrophysical consequences, as the formation of shocks, radio halos, relics and wide angle tail radiosources, and the presence of galaxies with enhanced star formation. We present the results of an extensive multiwavelength survey of the central part of the Shapley Concentration, with the use of optical spectra, radio and X-ray data.


DARPA initiated a six-month Pre-Conflict Anticipation and Shaping (PCAS) initiative to demonstrate the utility of quantitative and computational social science models (Q/CSS) applied to assessing the instability and failure of nation-states. In this program ten different teams of Q/CSS researchers and practitioners developed nation state instability models and then applied them to two different countries to assess their current stability levels as well as forecast their stability levels 6-12 months hence. The models developed ranged from systems dynamics, structural equations, cellular automata, Bayesian networks and hidden Markov models, scale-invariant geo-political distributions, and multi agent-based systems. In the PCAS program we also explored a mechanism for sensitivity analysis of Q/CSS model results to selected parameters, and we also implemented a mechanism to automatically categorize, parse, extract and auto-populate a bank of Q/CSS models from large-scale open source text streams. Preliminary yet promising results were achieved, and the utility of the results can provide added value for decision-making problems around planning, intelligence analysis, information operations and training. This paper describes the motivation and rationale for the program, the Q/CSS models and mechanisms, and presents results from some of the models. In addition, future research and key challenges in using these Q/CSS models within an operational decision making environment will be discussed


This report contains the following papers: Linking driver visual workload on near-congested highways to inductive loop measurement (Verwey,WB and Heijer,T); A traffic model based upon neural networks (Gundy,CM and Heijer,T). See also IRRD 869774 and 869775.


The article introduces the comparative results of the deformability and fracture resistance of steel reinforced concrete beams with combined reinforcement obtained on the basis of laboratory tests with the results of computer-aided mathematical modelling of such structures. The results were compared for the purpose of mathematical model testing and its further usage in the study of the optimal reinforcement percentage in steel reinforced concrete beams with combined reinforcement. Results obtained on the basis of the proposed mathematical model show sufficient correlation with the experimental data up to the stage of structure strength exhaustion. As the result it enables to evaluate the features of destruction of the tested samples with the sufficient accuracy, namely, their load-carrying capacity, cracks formation, to analyze stresses in both steel bars and tapes, monitor deflections and deformations during the loading of the tested beams. Deviation of the experimental values for steel reinforced concrete beam with the combined reinforcement from the data obtained according to mathematical model: up to 5.0% for fracture resistance; up to 14.3% for deformability.


This paper presents a new approach to the deconvolution for images contaminated by stripe noise. Inspired by the 2D power spectrum distribution property of stripe noise in the frequency domain, we construct a novel regularized inverse filter which allows the algorithm to suppress the amplification of stripe noise in the Fourier inverse step and further get rid of most of them, and a mirror-wavelet denoising is followed to remove the left colored noise. In simulations with striped images, this algorithm outperforms the traditional mirror-wavelet based deconvolution in terms of both visual effect and SNR comparison, only at the expense of slightly heavier computation load. The same idea about regularized inverse filter can also be used to improve other deconvolution algorithms, such as wavelet packets and Wiener filters, when they are employed to images stained by stripe noise.


Objective To observe the effects of Kangshenkeli on serum high sensitive C-reactive protein and plasmic fibrinogen of predialysis patients with chronic renal failure(CRF).Methods A total of 96 patients with chronic renal failure,who were treated in our hospital during Jan 2007 to Oct 2010 without dialysis,were included in the present study and randomly divided into two groups.The control group(32 cases) were treated based on routine therapy for CRF,and the experimental group(64 cases) were treated with Kangshenkeli 12 g a time,3 times per day in addition to routine therapy for CRF.Serum high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),plasmic fibrinogen(Fbg),fasting plasma glucose(FPG),hemoglobin(Hb),total cholesterol(TC) and triacylglycerol(TG) before and after treatment were measured.Results After 3 months of treatment,compared with before treatment,serum hs-CRP and plasmic Fbg level were decreased in experimental group(P0.05).There were still significant differences of these two targets in experimental group as compared with control group after treatment(P0.05).Serum level of TC was decreased in experimental group after treatment(P0.05).However,no significant difference of serum TC level was found between experimental group and control group after treatment(P0.05).Conclusion Kangshenkeli may decrease micro-inflammatory states and hypercoagulable states,improve dyslipidemia in predialysis CRF patients.


Chillers, boilers, steamturbine generators, gas turbines and cooling towers are major equipment, whose energy performance directly affects the overally thermal energy plant's efficiency. However, it is often difficult to conduct standard equipment tests, such as ARI and CTI tests, on critical machines as they normally can not be taken offline to satisfy test specified conditions. On the other hand, large amounts of SCADA/PMS data have been stored in the database, whereas they are not fully utilized. The utilization and interpretation of the data are often at the minimum level especially in old systems. The equipment in cogeneration plants and thermal energy plants such as gas turbine generators, boilers, steam turbine generators, chillers and cooling towers are often critical to satisfying building needs. Their actual energy performance is very important when implementing the Continuous Commissioning (CC) process. The actual performance can be used to develop optimal operation strategies, to conduct thermo-economy analysis, to perform fault diagnostics, and so forth. Because the standard performance test such as chiller test per ARI standard and cooling tower test per CTI standard often require the equipment to be operated under specific test conditions; however, in reality the dynamics of the system load normally do not allow the equipment to be operated under such conditions. It is costly and even impossible to take such critical equipment offline for test purposes. In order to facilitate the plant processes and on-going operations, utility plants usually employ Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Plant Monitoring Systems (SCADA/PMS) or Energy Management and Control Systems (EMCS) to monitor sensors, display data, control equipment, activate alarms and log information. However, the utilization and interpretation of the logged data are often at the minimum level especially in old systems without automatic operation and control optimization capabilities. Through three case study, this paper presents methods for evaluating equipment performance using SCADA/PMS or EMSC data. It is common practics, during the implementation of the CC process to utility plants, to use the SCADA/PMS data to evaluate equipment performances, generate optimized operation schedules and guide plant operations in order to achieve higher energy efficiency. This paper demonstrates and summarizes such practices through three case studies including a cooling tower, a steam turbine generator and an electrically driven centrifugal chiller.


It has become increasingly difficult to account for state formation solely in terms of ecological variables. It is suggested that consideration of prestate political structure and the interplay of ecological variables and political dynamics (political ecology) would enhance our understanding of why and how states emerge. The Aztecs provide a case for examination. [Aztecs, ecology, political competition, state origins] THE STATE IS A POWERFUL, COMPLEX, PERMANENTLY INSTITUTED SYSTEM Of centralized political administration. It exercises sovereignty in carrying out basic political functions (maintaining territorial rights, maintaining internal order, making and executing decisions regarding group action), and its authority in these matters is buttressed by sovereignty in the use of force within its jurisdiction (Keesing 1976:348; Sahlins 1968:4-7; Yoffee 1979:14-17). States are characterized by administrative complexity; administrative personnel are hierarchically ordered and specialized by administrative tasks (Johnson 1973:1-4; Wright 1978:49-68). The numerous attempts to explain why states emerge in some times and places but not others have been dominated by two contrasting approaches: the ecological and the structural. The first, based on the work of Julian Steward, relates state formation to the problems and/or opportunities presented to a human population by its environmental setting. In this approach, population growth and its resulting pressures provide the dynamic for state formation, and at least the initial stages are said to be promoted by the ecological benefits that the state confers on its general population. The second approach, growing out of the Marx-Engels tradition, regards state formation as a process generated by particular sociocultural orders. Certain types of societies (stratified societies, for example) are said to possess an internal dynamic that exerts pressure for state formation even when the relationship between the human population and its environment is stable. In this approach, the focus is less on a human population as a whole and more on social components and their interactions. Of these two approaches, the first has received a greater share of attention and has been elaborated more fully. As a result, some of its difficulties are now evident. The structural approach has been less thoroughly explored. This paper has three objectives: to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the ecological approach to state formation in its current form; to suggest how a greater em


If the World Wide Web (WWW) is considered to be a huge library, it would need a librarian, too. Google and other web search engines are more or less just keyword databases and cannot fulfil this person's tasks in a sufficient manner. Therefore, an approach to improve cataloguing and classifying documents in the WWW is introduced and its efficiency demonstrated in first simulations.


Core/shell hetero-nanostructures are promising materials for fabricating optoelectronic devices, photodetectors, bioimaging, and biosensing. The CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized in a wet chemical reaction. The shell thickness was modified by varying reaction times. The structure and optical properties as a function of the CdS shell thickness were investigated. A systematic redshift of the first exciton absorption peaks and photoluminescent (PL) spectra occurred after coating with CdS confirmed the shell growth over the CdSe core. The PL's intensity increased compared with that of bare NCs. The formation of high-quality NCs with uniform size distribution was shown in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image and confirmed by the narrow PL band and small FWHM.