Two balanced model reduction schemes for bilinear systems have been proposed in the literature. The first schema is based on the algebraic controllability and observability matrices Gramians. The second is based on the notion of the controllability and observability energy functions already introduced for nonlinear systems. The aim of this paper is to present some interesting structures of the energy functions and algebraic Gramians of bilinear singularly perturbed systems. These results permit to avoid the ill conditioning and the high dimensionality in the computation of the energy functions of bilinear singularly perturbed systems. In the second part of the paper, closed‐loop balancing is considered and similar development leads to the so‐called past and future energy functions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Objective To study the expression of p-AKT in gastric cancer cells SGC7901 treated with Akt Inhibitor Ⅱ(API-2) and the growth condition of the cells,and probe into mechanisms to the development and progression of digestive tumors via Akt signal transduction.Methods SGC7901 cells were cultured for serial passage and then treated with API-2.MTT assay was used to observe the effect of API-2(0,2,4,6,8μmol/L) on proliferation of SGC7901 cells.The expression of p-AKT on SGC7901 cells when treated with API-2 for 24 h was detected by Western blot and immunocytochemistry.Results API-2(0,2,4,6,8μmol/L) significantly inhibited the proliferation of SGC7901 cells in dose-and time-dependent manners.When treated with different densities of API-2 for 24 h,p-AKT expression decreased.Conclusion After API-2 inhibited Akt in Akt signal transduction pathway,the expressions of AKT was decreased.Akt signal transduction pathway is closely associated with the development and progression of gastric cancer cells SGC7901.


The article deals with the process, concept, system and management aspects of health tourism networking. Addressing the problem of research: how to manage the networking process in health tourism. Summarizing the analysed scientific literature it can be stated that the participants of the network are not analysed individually. They are analysed in relation to other network participants, thus connecting them to a common system. Connections (links, interactions, contacts) between participants are a kind of interaction between two or more participants in a network when resources are transmitted over specific channels. Relationship is a concept that encompasses both form and content aspects. The dyadic level explores the nature of the connection between two or more network nodes. Examining the aspects of networking process management highlights the importance of strategic management and synergies with management theories: Fayol (administrative theory); agent-contract theory for networking partnerships. The aspects of management theories have applicability in the management of health tourism networking, and the decision-making process plays a crucial role – both individual and group decision making begins with a set of information that defines the situation, assesses expected benefits, anticipates possible choices, and possible consequences. The decision-making process ends with the choice of a specific alternative. By applying the CMO configuration model to the decision making process, a systematic solution mechanism is created for each problematic situation. In order for the Lithuanian health tourism segment and its organizations to function as an integrated system and develop along the path of sustainable development, it is expedient to develop a common strategy in the planning process, envisaging the vision, goals and objectives of Lithuanian health tourism and ensuring a feedback mechanism. To implement this process, it is recommended that a formal health tourism network (involving health service organizations, the scientific community) would be established, based on participant agreements. The aim of this network is to create and develop a variety of health tourism services. The resulting networks are formalized through contracts, legal acts, memoranda of understanding, general agreements, so the relationships, functions and responsibilities of their participants are clearly defined.


This research has as its main purpose explain the influence of interpersonal relationships in the work environment at the collaborators of the CORPORACION TANK'S 105 GENERAL SERVICES S. R. L. - Trujillo: 2015. It has been considered the type of applied research, on the basis of an explanatory design, and the sample consisted of 44 collaborators, with which work by applying the methods and techniques of quantitative and qualitative research. That goal was fulfilled with the results found in the qualitative and quantitative study. The results show us that in the CORPORACION TANK'S 105 GENERAL SERVICES S. R. L. - Trujillo, is dominated by a poor communication between coworkers generating internal conflicts. In addition, it shows a lack of leadership and distrust what generates generates absenteeism and lack of team work as an expression of an inadequate labor climate. It is important that we be clear about the relevance of this study, considering that the interpersonal relations and the labor climate are fundamental to the collaborators contribute in the production and productivity of the company. Finally we believe that it is necessary to establish proposals for change toward the appropriate labor climate and interpersonal relationships with the purpose that the partners meet their objectives and goals.


3CL-Pro (or M-Pro) is the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, responsible for the cleavage of the large polyprotein 1ab transcript and the liberation of eleven proteins, responsible for viral growth and replication. It acts exclusively as a homodimer, while monomers are inactive. Due to its pivotal role, 3CL-Pro has been one of the most studied SARS-CoV-2 proteins and the subject of a number of therapeutic interventions, targeting its catalytic domain. A number of potential drug candidates have been reported, including some natural products. Here, we have investigated in silico, through fully flexible binding and extensive molecular dynamics simulations, the natural product space for the identification of potential candidates of 3CL-Pro dimerization inhibitors. We report that fortunellin (acacetin 7-O-neohesperidoside), a natural flavonoid O-glycoside, isolated from the fruits of Citrus japonica var. margarita (kumquat), is a potent inhibitor of 3CL-Pro dimerization. A search of the ZINC natural products database identified another 16 related molecules, which possess interesting pharmacological properties. We propose that fortunellin and its analogs might be the basis of novel pharmaceuticals against SARS-CoV-2 induced COVID-19 disease.


Mesoscopic Josephson devices, interacting with non-classical microwaves, are studied. The phase difference in Josephson's equations is a quantum mechanical operator, whose expectation value with respect to the density matrix describing the microwaves, determines the current. Dual phenomena with vortex condensates in Josephson array insulators are also considered. Dual Josephson junctions for vortices, made from two insulators separated by a weak link through which the vortices tunnel, are described by dual Josephson equations.


The research of corporate finance has already developed for a long period in China and UK. Corporate finance has been influenced by lots of factors during its development, such as government policies, company, staff and one of the most important factors is taxation. But there is still no one standard for the influence of taxation on corporate finance in theory area. According to the situation in both China and UK, the research of the influence of taxation on corporate finance need more time and more practices to complete. The study of this paper tries to examine the influence of different taxation on corporate finance in China and UK by mainly introduce their corporate finance problems under their taxation and to find some trends. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations will be given.


The Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) is a region known for its strong atmospheric convection, which plays a key role in global climate. However, in recent decades, the IPWP has experienced human-induced warming, and it has been observed to have a non-linear relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitation. Despite the rising SSTs, the increase in precipitation is limited until a specific SST, which is defined as saturation threshold SST (STT). The STT indicates a distinct transition before and after the STT, highlighting the non-linear response of precipitation to SST. Nevertheless, the impact of warmer climates on the SST-precipitation relationship and STT remains uncertain. To investigate future changes in this relationship, we analyzed a joint distribution of SST and precipitation using the historical data and three different Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios (SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). We examined the near future (2041–2060), and far future (2081–2100). Our findings reveal that the STT increases with the shift in mean state due to the involvement of atmospheric stratification. This increase is observed across all three scenarios in both future periods, with the SSP5-8.5 scenario exhibiting the most substantial rise during the far future. The warming climate leads to a more pronounced warming in the upper troposphere than the surface, resulting in tropospheric stabilization. This process contributes to the increase in STT through moist-adiabatic lapse rate adjustment. Additionally, the weakening of vertical motion constrains the increase in precipitation, despite the availability of abundant moisture. This study sheds light on the changing SST-precipitation relationship and provides a possible mechanism for the limited increase in precipitation. Therefore, this study offers a background for a better understanding of the non-monotonic response of precipitation to SST in the context of climate change.


Several new dizinc organometallics that are supported by dianionic bis(amidoamine) ligands are reported. The reaction of N,N'-bis(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl)dibenzofuran-4,6-diamine (iPrLH2) with excess ZnR2 (R = Et, Me) in toluene solution forms the dizinc derivatives iPrLZn2Et2 (1) and iPrLZn2Me2 (2), which were isolated in 69% and 72% yields, respectively. Both 1 and 2 feature three-coordinate zinc centers in the solid state. Reaction of 2 equiv of ZnPh2 with N,N'-bis(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)dibenzofuran-4,6-diamine (MeLH2) forms MeLZn2Ph2 (3), which was isolated in 73% yield. The analogous reaction using iPrLH2 instead of MeLH2 forms iPrLZn2Ph2 (4), which was isolated in 56% yield. The solid-state structure of 3 (two independent molecules) reveals a parallelogram-shaped [Zn2(μ-Ph)2]2+ core, with the overall molecule having approximate (noncrystallographic) C2 symmetry and a short intermetal separation (2.7279(6) and 2.7809(6) A). In contrast, the 1H NMR spectrum of 3 (CD2Cl2) indicates overall C2v symme...


This paper explores issues of equity and group identity at 'Hamilton Court', a large comprehensive multi-faith and multi-cultural school located in England. The exploration draws on data gathered from a study that examined the conditions, structures and practices associated with productively addressing issues of justice and cultural diversity. The paper focuses, in particular, on the voices of two learning mentors, 'Rosanna' and 'Yasmeen'. With reference to a cultural event at the school based around an Asian-inspired Bollywood Dance Festival, the school's approach to absence requests on the basis of religious observance, and the disadvantage experienced by a particular White British working class boy, the paper highlights tensions and problematics associated with issues of equity, schooling and group identity. The paper makes a theoretical contribution to debates in this area. Further illustrating the limitations of distributive understandings of equity that begin with group identity politics and fail to consider matters of context in struggles against cultural oppressions, it examines the possibilities of an equity approach that instead begins with a focus on overcoming these relations of oppression.


AIM:To study the promoting blood circulation for removing blood stasis effect of Naoshuantong Granule(NSTG)(Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Astragali Radix,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Spatholobi Caulis,etc).METHODS:Mice models for acute microcirculation disturbance induced by adrenaline were used to observe the improvement of NSTG in microcirculation.Rat model for acute blood stasis induced by winter swimming and scadrenaline were applied to the measurement of hemorheological parameters under the influence of NSTG.Rat thrombosis induced by electric pulse stimulation was used to count for the interference with thrombgenesis and thrombolysis.RESULTS:NTSG could speed up the blood flow rate,improve the blood flow pattern,lower the rate of thrombotic infarct,and markedly decrease the thrombus wet weight.CONCLUSION:The experiment shows that NSTG can improve the microcirculation and hemorheological property and inhibit throm-bogenesis in accordance with "the promoting blood for removing stasis".


In this paper, we propose a new method to improve the performance of a duplicate video transmission system. The proposed method is based on an alternate temporal sub-sampling approach, which is to transmit the encoded even-numbered and odd-numbered pictures through separate channels. At the receiver, the decoded pictures from both channels are combined by alternately choosing one from each channel. The proposed method uses the full capacity of both regular and backup channels for failure-free video transmission. Experimental results show that the proposed alternate temporal sub-sampling method gives about 1.0 to approximately 4.0 dB improvements in PSNR over the conventional simulcast one at the bit rates of 2 to approximately 15 Mbps/channel for failure-free video transmission.


Electronics original equipment manufacturers are coming under increased scrutiny regarding their environmental performance, particularly around the issue of recycling. To address this pressure, companies need metrics that resolve the effectiveness of candidate recycling strategies. Such metrics not only provide guidance on the design and operation of recycling systems, but also serve to communicate the effectiveness of efforts to regulators and nongovernmental organizations. A methodology for a set of robust metrics is presented, designed to allow for comparison between companies. These metrics are based on both mass-based recycling rates normalized by present sales and sales based on product lifetime, along with value-weighted recycling rates that can correlate to environmental performance. These metrics provide insight on the performance of end-of-life electronics collection programs and how they might be compared to recycling of other waste streams, such as municipal solid waste.


ABSTRACT A new synthesis procedure is formulated for RC-active filters. It involves the use of idealized unity-gain current and voltage amplifiers as the active clement. To realize a pair of complex conjugate poles we can use either a unity-gain current amplifier with appropriate RC-feedback and input two-port networks, or a unity-gain voltage amplifier with RC-feeddback and output two-port networks. To realize two pairs of complex conjugate poles we can use a configuration consisting of a unity-gain voltage amplifier coupled to a unity-gain current amplifier by means of an interstage RC-two-port network, with each amplifier having its own RC-two-port feedback network. This arrangement avoids the need for a buffer stage. As an illustrative example a fourth-order maximally fiat low pass filter is considered, and close agreement with theory is demonstrated.


Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6) is a common childhood disease that is typically mild, however, cases where it is the causative agent of meningitis/encephalitis (ME) have been reported. The treatment for HHV6 ME consists of ganciclovir, which is associated with bone marrow suppression and renal insufficiency. While the clinical significance of the presence of HHV6 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in adults has been studied, there is a paucity of research on the clinical significance of HHV6 in the CSF of children with ME. We want to determine if there is clinical significance to HHV6 positivity in the CSF of children.

 20 patients were included whose CSF tested positive for HHV6 on the CSF ME panel from Jan 1, 2017 to May 20, 2020. We obtained a sample of 80 patients whose CSF tested negative for every pathogen on the same CSF ME panel from the same period. Logistic regression was used based on age, sex, race/ethnicity, admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)/pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), clinical presentation, and presence of abnormalities on neuroimaging to determine the propensity score matching (PSM) for each patient. (Table I) The HHV6 positive patients were matched with patients who tested negative for every pathogen on the panel at a 1:1 ratio and within a caliper size of 0.25. The odds ratio (OR) of neurological sequelae at discharge was determined by performing a logistic regression based on HHV6 status in both the group with PSM and without PSM. The length of stay between the HHV6 positive group and the control group were compared with and without PSM using Mann-Whitney U test with p<0.05 considered significant

 The OR for HHV6 positivity and experiencing neurological sequelae is 1.35 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.133,13.721 (p=0.799) when compared to the control group without PSM. The OR for HHV6 positivity and experiencing neurological sequelae is 1 with a 95% CI 0.063, 15.988 (p=0.549) when compared to the control group with PSM. Table I shows the neurological sequelae between the HHV6 positive group, control group without PSM and the control group with PSM. It shows the Mann-Whitney U test comparing HHV6 status to the median length of hospital stay in both unmatched- and matched cohorts. We failed to reject the null hypothesis that there was a difference in the median length of hospital stay between HHV6 positive patients and all negative patients with and without PSM.

 There is no clinical significance of HHV6 detection on the CSF ME panel in children as well as no statistical significance between the median length of hospital stay among HHV6 positive patients and all negative patients. Further, 10% of the HHV6 positive patients were inappropriately started on ganciclovir. Development of a consensus statement is in place regarding releasing the result of a positive HHV6 from the ME panel only among immunocompromised children to prevent inappropriate antiviral therapy.


The listed sample firms don抰 react to the stock market more significantly sensitively after the scale of China抯 stock market has become bigger than ever .By adding the number of sample firms, the regression outcome shows that the sensitivity increases a little .It demonstrates the stock market should enhance its function of bettering the listed firm抯 financial environment .


Sign languages offer the possibility of raising and examining many issues that would not and could not be raised if human languages were confined to the spoken modality. One central issue concerns the relationship between language structure and modality: how and in what ways does the physical modality of transmission influence structure? In order to attempt to investigate this question in a meaningful way, one must look for specific phenomena or structures that are comparable across modalities yet differ in significant ways.


Dose-dependent nephrotoxicity limits the therapeutic use of cisplatin in tumor chemotherapy. Natural compounds show a protective effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Rhoifolin is a flavone glycoside that demonstrates antioxidant and antiproliferative effects. The influence and mechanism of rhoifolin on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity were investigated in this study. First, a rat model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was established. Intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin induced renal damage in rats as demonstrated by a decrease in body weight, increase in blood urea, nitrogen and creatinine, and destruction of histological integrity. However, treatment with rhoifolin attenuated cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Second, cisplatin induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response in rats as demonstrated by a decrease in superoxide dismutase, glutathione, glutathione S-transferase and catalase, and an increase in malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6. Also, the administration of rhoifolin led to alleviation of cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Finally, cisplatin activated the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway via degradation and phosphorylation of IκBα (inhibitor of kappa B). Administration of rhoifolin inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB via down-regulation of phospho-IκBα and phospho-p65, as well as up-regulation of IκBα. In conclusion, the administration of rhoifolin attenuated cisplatin-induced renal damage, oxidative stress and inflammatory response through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway, suggesting a potential adjunct candidate for cisplatin in tumor treatment.


The dissonance between higher education institutions in business and the market has stimulated the search for new ways to develop training in higher education. In this scenario, Competency-Based Education (CBE) is presented as a possible solution to this gap between the school and the market. Thus, understanding the process of implementing the CBE and studying the process of choosing criteria to decide on implementation in Brazilian schools can bring relevant information to understand the phenomenon and bring these institutions closer to the global movement. In this sense, this thesis aimed to analyze how criteria are defined for the use of competence-based education in business higher education (HE). And for that, it had a qualitative approach and field research in three Brazilian HE. In which interviews were conducted via Google Meet, with three managers, ten teachers and five students. The data collected were analyzed in the light of the content analysis technique. The results made it possible to outline a theoretical model that allowed understanding of the relationships between subjects, and the flow for organizational change in HE, paving the way for the definition of criteria for the use of competency-based teaching in Brazilian business schools. Therefore, it was possible to conclude that design, evaluation and limitations are among the criteria listed from the theoretical analysis and were also perceived as criteria present in the researched HE.


India's performance on various social development indicators remains poor due to prevalence of extreme poverty that has often caused deprivations in the form of hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, poor basic amenities and social exclusion. This study provides consistent measures of social development across 29 state economies of the country during two trienniums ending in 2002-03 and 2012-13. The aggregate index covering 21 indicators within six dimensions of social development namely, demographic, health, education, basic amenities, social and economic, as well as the dimensional indices, allows us to rank the states according to social progress in each triennium. We subsequently explore whether economic growth had an equal impact on different dimensions of social development in the country. The relationship between economic growth and statistical scores of social development dimensions has been examined at the level of individual states through elasticity analysis and also in terms of an aggregative analysis involving the 29 states in a cross-sectional regression framework. Our findings signify that while per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) improved universally for the 29 states in the interim period of the two trienniums, the performance relating to various dimensions of social development was at variance. The cross-sectional results involving the 29 states indicate that there is a strong positive, though non-linear, relation between per capita real NSDP and the various dimensional scores of social development. Thus, while small increases in per capita real NSDP are associated with large progress in social developments in states with low per capita incomes, the gains in social development emerging from economic growth diminishes as states reach high levels of income. Our results also imply that every single dimension of social development bears a distinct relationship with economic growth. Finally, analyses of the growth (income) elasticity of social development in each dimension reveal that the achievements of translation from economic growth to social development have been mixed across states and dimensions. Our results suggest that while economic growth expanded the choices in the dimension of basic amenities, the achievements in educational dimension remained inadequate in India. Acknowledgement: the author would like to thank the seminar participants at the CSD and also an anonymous referee of the working paper series for comments. Surajit Deb


This study aims to produce the feasible and effective Augmented Reality media as an effort for problem solving in learning Physics especially in the topic of optical devices. This is due to the teaching-learning process that is dominated by teacher center, while the material for optical devices needs to be visualized with concrete pictures. It is expected that this media can be useful effectively in order to achieve the learning objectives optimally. The development model used in this study was Research and Development (R&D) applying 10 stages of development, and it produced a product in the form of Augmented Reality, in which the subjects were tenth grade students of SMK Multimedia Surabaya. The data collection techniques used were interview, questionnaire, and test, while the data analysis techniques were done by analyzing the data of questionnaire with percentage formula and analyzing the data of test with the formula of t-test. Based on the result of reliability test from the material expert, it gained the percentage of 100% and the result of reliability test from media expert gained the percentage of 100%. The data from individual trial results scored 97%, the data from small group trial scored 98%, and the data from large group trial scored 100%. Therefore, Augmented Reality media were admitted as feasible media that can be used in learning process. The result of t-test gained from pre-test and post-test showed the calculated result which was greater that ttable (2.81 > 1.988). Thus, it can be concluded that Augmented Reality is an effective medium to be used for learning process.


Transversal hypersurfaces of Lorentzian para-Sasakian manifold are defined. It is proved that the fundamental 2-form on the transversal hypersurfaces of Lorentzian para-Sasakian manifold with (f, g, u, v, λ)-structure are closed. In this paper it is shown that transversal hypersurfaces of Lorentzian para-Sasakian manifold admits a product structure with a semi symmetric non metric connection. It is shown that transversal hypersurfaces of Lorentzian para-Sasakian manifold with a semi symmetric non metric connection are closed


If an or ga nization wants to find its own sky in this fast changing environment,it must co ntinuously change in order to keep up with the development of the age.However ,many organizations begin their changes without careful consideration,and th ey find the results of changes are not satisfactory.This paper analyses the dri ve mechanism and resistance temperament during the process of organization chan ge,points out the main favorable and adverse factors,and provides the theoret ical support and previous analytical support to enterprise change.


India occupies around 2.4% of the world's landmass. It is also home to 17.5% of the world's population. The density of population is more in the urban landscapes. However, being largely an agrarian economy, a significant part of India's GDP comes from the urban and rural areas. Rural development and prosperity is deeply integrated to any nation's growth. Skilled workers and entrepreneurs are the need of the hour with the government committed to improving the skill landscape in the country over the next few years. The mobilization of the available youth and man-power and making them as skilled individuals is the need of the hour with the burgeoning youth brigade of India. So the goal of skill development and its challenges in youth is to upgrade the quality of work life of new employee, unskilled labour and that who work without technology or manually on plant so to change the unskilled labour into skilled labour by providing the skilled knowledge and new technique and solve the challenges of youth. This paper focuses on the existing ecosystem for skill development in India and the role skill development has to play in the future for increasing employment and entrepreneurship opportunities among the youth of India.


After research some phenomena in VO2 max test to 3 youth kayak canoeist,this article finds that"V"shape presented by VO2 and the selection has the close relationship.


Known statistical analysis methods are described in detail with the aim of developing a new and more accurate modelling approach for glass properties. It is shown that the combined analysis of historic and current data from, for example, the SciGlass and Interglad databases, often provides the basis for making property predictions that are more reliable than the raw data itself or a few test measurements. Targeted glass research and process modelling can be facilitated by the approach outlined.


Five patients with tricuspid stenosis accompanying mitral stenosis were studied. The characteristic features include a diastolic rumbling murmur in the tricuspid area, accentuated by inspiration, prominent "a" wave in the jugular pulse, prominent P wave in the electrocardiogram, absence of physical or electrocardiographic signs of right ventricular hypertrophy, and disproportionate right atrial enlargement by fluoroscopy. The diagnosis may be confirmed by the presence of a significant diastolic pressure gradient across the tricuspid valve. Mitral valvuloplasty alone produces no improvement. The concept of "functional tricuspid stenosis" is introduced and a one-stage operative technic for both mitral and triscuspid valvuloplasty described.


A narrow np inelastic resonance with I=0, J P =1 − and M=2168 MeV/c 2 is reported on the basis of phase shift solutions given in the preceding paper. The np reaction cross section for I=0 state is predicted to have a sharp peak at 625 MeV in agreement with experiments by Dunaitsev and Prokoshin


In this paper we present main parameters of the ringing artefact and demonstrate their influence on image fidelity of lossy compressed images. We apply variations of these parameters to create a specific set of test images to highlight the ringing artefact and to be able to evaluate the behaviour of ringing along edges. Therefore we introduce a new ringing metric, that analyzes image profiles of compressed images in terms of global luminance shift, blur and ringing.


This small-scale case study focused on academic managers to explore the ways in which they control the workload of academic staff and the extent to which they use the workload model in performance management of academic staff. The links that exist between the workload and performance management were explored to confirm or refute the conceptual dichotomy, identified from the literature, exist in practice. A conceptualization derived from neoliberal ideology is described which uses new public management as the anchor for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the three academic managers in each of the faculties and the transcripts analysed. The analysis of the responses confirmed that workload and performance management are not linked at the operational level, confirming the dichotomy in practice. Further research is suggested that would focus on the perceptions of academic staff directly affected by the workload and performance management processes.


Bamboo shinai is a practice sword for kendo which is the Japanese traditional fencing. The effectiveness of the shock absorption of the bamboo shinai has been shown in our previous study. Although shinai is usually made of bamboo, it is also made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The impact response of bamboo shinai and CFRP shinai is compared. As a result, the difference of peak value of impact force between bamboo shinai and CFRP shinai against similar initial velocity is small. Impact response measurement of each shinai has been carried out using the Levitation Mass Method (LMM) which has been proposed by us. In this method, a mass, which is levitated with a pneumatic linear bearing and hence affected by negligible friction, is made to collide with a shinai under test. Because bamboo is natual product, resource of suitable bamboos for shinai is limited. On the other hand, carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (CFRP) can be designed to be suitable for a shinai, which has a fixed shock absorption characteristic for an application to the structure of robot arms. Therefore, if the shock absorption characteristic of CFRP shinai is the same as that of bamboo shinai, CFRP shinai is more suitable for the structure of robot arms.


The invention discloses a detection device and a detection method thereof of a bearing vibration measuring instrument, and the detection device comprises a sensor device, a discharge device, a core shaft and two drivers which are a first driver and a second driver, wherein, three sensors are respectively arranged on each driver for realizing simultaneous measurement of three points of a bearing to be detected. The detection method comprises the steps of automatically pushing the bearing to be detected onto the core shaft, automatically pushing a pneumatic cylinder of the sensor to lead the sensor to be contacted with the bearing to be detected, simultaneously carrying out three-point detection on one surface of the bearing through three sensors on the first driver, and simultaneously carrying out the three-point detection on the other surface of the bearing by three sensors on the second driver after the measurement of the first surface. The detection device and the detection method realize the function of simultaneously automatically detecting six points on the front surface and the back surface of the bearing to be detected, thereby effectively shortening detection time; and thedetection device and the detection method further realize that the conversion measurement of speed dimension and acceleration dimension can be easily realized on one instrument only by replacing the sensors and changing the rotational speed of a main shaft by variable frequency speed regulation.


Quantum mechanical electron wave transfer between two quantum wires which are weakly coupled via a thin potential barrier is considered. The transfer efficiency is calculated analytically and numerically for several specified cases of geometrical structures, potential barrier heights and an externally applied electric field. Estimated transfer time is of the order of one picosecond in typical mesoscopic structures. The model in this paper can be used to determine important structure parameters for experiments on an electron directional coupler controlled by an external electric field.


As a new method of extraction,microwave was used to extract pigment from flowers of Cercis chinensis Bunge.The extraction processes were investigated to obtain the optimal conditions as follows:dry flower 0.200 0 g,(solvent) 95% alcohol,ratio of raw material to solvent 1∶50(g∶mL),microwave power 648 W,extraction time 30 s,twice of extraction.Results are:extraction rate 92.1%,yield 9.48% and absorbance E(1%,549 nm) 53.3.Compared with normal solvent extraction,microwave extraction time could be reduced from 24 h to 30 s,and the extraction yield (increase) from 90.2% to 92.1%.


Ten patients diagnosed as suffering from depressive illness were treated with 2 consecutive nights of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation was effective in both types of depression viz. endogenous and reactive. The improvement was greater and seemed to last longer in endogenous depression as compared to reactive depression at the time of evaluation, 7 days after completion of sleep deprivation. Depressed mood, suicidal tendencies and retardation seemed to show the greatest improvement while insight and gastro-intestinal and somatic symptoms, improved the least.


The utility model discloses a mechanical device, in particular an anti-backflow and anti-volatilization acid adding device. The device comprises an acid storage tank, an acid adding pump, a pipeline, a valve and a reaction tank, wherein the acid storage tank is connected with the acid adding pump through a pump front valve; the acid adding pump is connected with the reaction tank through the acid adding valve and an acid adding pipe; the orifice of the acid adding pipe is lower than the liquid level of the reaction tank and is inserted into liquid; an emptying pipe is connected in parallel with the acid adding pipe; an emptying valve is arranged in the middle of the acid adding pipe and the emptying pipe; and the orifice of the emptying pipe is higher than the liquid level of the reaction tank. The device has the advantages of bringing guarantee to the safety of operating personnel and reducing corrosion speed of surrounding equipment of the reaction tank, along with a simple structure, easiness in operation and popularization and the like, and has wide application.


The AMANDA-II data collected during the period 2000–2003 have been analysed in a search for a diffuse flux of high-energy extra-terrestrial muon neutrinos from the sum of all sources in the Universe. With no excess events seen, an upper limit of Eν × dNν/dEν< 7.4×10−8 GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1was obtained. The sensitivity of the diffuse analysis of IceCube 9 string for 137 days of data is calculated to be Eν × dNν/dEν< 1.3× 10−7 GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1. No excess events are observed, which confirms the AMANDA-II upper limit.


It proposes to weaken or destroy essential federal regulations designed to maintain the quality of care and pare q ticularly to safeguard patients from unnecessary surgery and unnecessary hospital costs. All hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds are required to be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or the American Osteopathic Association, or to comply with specific federal regulations. Approximately 1500 unaccredited hospitals would be affected by the Administration's action. Although the proposed regulations contain many changes likely to endanger patients, the ones having to do with the quality of medical care are the most insidious because they appear to be generally strong while being specifically weak. A new "condition" that the affected hospitals would have to meet to receive federal funds is called "quality assurance." Hospitals would only have to "establish a hospital-wide quality-assurance program aimed at identifying and correcting patient-care problems." Toward this end, they would have to "evaluate all organized services ... [hospital-caused] infections, medication therapy and surgery" and "document deficiencies and take appropriate remedial action." While the Administration proposes these vague, apple-pie generalizations under the banner of "greater flexibility," many specific regulations are being excised-for example, those intended to curb unnecessary surgery. It is well-documented that Americans living in one part of the country are more likely to undergo surgery than others elsewhere. The excess of surgery often arises not from differences in patients' needs but rather the


Depression is a fundamental disorder characterized by mood swings of feelings or affects towards depression with or without accompanying anxiety? Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a chronic inflammatory condition in children. JIA is defined as the presence of objective signs of arthritis in at least one joint that lasts more than six weeks in children less than 16 years of age, and other types of arthritis in children have been removed. Children with JIA may also often experience depressive episodes and other psychosocial disorders during the disease. Affective disorders in childhood can predict the recurrence of depressive episodes. In the case report, a 7-year-old was consulted because he looked sad. The sadness has been felt for two months and has worsened since two weeks ago, originally due to JIA Patients can usually carry out daily activities as usual. Nowadays, the patient has no desire and gets tired quickly, especially when doing ordinary activities; difficulty feeling joy, feeling guilty, worrying that the pain will not heal, despairing of not wanting to go to school, and being unable to follow lessons because of weakness, unable to walk, unable to write because of pain and swelling in his hands.


Abstract The World Health Organisation has declared a pandemic caused by the newly discovered SARS-CoV-2. Due to growing demand for reagents used for SARS-CoV-2 RNA extraction for subsequent molecular diagnostics, there is a worldwide risk of kit- and/or reagent-shortages for extraction. With a detection sensitivity of 97.4% (95% CI=86.2-99.9%), we describe a simple, fast, alternative workflow for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2, where samples are simply heat-processed for 5 minutes at 98°C prior to the RT-qPCR reaction.


We report the results of fifteen sets of portfolio selection simulations using stocks in the ASX200 index for the period May 2000 to December 2013. We investigated five portfolio selection methods, random selection, selection within industrial groups, and three based on neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks. We report that using random, industrial groups, or neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks alone rarely produced statistically significant reduction in risk, though in four out of the five cases in which it did so, the portfolios selected using the phylogenetic networks had the lowest risk. However, we report that when using the neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks in combination with industry group selection that substantial reductions in portfolio return spread were achieved.


Study selection and assessment: randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared >2 types of gloving systems worn by members of the surgical team in any surgical specialty. 31 RCTs met the selection criteria. Assessment of methodological quality was based on randomisation, allocation concealment, inclusion and exclusion criteria, baseline comparability of groups, blinded assessment, and power calculation.


Objective To investigate the effect of the blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs(BASR)on angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE)-related carboxypeptidase in rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN)and to explore its mechanism of kidney protecting.Methods The DN model rats established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin were randomly divided as the control,model,beinazepril and BASR groups.Levels of urine protein(Upro),glycosylated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(Scr),triglyceride(TC),total cholesterol(TG)were determined.The ultrastructural changes of kidney were observed by microscope;the expressions of ACE-related carboxypeptidase in renal tissue were detected with immunohistological chemistry and image collecting analytical system.Results The BASR could decrease the levels of Upro,BUN,Scr,TC,TG,ameliorate the thickness of glomerular basement membrane(GBM),promote the expression of ACE2.Conclusion The BASR plays a role of kidney protection by promoting the expression of ACE2.


The People's Republic of China's Assertion of Jurisdiction over Airspace by Means of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone The People's Republic of China's Assertion of Jurisdiction over Airspace by Means of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone On November 23, 2013, the People's Republic of China (China) announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea. China's move incited strong criticisms from its neighbors, adding to regional tension. In addition, many scholars and commentators have been quick to choose sides as to whether China violated international law by establishing the ADIZ. Unfortunately, vague assertions one-way or the other have not been supported by careful legal analysis. A review of the most relevant sources of international law, treaties and State practice, demonstrate that China's establishment of the ADIZ is lawful. Even so, China's ADIZ has created tensions among various States that can be addressed in various ways so as to avoid serious aviation


By the time you read this you might have experienced the hottest August since records began followed by the hottest September? The world is getting warmer, and that rise in temperature brings with it increasing risks to health. The question is why do we remain indifferent to what David King, a former chief scientific officer and now the Foreign Secretary's special adviser on climate change, describes as the biggest challenge mankind has ever faced?


This study investigated the overall migration from Poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) polymer films into food simulants, after gamma irradiation ( 60 Co) or electron beam radiation. PVC polymer films containing di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and epoxidized soybean oil were stored under controlled temperature (24 ± 1 o C) and moisture (50 ± 5 %) for 2 days. These films were supported on a stainless-steel plates and specimens were subjected to ionizing radiation treatment with gamma radiation from a 60 Co source (dose rate = 20 Gy/min) or electron beam radiation (dose rate = 120 Gy/min) at absorbed doses equal to 0, 10, 25 and 50 kGy. Overall packing migrants were evaluated on different food simulants (distilled water, 3 % w/v acetic acid and 10 % v/v ethanol) as a function of time (24, 48 and 72 hours). Results of overall migration levels showed that the treatment with radiation doses above 10 kGy promoted a significant increase of the overall packing migrants levels into all aqueous food simulants (p < 0.05).  Overall migration levels were also enhanced with increasing exposure time to food simulants.


Image representation always becomes an important and interesting topic in image processing and pattern recognition. Since introduced by Freeman in 1961, that is known as Freeman Chain Code (FCC) the evolution and improvement of chain code representation scheme has been widely used as a topic of research. In 1999, Bribiesca introduced a new two-dimensional chain code scheme that is called Vertex Chain Code (VCC). An element of this chain indicates the number of cell vertices, which are in touch with the bounding contour of the shape in that element position. The VCC is composed of three regular cells, namely rectangular, triangular, and hexagonal. This paper covers two of three cells; rectangular and triangular one. This research purpose the cell-representing and transcribing algorithm, which visualizes the thinned binary image into the VCCcells and then transcribes them into vertex chain code. Thinned Binary image is used as the input of the algorithm. These images will test and validate the algorithm, so that the framework that represents the thinned binary image into rectangular and triangular cells, and transcribe it into vertex chain code is valid to be used.


We developed a diffusive material based on polymers and liquid crystals with an electrically controlled scattering cross section able to reproduce the full range of sun and sky colors.


Group counseling by stages theme group activities and technical consultation,execution is one of the important ways the psychological consultation.Based on 48 have interpersonal difficulties of college students for 4 weeks of interpersonal group counseling activities were observed,the latter in effective analysis of promoting college students' interpersonal skills and ability to eliminate or ease for communication and difficulties of conflicts or psychological barrier has positive effect etc.


"The Greek word for the first measure of all subsequent measures, for the first land-appropriation understood as the first partition and classification of space, for the primeval division and distribution, is nomos."
C. Schmitt, The Nomos of the Earth (1950: 67)


volume does not include entries on the London locations with which Shakespeare himself was associated, although this is beyond the usual remit of the Dictionary series. Likewise, the quality of the two illustrations could be better. Currently, they do not really add anything to the volume as they cannot easily be used to identify the locations referenced in the Dictionary. Overall, though, Shakespeare and London is a well-written, user-friendly companion to London's place in the plays and poems of Shakespeare as well as a good starting point for further research. It persuasively demonstrates that London is present in Shakespeare's work in overt and indirect ways and offers a helpful overview of these references and, through them, an enriched reading of the plays. It will be a valuable purchase for university and research libraries keen to enhance their archive of key Shakespeare resources.


We study the quantum relaxation of the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model after a sudden quench with time-dependent variational Monte Carlo and focus on the question whether this non-integrable, two-dimensional system thermalizes or not. The time-averaged probability distribution of non-conserved quantities like magnetization and correlation functions is computed and compared with the thermal (canonical) distributions obtained with quantum Monte Carlo simulations at temperatures defined by the excess energy after the quench. We find a good agreement of time-averaged and thermal distributions for small quenches far away from the critical point and a continuously increasing discrepancy between the two distributions for increasing quench strengths closer to the critical point. The shape of the time-averaged distributions indicates that the system does not completely lose its memory of the initial state even for strong quenches during the quantum relaxation process.


Key Points Question Is the COVID-19 pandemic associated with the stage at which gastrointestinal cancer is diagnosed in Japan? Findings In this cohort study of 5167 patients, significant decreases were observed for the diagnosis of stage I gastric cancer and stage 0 to II colorectal cancer, whereas a significant increase was observed for the diagnosis of stage III colorectal cancer. Meaning These findings suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been fewer cases of screening-detected gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancer may have been diagnosed at more advanced stages.


LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A REDUCED FIXED-DOSE COMBINATION OF BENAZEPRIL AND AMLODIPINE ON BLOOD PRESSURE, METABOLIC CONTROL, RENAL FUNCTION, AND THE HEART IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND HYPERTENSION Manuel T Velasquez, Sam J Bhathena, Ali A Ali, Carl T Hansen. Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC; Phytonutrients Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA, Beltsville, MD; Animal Genetic Resource, NIH, Bethesda, MD.


The sustainability of cocoa farmers' livelihoods is a critical concern within the academic discourse surrounding the Cocoa-chocolate value chain, aligning with SDG goal 1 of eradicating poverty. Addressing the challenges cocoa farmers face and developing sustainable solutions is paramount, as their low-income status may lead to a shift to alternative cash crops, surrendering lands for illegal mining activities (affecting the environment negatively), and a decline in the cocoa bean supply. Existing literature has explored the limited value capture of cocoa farmers. However, it needs to fully elucidate the complex interplay between local and international interests that undermine efforts to improve farmers' livelihoods. This study uses the Sustainable Livelihood Framework and the Global Production Network to assess these dynamics. The analysis uncovers significant obstacles smallholder farmers face in achieving sustainable incomes, including power imbalances and embeddedness within firm networks. Some policy recommendations, including the de-commodification of Cocoa beans, are proposed.


In modern machining process, optimization technique is used to find the optimal values of input parameters and the effect of those parameters on response variables. If response parameters are more than one, Taguchi method of optimization may give different set of optimal levels for each response. In the present study, Taguchi-grey relational approach based multi response optimization has been used to maximize material removal rate and to minimize surface roughness in electrical discharge machining. Electrical process parameters such as gap voltage, peak current and duty factor have been used as input parameters. It has been found that peak current has most influent nature in electrical discharge machining process. Optimal combination of input parameter to acquire better responses has been found with multi response optimization using Taguchi-grey relational analysis.


Under nature growth condition,taken 36 varieties of Artemisiae annie from Three Gorges Reservoir Area as materials,the factors affecting artemisinine content of Artemisiae annie varieties were studied with grey relation analysis.The results showed that alkaline hydrolysis N and P were the most obvious main factors to affect artemisinine content in Three Gorges Reservoir Area.It was suggested that the artemisinine content of Artemisiae annie varieties was affected by soil nutrients.


The digital age has already made significant changes to each of the elements of the promotion mix. Companies increasingly see the Internet as an important medium through which advertising messages can be directed towards consumers. In the 21st century, consumers have more control over advertising exposure with web advertising because they can select how much commercial content they wish to view. However, very little is known of consumer perception about Web advertising, attitudes toward Web advertising or Web advertising associated with consumer behavior. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitude and perception towards online advertisement among students and young professionals. The study gives insights into their attitudes and perceptions towards online promotions.


There are many reproductive health (RH) needs to be met in South Asia. However, while the countries who participated in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) broadened their approach to RH and agreed upon the need to take care of RH, they have failed to provide the funds which they have pledged for RH. The broad perspective of the ICPD program of action, covering health and other components such as information, unsafe abortion, sexual health, and the abuse of women, makes it difficult for family planning associations (FPAs) to secure the funds they need to continue operating. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are successfully achieving many things that governments could not. As such, governments should give NGOs enough time to become self-sustaining before cutting or withdrawing much needed funding. FPAs are currently trying to generate income through the sale of services and technical expertise. They are also tapping local businesses, philanthropists, and other local NGOs for support. Japan should be praised for maintaining its level of funding support.


The notion of the normal transfer matrix and the notion of the structure decomposition of normal transfer matrix for 2D general model are introduced. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the structure decomposition of normal transfer matrix are established. A procedure for computation of the structure decomposition is proposed and illustrated by the numerical example. It is shown that the impulse response matrix of the normal model is independent of the polynomial part of its structure decomposition.


In recent years, the U.S. courts, led by the Supreme Court have held that employees signing agreements to arbitrate employment disputes are precluded from litigating their EEO claims in the courts. This paper analyzes the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams and EEOC v. Waffle House in light of the previous decisions in Alexander v. Gardner-Denver and Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp. There appears to be a conflict between the policy underlying the Gilmer and Circuit City decisions and the policy rationale for the Alexander and Waffle House decisions. The paper analyzes that apparent conflict, and proposes a model for EEOC administration of arbitration of EEO disputes as a means of resolving the apparent policy conflict.


The digital photograph technology,which is applied to construction geology,is a revolution of traditional manual sketch.It can take notes really the present condition of fundamental excavation on project area (especially subterranean engineering).So, we can analyze objectly and quantitatively the structure factor of project area.


The theme for development in this paper is th~ t there are two philosophical approaches to teaching and practicing medicine. each of which emphasizes apparently opposing. yet ultimately complementary priorities . As J onsen descri bes it, the field of medicine is dominated by the paradox of the two most basic principles of morality self-interest and altruism. I As Carol Gilligan explains, the former is more promoted in a male ethic, and the latter in the female ethical system'" The exposition here will be reflective and somewhat personal in that I will begin with a brief summary of the conflicts I perceived and struggled with during my residency. Then I will give a synopsis of Gilligan's thesis regarding male and female moral development and integrate this with the experience of residency and with philosophy of medicine in general. Through this, I hope to s how that there is room, and in fact a need, for both approaches integrated in medicine. Then I will conclude with examples of ways in which female ethics in particular, and Christian ethics in general, can be applied fruitfully in medicine.


Based on PLC(Programming Logical Controller),industrial control computer and touchscreen,a set of supervisory computer control system for tube-testing machine with water hydraulic-loading is designed. It is shown that the supervisory computer control system can run accurately and reliably,the automatic level and control precision are high when the system is debugged and used on line. The designed supervisory computer control system can satisfy the requirements for overall systems.


More sharply now than ever before, the world is divided into its more and its less developed parts—into relatively stable and fundamentally unstable communities—and the prospect before it is one of unavoidable but limited disturbance in and between its less developed societies, for as long as makes no matter, and of inescapable choice for its more advanced states between uncontrollable violence and abstention from war.


Our knowledge of the group Aphididæ in California has been limited in the past to certain forms that were of economic importance in their relations to cultivated crops. No systematic list of these interesting insects has heretofore been attempted in this region, and this has not been due to any lack of material, for the varying conditions of climate here seem to be particularly favorable to them.


A series of specific derivatives of the complex protopanaxadiol glycoside ginsenoside Rb1 (1) were prepared by catalysis of two unrelated enzymes: the β-1,4-galactosyltransferase from bovine colostrum (GalT) and the lipase B from Candida antarctica (Novozym ®435). Both of the enzymes showed the expected regioselectivity towards specific glucose OH groups (i.e., OHC(4) for GalT and preferentially the primary OHC(6) for Novozym ®435), accompanied by a nonpredictable 'site selectivity' for the gentiobiose disaccharide unit linked at C(20) of the dammarane skeleton. The galactosylated products 1a–e and the acetylated products 1f–h were isolated by HPLC and fully characterized by extensive MS and NMR analysis.


Based on the author's experiences in real estate development project management,the author brings up that communication management is the the most important part in the range of owner-site project management.The characteristic of the object,which should be communicated frequently was analyzed,the measures to ensure the effectiveness of communication were discussed,and the opinion that only that by the guarantee of interest mechanism and reasonable contract,can good communication continue,was disserted.


The special characteristics of ocean ecosystems, such as the high salinity and pressure, low temperature, and nutrition, makes marine microorganisms diverse in species, gene composition, and ecological functions. Recent advances in molecular biology techniques, together with the ongoing developments in bioinformatic and automatic technologies, have highlighted the scientific studies on marine microbial ecology, eliminating the total reliance on classical cultivation-based techniques. This review systematically summarizes the innovative aspects of a field investigation of marine microorganisms. It covers various cutting-edge sampling approaches employed in the field, highlighting the in situ high-fidelity sampling strategies with practical applications. Particular emphasis is placed on the molecular analysis for marine ecology based on recently developed omics technologies. The key technical issues and substantial contribution of the contemporary instrumental analysis are discussed accordingly. It provides references for the in situ surveys of complex biogeochemical processes from marine microorganisms to ecosystems, relying on the development of new technical concepts and scientific methodologies in field investigations.


Hydrogen bromide (HBr) oxidation is an important part of the bromination–oxidation cycle for CO2-free energy production, being the most exothermic reaction step. Although high temperatures favor reaction kinetics, equilibrium conversion decreases and thus thermal HBr oxidation is limited. A catalyst may be used to overcome thermodynamic limitations while ensuring high reaction rates, with the main drawback an increase in the costs. An experimental study has been conducted that shows that high conversions can be achieved within residence times of lower than 10 s at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1000 °C. A RuO2/Al2O3 catalyst has been synthesized and used for HBr oxidation, showing that conversions superior to 90% are achievable at temperatures as low as 200 °C with residence times inferior to 1 s.


The anodic porous alumina templates are used for fabrication of nanomaterials such as nanowires, nanorods and nanotubes. In the present work the aluminum oxide thin films were fabricated by anodization of Al layer obtained by dc magnetron sputtering. The anodic alumina layer was formed in a two-step procedure under a constant cell voltage of 20 or 30V in a 2 or 4 wt % H2SO4 at temperature of 25°C. It is found that the reflectance of the film decreases and the transmittance increases with the increasing of the time of anodization. The optical constants and thickness of the aluminum oxide thin films after anodization were determined from normal incidence reflectance data.


Upon the analysis of the inadequency in current control of traditional field orientation control for permanent magnet synchronous AC motors, this paper put forward and designed a fuzzy control algorithm for hysteresis-band width of stator AC current and weighted fuzzy single neuron PID control algorithm for stator DC current to avoid the inadequency. The dynamatic stator AC current error can be adjusted by AC current controller, while the stator AC current error can be eliminated by DC current controller. It is verified by both simulation and experiment that the designed intelligent control algorithm possesses the characteristics of less calculation amount and control property.


The catalytic properties of dialkyltin aromatic carboxylates containing silicon were investigated during the synthesis of isoamyl acetate and butyraldehyde glycol acetal.The influence of factors including the catalyst dosage,reaction time,and solvent type etc.on the esterification and acetalization reactions was discussed.The results showed that all the four disilylalkyltin aromatic carboxylates demonstrated good catalytic activities,among which bis(4-nitrobenzoato)bis(trimethylsilylmethyl)tin(Ⅳ) was the best one.The yield of esterification product reached 96.3% and that of acetalization product reached 90.6%,respectively,upon using these disilylalkyltin compounds as catalysts during the esterification and acetalization reactions.


A systematic study has been conducted to produce a commercially feasible practice for the homogenisation of a 2xxx series (Al-Cu) aluminium alloy. Hardness was shown to be a very satisfactory index of workability, with a maximum value of 65HV10 specified to enable the production of defect free components by a cold extrusion type process. Subsequent heat treatment of the formed parts to the T6 condition allowed the development of a high strength alloy. The study has considered the following factors which may influence workability: homogenisation temperature, homogenisation time, cooling rate to ambient and natural ageing during storage. The main inter-metallic was identified as θ-phase (CuAl2). The volume fraction remaining out of solid solution was measured for extrusion by optical image analysis, and confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).


ii Declaration iii Acknowledgements iv List of Abbreviations vi List of Appendices vii List of Diagrams, Figures and Tables viii List of Pictures ix


In this paper,through controlling the degree of difficulty and stressing practice,and through ingenious design of some problems and meticulous guidance,and by entensive association and practice,the author has made some suggestions with living examples in learning through practice of the College Mathematics Course for students of Liberal Arts.


Results: The median follow-up time was 82 months (range: 9–100 months). SRS was performed in the median 1 fraction (range: 1–3); according to the lesion size, the prescription dose ranged from 12 to 21 Gy (median: 15 Gy). During the post-SRS follow-up period, 6 out of the 10 patients with a headache had a complete response, 3 patients had a partial response, and 1 patient had no response. Further, 3 out of the 4 patients with a seizure had a partial response and 1 patient had a stable response in seizure frequency. Furthermore, 1 out of the 2 patients with a vision problem had a complete response and 1 had no change. Also, 1 out of the 3 patients with hemiparesthesia had a complete response and 2 had no change. Radiological evaluations in the post-SRS follow-up period revealed a complete response in 4 patients, partial response in 3 patients, stable disease in 9 patients, and progression in 3 patients. Rebleeding was detected in 1 (5.3%) out of 3 progressive patients at the 17th month, and radiation-induced radionecrosis was detected in the other 2 patients at the 9th and 11th months. There were no procedure-related complications resulting in mortality.


Several methods of concealing an image in a different hardcopy image are presented. The hidden image is secured since only a spatial digital, or optical, correlator equipped with an undecipherable key function can reveal the concealed image from the visible picture. The techniques and their robustness to noise and distortions are demonstrated.


The fatigue properties of corrugated board structure were discussed by fatigue vibration tests.Under a certain frequency and different loads conditions,the endurance life of the corrugated board structure was obtained.Finally,corresponding S-N curve and mathematical model for fatigue damage of corrugated board structure were presented.


Thank you for downloading correction of a correctional psychologist in treatment of the criminal offender. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look hundreds times for their favorite novels like this correction of a correctional psychologist in treatment of the criminal offender, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some infectious bugs inside their desktop computer.


This paper argues that high political competition does not necessarily induce policy makers to perform better as previous research has shown. We develop a political economy model and we show that when political competition is tight, and elected politicians can rely on more tax instruments, they will substitute salient taxes with less salient ones, which are not necessarily preferable. These predictions are largely confirmed using a dataset on Italian municipal elections and taxes.


This is the first of two articles that will outline the role of public health and the importance of partnership working, and describe some of the opportunities available to acute care nurses for promoting health improvement. Public health is defined, along with the three domains and competencies of public health. Participation in a ′Healthier Hospital′ scheme is proposed as a way for acute care nurses to promote public health within their work settings.


Tailor-made additives are generally designed by optimizing the chemical compatibility between an adsorbing additive and a flat crystalline surface. Crystal growth, however, mainly takes place at step edges where growth units incorporate into the advancing step. In this paper, a new method is introduced that quantifies the importance of all possible growth site configurations from Monte Carlo crystal growth simulations, taking the crystalline surface, steps, and other configurations into account. This allows the identification of growth site configurations that are good candidates for a blocking strategy using tailor-made additives. Application to an anisotropic Kossel model shows that the importance of growth sites at step edges is equal to or higher than the importance of growth sites at a flat crystalline surface. As a "real-world" example, aspartame phase II-A, which has a needle-like morphology, is studied. When comparing the needle side faces with faces on top of the needle, it turns out that there a...


The stability of an abelian (Nielsen-Olesen) vortex embedded in the electroweak theory against W production is investigated in a gauge defined by the condition of a single-component Higgs field. The model is characterized by the parameters β = () 2 and γ = cos 2 θ w where θ w is the weak mixing angle. It is shown that the equations for W's in the background of the Nielsen-Olesen vortex have no solutions in the linear approximation. A necessary condition for the nonlinear equations to have a solution in the region of parameter space where the abelian vortex is classically unstable is that the W's be produced in a state of angular momentum m such that 0 > m > −2n. The integer n is defined by the phase of the Higgs field, exp(inϕ). It is shown that, in the region of parameter space (β, γ) where the nonlinear equations have a solution with energy lower than that of the abelian vortex, this vortex is a saddle point of the energy in the space of classical field configurations. Solutions for a set of values of the parameters β and γ in this region were obtained numerically for the case −m = n = 1. The possibility of existence of a stationary state for n = 1 with W's in the state m = −1 was investigated. The boundary conditions for the Euler-Lagrange equations required to make the energy finite cannot be satisfied at r = 0. For these values of n and m the possibility of a finite-energy stationary state defined in terms of distributions is discussed.


Racing to the Beginning of the Road: The Search for the Origin of Cancer Weinberg RA. 274 pages. New York: WH Freeman; 1998. $14.95. ISBN 0716732831. Order phone 800-877-5351. Field of medicine: Oncology, molecular biology, and cancer biology. Format: Softcover book. Audience: Students at all levels of medical education and general readers who are interested in cancer research. Purpose: To tell the story of how the current concept of the molecular genesis of cancer came about. Content: The book begins by outlining the state of cancer research in 1953, when Watson and Crick published their watershed work on the structure of DNA. It then describes the subsequent period in which cancers were ascribed to infecting viruses. Thereafter, the role of classic carcinogenesis and the discovery of proto-oncogenes, suppressor genes, and the malfunction of normal cellular repair functions are covered in detail. The landmark publications of renowned cancer investigators, such as Temin, Baltimore, and Varmus, are incorporated, with added personal reflections by the author. The book brings the reader up to the mid-1990s, when the current unifying hypothesis of multiple genetic hits carcinogenesis became popular. Highlights: The depth and breadth of the author's knowledge combined with his folksy style of writing give the reader eye-opening insight into the process of biological research. It details the complexity and frustration of research, the important role that serendipity often plays, the high stakes of competition that sometimes lead to outright cheating, and the dedication and hard work required to succeed. Limitations: The book does not provide detailed references, and a brief cataloging of the many classic works to which the author refers would have been helpful. Related reading: This book is one of a kind. Standard oncology textbooks and in-depth reviews cover most of the areas of investigation discussed in this book, but no one work covers this important era of cancer research with such clarity. Reviewer: William R. Jewell, MD, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.


This paper reviews the current body of literature on participatory design (PD) for game design, including participatory design elements, participatory design in education, and the current challenges that game designers and developers encountered. This paper also contains the findings of a survey among game designers in Brazil (N=29) concerning their use of participatory design techniques during the design process in their studios. The survey results show that playtesting is the most common technique that they utilise in order to improve player experience. Several of the respondents admitted that they have considered player participation during other stages of game development. This paper is concluded with a critical overview of the role of participatory design in game design and potential uses for games for learning. The literature and survey-based findings in this paper may be of benefit to game design scholars and designers who are intent on critically analysing the use of participatory design in the game design process.


CASE No. 3 D:ag11osis: Strawberry Haemangioma. May not appear until the first third week of life, and then grows for up to nine months. Remains stationary then for a variable period and slowly fades to leave either no mark or an area of loose skin by seven eight years. Differe11tial D:agnosis: Capillary Haemangioma or port-wine stain, present at birth, not raised, does not fade. Cavernous Haemangioma, deeper, bluer, less well-defined, may not resolve. Treatment: None unless lesions interfere with feeding, vision or excretion; occasionally if causing severe psychological disturbance. Pressure will control haemorrhage. Radiotherapy, injection of sclerosants, C.O. 2. Snow now seldom used. Excision and graft.


Occupational therapy practitioners1 view human performance as a transactive relationship among the client (people, groups, or populations), the client's occupations (daily life activities), and environments and contexts. Environments are the external physical and social aspects that surround clients while they engage in an occupation. Contexts are the cultural, personal, temporal, and virtual aspects of this engagement; some contexts are external to the client (e.g., virtual), some are internal to the client (e.g., personal), and some may have both external features and internalized beliefs and values (e.g., cultural; American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2014b).


Objective To study the effect of denervation of adrenal sympathetic nerve in the treatment of rat adrenal medulla hyperplasia induced by reserpine.Methods Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 goups:group A,unilateral adrenal denervation(the left);group B,pseudo-opera- tion;group C,experimental model of adrenal medulla hyperplasia;and group D,normal control.The rats in group C were subcutaneously injected with reserpine(0.4 mg/kg every day)and 0.9% sodium chloride (0.4 mg/kg every day).One week after surgery,the rats in groups A and B were injected with reserpine just as group C for 6 weeks.The rats in group D were subcutaneously injected with 0.9% sodium chloride (0.4 mg/kg-every day).Catecholamine(CA)level in plasma and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyvanillymandeic acid(VMA)content in the urine were measured at first week after injection in group C and pathologic studies of adrenal were also done.The rest rats in group C were subjected to bilateral denervation and kill- ed one month after operation.The biochemical index and pathological changes were measured.Results At different time points,the values of VMA and CA in groups A and B were higher than those in group D.The percent of adrenal medullas in the left adrenals of group A was lower than the right(P0.05).The val- ues of VMA and CA in group C postoperation were lower than those preoperation.Conclusion Denerva- tion of adrenal sympathetic nerve can restrain the proliferation of adrenal medulla induced by reserpin,and at the same time it can decrease the hormone level of adrenal medulla hyperplasia.


The thrust system is a key part of the shield machine and the grouping-oriented control of thrust system is the core method to advance the shield machine.An equivalent redundant parallel mechanism-based modeling method is presented to describe the thrust system where the direct contact between the shoe of the hydraulic cylinder of the thrust system and the tunnel segment is regarded as a spherical joint and therefore each cylinder with its two ends are regarded as one spherical-prismatic-spherical(SPS) chain.Hence,an equivalent parallel mechanism is built to substitute the original thrust system with SPS chains equal to the number of the original hydraulic cylinders.Based on that,one group with connected hydraulic cylinders is regarded as one equivalent cylinder whose joint parameters are calculated according to theoretic mechanics.Then an equivalent mechanism is constructed to model the grouped thrust system.The kinematic performance model is derived for the equivalent mechanism of the grouped thrust system based on the parallel mechanism method.An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented modeling method,which provides a useful tool for the design,evaluation and control of the grouped thrust system of the shield machines.


This chapter examines EU consumer law. It discusses the negative impact of EU law on national consumer protection rules; rules on information duties (including the duty to not mislead) and the right of withdrawal; rules establishing consumer expectations; rules on product safety and product liability; and rules on unfair terms and sale of goods. The chapter also covers EU legislation providing general substantive rights; enforcement of consumer protection rules; and consumers' right of private redress.


In the late 1960's, before matters of medicine and ethics bec:ame public and popular, I listened to an English doctor who stated unequivocally before an international conference that theologians are no longer (were they once!) of any help to physicians and surgeons, and that in consequenc~: doctors them selves must formulate "their own ethical code" which will both satisfy the majority of doctors and (he added confidently) the well-being of patients and the best interests of society as well. In the intervening years, i.n hospitals and medical schools both here and abroad, I have many times encountered a similar sentiment, located most often in an autobiographical account of how, as an undergraduate medical student or young house officer, one had sought help from a chaplain or pastor or academic theologian, only to learn that "he had nothing useful to tell me." I cannot say certainly that this mood among physicians is predominant or prevailing, but it is surely not infrequent or unknown; and my own expe rience with physicians confirms that the damaging ineptitude of religious professionals has made many doctors reluctant or indifferent or opposed to seeking out the advice and assistance of theologians. In the process, they have also developed efficient, if not elaborate, ways to separate their professional practice from religious consciousness. 2 Why medical professionals might be disposed to seek the help of theolo gians in ethically significant situations should not be at all mystifying if we remember that Western culture is de facto Judeo-Christian; which means only that the institutions and professions of Western culture participate in a common heritage which makes them culturally de facto Judeo-Christians. I do not mean, of course, that all of us affirm the same doctrines or assent to the same creeds; but our ethical quandaries do occur in a particular kind of culture, which operates with certain discrete views of man and the world, and which can be properly called Judeo-Christian. When those conflicts and quandaries are severed from the 'point-of-view' which alone makes them intel ligible, however, it is little wonder that theologians are no longer of any help to physicians and surgeons. Indeed, in seeking our commonality elsewhere than our shared cultural heritage, none of us can be of much help to the other. Paul Ramsey has put the matter in a splendid epigram: we cannot agree upon 153


This paper deals with the study on (m,ρ) ‐quasi Einstein manifolds. First, we give some characterizations of an (m,ρ) ‐quasi Einstein manifold admitting closed conformal or parallel vector field. Then, we obtain some rigidity conditions for this class of manifolds. We prove that an (m,ρ) ‐quasi Einstein manifold with a closed conformal vector field has a warped product structure of the form I×eq/2M∗ , where I is a real interval, (M∗,g∗) is an (n−1) ‐dimensional Riemannian manifold and q is a smooth function on I. Finally, a non‐trivial example of an (m,ρ) ‐quasi Einstein manifold verifying our results in terms of the potential function is presented.


Starting from the definition of 'information' as a physical surrogate of knowledge (i.e. a spoken or written record), its relation to the originator, and its transformations on com munication to a recipient, and the recipient's mental state and possibly physical (social) reactions to it, are discussed. The transformations of 'information' in information retrieval systems are also considered. It is argued that this is the essen tial basis for developing a true information science.


The Frequency Agile Laser (FAL) Sensor is an active standoff chemical detector, developed at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), for the purpose of remotely sensing chemical warfare agents. The Wide Range Digitizer (WRD) is a small component of the FAL System that provides the necessary data acquisition and processing capability that, in the past, has been one of the major limitations. The WRD receives the analog signals from the LIDAR and, through the use of a unique configuration of A/D converters, can amplify and digitize the signal to a high degree of resolution, without distortion or clipping, regardless of the voltage range. In addition, the WRD uses a custom Digital Signal Processor (DSP) configuration to offload some of the processing capabilities by converting the digitized data into a 32-bit Floating-Point format of the actual voltage value, run a Low-Pass digital filter over the data, and acquire key characteristics of the data needed for the identification phase. The data is then sent to the central control unit via a High-Speed USB 2.0 serial link. Preliminary results indicate that the WRD system exceeds initial expectations by recreating nearly identical signals to that produced by the laser for a wide range of voltage levels. Moreover, only a fraction of the total processing power of the DSP is used for the acquisition and data processing, which implies that the DSP is capable of handling additional off-chip processing duties. This paper discusses the entire implementation of the WRD system and presents the preliminary testing and results of the system.


Lakes are extremely invaluable ecosystems due to their significance as a crucial component of the water circle and a source of fresh water. The last few decades there is an increasing interest of the scientific community for the functions and mechanisms associated with the lake ecosystems. Moreover, the Water Framework Directive requires the implementation of sustainable fresh water management, including the lake ecosystems, in order to achieve a minimum good ecological quality by 2015. Consequently, there is a lot of research focused on important biotic groups used as biological indicators by the WFD. However, it is well known that the biotic interactions between the various groups of aquatic organisms can often provide key background information regarding the ecological quality of the ecosystem.
The main objective of the present thesis is the evaluation of the ecological status of seven lakes in West and NW Greece based on physicochemical characteristics, aquatic macrophyte composition and the major zooplankton taxonomic groups composition. The results of the current thesis are presented in four basic parts. The first part is focused on the seasonal and spatial variations among the seven studied lakes regarding the nutrient concentrations and the abiotic parameters. The second part describes the composition of aquatic macrophytes and the composition of Cladocera and Rotifera in the studied lakes. In the third part the ecological status of the studied lakes was assessed using Trophic State Indices and indices based on aquatic macrophytes and zooplankton. Finally, the fourth part investigates the effects of the aquatic vegetation on the spatial distribution and abundances of the major zooplankton taxonomic groups.
According to the results of the current thesis, several statistically significant differences were found among the studied lakes regarding the abiotic parameters. Most notable differences include those of chlorophyll-a concentrations between the deeper and the shallower lakes reflecting the variations in nutrient loading, geomorphology and local climate. During the present thesis, high concentrations of total phosphorus were recorded indicating the influence of eutrophic conditions.
As far as the aquatic macrophytes are concerned, few submerged species were found in high abundances which are indicative of the eutrophic conditions. Ceratophyllum demersum, Trapa natans, Potamogeton pectinatus, Vallisneria spiralis were characterized as dominant indicator species for the lakes Lysimachia, Megali Prespa, Petron and Vegoritis respectively.
Regarding the zooplankton composition a total of 14 Cladocera and 39 Rotifera were identified in lakes Mikri Prespa, Kastoria, Vegoritis and Petron. Most common Cladocerans were the species Bosmina longirostris, Chydorus sphaericus and Diaphanosoma brachyurum. The small sized Cladoceran Bosmina longirostris was found in greater density while Keratella cochlearis was the most abundant among the Rotifera. The high abundance of small Cladocerans combined with the low contribution of large Daphnia indicates the high predation pressure on the zooplankton. Lakes Mikri Prespa and Vegoritis were characterized by a larger contribution of Cladocera in relation with lakes Kastoria and Petron, including littoral species such as Chydorus. Other Rotifera species such as Keratella quadrata, Lecane and Polyarthra were also recorded in significant abundances in lakes Mikri Prespa and Vegorits.
The ecological assessment of the studied lakes based on the application of Trophic State Indices classified lakes Mikri Prespa, Kastoria and Petron as eutrophic to hypereutrophic class, lake Lysimachia as mesotrophic to eutrophic class, lake Megali Prespa as mesotrophic and lake Trichonis as oligotrophic to mesotrophic class. The results from Macrophyte Index evaluation highlight the high nutrient enrichment and the eutrophic influence on the aquatic macrophyte composition. According to the results of Wetland Zooplankton Index, an index based on zooplankton developed for the assessment of wetlands in Great Lakes of N. America, lakes Mikri Prespa and Vegoritis are characterized by higher ecological status than lakes Kastoria and Petron. Wetland Zooplankton Index can provide an important tool for a holistic approach of the ecological assessment of lake ecosystems in Greece.
According to the results of the present thesis, dense aquatic macrophyte assemblages contribute to a higher total zooplankton species richness. Specifically, in macrophyte assemblages occupying the whole water column were found higher abundances of littoral Cladocerans and Rotifers in relation with the abundances found among thinner macrophyte stands. Moreover, Redundancy Analysis revealed Potamogeton pectinatus, Potamogeton lucens, Trapa natans and Myriophyllum spicatum as most statistically significant aquatic macrophytes that influence the spatial distribution of zooplankton. Further analysis conducted separately for the Cladocera and Rotifera taxa suggest that Trapa natans and Potamogeton natans have a larger influence on Rotifera spatial variation while the submerged macrophytes Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton perfoliatus will influence mostly the crustacean spatial distribution. These differences can be attributed to a preference of littoral Cladocerans for more complex macrophyte structures that provide habitat for foraging. Few abiotic parameters were found to have a significant effect on zooplankton spatial variability which highlights the importance of top-down and bottom-up factors for determination of biotic community interactions.
In conclusion, the results of this thesis underline the influence of eutrophication on the biological communities of aquatic macrophytes and zooplankton. However, there are indications that other human induced activities, such as introduction of exotic fish species, may have a significant effect on the zooplankton composition. Additional research, focused on the composition of littoral fish communities combined with studies on the horizontal distribution of zooplankton in the littoral zone could provide solid information on the role of littoral aquatic vegetation as refuge. Moreover, the results of this thesis indicate that the aquatic vegetation has a significant effect on the zooplankton abundance and there is a possible relationship between complex macrophyte structures and Cladocera density. Further investigation of the spatial variation of zooplankton composition inside the macrophyte assemblages may also elucidate the role of aquatic vegetation as microhabitats for the zooplankton communities.
Although the interactions between the biotic communities in a lake ecosystem can be quite complex, the comprehension of the background mechanisms is necessary in order to implement successive management and restoration strategies. Especially, in Mediterranean region, because of the special climate, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, the research on lake ecosystems is particularly important and highly significant for an effective sustainable water management.


A system and method of transferring information comprising an input module configured to receive an access parameter from an entity authorized to provide the access parameter, an access module configured to access a first database or a second database and communicate information from the first database to the second database wherein the information is configured to perform an authorized function. The function can be authorized bill payment. The information to be transferred can include financial information, and can include account information.


There are reasons to look for alternative sources of fuel because of the automobile industry development. Firstly, oil is a mined, not a produced fuel, sooner or later it will run out. According to various statistical sources, known deposits are gradually being depleted. Another important problem is air pollution caused by road transport. Most of the existing cars run on gasoline and diesel engines that burn oil to get the car going. Combustion of hydrocarbons that make up oil releases a large amount of harmful substances, in particular, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. Using hydrogen as an alternative fuel can solve the problem of finding new oil fields, and also, due to the absence of emissions into the atmosphere, it can solve the problem of air pollution. The article presents a brief history of the development of engine building and a description of hydrogen technologies in engines. The article presents a computational and analytical assessment of the efficiency of using hydrogen fuel in an internal combustion engine in relation to the bus fleet of the Yekaterinburg city. It was found that the conversion of a gasoline engine to hydrogen fuel leads to a decrease in specific fuel consumption by 20% (at the nominal mode). It is shown that the payback period for the transfer of 20 buses to hydrogen is about 8 years.


An anelastic numerical model is used to explore gravity wave instability dynamics in variable stratification and shear environments in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). Recent computational advances facilitate the characterization of localized gravity wave packets in a deep atmosphere, enabling realistic amplitude evolution and enhanced sensitivity to transient nonlinear dynamics. The results reveal that gravity wave packets impinging on a sheet of high stratification and shear enable local Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) where gravity wave vertical displacements approach their maxima and mean and gravity wave shears combine. The KHI arise at smaller scales and evolve to larger scales with time, as seen in lidar, radar, and airglow observations. Such events tend to be highly localized and thus yield local energy and momentum deposition expected to have strong influences throughout the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere (MTI) region. These simulations illuminate one of the major mechanisms driving turbulence and mixing in the MLT at scales that are challenging or impossible to describe quantitatively with existing measurement capabilities.


The fundamental nature of humility and prosocial motivation entails transcending self-interest to enact behaviors that benefit others. We theorize that leader humility may enact a self-transcendent contagion effect that will manifest in enhanced follower prosocial motivation. Due to the fundamental nature of humility, this construct holds great promise in understanding how contextual signals (i.e., leader behaviors) shape prosocial motivation in followers. In this study, we find that leader humility impacts follower prosocial motivation through followers' perception of work meaningfulness. Specifically, we found that leader humility is positively related to prosocial motivation. We also found that this relationship is mediated by followers' perception of work meaningfulness, and that this mediation is moderated by followers' perception of relational vitality. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


Purpose: To compare the ultraviolet (UV)radiation response of optically stimulated luminescent detectors (OSLDs) to their response to 6 MV photons and investigate their potential for applications in UVphototherapydosimetry.Method and Materials: The OSLDs used are 0.7 cm diameter, 0.02 cm thick, plastic disks containing Al 2 O 3 : C encapsulated in light‐tight plastic holders with dimensions 2.4×1.2×0.2 cm3. A miniature UV quartz pencil lamp provided the UV radiation and a Varian Cl 2100 provided the 6 MV photons for comparing their megavoltage and UV responses. Individual detector sensitivity factors were obtained by irradiating them with 6 MV photons to an absorbed dose of 0.5 Gy followed by optical bleaching with a 15 W fluorescent light to clear the radiation effects.Results: Consecutive detector readings for the UV irradiations showed that their signal varied more than the 6 MV readings, 3% compared to less than 1%. With both irradiations the signal stabilized after 8 minutes post irradiation. The OSLD response to UV radiation was non linear over the measured absorbed dose range of 0.29 to 38 kGy (21 to 2820 mJ/cm2) and their response was approximately two thousand times less sensitive than their response to 6 MV photons. However, optical bleaching was more effective in removing the UV radiation signal requiring about 4 hr to remove the radiation effects as compared to about 30 hr to remove the effects of the 6 MV radiations.Conclusion: These results demonstrate the ability of OSLDs to measure UV radiation. However, because of their non linear response, their calibration will be more involved. Although, their UV response is significantly less than their megavoltage response, their wide dynamic range provides sufficient sensitivity for measuring UV radiation and optically bleaching was more effective removing the UV than the megavoltage radiation effects.