Abstract Even uncontrolled "experimentation" such as sporting use of early hunting gear can provide insights into archaeological questions. Analyzing the records of a standardized atlatl competition over eight years offers some insights into spear thrower capabilities, learning curves, and the use of weapons by women and children. The sample is now large enough to provide a plausible analog to prehistoric atlat capabilities, allowing us to judge ethnographic accounts and archaeological expectations. Atlatl skills can be acquired fairly rapidly by any adult or older youths. The atlatl should reduce the importance of body size and strength, and all but the youngest members of a society should be biologically capable of atlatl use where sociaL rules allow it.


(1) Background: The Quaternary river bank deposits of the European North of Russia contain several mollusk fossils that can give important past-climate information which is relevant to understand the evolution of climate in the Holocene period and predict future scenarios on climate change. (2) The purpose of the research: reconstruction of the main physical and chemical parameters of the habitat of mollusks based on the determination of the species of mollusks and the study of the isotope-geochemical composition of shells and their host deposits. (3) Object of study: Quaternary deposits of coastal outcrops of the rivers of the European North of Russia: Pechora Sula, Peza, bivalve shells, and their fragments. (4) Results: The revealed macrofauna complexes represented by bivalves (Arctica islandica, Hiatella arctica, Mytilus edulis, Tridonta borealis, Mya truncata, Neptunea despecta) were determined and the variations of δ13C and δ18O (‰) isotopes in the studied fossil bivalve shells were calculated. The data on the concentrations of chemical elements in fossil shells were determined and summarized. The content of elements in mollusk shells varied within the following limits: Fe 101.7 −403.3 µg/g (Vastyansky Kon', river Pechora), Mg 0.38–2.61 µg/g (Vastyansky Kon', river Pechora), Ba 18.27–60.44 µg/g (village Oksino-River Sula), and Sr 1128.3–2275.34 µg/g (Vastyansky Kon'-village Oksino, river Pechora). The ratio between the elements varies within Ba/Sr 0.011–0.041 (village Oksino- River Sula) and Mg/Fe 0.01–0.15 (Vastyansky Kon'- village Oksino, river Pechora).


ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of capital punishment on state-level murder rates. Using a large current data-set and a two-stage fixed effects model, results of the present study suggest that states with death penalties and at least one execution in a given year had 28% lower murder rates than other states. These results hold regardless of the functional form used.


FlexRay, the prospective real time bus system, will expandthe successfully used CAN bus for automotive applications.Its functionalities cover an enhanced transfer rate,deterministic real time capabilities and a time- and eventtriggeredtransmission segment. Its great flexibility comesfor the price of a huge amount of configuration parameters.The parameter set of a configuration covers more than 80variables.A new kind of test systems is needed for testing such timedivision multiple access bus configurations for rapid systemprototyping. In this paper we present a novel approach of aFPGA based test system. The introduced system can be usedto check the composed network configuration to the realtransmission on the physical bus. Furthermore, unknownnetwork configurations can be analyzed and communicationdependent parameters can be reported. This is done bysampling the data bit stream and dissecting the waveforms.


In this paper we construct the conjugates of equίvariant holomorphic maps of symmetric domains associated to morphisms of arithmetic varieties. We also prove that the conjugate of a Kuga fiber variety is another Kuga fiber variety.


This article explores one of the earliest large-scale uses of biocidal agro-chemicals in Latin America, the United Fruit Company's hand-spraying of its banana plantations to control sigitoka disease from 1938 to 1962. After discussing the environmental context of sigatoka and the early development and implications of the spray technology, the essay focuses on the thousands of workers who applied the chemicals. Using Costa Rica as a case study, it explores workers' sense of the personal costs of their work as well as their ambiguous relationship to the larger banana workers' union movement. Because of differences in ethnicity, age, and masculine status, pesticide workers were not part of the labor movement's militant core, but their participation in strikes gave unions great power for a time. This power, along with workers' individual job actions, forced fundamental changes in the pesticide program, demonstrating the importance of integrating labor into the study of environmental change in agricultural capitalism.


Objectives: To evaluate short-term outcome of conservative treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and the frequency of need for surgical conversion. Patients & Methods: The study included 120 CRS patients; 71 males and 49 females with mean age of 37.4±7.2 years. All patients underwent nasal endoscopy and endoscopic findings were graded according to Lund-Kennedy scoring system. CT scan of paranasal sinuses was performed and assessed according to Lund-Mackay scale. All patients completed the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index (RSDI) and the chronic sinusitis score (CSS) quality of life questionnaires. All patients were prescribed fluoroquinolones as first line for 14 days and cases were divided into responders and non-responders according to the obtained response. Non-responders were prescribed high-dose amoxicillin-clavulanate as alternative line for 14 days. Non-responders and responders had recurrent attack were prepared for surgical treatment. All responders had to complete posttreatment RSDI and CSS questionnaire and those remained free of recurrence for at least 6 months underwent CT imaging. Results: At the end of 3-months, 70 patients (58.3%) responded to treatment with evident improvement of complaints and significant improvement of health quality of life scores compared to their pretreatment scores. Twenty-nine patients had recurrent symptoms after a mean duration of 6±1.3 months, while 41 patients completed free follow-up for a mean duration of 8±3.1 months. The relapsed patients received the alternative line of conservative treatment and 10 of them responded to the second episode of treatment, while 19 patients were converted to surgical management. Response to conservative treatment was assured by post-treatment CT examination showing resolution of sinuses opacity and significant decrease of Lund-Mackay scale. Non-responders received the alternative line and 17 patients responded, while 33 patients were converted to surgical treatment. Collectively, 41 patients (34.2%) responded to first line of management, 27 patients (22.5%) responded to the alternative line of management and 52 patients (43.3%) were converted to surgery. Conclusion: Trials of conservative management for patients with CRS allowed CT-confirmed resolution of infection in about 35% of patients with significant improvement of quality of life scores and spares surgical interference, so relieving patients' apprehension and minimized cost with high benefit and restoring surgery for non-responders. [Nabil Abdulghany Sarhan and Ahmed Abdel Fatah. Outcome of Conservative Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Adults: An Observational CT-Controlled Study. Journal of American Science. 2012; 8(4):445 -450].(ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org. 59 Key word: Chronic rhinosinusitis, CT, Conservative treatment


Ultimative Ursachen fur die Staatsbildung: Die Signifikanz von Bi ogeographie, Diffusion und Neolithische Revolutionen?. The timing of early state formation varies across the world. Inspired by Jared Diamond's seminal work, we employ large-n statistics to demonstrate how this variation has been structured by prehistoric biogeographical conditions, which have influenced the timing of the transition from hunter/gatherer production to agriculture and, in turn, the timing of state formation. Biogeography structures both the extent to which societies have invented agriculture and state technology de novo, and the extent to which these inventions have diffused from adjacent societies. Im portantly, we demonstrate how these prehistoric processes have continued to


Traffic noise exposures were measured at various locations adjacent to an Interstate highway and compared with sound levels predicted by the FHWA Traffic Noise Model (TNM). The prediction procedure underestimated the measured sound attenuation by 6 to 12 A-weighted decibels. Various TNM site model configurations were evaluated in an effort to improve agreement between measurements and predictions. For the site tested—a severe case with relatively distant receptors and extreme topography—variations in ground impedance (including a median ground zone) had little benefit or were counterproductive, while adding topographic detail via terrain lines helped somewhat. The best agreement resulted from the incorporation of a tree zone for the wooded site. However, this benefit is thought to be chance, because the site was not only relatively lightly wooded but also thinly foliaged at the time of the on-site measurements.


Sulphur ion in the oilfield wastewater is oxidated to sulphur by electrochemical methods,and then sulphur is eliminated with polyaluminium chloride as flocculant.The effects of the amount of flocculant,stirring speed and stirring time on flocculation are researched.The results show that with the dosage of flocculant of 0.8 g/L,stirring speed of 100 r/min,stirring time of 4 min,the flocculation efficiency is best,the turbidity is least and pH is close to neutral.


In many application scenarios, data need to be collected, stored and processed. Often sensitive data are collected from IoT devices, which are constrained regarding their resources, and, thus, remote, untrusted cloud servers are required to perform the computations. However, cloud computing raises many security and privacy concerns since cloud providers cannot be fully trustworthy. Data owners want their sensitive information to remain private and expect confidentiality guarantees; while users want to utilize the computations' results and desire correctness guarantees. Furthermore, in some cases, standard cryptographic primitives are not sufficient to ensure that there is no leakage of information. In this work, we focus on the problem of outsourcing joint computations from joint sensitive inputs to multiple untrusted servers, while at the same time achieving public verifiability (i.e., everyone can verify the correctness of the computed result). Additionally, we investigate how to avoid any leakage of information by providing differential privacy guarantees on the outsourced computation. More precisely, we introduce the notion of verifiable homomorphic secret sharing (VHSS) which allows multiple clients to outsource joint computations on multiple servers providing also the capability to verify the correctness of the computed result. We propose a concrete instantiation of VHSS for the function that computes the product of n secret inputs. Besides, we suggest three instantiations of computing the sum of n secret inputs by employing homomorphic collision-resistant hash functions, linearly homomorphic signatures, and a threshold signature scheme, respectively. Moreover, we design a protocol that provides both differential privacy and verifiable computation guarantees for outsourced computations.


As the importance attributed to conservative endodontic treatment increases manifold, pulp revascularization represents a recent and promising therapy for immature teeth, highly recommended as an alternative to apexification in cases of endodontic treatment of irreversible pulpitis and pulp necrosis, whether or not associated with periapical lesion. This review is an attempt towards the recommendation of revascularization as an alternative to apexification.


With reference to the general study of the non-optimal domestic tourism districts,based on the on-the-spot investigation of tourism resources of Quanjiao county,the non-optimal situation in Quanjiao is analyzed in terms of the effects of type,concentration and intensity and its feasibility of the tourism resources exploitation is analyzed in terms of the resources potential,the transportation distribution and the market distribution,and meanwhile some counterpart strategies are put forward—optimizing the whole environment,encouraging attractive factors of tourism,implementing investigations of special topics,orientating to the tourism image,developing the leading scenic areas,exploiting in a moderate way and strengthening the cooperation of the inner tourism regions.


(54) THIN FILM TRANSISTORS COMPRISING (58) Field of Classification Search .................... 257/40, SURFACE MODIFIED CARBON NANOTUBES 257/E51.008; 977/745 See application file for complete search history. (75) Inventors: Yiliang Wu, Mississauga (CA); Yuning Li, Mississauga (CA); Ping Liu, (56) References Cited Mississauga (CA); Paul F. Smith, Oakville (CA); Hadi K. Mahabadi, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Mississauga (CA) 2003, OO77515 A1 4, 2003 Chen et al. 2004/0223900 A1* 11/2004 Khabashesku et al. .... 423,447.1 (73) Assignee: Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US) 2004/0241900 A1 12/2004 Tsukamoto et al. 2004/0265755 A1 12/2004 Park et al. ..................... 430,322


The solution behavior of the fluorinated surfactant tetraethylammonium perfluorooctane-sulfonate, PFOS, in water−trifluoroethanol, TFE, mixtures has been investigated by surface tension, electrical conductance, and PGSE (pulsed gradient spin−echo) NMR self-diffusion methods. Addition of progressive amounts of TFE in the solvent has little influence on the critical micellar concentration, cmc. Conversely, self-diffusion, counterion binding, and the surface pressure at the cmc are significantly affected by added fluoroalkanol. The above effects have been explained in terms of the solvent viscosity, dielectric permittivity, and surface activity, respectively. The complete phase behavior of the above system has been drawn, and the phase boundaries were determined. According to the above findings, added surfactant promotes the separation of the homogeneous solvent mixture into two coexisting fluid phases. The observed behavior was rationalized on thermodynamic grounds.


Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the water and energy cycle. The present study develops a practical approach for generating all‐sky ET with the synergistic use of satellite images and meteorological data. In this approach, the ET over clear‐sky pixels is estimated from a two‐stage land surface temperature (LST)/fractional vegetation cover feature space method where the dry/wet edges are determined from theoretical calculations. For cloudy pixels, the Penman‐Monteith equation is used to calculate the ET where no valid remotely sensed LST is available. An evaluation of the method with ET collected at ground‐based large aperture scintillometer measurements at the Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station (YCES) in China is performed over a growth period from April to October 2010. The results show that the root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) and bias over clear‐sky pixels are 57.3 W/m2 and 18.2 W/m2, respectively, whereas an RMSE of 69.3 W/m2 with a bias of 12.3 W/m2 can be found over cloudy pixels. Moreover, a reasonable overall RMSE of 65.3 W/m2 with a bias of 14.4 W/m2 at the YCES can be obtained under all‐sky conditions, indicating a promising prospect for the derivation of all‐sky ET using currently available satellite and meteorological data at a regional or global scale in future developments.


This article presents the first results of a study on multicultural origins in the Americas. I present the contributions of three intellectuals of New Spain, pointing out which of their approaches could aid in resolving todays' immigrant problem. My research focuses its attention mainly on the Florentine Codex , a book written by Bernardino of Sahagun, who developed the first 'semiotic' treatise in the Americas. These contributions deserve to be studied in their peculiarities and, moreover, indicate possible solutions to the conflicts that arise also now from the clash of different cultures and their diverging world-views.


To date, among the injuries found in small pets, a special place from the position of veterinary surgery is occupied by car injuries. Very often they are the cause of jaw fractures and require competent surgical intervention. Extra–focal osteosynthesis is one of the types of osteosynthesis that is used in such patients


Understanding and subsequently fine-tuning concurrent object-oriented programs may be difficult. To alleviate this situation, program visualization can be used. This research focuses on the question of what and how such visualization can be done for concurrent object-oriented systems. Furthermore, in the absence of language support, to what extent such visualization can be realized. To investigate these issues, Visor++, a tool for visualizing CC++ programs, is developed. This research proposes that both static and dynamic views of programs are important. However, many languages, including CC++, do not provide adequate support for program visualization. CC++, in particular, provides rudimentary support which is available only in the low-level run-time system. Therefore, proper support must be facilitated by Visor++. To make such support portable and maintainable, it is provided at the CC++ source-code level. Although some information, such as changes in variable and data structure values, cannot be easily captured by such an approach, experiments with Visor++ have shown that the information obtained can be of valuable assistance for understanding and fine-tuning programs.


Sociology and empathy, why women aren't running the world (yet), divorce in decline, and should you or shouldn't you read the comment section? New research from the journals.


As the technology growth fuelled by low cost tech in the areas of compute, storage the need for faster retrieval and processing of data is becoming paramount for organizations. The medical domain predominantly for medical image processing with large size is critical for making life critical decisions. Healthcare community relies upon technologies for faster and accurate retrieval of images. Traditional, existing problem of efficient and similar medical image retrieval from huge image repository are reduced by Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) . The major challenging is an semantic gap in CBIR system among low and high level image features. This paper proposed, enhanced framework for content based medical image retrieval using DNN to overcome the semantic gap problem. It is outlines the steps which can be leveraged to search the historic medical image repository with the help of image features to retrieve closely relevant historic image for faster decision making from huge volume of database. The proposed system is assessed by inquisitive amount of images and the performance efficiency is calculated by precision and recall evaluation metrics. Experimental results obtained the retrieval accuracy is 79% based on precision and recall and this approach is preformed very effectively for image retrieval performance.


standing position. It is interesting that the hypotension in the sitting postion is not greater, and, in fact, that the blood pressure rises promptly on sitting down. A great deal of attention has been paid in these experiments to recording blood pressure in the erect posture, using a fixed time limit as described. Standing systolic readings have proved to be a convenient measure of the total effect of the drug on the blood pressure, since the changes in these readings are bigger in proportion to the errors of technique than in the sitting or recumbent positions, and, moreover, they provide an important measure of the maximum effect of the drug. The distribution of hexamethonium in the body and its excretion at a rate comparable to that of inulin correspond to its quaternary nature. Bases in general penetrate the cell membrane only in the un-ionized form (Hober, 1945). Salts of quaternary nitrogen when in solution are completely ionized, and hence can only traverse the cell membranes very slowly. Accordingly they must lead an extracellular existence in the body, and should be unable to be either secreted or reabsorbed by the kidney tubules. The indication from clinical data (Fig. 4) that normal subjects vary considerably in their response to hexamethonium was borne out and further elucidated by the plasma-concentration curves. Part of this variation is obviously due to the differences in absorption, distribution, and excretion already described; but the main variation, and one that cannot be eliminated by changing the route of administration, lies in the actual response of different subjects to the same concentration of the drug in the plasma (Fig. 6). The immediate practical application is that it is not safe to give initial doses of more than about 30-40 mg. subcutaneouLsly to ambulant patients, even though this dose may produce little response in many individuals. The somewhat unexpected finding of a linear rather than a logarithmic relationship between the plasma concentration and the effect on the blood pressure has some practical importance in addition to its theoretical interest ; when treating patients for hypertension the dose should not be increased too rapidly. Increments of not more than 25-50 mg. should be used according to the individual patient's sensitivity. The manner in which these findings in normal subjects may be applied to hypertensive patients under treatment is being studied and will be reported later.


A user creates appointments by selecting dates on a displayed calendar. A pattern may be automatically detected in response to the user selecting calendar dates on the calendar. For example, a pattern may automatically be detected when a user selects two Mondays in a row when selecting appointment dates. In response to automatically detecting a pattern, a list of recurring appointments is automatically created. The automatically created appointments may be shown on the calendar. The automatically created appointments may also be shown in a list of an appointment user interface. A user may interact with the appointments in the appointment user interface. For example, a user may select one of the displayed appointments from the list and change appointment information related to the selected appointment. A start date and an end date may also be specified using the appointment user interface.


We report on the first all-fiber CW Raman laser based on a multimode graded-index fiber directly pumped by multimode laser diodes. A joint action of Raman clean-up effect and mode-selection properties of special fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in the central part of fiber core, results in high-efficiency conversion of a multimode (M2~26) pump at 915 nm into a high-quality output beam at 954 nm. Fibers with core diameter of 62.5, 85 and 100 um are compared. With core enlargement, the output power and slope efficiency increase sufficiently (from 47% to 84%) at the expense of slight beam-quality parameter reduction (M2=1.3-3).


They compared our approach with their technique 2 and described some advantages with their technique. They opined that our technique did not take advantage of the intrascleral fixation of the IOL because a 25-gauge vitrectomy was performed before IOL fixation. With their technique, an anterior vitrectomy was performed using 25-gauge trocars for haptic externalization. We recommend performing a vitrectomy (not only an anterior vitrectomy) with intrascleral fixation and transscleral suturing of the IOL to avoid postoperative complications (such as retinal detachment). If the surgeon believes that an anterior vit-rectomy is sufficient, it can be performed through the corneal par-acentesis. The transconjunctival technique is simple and less invasive. We have modified our technique to incorporate the transconjunctival method using a double-needle technique. However , with the transconjunctival technique it is sometimes difficult to manage the length of the scleral tunnel. In addition, a long scleral tunnel sometimes warps the cornea and reduces visualization during intraocular manipulation through the tunnel. Karadag et al worried about the risk of trauma from the first needle. The first needle has never hit the retina, iris, or ciliary body in this author's experience (about 70 cases). The movement of the needle is limited, and it is difficult to impale the needle into the surrounding tissues after haptic insertion. If surgeons are concerned about this problem, they can rotate the needle so that the sharp tip faces the center of the eye. We reported 3 cases (8.6%) with iris capture. 1 Karadag et al supposed that these incidents arose from weak axial stability secondary to decreased scleral support. However, we observed good axial stability when this point was evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography. 1 In addition, the IOL tilt in the eyes with iris capture was not large, compared with that in the cases without iris capture. Karadag et al stated that the scleral tunnel was too short (1.5 mm) in our technique. However, the haptic was supported by both the sclerotomy and the scleral tunnel (Figure 3B; available at www.aaojornal.org). 1 We speculated that the cause of the iris capture was a floppy iris and fluid flow as a result of eye movement and hard blinking. In some cases, the iris capture was improved by a supplemental iridotomy. The insertion of the haptic into the scleral tunnel is sometimes difficult because the surgeon cannot see the entrance of the tunnel. The tunnel should be …


Abstract The statistical model of the smectic A system of semiflexible molecules (SmSSM) is formulated, and numerical analysis of phase behaviour of the model is fulfilled.


In order to find the optimum water-saving irrigation mode,a projection pursuit classification model is used to evaluate 9 water-saving irrigation modes for flue-cured tobacco with yield,water productivity and chemical quality as the evaluation indices.The results show that the 4 th mode,in which the bottom line of irrigation in root extending stage,fast growing stage and maturity stage is 60% FC,70% FC and 60% FC,respectively,is accorded with the water requirement regulation in each growth stage of flue-cured tobacco,and is the optimum water-saving irrigation mode for good quality and proper yield.


Warranty quality, warrantor reputation, and price were manipulated in five separate experiments that were designed to examine the effects of these extrinsic cues on consumer perceptions of the financial and performance risk involved with innovative product concepts. The important role of the warranty as a mechanism for allaying consumers' financial risk perceptions was consistently demonstrated in all five experiments.


Abstract The formal alkylation reaction of OH groups with diazoalkanes under catalyst‐free reaction conditions finds broad application in organic synthesis. However, even today, this reaction is mainly limited to the use of diazomethane as reaction partner. In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we aim at a fundamental understanding of the reaction of diazoalkanes with alcohols to make this transformation amenable to a generalized approach towards formal alkylation reactions of alcohols with diazoalkanes. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest a direct proton transfer only in exceptional cases. In a more general setting, such O−H functionalization proceed both under dark and photochemical conditions via a key hydrogen‐bonded singlet carbene intermediate that undergoes a protonation–addition mechanism. We conclude with applications of this approach in O−H functionalization reactions of alcohols, including simple fluorinated, halogenated and aliphatic alcohols and showcase functional‐group tolerance of this method in the reaction of biologically active and pharmaceutically relevant alcohols.


PSI CHI JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Summer 2008 Copyright 2008 by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Vol. 13, No. 2, 64–70 / ISSN 1089-4136). When coming to live on a university campus, students are in many cases away from home and the watchful eye of their parents for the first time. In a sense, they are living on their own but they must, in fact, live according to the standards of the university. The Office of Residential Life is the department in charge of creating rules and regulations and then implementing and enforcing them. This authority over students may be met with any number of responses. Personality may play an important role in their reactions. Lounsbury and DeNeui (1996) reported Extraversion scores correlated significantly with psychological sense of community (PSC) scores and resulted in more interactions and more involvement in activities. Extraverts sought out shared experiences and engaged in social interaction. In addition, extraverts came to campus with high expectations for social involvement and community. Introverts, on the other hand, interacted less often and spent less time socializing. Morossanova (2003) reported that extraverts are also impulsive. This study found negative correlations between Modified Eysenck Personality Questionnaire scores with both planning and flexibility. Extraverts showed fewer instances of self-regulation than introverts. The profile of the extravert showed high action programming with little developed goal planning. Introverts were more meticulous in planning their actions and considering different plans whereas extraverts were more likely to act and then consider their actions later. Fischer, Smith, Anderson, and Flory (2003) investigated the effect extraversion plays in drinking behaviors of college students. Extraverted individuals were more likely to have social expectancies of alcohol as a facilitator of social interaction. Hussong (2003) reported that extraverts have social motives for their drinking that unfortunately predict more problem behaviors. With the expectation that alcohol facilitates social behavior, extraverts are more likely to engage in behaviors that violate Residential Life policy. Extraverted individuals are expected to have more involvement in social situations as well as underage KATHERINE T. ALARCON


We present a 4 ns constant-pulse-duration Electro-optically cavity-dumped Ho:YAG oscillator. The average power of 12.6W and the peak power of 31.5 kW were obtain at the repetition rate of 100 kHz, corresponding to the slope efficiency of 57.2% and beam quality factor of M2 ~1.1. The highest peak power was 310 kW at 10 kHz.


Nanoscale waxy rice starch particles were prepared in compressed hot water, and the effects of the concentration of waxy rice starch dispersion, the pressure and temperature of the compressed hot water on mean particle size and particle size distribution were investigated. Particle size and particle size distribution of the waxy rice starch nanoparticles were measured by dynamic light scattering. Mean particle size was found to depend on the preparation conditions. The smallest average particle size of 150.4 nm was obtained with a starch concentration of 0.1 % (w/w), an initial pressure of 3.0 MPa, and a final temperature of 180 ℃ . It is suggested that particle size can be controlled by the preparation conditions. In addition, any sample prepared in compressed hot water tends to have a particle size distribution spanning less than 100 nm. The use of compressed hot water is also effective for preparing waxy rice starch nanodispersion with nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm. Furthermore, we have attempted to determine the reaction field of compressed hot water by the ionic product.


OBJECTIVE explore a scientism of the best condition to define the Pyritinol Hydrochloride infrared spectrum to identification preparing disc in order to get satisfied infrared spectrum.METHODS using three level of three factors;that is Pyritinol Hydrochloride is to potassium Chloride(mg∶mg) as 1.9 is to 100,1.6 is to 100,1.3 is to 100 separately.Discing pressure is 20MPa,26MPa and 32MPa sparately.Discing time is 2min,3min and 4min separately.According to the experiment with orthogonal design,using the output of baseline value and the strongest absorbance peak of transmittance T% as target,to define the best condition of preparing disc.RESULTS When the proportion of Pyritinol Hydrochloride and potassium Chloride is 1.9 is to 100,pressure is 20 MPa and time is 2 min,the transmittance of baseline is more than 95%,and the transmittance of the strongest absorbance peak is under1%.CONCLUSION The condition of optimun seeking Pyritinol Hydrochloride infrared spectrum to identification the preparing disk with orthogonal design can get the satisfied result with few transactions and it provide the scientism method to change the ways of traditional experience.


Material presented at the Fifth Dunai Symposium on Chromatography are overviewed in this examination and review of new aspects and uses of headspace gas chromatographic analysis. Among the uses discussed are air pollution and chemical reaction monitoring under equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. New developments in sampling equipment are also summarized.


Abstract This paper argues that Kant's concept of 'respect' (Achtung) for the moral law has roots in Adam Smith's concept of 'regard' for the general rules of conduct, which was translated as Achtung in the first German translation of the Theory of Moral Sentiments. After illustrating that Kant's technical understanding of respect appeared relatively late in his intellectual development, I argue that Kant's concept of respect and Smith's concept of regard share a basic similarity: they are both a single complex phenomenon with two core aspects, namely an attitude and a feeling. I then suggest that the concept of regard offered Kant a way to deal a problem concerning moral motivation that he was trying to solve at the time he likely first read Smith. I conclude by drawing some implications from the account I have offered for our understanding of Kant's relation to Smith more generally.


The RI beam factory at RIKEN Nishina Center needs high intensity of uranium ion beams. We constructed a new injector, RILAC2, which would provide several hundred times higher intensity. As a part of the RILAC2, we designed the low energy beam transport, LEBT, from the ion source to the RFQ entrance. We present its requirements and problems, and show our design as the solutions to them. Especially we focus a technique of a pair of two solenoids to treat a rotational operation and a focusing operation independently. Based on this design, the LEBT has been constructed. The RILAC2 will be operational this winter.


The clothing industry is quickly becoming a high-tech industry due to rapid advances in technology which contribute to high quality design, cutting, stitching and finishing techniques. Furthermore, a designer today has to improve professional capability according to industry's requirements. The word 'designer' is a broad description covering many different functions. A designer in a large company may specialize in a particular area and be part of a team, whilst in a very small company a designer may have to perform all the above tasks. In both cases they could be handled by using computer aided design systems at each stage of the design process. Most of the stages are already presented by specific pattern design systems : and design process in them could be provided in two-dimensional or in three-dimensional space. A student is a future professional and his capability has to be considered accordingly to the future state of the science and technology. That is why, pattern design systems and virtual three-dimensional models of the garments must be used as designer's tool in educational process and they must be presented in all studied courses, th ough some stages of apparel design are not formalized yet. However, visual aids and handout materials are common useful facilities in professional education, and even if manufacturing does not use such simulation models they might be useful for the students. Our work is devoted to review of different virtual models of garments and their particular parts, as well as simulation models of the design process in sewing industry. Those models were developed by authors and are recommended for use as visual aids in educational process.


More than just a buzzword, bioinformatics promises to revolutionize the drug discovery process by organizing knowledge. Before the promise of bioinformatics is realized, however, industry participants must clear some significant hurdles, including the lack of experienced professionals and computer standards and industry consolidation. Throughout the 1990s, the pharmaceutical industry invested heavily in instrumentation and databases to support genomics, combinatorial chemistry, and high-throughput-screening research activities. Soon afterward, companies were confronted with information overload as massive amounts of gene-sequence and chemical-library data were produced. Glaxo- Wellcome, for example, says it is testing 50,000 compounds per day across 50 diseases, resulting in 500 million new data points annually. Companies also are coping with large volumes of gene-sequence information stored in public databases such as the Merck Gene Index or the Human Genome Project, which already has sequenced 12% of th...


The basic tasks of colleges and universities are the personnel training and scientific research,while the experimental demonstration center in colleges and universities is its carrier. The development of experimental demonstration center in colleges and universities of Guizhou should concentrate on service for local economy,enhance the field of production- learning- research,broaden the channel of finance,sound the mechanism of management and absorb the talent people.


The search for sustainable production of 2nd generation biofuels is an ongoing effort. This production is not only aiming at substituting fossil-based transportation fuels with their renewable counterparts. It is also aiming at using renewable resources that will not affect food production, an issue that the 1st generation biofuels (e.g. ethanol from corn) have been criticized for. As well, 1st generation biofuels have been shown to be not as advantageous from an environmental perspective as was first expected, for instance due to the increased use of fertilizer. Lignocellulosic materials such as wood and straw are resources that can be used for the production of these 2nd generation biofuels. However, it has been particularly difficult to develop economically feasible processes for the production of these fuels.
High gravity processes, i.e. processes with high raw material concentration, have the potential of meet the economic requirements. In order to assess the environmental impact of such a process, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied in order to account for these impacts along the value chain of these fuels. This process technology development project focuses on the production of ethanol and 1-butanol using high gravity hydrolysis and fermentation. However, parts of this technology are still in the early stage of development and have not even reached the pilot scale stage. Therefore, lab scale data and information are used to assess the technology under development and process simulation is needed to generate data about the industrial-scale process. This implies that scale-up issues need to be taken into account in the LCA. Issues specific to biofuel production such as land use and land use change, and water use need to be addressed as well. The outcomes of the LCA can then be used to identify the weak and strong points of the process and this information can then be used in the development of the technology.
This poster presents a short review of the literature on the relevant issues regarding biofuel production and the use of LCA in technology development. Furthermore, a project plan for the environmental assessment of the technology under study and the use of these assessments in the technology development process is presented. LCA will thus be used during the technology development and will potentially have a significant influence on this development, and therefore on the sustainability of 2nd generation biofuels that are produced with a high gravity production process.


Backgrounds: Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a disease that receives special attention because of causing outbreaks in some countries, including Indonesia. The problems that often emerge on the DHF Control Program are the high vector density (Aedes aegypti) and the vector resistance resulting from continuous insecticide use. This study describes the entomological index and susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti against malathion and permethrin insecticides in Sorosutan, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta.Methods: This study used a descriptive observational method with a cross-sectional design. An entomological survey is done at 354 houses in Sorosutan, which is randomly selected. The sample of Aedes aegypti was obtained through the larval collection and ovitrap installation in 100 places. Susceptibility tests performed using the bioassay method with impregnated paper were based on the WHO standard. This study was conducted from December 2018 – February 2019. The data were analyzed using univariate analysisResults: The entomological survey in Sorosutan showed the House Index value was 35.03%; Container Index was 16.68%; Breteau Index was 46.33; Density Figure was 5.00, and Larva Free Rate was 64.97%; meaning that Sorosutan had a high level of vector density. So, the risk of DHF transmission was high. The population of Aedes aegypti in Sorosutan has been tolerant against Malathion, with 87.83% mosquito mortality.Conclusion: Sorosutan was an area with high DHF transmission risk. Aedes aegypti population in Sorosutan has been tolerant against Malathion.


We studied purple urchin populations at the Channel Islands National Park at 16 sites from 1992 to 1998 to better understand factors associated with the abundance and distribution of this important grazer. Recruitment did not explain variation in adult abundance. Urchin abundance increased as invertebrate predators (sunflower stars and spiny lobsters) decreased. High urchin densities were subject to bacterial disease that impacted urchin abundance in a density-dependent fashion. Eastern sites typically had lower predator abundance, higher urchin abundance, and more frequent disease dynamics than western sites. An exception to this geographic pattern was a marine protected area at Anacapa Island with a high density of lobsters, a low density of urchins and a near absence of disease.


Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a slow-growing malignant tumor of soft tissue usually occurring on the trunk or proximal extremities. It commonly affects 20 to 50-year-old persons and measures less than 5 cm in diameter. It starts as an erythematous indurated papule or plaque, and can enlarge over several years. It shows aggressive local invasion but a low rate of distant metastasis. A 63-year-old female presented with a 5-month-history of a rapidly growing cutaneous lesion on the abdomen. Physical examination revealed an 8×10 cm sized, violaceous, polypoid firm mass superimposed on the violaceous to brownish indurated plaque and surrounding nodule. Histopathologic examination showed an infiltrating mass composed of spindle shaped cells that were arranged in a storiform growth pattern within the whole layer of dermis. The cellular mass extended into the subcutaneous fat layer in a honeycomb pattern. The tumor cells were positive for CD-34 stain. Additionally, some areas of tumor showed myxoid change. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a homogenously-enhancing, and protruded mass invading the subcutaneous fat layer. The diagnosis of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans was established and it was treated by wide local excision. We report a case of giant, polypoid dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans presenting with rapid growth. (Korean J Dermatol 2010;48(4):318∼321)Key Words: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance, Giant, Myxoid서 론


We evaluated the effects of light emitting diode(LED λ 632.8nm; power 4.0mw)applied directly to the colon on the experimental ulcerative colitis. 34 rats were divided into 3 groups, which was LED treatment group (n=12), model group (n=12), and normal control group (n=10). Given glacial acetic acid (5%) intra-anally so as to be replicated the rat model of ulcerative colitis. LED irradiation was used to curative group, with 30min each time, once per day. The period of treatment was one week. Then the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and content of malondi-aldehyde (MDA) in the blood plasma were detected and the histopathological study in Colonic tissue was performed. The degree of the Colonic tissue injury in curative group was not as significant as that in the model group. Comparing with model group, the Content of MDA in LED curative group was reductive and the activity of SOD was increased significantly. We concluded that the LED irradiation can protect colonic mucosa from acetic acid induced damage in rats and the effects may be related to the photobiomodulation of LED.


In this paper a new class of vertex decomposable graphs are determined. Moreover, all shellable and sequentially Cohen-Macaulay cactus graphs (i.e., connected graphs in which each edge belongs to at most one cycle) are characterized.


A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POST-GRADUATE
STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERISTY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL
FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D) IN
FISHERIES.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA.


In this paper we estimate a bargaining model of government formation in parliamentary democracies. We use the estimated structural model to conduct constitutional experiments aimed at evaluating the impact of institutional features of the political environment on the duration of the government formation process, the type of coalitions that form, and their relative stability.


In Alpine pasturelands animals switch from higher land for summer and autumn grazing to lower land for winter and spring grazing. A grazing experiment using nine Gansu Alpine Merinos was carried out in Alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Results for the quality of consumed herbage from the autumn pasture showed that the Digestible Energy (DE), Crude Protein (CP) content and CP:DE ratio were 9.15 MJ kg(-1) 10.8 g/100 g and 11.8 g MJ(-1), respectively and the CP level and the CP:DE ratio were optimal for nitrogen utilization. The dry matter intake changed significantly with seasons (p<0.05). For sheep grazing on winter pasture, the actual metabolizable energy intake was lower than maintenance requirements with a negative nitrogen balance (p<0.05), supplements should include both energy and protein feed. While grazing on spring pasture, sheep should be supplemented with energy feed expected to improve N utilization.


Sum mary Pur po se: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of different nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) in primary and recurrent pterygia and to investigate the probable role of any nitric oxide synthase on pterygium recurrence. Ma te ri als and Met hod: Specimens of 40 primary pterygia and 10 recurrent pterygia excised during pterygium surgery were included in the study. Also, 15 normal conjunctiva of medial limbus obtained from patients free of pterygia and removed during other ophthalmologic surgeries formed the control group. Specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for general histological and morphologic evaluation. The distribution of n-NOS, e-NOS and i-NOS were analyzed using indirect immunoperoxidase staining. Re sults: Histological evaluation of specimens revealed that the epithelium in primary and recurrent pterygia groups was thicker compared to that in the control group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that in both primary pterygium and control groups, immunoreactivity was positive for all NOSs in both epithelium and connective tissue. For recurrent pterygium group, NOS immunoreactivity could be detected moderately for n-NOS in the epithelium and weakly for e-NOS in both epithelium and connective tissue. However, in recurrent pterygium samples, i-NOS immunoreactivity was lacking in both epithelium and connective tissue. Dis cus si on: These data are the first to demonstrate that NOS expression may differ between primary and recurrent pterygia. Meanwhile, continuous expression of n-NOS with suppression of i-NOS and e-NOS may be an important step in the recurrence process of pterygia. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2012; 42: 166-71)


At Terrapin, we feel that our two main products, the Terrapin Turtle®, and the Terrapin Logo Language1 for the Apple II, bring together the fields of robotics and AI to provide hours of entertainment for the whole family. We are sure that an enlightened application of our products can uniquely impact the electronic battlefield of the future.


Aiming at the shortcomings of centralized and distributed task allocation methods, and combined with the characteristics of manned/unmanned aerial vehicle formation, task assignment method based on Contract Net Protocol (CNP) is proposed and the manned vehicle can be a node of the CNP task assignment structure. After the extension, the adaptation to the dynamic combat environment and the managing ability to the new threats of the UAV formation are improved. Simulation results show that static and dynamic task assignment methods based on CNP are excellent in time efficiency and assignment effect.


For every relationship, especially in business, to be successful, an inherent characteristic that must be present is trust. It becomes more of a psychological requirement as the bond involves people, directly or indirectly. In an ideal situation where apiece is in place, and the human beings involved are completely satisfied in all ways, the concept of trust seems to become diluted. Hence, we can infer that trust is a requisite in any relation where there is a fear of deception and reveals its utmost importance in an e-Business environment. Trust is one of the bastions of both traditional and electronic business. The level of faith achieved can be satisfactory in case of traditional businesses as it has direct involvement of business parties (who are again people). But when it comes to electronic business it is the machines that speak to each other on behalf of its users and thus, the need to manage and implement trust in a business transaction to make sure that the customers feel secure. In the paper, we realize the necessity of trust in the e-Business environment and also its close association with security.


deemed potentially of interest by any reviewer, the full article was obtained and reviewed by the corresponding author and 1 other reviewer. Studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were reviewed in parallel by 2 authors who each abstracted study characteristics including the type of validation (if any), study quality, and test accuracy data (true positive, false positive, false negative, and true positive in comparison with a valid reference standard). Discrepancies were resolved through consensus discussion. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool was adapted for our study and definitions for low, unclear and high risk of bias prespecified for each domain as shown in Appendix 3. Data Synthesis and Analysis For published CPRs, the probability of influenza in each risk group, likelihood ratios, and the proportion of patients in that risk group are reported. If a CPR reported more than 2 risk groups, the likelihood ratio was calculated for each risk group ("stratum specific likelihood ratios"). If a point score was proposed without identification of low, moderate and high-risk groups, we used clinical judgment to propose such groups post hoc based on test and treatment thresholds from a previous study and reported those findings separately from the original study findings. For published studies of a point score but reporting the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC), AUROCC was calculated using the pROC package in R.


Excerpt To the editor: Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage with resultant acute adrenal insufficiency has been recognized as a fatal complication of anticoagulant therapy (1, 2). Only rarely has this medi...


The macroscopic idea of drainage capacity improvement plan for Chengdu central city area was introduced. The characteristics of the drainage system in the whole basin and the distribution of waterlogging areas were analyzed by using the river model,two-dimensional surface flow model and detailed 1D-2D coupling model. The waterlogging risk in each drainage area was assessed,and the main causes of waterlogging were diagnosed. Engineering and non-engineering measures planned on the basis of the above technical approaches were scientific,reasonable and pertinent.


1. Nicholas Roe Introduction: Leigh Hunt's Track of Radiance 2. Nicholas Roe Leigh Hunt: Some Early Matters 3. John Barnard Leigh Hunt and Charles Cowden Clarke 1812-1818 4. Jeffrey N. Cox Leigh Hunt's Foliage: A Cockney Manifesto 5. Elizabeth Jones Suburb Sinners: Sex and Disease in the Cockney School 6. Jane Stabler Leigh Hunt's Aesthetics of Intimacy 7. Greg Kucich Cockney Chivalry: Hunt, Keats and the Aesthetics of Excess 8. Michael O'Neill 'Even Now While I Write': Leigh Hunt and Romantic Spontaneity 9. Jeffrey C. Robinson Leigh Hunt and the Poetics and Politics of the Fancy 10. Kim Wheatley Conceiving Disgust: Leigh Hunt, William Gifford and the Quarterly Review 11. Rodney Stenning Edgecombe 'Seeing with Final Eyes': Leigh Hunt, Design, Immortality 12. Nicholas Roe Leigh Hunt: Interviews and Recollections, 1932-1921


This report describes an approach to evaluating the reliability of human actions modeled in a probabilistic risk assessment of train control operations. Human reliability analysis was applied to a safety evaluation of the Communications-Based Train Management System (CBTM) being tested by CSX Transportation, Inc. The study analyzed the probabilities of specific human errors representing potential contributors to the risks being modeled in a risk analysis study of the CBTM system for four train related events: entering a block without authorization, exceeding the track speed limit, entering a preplanned work zone without authorization, and crossing a misaligned switch. Ttwo error distributions based upon experience on CBTM territory only and all CSXT territory for trains entering a block without authorization are shown. The distributions were created using a combination of objective and subjective sources. The report also includes a set of guidelines and recommendations for performing a human reliability analysis to insure that the results will be acceptable to the broad set of stakeholders, meet accepted standards for human reliability analysis, and able to be integrated into probabilistic risk assessments.


Determining the unsaturated zone percolation rate, or flux, is an extremely important site characterization issue for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. A new technique that measures the {sup 36}Cl content of tuff from the Exploratory Shaft will be used to calculate flux through the unsaturated zone over longer times than could be measured by the more conventional {sup 14}C method. Measurements of the {sup 36}Cl "bomb pulse" in soil samples from Yucca Mountain have been used to confirm that infiltration is not an important recharge mechanism. 5 refs., 3 figs.


Employee creativity requires knowledge sharing, according to many experts. What aspects of the knowledge sharing cycle encourage employee creativity? In this study, authors examined three factors, i.e., 'opportunity for exchange (OFE), value anticipation (VA), and motivation to engage (MTE)', that influence the production of intellectual capital (as antecedents) and its effects on employee creativity (as outcomes) through knowledge sharing (KS) and quality of knowledge sharing (QKS: as mediating mechanism). To test the hypothesized relationships, Mplus was used to analyze 371 Russian IT employees. The findings suggest that OFE, VA and MTE are important antecedents of both KS and QKS. Moreover, KS and QKS mediates the relationship between antecedents (OFE, VA and MTE) and outcome variable (employee creativity). Theoretical contribution and future research are discussed.


Three categories of second order resonators are treated in this work: A. Nonautonomous driven resonators whose reactors are nonlinear and resistances are positive. (The resonators are similar to the RL Diode circuit). B. Nonautonomous driven resonators whose reactors are linear (and maintained constant in time) and whose dissipation is due to a nonlinear resistor which consists of a negative resistance part. C. Autonomous resonators whose reactors are parametrically excited. (The reactances of the resonators of category C are made directly periodically time varied). The introduction of category C is mainly for auxiliary purposes, in order to bridge difficulties that occur in comparing resonators of categories A and B. Resonators of both categories A and B demonstrate similar dynamic behaviors, since both are capable in certain circumstances of exhibiting bifurcation phenomena and chaos. This demonstrated similarity is puzzling. This is due to the fact that the resonators of category A are fully dissipativ...


The present paper reports a case-study which took place within an EUsupported international program organized for research and development of multi-grade schools (NEMED, [16] [26]). One of the main goals of the research was to develop the connection between disadvantageous social situations and the efficiency (success or failure) in learning mathematics especially from the point of view of average and above-average (talented) students: Why does the talent of children with socially disadvantageous background remain undiscovered? How can we make school mathematics more aware of hidden talents? The author was looking for a didactical solution that compensated for social disadvantages without restricting the development of "average" students by using sociological, educational, psychological and mathematical (experimental and theoretical) studies in interaction with a series of experimental (hypothesis testing and exploratory) investigations. We constructed tools and methods for exploration and experimental teaching, adapted to Hungarian conditions (Curriculum Development, teacher training, materials, interviews, Kuhl's motivation test, Malara's "researchers and practicing teachers in cooperation" method, etc., see [18], [20]). The teaching materials and methodological guidelines are based on Bruner's representation theory (see [5]). The empirical research took place in 16 multi-grade schools located in different parts of the country. The author co-operated with nearly 250 students and 25 teachers for 3 years. In this paper we try to demonstrate how an Operant Motive Test can be involved in this research (see [18]).


Classifying phases of local quantum systems is a general problem that includes special cases such as free fermions, commuting projectors, and others. An important distinction in this classification should be made between classifying periodic and aperiodic systems. A related distinction is that between homotopy invariants (invariants which remain constant so long as certain general properties such as locality, gap, and others hold) and locally computable invariants (properties of the system that cannot change from one region to another without producing a gapless edge between them). We attack this problem using a technique inspired by Kirby's "torus trick" in topology. We use this trick to reproduce results for free fermions (in particular, using the trick to reduce the aperiodic classification to the simpler problem of periodic classification). We also show that a similar trick works for interacting phases which are nontrivial but lack anyons; these results include symmetry protected phases. A key part of this work is an attempt to classify quantum cellular automata (QCA).


In this paper a classification and a comparative overview of quasi-impedance source inverter topologies is given. The working principle, advantages and disadvantages of each topology as well as their possible fields of use are discussed and a comparison of the boost properties as well as dynamic behavior of different quasi impedance source network topologies is carried out.


National pre-exam is one way of the evaluation to the student's ability. Through national pre-exam, it would get information how far the student's preparation to have national exam. National pre-exam is expected to improve student's score on national exam. In addition, national pre-exam is expected can be used to evaluate student's preparation and it can predict national examination score. The improving of student's achievement depends on the way the analysis of change of national examination achievement distribution and description statistics analysis national examination score. The statistics of McNemar's test is used to know student's preparation, because the sample is dependent. Correlation and simple linier regression analysis used for analysis prediction. The increase of national examination score not always the effect of pre-national examination. The pre-national examination can't be used to estimate student's preparation. The probability student that pass the national exam is higher than pre-national exam. It is caused by pre-national exam is more difficult than national exam through the same passing limit. The score of national exam prediction is obtained confidence limit wide enough. Therefore, the variant national of examination achievements is quite large. Key words : National Pre-exam, National Exam, Description Analysis, McNemar's Test; Prediction http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/media_statistika/article/view/2481


Missemer's well-researched book analyses the evolution of economic discourse regarding exhaustible resources. The book traces the conceptual continuities and breaks in an essentially Anglo-American...


The full-length cDNA of giant freshwater prawn pacifastin heavy chain gene (Mr-PHC) was completely cloned by 5' rapid amplification complementary DNA ends (5'RACEs). Its sequence comprised of 4,331 bp containing 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 119 bp followed by 3,990 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding for 1,329 amino acid residues, which joined together with 222 bp 3' UTR. Homology analysis with sequences available in GenBank database revealed that Mr-PHC showed the highest similarity to a unique transferrin-like protein of signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) (pacifastin heavy chain gene, Pl-PHC). Surprisingly, structural analysis found that Mr-PHC contained 4 different functional transferrin-lobe proteins which have not been found previously. Characterization of iron binding residues on each lobe of Mr-PHC resulted in various degrees of conservation when compared with transferrin of vertebrates and insects. The three of four lobes might be active for iron binding sites. Additionally, phylogenetic tree demonstrated that Mr-PHC and Pl-PHC were strongly clustered in the same major clade together with transferrins (TFs) of insects and a lactotransferrin (LTF) of Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus). Our present study supports that the iron binding protein may span in all decapod crustaceans in form of pacifastin heavy chain genes and very structurally unique for giant freshwater prawn.


The MW wind turbine is today's mainstream.This paper presents a control strategy of new low power test platform to simulate the MW wind turbine blade characteristics.By reducing torque characteristics and accuratly track-ing low speed characteristics,the static characteristics of wind turbine simulation can been achieved.The prime move side converter is used to achieve simulating the torque characteristics of the MW wind turbine,generator-side convert-er is used to achieve the tracking features of the low speed characteristics of wind turbine.The experiment is done under two conditions of variable wind speed and variable motor velocity,the results show that the program can accurately simulate the operational characteristics of MW wind turbine.


Just by using the basic practices of SRI-starting with young seedlings giving them wider spacing within and between hills; growing them in well-aerated soil; and with rich organic matter- It is possible to achieve at least25-30percent increase yield when compared to the conventional agriculture despite using significantly less seed........


The development in modern electronics has resulted in rapid increases in power densities for electronic packages. Traditional cooling methods are not capable of removing such high heat fluxes. It is imperative to find new methods to cool high-speed electronic components. One of these methods is to implement a channel filled with a high conductivity porous medium. Many investigations have been conducted on the heat transfer of a channel filled with porous media. However, steady flow through a porous channel still yield a higher temperature difference along the flow direction. It is conceivable that oscillating flow through a porous channel will produce a more uniform temperature distribution due to the two thermal entrance regions of oscillating flow. Some researchers have investigated forced convective heat transfer in porous channels in oscillating flow with different kinds of porous media. Their results showed that the operating temperatures of electronic components can be reduced significantly when an oscillatory flow device is employed. However, research into the two critical factors of displacement and frequency for oscillating flow in a porous channel is very sparse. This paper presents the experimental results of an investigation into the effects of varying flow displacement and frequency on heat transfer enhancement in a porous channel subject to oscillating flow. A comparison was made between the heat transfer performance of oscillating flow through a plate channel without a porous medium and a channel filled with sintered metal foam. The maximum displacements of oscillating flow were varied from 52 to 68 mm and frequencies of oscillation ranged from 1 to 10 Hz. The characteristics of pressure drop, the effects of the dimensionless amplitude of displacement and dimensionless frequency of oscillating flow on heat transfer in porous channel were analyzed. The results revealed that heat transfer in oscillating flow is significantly enhanced by employing porous media in a plate channel. The cycle-averaged local Nusselt number increases with both kinetic Reynolds number Reω and the dimensionless amplitude of flow displacement A0 . Based on the experimental data, a correlation equation of the length-averaged Nusselt number with the dimensionless parameters of Reω and A0 is obtained for a porous channel with L/Dh = 3. This correlation equation will be useful to determine heat transfer rates in oscillating flow through a porous channel for applications in electronics cooling.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


Objective To evaluate and compare the cellular immune response induced by live at-tenuated and inactivated hepatitis A vaccines. Methods A total of 18 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. They were divided randomly into 2 groups and injected by inactivated hepatitis A vaccine and at-tenuated hepatitis A vaccine, respectively. All volunteers' heparinized venous blood was separately collected for testing anti-HAV antibody and the responses of PBMC. The level of IFN-γsecreted by effect T cell was tested by ELISPOT. The percentage of lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ from CD+ and CD8+ T cell was tested by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) technique. The concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10 and IL-4 in the culture supernatants(grown in the presence or absence of HAV) of the in vitro HAV-primed PBMC were determined by Luminex. Results These two types of vaccines can elicit specific anti-HAY antibodies and no statistical significance between them were observed. At the early stage after inoculation, T cell-mediated immune responses with the secretion of IFN-γ were detected in vaccines inoculated with either type of vac-cines. There was a tendency that the cellular immune responses level induced by inactivated hepatitis A vac-cine was higher than that by live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine during 1 to 3 weeks post-injection. The booster inoculation could significantly increase the level of cellular immune responses induced by the inacti-vated vaccine. Conclusion Both live attenuated and inactivated HAV vaccines can elicit an earlier specific humoral and cellular immune responses, and booster inoculation of inactivated HAV vaccine can rapidly and intensively evoke memory immune responses.

Key words:
Anti-hepatitis A antibody;  Vaccine;  Humoral immune response;  Cellular immune re-sponge


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate post-laser peripheral iridotomy variations of anterior ocular segment by anterior segment optical coherence tomography. METHOD: Prospective observational case series in 30 patients (46 eyes) diagnosed with primary angleclosure suspect. The tomography was obtained pre-operative and at seven days post-operative by SL-OCT Heidelberg Engineering. Quantitative variables related to anterior segment structures were analyzed before and after the laser peripheral iridotomy treatment. RESULTS: There were no pre-operative statistical differences between quadrants. In the pos-op period all variables showed significant differences particularly at inferior and nasal quadrant, except for iris-scleral spur distance (p= 0.926) and angle opening distance at 750μm (p= 0.069). Pos-laser changes were significant for variables related to the angle (p= 0.000), anterior chamber volume (p= 0.000), and anterior chamber depth (p= 0.011). The average increase in post-laser anterior chamber angle was 8.7 ± 5.9 degrees and it was correlated negatively to preoperative iris-scleral spur distance (p= 0.007), angle opening distance at 500μm (p= 0.031), trabecular-iris space area at 500 μm (p= 0.003), and 750μm (p= 0.026). Inter-eye differences were non significant for post-operative changes. CONCLUSION: Laser iridotomy is effective to increase the anterior chamber angle, and it is associated with the increase in anterior chamber volume and central depth in primary angle-closure suspect


1. Introduction 2. Ecology: A Household Word 3. A Geologian Meets Geophilosophers 4. Integrating Environments, Societies, and Subjects 5. Roots of Ecological Wisdom 6. Reinventing the Human 7. Emerging Earth Community 8. Cosmic Connections 9. Narrative Imagination, Dangerous Dreams 10. Energy 11. Conclusion


When the Albany State Great Dane football team takes the field Saturday at Alfred, the Danes will pit the number one rushing team in the nation (Division HI) against the number one defense. Lust year, in the first meeting between the two teams, Albany eked out a 7-6 win. After the game there werea lot of alibis offered by the visitors, including poor officiating , bad weather, and the usual promises of revenge the following season. Albany offense in preparation for tomorrow's season opener against Alfred. Danes will face the leading defensive team in their division last year. Well, next year is here, and the Danes will have to prove that last year's excuses were, indeed, only excuses and alibis. There is no doubt that winning at Alfred will be a challenge/The Alfred fans arc well known for their hostility , and most coaches agree it will take a very poised and well disciplined team to win there. The Saxons are coached by a legend in his own time, Alex Yunich. Yunich sports a career mark of 175-94-11, ranks fourth amohg win-ningest coaches in college football today. Last year the Saxons limited their opponents to 7.3 points a game and only 153.6 yards a game total offense. Of equal importance, the Saxons lost only two players to graduation. The stars are All-East defensive end John Van Gura and left linebacker John Peterson. VanGura is very quick and strong, and Ford calls him their best defensive player. Peterson at 6 feet one inch, 205 pounds is a very smart team leader. Alfred plays out of a basic 5-3 defense with multiple adjustments. The key for Albany is quickly reading the different tipoffs given by the defense. Danes' coach Bob Ford believes this is 80 per cent of the battle. "Our quarterbacks must be ready to receive and move the ball very The Albany Slate varsity soccer team ran their preseason record to 2-0 Tuesday by edging Fulton-Montgomery Junior College, 1-0. Freshman Jorge Aguilar took a pass form Frank Selca and dribbled around the visitors' goalie to score the lone goal five minutes into the second half. Both teams failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities, including a Fulton-Montgomery penalty kick saved by Albany's-goalie, Henry Obwald. "Our team play was generally good," said Booters' coach Bill Schicffelin, "but we still have to make some changes and improvements. Considering we were doings lotof …


A screening investigation for mycoplasmas in upper small intestine was carried out in 65 patients, normal or affected by either biliary tract disorders or malabsorptive states. Mucosal biopsies, duodeno-jejunal fluid aspirates and biliary secretions were cultured for mycoplasma growth on appropriate media. Serological studies were performed to detect antimycoplasma antibodies. Both cultural and serological findings were consistently negative. It is suggested that the upper small intestine and biliary tract are not inhabited by mycoplasmas in either normal or pathological conditions.


The phenomenological coefficients for one‐dimensional mass and energy flows between infinite parallel plates containing polyatomic gases at all degrees of rarefaction are reported. The polyatomic gas model equations developed by Hansen and Morse were used in the linearized Wang Chang and Uhlenbeck equation with Maxwell's diffuse scattering boundary conditions. The solutions reproduce the molecular flow results at large Knudsen numbers and the continuum fluid properties for small Knudsen numbers. The phenomenological coefficients are functions of the Eucken factor, the internal constant volume heat capacity, and the translational Eucken factor. Calculations for the Gross–Jackson and the BGK model are reported and compared to the polyatomic gas results. We find the thermal transpiration effect depends on the translational Eucken factor and is independent of the inelastic collisions. The monatomic gas results can be used to estimate the thermal transpiration effect by ''scaling'' the Knudsen numbers used to ...


A THERMAL anemometer with unusual sensitivity, accuracy, and ruggedness has been developed for laboratory and industrial use. It operates from a heated noble metal thermopile which is placed in the airstream whose velocity is to be measured. The anemometer is practically independent of temperature over a considerable range since both the hot and cold junctions are exposed to the airstream and are equally affected by ambient temperature. Radiation effects tend to cancel in the same manner. Thermopile probes of suitably chosen materials have been used satisfactorily at temperatures as low as — 65 degrees Fahrenheit and to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The outstanding feature of this anemometer is that the transient thermal voltage produced in the heated thermopile by sudden changes in ambient temperature is counterbalanced by the equal and opposite transient thermal voltage of an unheated thermopile located in the probe and exposed to the airstream whose velocity is being measured. This arrangement compensates completely for rate of change of temperature.


Significance Pathogens use virulence factors to inhibit key immune cell functions and would be expected to impair immune responses to infection. However, immune responses are still generated against infection, suggesting that the immune system has evolved mechanisms for overcoming pathogenic activity. Here, we demonstrate that cells infected with Legionella pneumophila synthesize IL-1 despite a pathogen-imposed block in host translation, but are unable to produce other critical cytokines. IL-1 signaling allows uninfected bystander cells to produce protective cytokines. Our data thus demonstrate a key role for communication between infected and uninfected bystander cells in overcoming pathogenic activities. This mechanism of immune activation has broad significance for our understanding of how successful immune responses are generated against pathogens. The innate immune system is critical for host defense against microbial pathogens, yet many pathogens express virulence factors that impair immune function. Here, we used the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila to understand how the immune system successfully overcomes pathogen subversion mechanisms. L. pneumophila replicates within macrophages by using a type IV secretion system to translocate bacterial effectors into the host cell cytosol. As a consequence of effector delivery, host protein synthesis is blocked at several steps, including translation initiation and elongation. Despite this translation block, infected cells robustly produce proinflammatory cytokines, but the basis for this is poorly understood. By using a reporter system that specifically discriminates between infected and uninfected cells within a population, we demonstrate here that infected macrophages produced IL-1α and IL-1β, but were poor producers of IL-6, TNF, and IL-12, which are critical mediators of host protection. Uninfected bystander cells robustly produced IL-6, TNF, and IL-12, and this bystander response required IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling during early pulmonary infection. Our data demonstrate functional heterogeneity in production of critical protective cytokines and suggest that collaboration between infected and uninfected cells enables the immune system to bypass pathogen-mediated translation inhibition to generate an effective immune response.


This paper introduces digital watermarking based on corner feature,and proposes an algorithm based on corner's weight.Firstly,different intensity of Gaussian noise is added to the normalized grayscale images to simulate the noise attack.Using Harris algorithm to extract the corner points and sort them according to the corner's weight.Corner points are clustering and the stable ones as the location to embed digital watermarking.The experiment results show that this algorithm reduces the number of missed and false corners,and can effectively resist a certain degree of noise and RST attack.


Abstract We use an established discrete element method (DEM) Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)-based numerical model to simulate non-suspended sediment transport across conditions encompassing almost seven orders of magnitude in the particle–fluid density ratio $s$, ranging from subaqueous transport ($s=2.65$) to aeolian transport in the highly rarefied atmosphere of Pluto ($s=10^7$), whereas previous DEM-based sediment transport studies did not exceed terrestrial aeolian conditions ($s\approx 2000$). Guided by these simulations and by experiments, we semi-empirically derive simple scaling laws for the cessation threshold and rate of equilibrium aeolian transport, both exhibiting a rather unusual $s^{1/3}$-dependence. They constitute a simple means to make predictions of aeolian processes across a large range of planetary conditions. The derivation consists of a first-principle-based proof of the statement that, under relatively mild assumptions, the cessation threshold physics is controlled by only one dimensionless control parameter, rather than two expected from dimensional analysis. Crucially, unlike existing models, this proof does not resort to coarse-graining the particle phase of the aeolian transport layer above the bed surface. From the pool of existing models, only that by Pähtz et al. (J. Geophys. Res.: Earth, vol. 126, 2021, e2020JF005859) is somewhat consistent with the combined numerical and experimental data. It captures the scaling of the cessation threshold and the $s^{1/3}$-dependence of the transport rate, but fails to capture the latter's superimposed grain size dependence. This hints at a lack of understanding of the transport rate physics and calls for future studies on this issue.


We study beef packing margins before and after mandatory price reporting (MPR) was implemented in 2001 using a model that identifies and tests for switching between cooperative and non-cooperative regime pricing. Our results show that after MPR took effect, the duration of non-cooperative regimes was considerably shorter, while cooperative regimes were longer. Oligopsonistic rent, as measured by average economic profit, rose from $0.88/head in the 1990s to $2.59/head after 2001. While MPR is not likely the sole cause for such an increase, there was clearly more market power being exercised in fed cattle markets in the years after the program was implemented than before. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.


Aldosterone plays an important role in regulating extracellularvolume, and is the downstream modulator of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. In addition, aldosterone also causes increased oxidative stress and decreased nitric oxide bioavailability that results in vascular inflammation. Aldosterone therefore functions to promote cardiovascular damage and remodelling not only in a blood pressuredependent manner but also in a blood pressure-independent manner. Abundant experimental evidence from animal models has documented the mechanisms whereby aldosterone causes these effects as well as the benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade to reduce vascular inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of MR antagonism seen in clinical trials suggest that MR blockade will be an important therapeutic approach in the future.


HE current "chaos" in metropolitan fiT nance stems from two different sets of problems. The first, which we label "traditional," are exemplified by such expressions as: "ever-increasing demands for service," "inadequate tax base," "archaic tax structure," "lack of planning," and other familiar expressions. Without doubting that these problems are acute and in need of attention, we wish to consider an overlooked second set of problems. The second set of problems arises when the budget functions of governments are placed within the context of the newly developed theory of public finance.' Here, governments are seen as performing certain overall budget functions provision of goods and services, income redistribution, and economic stabilization. However, except for the provision of one class of goods and services, namely, social goods, little attention has been focused on the budget problems involved in applying the newer theory to lower levels of government and the attendant problems of fiscal federalism which arise. We will argue that much of the "chaos" in metropolitan finance arises from a misunderstanding of the budget functions to be performed. The heart of the problem, it will be shown, lies in the vertical relations between governmental units. Under fiscal federalism the failure to solve problems of vertical relations, in turn, gives rise to certain horizontal conflicts between governmental units. While our discussion applies to lower-level governments in general, we focus attention on metropolitan areas where the problems are more vividly illustrated. The analysis will be structured in terms of the various budget functions which governments perform. The provision of social goods will be considered briefly. Next, we look into certain interferences with consumer sovereignty (merit goods) which governments undertake. Finally, issues involved when governments redistribute income will be considered.2 For each function we postulate a set of vertical rules ordering the relations between governments. This ordering will enable us to highlight the issues involved.


A review of the salient developments in the use of vaginal rings as contraceptive devices is presented. The doughnut shaped rings are made of polydimethylsiloxane and are placed in the posterior vaginal fornix fitting around the cervix. The steroids are present as crystals. The device offers the advantage of continuous contraceptive coverage without frequent dosing and can be discontinued at will. 4 designs have been developed. The advantage of the homogeneous ring is that it is the easiest to manufacture; the shell design minimizes diffusion distance as the steroid load is depleted; the core design offers a slow release rate; and the banded rings increase flexibility by allowing the simultaneous use of 2 different steroids. Individual variation of steroid metabolism prohibits accurate measurement of release rates and patterns of release. In spite of this uncertainty several studies have been conducted. Results indicate that variation in release rates among devices of the same design is small. Studies of individual steroids show fairly constant release rates for norethindrone in the core design; progestin R2323 core design; medroxyprogestrone acetate with all designs; levonorgestrel shell design (some decline was noted in the 1st cycle) and core design; and estradiol in the shell design. Data on estradiol plus levonorgestrel is conflicting with 1 study showing a "burst" of estradiol plasma levels immediately after insertion. Tests of clinical performance indicate infrequent reports of vaginal irritation (especially with rings with diameters less than 65 mm) or of interference with intercourse. Expulsion occurs occasionally (e.g. 1/20 women studied over 116 cycles). Odor is reported with bleeding but has seldom been associated with discontinuation. Inhibition of ovulation has been successful with medroxyprogestrone acetate at "doses" of 1 mg/day with R2323 at 1 mg/day or higher with levonorgestrel at 290 mcg/day and levonorgestrel at 300 mcg/day combined with 180 mcg/day estradiol. Good control of intermenstrual bleeding has been achieved with medroxyprogestrone acetate 1.11 mg/day. Low incidence of spotting is reported with levonorgestrel 20 mcg/day and 300 mcg/day combined with 180 mcg/day estradiol. Low incidence of failure of withdrawal bleeding is reported for 1.1 mg/day medroxyprogestrone acetate and 300 mcg/day levonorgestrel combined with 180 mcg/day estradiol. Higher dose levels of norgestrel and levonorgestrel with estradiol benzoate are also associated with less frequent failure. Increases in vaginal discharge are reported as frequently as by oral contraceptive (OC) users. Results of several clinical pharmacology studies using 300 mcg/day levonorgestrel 300 mcg/day levonorgestrel plus 180 mcg/day estradiol and 260 mcg/day levonorgestrel plus 160 mcg/day estradiol show decreases in serum triglycerides total cholesterol high density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins. Implications for the risk of cardiovascular disease are being evaluated. 1 study noted minor decreases in insulin levels in glucose tolerance tests. Increased bilirubin levels are reported but are within normal range. Studies of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are conflicting; 1 study showed levels remained normal the other showed suppression of LH. A multinational clinical trial comparing OCs (150 mcg levonorgestrel plus 30 mcg estradiol) with 58 mm (diameter) rings containing 300 mcg/day levonorgestrel plus 180 mcg/day estradiol and 50 mm rings with 260 mcg/day levonorgestrel plus 160 mcg/day estradiol is underway using 550 women in each regimen in each of 8 countries. Equal net cumulative pregnancy rates for 1 year are reported 2.0 or less/100 women; approximately 55% of all groups are continuing after 1 year. Menstrual vaginal and use related problems are more common reasons for discontinuation among ring users; other medical reasons are common for pill users including headaches nausea and depression. A 52 week animal toxicology study using monkeys and generally higher doses of steroids showed endometrial atrophy changes in cervical mucus and dose related focal or diffuse atrophy of the vaginal mucosal epithelium.


Recent commentary on knowledge management has discu ssed the importance of "knowledge artifacts". But what is a knowledge arti f ct? This paper reviews the problems inherent in identifying knowledge artifacts and pro vides a description of various constructs for articulating and describing them. I discuss kno wledge artifacts as material, tool, artifact, marking, inscription, document, boundary object, and genre. The paper continues with some discussion of a methodological approach f or studying information behaviour based on "following the document" (or knowledge art if ct). KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 3 Following the document : Toward an integrated study of knowledge artifacts I recently read a news-group post asking what "know ledge artifacts" are. The nature of the question seemed rather naive. In the KM field there are plenty of artifacts: memos, documents, directories, etc. However, upon further reflection the question yields considerable grist for the intellectual mill. My first response was to admonish the poster about the nature of information. If the goal of KM is really to conduct "an audit of 'intellectual ssets' that highlights unique sources, critical functions and potential bottlenecks which hinder knowledge flows to the point of use", then we must include all sorts of information (definition attributed to Denham Grey at http://www.km-forum.org/what_is.htm ). Given the importance of interpersonal information exchange for professionals (Leckie, Pet tigrew, & Sylvain, 1996), engineers (Hertzum & Pejtersen, 2000; Pinelli, 1991), isolate d individuals (Chatman, 1991, 1992, 1996), business leaders (Choo, 1998; Grosser, 1991) ... well, pretty much everyone, we should look beyond just the archived data sources. Of course, a number of researchers have done just w hat I recommended and have transcended the document. Brenda Dervin, the Doyenn e of "sensemaking" (Dervin, 1992) admonishes us to not treat information as a "brick" and to free the concept from the quantizing manacles imposed by Shannon and Weaver ( 1949). In a similar manner, Buckland's well-cited article (1991) applies the "a s-thing" suffix to "information" to flesh out his pantheon of interpretations. KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 4 Still, the importance of artifacts such as document s can't be ignored. Bernd Frohmann (2004), for example, applies a Wittgenstinian analy sis to the concept of information and finds it lacking. Instead, he suggests we focus our attention as researchers to documents themselves. The conceptual limitations of informati on in general seems apparent in the diverse interpretations of concepts such as "inform ation" and "knowledge" (e.g., Belkin, 1978; Kanfer et al., 2000) So, here we are—back to documents and knowledge art ifacts. Frohmann (2004) gives us some concepts to use as we explore documents. Speci fically, he discusses the materiality of documents, the ways in which documents are "embe dded" in institutions, how documents function as part of a social discipline ( ote similarity with Bourdieu and societal strategies), and the historicity of documents (i.e., "practic es arise, develop, decline, and vanish—all under specific historical c ircumstances" 397). To understand documents we can perhaps take a histo riographical approach and explore the antecedents of our modern knowledge artifacts. The printing press is always a good—if already thoroughly researched—place to start. The p rinting press, however, is an entire technology rather than a knowledge artifact. More v aluable approaches could be to explore the context of some traditional knowledge artifacts such as dictionaries, thesauri, classification systems, and encyclopedias (e.g., He adrick, 2000). Perhaps additional attention could be given to artifacts of production other than just the printing press. Henry Petroski (like me, a civil engineer!) has done us a considerable service by offering KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 5 biographies of humble technologies such as the book shelf (Petroski, 1999) and the pencil (Petroski, 1990). In a similar manner, Joanna Yate s (1989) profiled those oft-overlooked technological cornerstones of the modern organizati on: he typewriter, the filing cabinet (originally designed and produced by Melvill Dewey' s Library Bureau), and copying technologies such as carbon paper. While historical studies yield some insights on how artifacts came to be, they yield little information about how we actually use the objects o r how we feel about them. There is, admittedly, a large body of literature on "informat ion needs and uses" (e.g., Dervin & Nilan, 1986; Julien, 1996; Julien & Duggan, 2000) b ut it does little to answer the question "what are knowledge artifacts?" A slighty different approach has begun to emerge wi thin the LIS literature. Known as chaine operatoire (or "chain of operations"), it ha s been imported from the fields of archaeology and anthropology (Miller, 2004). Recogn izing that the difference between an "artifact" and a "not otherwise differentiated thin g" is the interpretation of the user community, this method seeks to explore the entire life cycle of artifacts from initial creation, through modification, to disposal (Dobres , 2000). This type of approach seems evident—although not explicitly referenced—in the m ore recent work of Yates and her coauthor Wanda Orlikowski who explore the emergence o f various "genres" of business communication such as the memo or the business repo rt (1992). The trick is to bring chaine operatoire from the ar chaeological study of dead objects to the KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 6 interpretation of living knowledge/information/comm unication (choose your flavour) systems. Gosselain (1999) has demonstrated one appr oach in which chaine operatoire was used as a basis for exploring how various sub-Sahar an indigenous cultures value and understand their ceramic pots. Gosselain posits the question: "one may wonder whether potters' behaviour could in turn be influenced by m etaphors, with steps of the chaine operatoire becoming the locus of symbolic discourse ." (205). This combination of process, metaphor, and behaviour seems to resonate with much of the LIS literature on information practices. Could a similar approach be used for our own studies? I have to admit to a certain dissatisfaction with t he methods currently open to me as a researcher of human information behaviour/informati on seeking in context/information needs and uses (as above, choose your flavour). Con ducti g unobtrusive observation in settings such as libraries led me to consider the u northodox approach of wrestling patrons to the ground and strapping radio control collars o n them. For a while I was greatly enthused by the Israeli army's use of RFID chips; c ould I just shoot similar chips into the asses of my prey... er, participants? Loosely-structured interviews, while highly rated w ithin our recent constructivist turn in LIS research has posed different constraints. Dervi n's sense-making approach is often attended by her micro-moment timeline (Dervin, 1992 , 2002 [1984]) interviewing technique. This critical incident approach has been r commended for exploring the information use of various populations. My own expe rience, however, has led me to feel that the frame imposed by the interviewing situatio n and the relationship between the KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 7 interviewer and -ee constrain the general applicabi lity of the method; the really interesting confessions of information use just never come up i n friendly narrative about a possiblyreconstructed experience (McCloskey, Wible, & Cohen , 1988)! Ethnomethodolgy may overcome these limitations but I'm still wary of Fr ohmann's call to heed the document. This is where, perhaps, chaine operatoire gets its call to the stage. I recently participated in a semester long seminar th t focused exclusively on the information practices of scholars and professionals . A number of us felt some dissatisfaction with existing techniques and we beg an to discuss the notion of "following the document." Consistent with Frohmann's ideas, we thought of ways to explore the information practices of individuals by using the d ocuments they create, use, and destroy as a way of eliciting discourse. McKenzie and Davie s (2004) have done some initial work in this manner by studying the information practice s of—respectively—mid-wives and theatrical performers, professions that rely on a v ariety of documents. The rest of this short paper further explores this idea of "following the document". In particular, it will explore possible applications o f chaine operatoire as a methodological approach. It should be noted that, in some ways, th is type of application represents a type of homecoming for the methodology. Dobres (2000), f or example, notes the importance of the social studies of science and knowledge for the development of chaine operatoire. One of the most influential works mentioned by work was Latour's (Latour, 1987; Latour & Woolgar, 1979) examination of scientific practices, pecially his use of scientific inscriptions or documents. KNOWLEDGE ARTIFACTS—Goodall 8


Mathematical models for the electricity portf olio managementof a utility that ownsa hydro-thermal generationsystem and tradeson the power market often leadto complexstochastic optimization problems. We presenta new approachto solving stochastichydro-storagesubproblemsthat occur when stochastic Lagrangian relaxation is applied to solving suchmodels.The special structur eof suchhydro-storagesubproblemsallowsthe design of a stochasticnetwork flow algorithm. The algorithm represents a stochasticextensionof a relaxationmethod, that algorithmically solves the linear minimum cost flow problem. It is basedon the iterati ve impr ovementof dual costs. Numerical experienceof the new algorithm is reported and its performance is compared with that of standard LP software .