ID: 272 for Conference for Undergraduate Research at FIU (Auto-Generated August 29, 2017 11:45 am) Break Junction Technique for Studying Individual Biological Molecules by Brian Mayorga | Jin He Abstract Id: 272 Submitted: March 13, 2017 Event: Conference for Undergraduate Research at FIU 2017 Topic: PhysicsId: 272 Submitted: March 13, 2017 Event: Conference for Undergraduate Research at FIU 2017 Topic: Physics Title: Break Junction Technique for Studying Individual Biological Molecules Authors: Brian Mayorga, Jin He Abstract Single molecule biophysics is a rapidly growing field that has great implications in the broader area of nanotechnology. The quantum properties of complex biological molecules can also be studied through the use of advanced techniques that examine molecules on an individual scale. Current methods for studying individual molecules often lack the accuracy needed to yield satisfactory data. In our experiments, we attempted to use a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) based break junction method to study the quantum tunneling current through small biomolecules. By probing the currents changes through these molecules on an individual scale under external gating and in a controlled environment, we can learn fundamental physical and chemical properties of these molecules and subsequently apply them to new technologies. (NOTE: This is an updated version of the attached, previously submitted abstract.) Copyright 2017 Conference for Undergraduate Research at FIU powered by WPAbstracts Pro


On the basis of a series of 287 consecutive double-J stent placements in stone patients before ESWL, we are proposing the introduction of some angiographic techniques that can be useful in difficult cases. The use of a cobra angiographic catheter allows for overcoming the obstacle in about 60% of difficult cases through a retrograde way and, for the remaining cases, through an antegrade way. No serious complications occurred.


In modern time teaching practice is playing a very important role in training qualified and specialized teachers in normal schools. In order to enhance students' teaching levels, teaching bases should be well established to offer them frequent contact with students in middle schools as well as in primary schools. Intensive teaching guidance is needed and feed-back reconsideration should be encouraged. Finally, their research capability will be developed through teaching practice experience.


This article presents strategies in mediation based on experiences from a mediation project conducted in Oslo, Norway. The mediators integrate knowledge from the mediation tradition and the family therapy tradition. The author describes several motivating, structuring, confirming, and meaning-expanding strategies in the sessions, and how clients are helped to reach decisions. The mediation is structured. At the same time, the mediators try to give emotional reactions a legitimate place. In style they are more like conversational partners than advisers, and solutions are based on the parties' own ideas and competence.


In today's era `Digital' is a house hold name. As some way or the other technology is part of our lives. Digital media can be seen as the live example of the same. Digitization is in the air. It is peeping in our lives up to so much of extent that even if anything goes wrong we can rebuild the scene and investigate, what went wrong. While investigation we have to check, whether the crime has taken place through some digital media or crime has taken place and now digital media is used to build up the scene of crime and evidences. In this paper, we have discussed the computer forensics life cycle and a very much capable tool to investigate the digital media-Hex Editor.


There are two parts to Stopping Sight Distance (SSD): Distance traveled during reaction time and Braking distance. It is the standard practice, according to Indian Roads Congress (IRC), American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Australian, and Canadian guidelines, to determine SSD based on these two distances. However, these practices do not take into account the role of air resistance, drag force and wind speed on SSD. A vehicle will move from one place to another after removing air. Air resistance reduces the sight distance, as does drag force. Wind velocity reduces SSD in cases in which the wind moves in the opposite direction of vehicle movement and vice versa. SSD is used to determine the length of the vertical curve. Using all these parameters, including aerodynamic drag coefficient, frontal area of vehicle and mass of vehicle, SSD has been modified. Reported herein are SSDs for various situations.


This paper presents a new method to calculate the utility harmonic impedance and the harmonic voltage emission level at the point of common coupling (PCC). Since harmonic current at the PCC commonly exhibits negligible dependence on the utility side background harmonic, the variable item of the background harmonic in the deviation formulation can be eliminated by using the covariance characteristic of random vectors. And then, the utility harmonic impedance, the customer harmonic voltage emission level, and the background harmonic can be calculated in real time. Based on the analysis results of the simulation and the field test case, it shows that the proposed method is effective to reduce the calculation errors caused by the fluctuation of background harmonic, and satisfactory results can be achieved.


Titration of trimers of C-phycocyanin with p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonate (PCMS) changes spectroscopic and kinetic properties of chromophore B84. The resonance-enhanced CARS spectra of room temperature solutions indicate that these changes are due to a modification in B84 chromophore geometry (movement of ring D) as judged by the disappearance of the 1245 cm-1 vibration.


Traditional Library as a place of collecting.keeping and using knowlodge and masterpieces,is known by all of us.It is a place of containing information of all fields like sicence,cultuve,education and research.But nowadays,the 21 centuvy university library has more important function,that is,it places a very key rule on training the college students' good personality.


This paper discusses the development of novel switching devices using embedded microporcessing systems. It first reviews on basic Ethernet switch operations and the spanning tree protocol (STP). It then gives a brief analysis on Linux STP implementation and bridge configuration tools. The aim of the analysis is to lay a foundation for latter discussion on how novel switching devices can be developed based on the bridging codes. To facilitate the discussion, a new kind of Ethernet switches (with modified STP operations) proposed by the authors of this paper is used as an example. This practical example demonstrates how kernel programming on Linux and some modifications on configuration tools can be made to develop new switching devices. Experiments on the newly developed switches are also reported. The results show that these new switches can provide better security for STP networks. At the end of the paper, discussion on how to port the design to embedded miscroprocessing systems is also given.


With the frame of PE250×400 jaw crusher serving as the study object, 3D design software SolidWorks was used to establish a 3D model of the frame, and then the model was imported into the finite element software ANSYS Workbench to calculate the fixed modes. The natural frequency and vibration shape of the frame were obtained, which laid foundations for harmonic response analysis, transient response analysis, vibration fault diagnosis and forecast as well as the optimization design of the structural dynamic characteristics. The analysis showed: the exciting frequency caused by operation of the drive motor, main shaft and conveyance belts was far lower than the frame lowest inherent frequency 175.9 Hz, which would not lead to resonance of the frame; the vibration shapes of high-order modes were complex, while the ones of low-order modes was simple, but the amplitude was wider, which had greater influence on intensity and rigidity of the frame, so it should be paid attention to avoid other vibration sources while the crusher working.


Objective To develop an inactivation procedure for virus in chitosan by sodium hydroxide ethanol solution and γ irradiation.Methods Bovine viral diarrhea virus(BVDV)and porcine parvovirus(PPV)as indicators in chitosan were inactivated by sodium hydroxide ethanol solution and γ irradiation separately,and the two methods were optimized.A two-step inactivation procedure was developed under optimized condition,by which the inactivated samples were determined for virus titer,relative molecular mass of chitosan,degree of deacetylation and ethanol content.Results After treatment with 10% ethanol solution containing 8 mol/L sodium hydroxide at 35℃ for 1 h followed by lyophilization and irradiation with γ-ray at a dosage of 5 kGy,both BVDV and PPV titers in chitosan decreased by more than 4 lgTCID50,while the relative molecular mass of chitosan decreased by only 8.4%,the degree of deacetylation showed no significant change,and no residual ethanol was detected.Conclusion The two-step inactivation procedure consisting of treatment with sodium hydroxide ethanol solution and γ irradiation was effective for inactivation of indicator viruses in chitosan,while showed little effect on chitosan,which ensured the safety of chitosan as a biomaterial and a medicinal subsidiary material.


Improving x-ray spectral energy resolution in conventional scanning electron microscopes (SEM) can be achieved by using microcalorimeters. Although improvements to microcalorimeter design are still being studied, several research groups have developed fabrication techniques that result in consistent devices [1]. Here we discuss the fabrication techniques we use to make microcalorimeters using superconducting transition edge sensors (TES) as thermometers.


If a is a point in the domain of convergence of a planar power series f in a single variable x one con expand f into a planar power series in the variable (x-a). One arrives at the notion of planar analytic functions on any domain D in the complex plane. It can be described by sections of the sheaf of planar germs. The k-ary exponential series exp(k,x) has infinite radius of convergence. It is possible to define a planar analogue of the classical zeta-function. As yet a functional equation for it has not been obtained.


The present paper deals with a nonlocal problem under homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions, set in a bounded smooth domain Ω of R N. The problem studied is a stationary version of the original Kirchhoff equation involving the p-Laplace operator. The question of the existence of weak solutions is treated. Using vari- ational approach and applying the Mountain Pass Theorem together with Fountain theorem, the existence and multiplicity of solutions is obtained in the Sobolev space W 1;p (Ω).


Mining in Estonian oil shale deposit decreases groundwater level of Keila-Kukruse aquifer down to 30 m (1). Pumping rate is very high ‐ depending on seasons 10 up to 40 m 3 per produced oil shale tonnage (2). To predict and avoid the impact on to social welfare and environment, decrease pumping costs while the taxes increase every year, there is needed to monitor continuously the situation and have a groundwater model for predictions of the situation. Current project has created computational groundwater model using Visual ModFlow 4.2 software and well structured MS Access database of monitored data.


This chapter presents a survey of terms and concepts related to the householder in the Mahābhārata. It gives a statistical overview of the key terms and provides an account of their relational contexts, especially in their juxtaposition to the wandering mendicant, and their positioning in various versions of āśrama systems. It also highlights the prominence given to the king as the maximal householder, particularly with respect to Yudhiṣṭhira. Finally, it offers some considerations to account for the diversity of the Mahābhārata's presentation of the householder.


As to the thick bar on the hidden latticed synthtic fabric produced with heavy water-jet loom,a let-off system is developed using virtual instrumental technology for testing and analysis of thick bar and start performance of the loom is modified hence with a considerabl effect removing thick bar.


A type of organophilic montmorillonite (O-MMT) was prepared with a silane coupling-agent. A polyacrylate-organosilicon and its layered silicate nanocomposites (PLS) for leather finishing were prepared by emulsion polymerization. The O-MMT was examined by infrared spectrum (FT-IR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The results show that the distance between the silicate layers increased indicating that the intercalating agents did enter into the gallery space of the montmorillonite. Films of the nanocomposites (PLS) were examined by WAXD and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the results prove the formation of exfoliated nanocomposites. Film formation was easy and the film was completely transparent with good tenacity. The mechanical properties and flexural modulus of the nanocomposite film were improved; especially noteworthy was the glass transition temperature of the film which decreased.


Bowie L. The Rote Armee Fraktion: Memory and the Construction of Art, Film and Literature. eSharp 2013, (20: New Horizons), 1-18. Copyright: © The Author(s) The definitive version of this article, published by Glasgow University. 2013, is available at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/esharp/issues/20spring2013-newhorizons/ Always use the definitive version when citing. Further information on publisher website: Date deposited: 4 June 2013 Version of file: Published


The study of Pd(0)-/t-Bu3P system as a powerful catalyst for the cross-coupling of n,m-dihaloarenes with 1 equiv of arylboronic acids is described. Our work demonstrated that the fate of the regenerated Pd(0) catalyst can be controlled when the appropriate ligand is employed. The results described here may lead to the development of new, efficient processes to conjugate polymers with controlled length which are potentially useful in molecular electronics.


Tel : (1-304) 293-3222 Fax : (1-304) 293-2327 email : firstname.lastname@example.com ABSTRACT Objective. To determine the benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide test scores of periodontopathic bacteria, including that of red complex bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia, as well as the organism morphotypes, probing depths, and plaque scores in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Methods. In a prospective study, plaque samples were collected from 13 patients at baseline, four monthly visits after treatment, and at 30 days after removal of the appliance. A benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide test was performed to identify the periodontal pathogens. Dark field microscopy was used to recognize the morphotypes. The O'Leary Plaque Index and probing depths were assessed at each test interval to determine the hygiene and periodontal status of the patients. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference test. Results. Significant increases in plaque score, probing depths, and benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide scores were found at each interval after placement of orthodontic appliances. However, the levels returned to baseline after removal of the appliances. Dark field microscopy confirmed increases in small spirochetes (7.5%), large spirochetes (2.5%), non-motile rods (9%), fusiforms (5%), and filaments (1%) with orthodontic treatment. Conclusions. Patients undergoing orthodontic therapy have an increase in plaque accumulation, probing depth, and microbial activity that may be associated with periodontal destruction. Thirty days after removal of the orthodontic appliance, the plaque score, probing depth, and benzoyl-DLarginine-naphthylamide test score returned to almost baseline level.


Background Implementation of yellow fever vaccination is currently hampered by limited supply of vaccine. An alternative route of administration with reduced amounts of vaccine but without loss of vaccine efficacy would boost vaccination programmes. Methods and Findings A randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial was conducted in a Dutch university center between August 2005 and February 2007. A total of 155 primary vaccinated and 20 previously vaccinated volunteers participated. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to receive intradermal (i.d.) vaccination with live attenuated yellow fever 17D vaccine at a reduced dose (1/5th; 0·1 mL) or the conventional subcutaneous (s.c.) vaccination (0·5 mL). Antibody neutralization titers were determined at 2, 4 and 8 weeks and 1 year after vaccination by counting the reduction in virus-induced plaques in the presence of serial serum dilutions. Adverse events were documented in a 3-week dairy. Viraemia was measured 5 days after vaccination. From 2 weeks up to one year after vaccination, the maximum serum-dilution at which 80% of the virus plaques were neutralized, which indicates protection against yellow fever, did not differ between those given a reduced i.d. dose or standard s.c. dose of vaccine. In all cases the WHO standard of seroprotection (i.e. 80% virus neutralization) was reached (in 77/77 and 78/78, respectively). Similar results were found in the previously vaccinated individuals. Viraemia was detected in half of the primary vaccinated participants, which was not predictive of serological response. In revaccinees no viraemia was detected. Conclusions Intradermal administration of one fifth of the amount of yellow fever vaccine administered subcutaneously results in protective seroimmunity in all volunteers. Albeit this vaccination route should enable vaccination of five-times as many individuals at risk for disease, these results should now be confirmed in field studies in areas with potential yellow fever virus transmission to change vaccination policy. Trial Registration Nederlands Trial Register ISRCTN46326316


A bandwidth-efficient constant-envelope Proof-of-Concept (POC) modem is described. The modem was developed on an Advanced Modulation Techniques Development contract for the NASA/Lewis Research Center. The POC modem employs 16-ary Continuous Phase Frequency Shift Keying (16-CPFSK) modulation. The 16 frequencies are spaced every 1/16th baud rate which produces a compact spectrum allowing 2 bits/sec/Hz operation. The modem is designed for 200 mb/s Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) application with 100 MHz adjacent channel spacing. Overall rate 3.4 convolutional coding is incorporated. The demodulator differs significantly from typical quadrature phase detector approaches in that phase is coherently measured by processing the baseband output of a frequency discriminator. Baud rate phase samples for the baseband processor are subsequently decoded to yield the original data stream. The method of encoding onto the 16-ary symbol-ending phase nodes, together with convolutional coding gain, results in near Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) theoretical performance. The modulated signal is of constant envelope; thus the power amplifier can be saturated for peak performance. The spectrum is inherently bandlimited and requires no RF filter for sidelobe containment. Two novel theoretical techniques are used in this 16-CPFSK modem: (1) coherent phase measurements are obtained by processing an FM discriminator baseband output; and (2) modulation is accomplished via a closed-loop-linearized voltage controlled oscillator (VCO).


We present a novel approach for large speech databases quantization. It uses an unsupervised iterative process to regulate a similarity measure to set the number of clusters and their boundaries, thus overcoming the shortcomings of conventional clustering algorithms such as k-Means and Fuzzy C-Means, which require a priori knowledge of the number of clusters and a similarity measure that follows the data distribution, and which are sensitive to the choice of the initial configuration. The integration of the proposed clustering algorithm into an automatic hybrid HMM/MLP speech recognition system showed improved recognition accuracy in comparison with that obtained by FCM clustering whose outcome was optimized by a genetic algorithm.


The main objective of the article is to examine the leadership style through a number of analyses, evaluations and researches from available sources, in order to discover suggested facts related to leadership activities through the prisms of servant leadership theory. So far, many leadership theories have been developed, proposing different leadership styles. One of the most discussed leadership styles is the servant leadership, which implies that a person must be human first, leader second. Every leader must whole heartedly serves an organization to which he/she belongs. This is both an honor and a great responsibility for the leader. The main methods used in the article are analysis, synthesis, evaluation based on literature review. The article aims to point out the outstanding strengths of the servant leadership style that a leader needs. The article focuses on specifying the strengths in servant leadership that leaders need in the current context of ever changing world, and hence, proposes guidelines for leaders to learn and practice so that they can better serve their public organizations. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01273 Full Text: PDF


Phase structures of immiscible polypropylene (PP)/polystyrene (PS) blends with different volume proportions, PP90/PS10, PP80/PS20, PP70/PS30, PP60/PS40, PP50/PS50, PP40/PS60, PP30/PS70, PP20/PS80, PP10/PS90, were observed by means of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The zero shear viscosities of the blends were determined according to a modified Carreau model by fitting the curves of static shear rate sweeps of blends tested at 190°C in a Stress Tech Fluids Rheometer. The results showed that the compositional dependence of zero shear viscosity of PP/PS deviated greatly from linear or log‐linear additivity. When PS was dispersed in a PP continuous phase, the blends showed negative deviation, while for blends with PP dispersed in a PS matrix, positive deviation was generated. When different theoretical equations of Nielsen, Utracki, Taylor, Frankel‐Acrivos (FA), Choi‐Schowalter (CS), and Han‐King (HK) were used to fit the experimental data of zero shear viscosities of blends, none of them was suitable for PP/PS blends. These experimental phenomena may result from the complex phase structures of the blends and their response to shear conditions, which are discussed in detail and compared with the experimental analysis.


Abstract – Because of the higher resolution, the data volume of remote sensing image is very large. To communicate and use them on network, efficient compression is very important. Based on the frame of conventional JPEG2000 compression, this paper puts forward a kind of modified compression algorithm aiming at characteristics that the correlation of remote sensing image is lower than common images. The core of modified algorithm includes two aspects: one aspect is to eliminate and segment treatment the unimportant background information of wavelet coefficient in high frequency sub-bands after wavelet transformations; the other aspect is to combine the scanning process of coding passes in EBCOT coding. The experiment proves that this optimal algorithm can significantly improve the compression ratio of remote sensing image hardly influencing the quality of remote sensing image and shorten the compression time of remote sensing image.


A total of 101 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from raw milk(44 isolates) and milk of clinical mastitis(57 isolates) were tested,for the prevalence of nine enterotoxin and four other exotoxin genes by polymerase chain reaction and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the agar dilution method.It shows that in the 44 strains of S.aureus from raw milk,84.09% were positive for one or more toxin genes,84.09% isolates harbored PVL gene,52.27% isolates harbored one or more SE genes,and sea(56.82%) was the most common pattern,mecA,ETs,TSST-1 sei and sej genes were not detected.Resistance was most frequently observed to trimethoprim(100%),followed by cefoxitin(86.36%),chloramphenicol(11.36%),erythromycin(4.55%),oxacillin(2.27%),cefoperazone(2.27%) and gentamicin(6.82%).All S.aureus isolates from raw milk were susceptible to amikacin,ciprofloxacin and vancomycin.Of the 57 strains of S.aureus from milk of clinical mastitis,78.95% were positive for one or more toxin genes,28.07% isolates harbored PVL gene,77.19% isolates harbored one or more SE genes,and sea(47.37%) was the most common pattern,10.53% mecA gene was detected,ETs,TSST-1 and seh genes were not detected.Resistance was most frequently observed to erythromycin(100%),followed by trimethoprim(71.93%),chloramphenicol(28.07%),gentamicin(26.07%),ciprofloxacin(24.56%),cefoxitin(19.30%) and oxacillin(7.02%).All isolates of S.aureus from milk of clinical mastitis were susceptible to amikacin,cefoperazone,vancomycin and tetracycline.Many S.aureus isolates from raw milk and milk of clinical mastitis contained different multiple resistance and various toxin genes,MRSA was only isolated from cows with clinical mastitis.Our results may provide useful information for assessment of the possible risk posed to milk products.


Cloud-P2 Pcombines the resources of all nodes of cloud computing and peer-to-peer computing to achieve the largest collaboration and resource sharing.The data destruction mechanism is one of the important measures to protect users' data security and controllability,which is difficult for Cloud-P2 Psystems.In order to meet the requirement of data destruction in Cloud-P2 Pstorage systems,a composite data destruction mechanism based on mobile agent was put forward,which can make the expired,waste data destructed effectively,as well as defend those malicious attacks on data.In order to effectively destruct data on one node with low cost,a novel data destruction method was proposed,which realizes the data destruction by data folding.


Objective To establish a method for the determination of resveratrol and 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone in Dracaena cochinchinensis.Methods The determination was developed on C18 column.Methanolacetonitrile-0.2% phosphoric acid(30∶7∶63) was used for mobile phase and detective wavelength was set at 306 nm.The column temperature was 35 ℃.Results The linear range of resveratrol and 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone was 0.1850-1.850 μg(r =0.9999) and 0.1582-1.5820 μg(r =0.9999),respectively.The average recovery was 101.02% and 99.09%,with RSD of 2.57% and 2.24%,respectively.Conclusion The method is simple,sensitive and accurate,which can be used for quality control of Dracaena cochinchinensis.


Hydroxyl radical reactions with trimethylamine in aqueous solution lead to the formation of the aminoalkyl radical (CH3)2NCH2 (A) and its conjugated acid (CH3)2HN+CH2 (AH+) as well as to the alkylamine radical cation (CH3)3N+(N+). These radicals are transform ed into each other by hydrolytic reactions, e.g. [xxx] Radicals AH+ are more acidic (pKa ≈ 3.6) than the radicals N+(pKa ≈ 8.0). Consequently, N+ predom inate over AH+ under quasi equilibrium conditions (e.g. in the presence of phosphate buffer) and are the only species observed by ESR in acid solutions. Reacting with the protonated amine. OH radicals abstract hydrogen at nitrogen and at carbon with comparable ease. Reaction of OH radicals with the free amine may initially also generate N+, beside H-abstraction at carbon. Radicals A' absorb more strongly at 260 nm (ε = 3390 dm3mol-1cm-1) than the radical cation N+(ε = 950 dm3mol-1cm-1). Radical A' has reducing properties whereas radicals AH+ and N+ have oxidizing properties and hence can be monitored with p-nitroacetophenone (the reducing radicals), and Fe(CN)64- , N ,N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzthiazoline- 6-sulphonate) (the oxidizing radicals). These radicals mainly (≥ 85 % ) disproportionate. one of the products being formaldehyde


CIDER-CL is the evolution of CIDER, a schema-based ontology alignment system. Its algorithm compares each pair of ontology entities by analysing their similarity at different levels of their ontological context (linguistic description, superterms, subterms, related terms, etc.). Then, such elementary similarities are combined by means of artificial neural networks. In its current version, CIDER-CL uses SoftTFIDF for monolingual comparisons and Cross-Lingual Explicit Semantic Analysis for comparisons between entities documented in different natural languages. In this paper we briefly describe CIDER-CL and comment its results at the Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative 2013 campaign (OAEI'13).


The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise designed on physiological variables, physical functions in the elderly. The research design used was the one group pre-post test quasi-experimental design. The subjects for this study were 23 elderly, who were conveniently assigned to experimental group. The experimental group were selected from G-elderly church club in G-city. The data were collected from March 5, 2001 to June 11, 2002, and analyzed by frequency, t-test using SPSS/PC program. The results of this study were summarized as follows ; 1) The heart rate in the experimental group show statistically significant improvement (t=2.316, p=0.030). 2) The systolic blood pressure & diastolic blood pressure in the experimental group show statistically significant improvement(t=2.277, p=0.033 & t=-2.989, p=0.007). 3) The peripheral vessel Saturation in the experimental group don't show statistically significant improvement(t=-1.096, p=0.285). 4) The physical function in the experimental group don't show statistically significant improvement(t=-0.746, p=0.464). After 15 weeks of exercise designed, it was shown that the program was effective to improve the physiological variables.


In the past, many mathematical models based on the dual‐porosity (DP) concept were developed to describe the groundwater flow in fractured aquifer systems. Most of them seemingly have problems in predicting accurate drawdown at the early and/or intermediate times as compared with field measured data. Thus, this study proposes a new analytical model with a generalized transfer term (GTT) to describe the flow induced by pumping in such systems. The new model is nonlinear because the GTT representing the matrix‐to‐fracture flux gives different weights to the fracture and matrix drawdowns. The GTT reduces to the existing first‐order transfer term if the weight equals zero and second‐order term if the weight is one. The present model also includes a leakage term accounting for flow from the overlain or underlain aquitard. The drawdown solution of the model is developed based on the Laplace transform method and integration by parts formula and then verified through the comparison with the finite‐element solution. The effect of different weight values in the GTT on the DP flow is investigated. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the impact of the change in each of the aquifer parameters on the flow. Furthermore, the present solution is used to analyze two sets of pumping drawdown data from test sites in Canada and India. We found that the drawdown predictions from the present solution fit field measured data very well, suggesting that the present model can adequately describe the real‐world DP flow system.


The molecular and crystal structure of the terminally protected tripeptide N-benzyloxycarbonyl-α-aminoisobutyryl-L-phenylalanyl-L-alanine methyl ester has been determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystal parameters: orthorhombic, space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 , a= 11.542(2) A, b = 23.806(3) A, c = 8.987(2) A, and Z = 4. The crystal structure was solved by direct methods. The least-squares refinement led to R 1 = 0.039 [on F ≥ 4σ(F)] and wR 2 = 0.127 (on F 2 , all data). The -Aib-L-Phe- sequence of the tripeptide is folded into a type-I β-bend conformation.


The buckling analysis of an imperfect, thin, circular, cylindrical, stiffened shell under uniform axial compression and for various end conditions is investigated. A methodology is presented for predicting critical conditions for such configurations. This methodology is based on the smeared technique and the von KarmanDonnell nonlinear kinematic relations in the presence of geometric imperfections. The computational procedure employs a Fourier series type of separated solution, and through the Galerkin procedure the field equations are reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations. These equations are solved by the finite-difference scheme. Numerical results for numerous stiffened and unstiffened configurations are presented.


Based on the information and data of tide,tidal current,wind and waves,sediment and underwater topography,the paper presents the analysis of the hydrologic characteristics of the estuary and the evolution of inner and outer shoals,probe into the feasibility of building a deep water port and navigation channels in the estuary of the Minjiang River,and proposals for the layout of the port and the regulation of the corresponding deep water navigation channels Preliminary analysis and comparison are also made in the paper


A vehicle seat support assembly including an overcenter locking mechanism with a flexible metallic band wrapped about a floor mounted support tube and connected to a seat support frame pivotal on the tube such that tensioning of the band in an overcenter manner selectively prevents pivotal seat frame movement. A locking member of the mechanism is pivotally supported on the frame for rotation about a first axis and pivotally supports one end of a link about a movable second axis with another end of the link connected to one end of the band. In a locking position of the mechanism, the ends of the link are overcenter with respect to the first axis to provide the band tensioning and consequent prevention of seat frame pivoting. A curved intermediate portion of the link between its ends extends around a pin that supports the locking member on the frame. One preferred embodiment has its link provided with upper and lower link portions between which the other end of the band extends for connection to the seat frame, and a tensioner is provided for clamping a bight section of the band to provide proper band tension in the locking position. In another preferred embodiment, the link extends through an opening in the other band end and is connected to the seat frame by a tensioner having a pivotal lever. Both preferred embodiments have a manually actuated handle that moves the locking member and concomitantly moves a cooperable pawl on the seat frame into and out of engagement with the support tube. A mounting and thrust plate construction cooperates with the upper tube end in mounting the seat frame and limiting pivotal seat frame movement.


This paper presents the design process and development approach for a method of maintaining sufficient quantities of water for research animals during a Shuttle mission of long duration. An inflight refill unit (IRU) consisting of two major subsystems, a fluid pumping unit (FPU) and a collapsible water reservoir (CWR), were developed. The FPU provides the system measurement and controls, pump, water lines, and plumbing necessary to collect water coming into the unit from the potable water system and pump it out into the RAHF drinking water tanks. The CWR is a Kevlar (TM) reinforced storage bladder connected to the FPU, which has a capacity of 6 liters in its expanded volume and functions to store the water collected from the potable water system, allowing for transport of the water back to the Spacelab where it is pumped into each of two research animal holding facilities. Additional components of the IRU system include the inlet and outlet fluid hoses, a power cable for providing 29V direct current spacecraft electrical power to the pump within the FPU, a tether system for the unit when in use in Spacelab, and an adapter for mating the unit to the orbiter waste collection system in order to dump excess water after use in Spacelab.


based on fossil occurrences in 4 sporadic and 19 persistent marine bands, and on many non-marine occurrences in British coal measures. Westoll's review of vertebrate occurrences in coal measures of various ages is of general value, although sporadic fossil discoveries provide a difficult basis for generalization. The paleoecology of vertebrates applies also to associated invertebrate animals and plants.


ABSTRACT Ecovillages are utopian communities that simultaneously critique the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) and prefigure alternative systems of production and consumption in everyday life, reconfiguring sustainability as both embedded in social structures and everyday practices. The paper explores how individuals navigate personal and collective meaning within interstitial spaces. Focusing on an Irish ecovillage, we analyse participants' accounts of the ecovillage's origin myth revealing nuances in their stories. While accounts coalesce around the significance of prefiguring sustainability, each telling also reveals particular aspects that are more personally meaningful for each participant. The paper has implications for policy and research that seeks to understand sustainability beyond both anarrow focus on individual behaviour and an abstract focus on macro-level structures, highlighting the role of experimental and discursive spaces where sustainable society is imagined and practised.


The energy dependence of dissociating collisions between argon metastable atoms and cadmium dihalide molecules have been studied in a flowing afterglow apparatus. The fluorescence spectra obtained in the range of 3000–7600 A which result from the Ar(3P2)+CdX2 interactions indicate a dominant dissociative excitation production mechanism. The emission spectra are used to narrow the uncertainty in the currently accepted values for the dissociation energy of the CdX2 molecules. The Wigner spin rule (conservation of total electronic spin) was verified for these processes as shown by the dominance of final state triplet production as compared to the virtual absence of singlet spin state production.


By observing flowering behavior and the tripping phenomenon of Xinmu No.1 Medicago lupulina the effect of environment factors on tripping were analyzed from 2004 to 2005 in Hutubi County,Xinjiang.The main results were as follows: 1) There were remarkably different flowering behaviors and "tripping" phenomena in the different phases of alfalfa blooms and it varied between years.In 2004,the first florescence of three-year-old alfalfa plants took about 4-7 d for all florets to bloom from bottom to top of each raceme.After blooming,the florets lasted 4-7 d before wilting,and the keel petals could not self-trip.At anthesis,each raceme took about 1-4 d for all florets to bloom and the life-span of the flowers was 2-4 h.After blooming,the flowers self-tripped in 1-2 h and then wilted in 1-2 h.2) The remarkable difference of flower life-span in the different phases of florescence was related to tripping.The flowers wilted in several hours after the keel petal flicked out,whereas if the keel petal was not flicked out or self-flicked the flowers could keep open for a week.3) When the pollination insect cannot trip the flowers,whether the florets can self-trip is the key factor affecting the alfalfa seed yield.If not pollinated after tripping,the flowers can not develop seed pods.Thus the pollination insect is an important factor affecting the seed yield.4) The tripping phenomenon depends on the weather conditions: temperature and illumination are important factors affecting tripping.


The interference of wireless communication data in the last kilometer of substation is becoming more and more serious, so reliable anti-interference transmission mode is needed to ensure data security. The traditional anti-interference transmission algorithm is prone to collision of communication frequency points, which affects the convergence speed of the algorithm. According to the carrier frequency of the interference signal, the cyclic cumulant of the signal is calculated. The poor channel state is regarded as the equivalent interference, and the distribution characteristics of the channel equivalent interference are determined. The frequency band occupation of interference signal is expressed as state, the data interference avoidance model of wireless communication is established, the channel quality is evaluated, and the anti-interference transmission algorithm is designed to improve the reliability of wireless communication process. The experimental results show that the average number of iterations of the proposed anti-interference transmission algorithm is smaller, and the convergence speed is better than the traditional algorithm, which can realize the effective transmission of wireless communication data.


Present work investigates the applicability of nanosized TiO2 (anatase) as a potential optical sensor material for ambient oxygen below room temperature. Titania nanopowders with grain sizes of 10 and 40 nm are prepared via the sol-gel route and tested for the gas response in water deficit conditions. Both powders exhibit sensitivity against oxygen. At-50 °C 40 nm grain size powder remains sensitive to the ambient changes and the PL output increases ~50% whereas 10 nm grain size powders photoluminescence is quenched.


An unbiased Josephson tunnel junction, irradiated with microwaves, can spontaneously develop quantized dc voltages. We explain this effect with reference to the shunted junction model and to analog experiments. This effect may be utilized to significantly improve both the accuracy and the simplicity of the Josephson voltage standard.


In order to further improve the operation level of the thermal power units of the provincial grid thermal power plant, optimize the data quality of the online monitoring system of the provincial thermal power units, through the diagnosis and analysis of the operation data of the thermal power online monitoring system, and from an all-round perspective, analyze and evaluate the peak shaving and frequency modulation capabilities of the heat supply units of the thermal power plant from the aspects of the load carrying capacity of the heat supply units, the optimization of the startup mode of the whole plant, and the heating capacity, to provide support for the accurate scheduling of the heat supply units. This paper analyzes the heat supply, peak regulation and frequency regulation capacity of the whole thermal power plant through the operation data, draws the peak regulation interval and heat supply capacity interval, and provides support for the optimal operation of the whole plant.


A five parameter viscoelastic model is chosen for slongitudinal waves in the non-homogeneous viscoelastic rods. The densi ty ' ' ρ , rigidity ' ' G and viscosity ' ' η of the specimen i.e. rods are space dependent and vexponentially with distance. The problem is solved with Eikonal equation when th e wave equation is approximated using WKB theory. Also, the dispersion of longitudinal waves in homog eneous and non- homogeneous viscoelastic rods is discussed graphica lly.


New interactive communication approaches by using typography and graphics have become common in many places in recent years. The development of virtual tools reveals new expressions with regard to the typography and the use of space. New media and multimedia tools are vital parts of communication in the developed world and we can say that actual information technology based ways of communication have a significant effect on individuals for a variety of reasons. It is seen that different manners in the transfer of meaning can be created by using new media and multimedia tools which have an important role in our lives today. On the other hand, creating the meaning of the word can also be done by narrative simple methods. The use of digital trends related to typography can provide an intuitive, conceptual approach to the meaning of the word. Evolution of new media and multimedia tools has lead to different interactive solutions which are effective in art and design. The purpose of this study is to investigate existing experimental forms with regards to typography and evaluation of them in terms of readability and legibility. This article aims to finding out relations between the meaning and form approaches to the typographical creations in the design.


The study investigated the role of teachers and parents on students' career choice preparedness as perceived by secondary schools' students in Meru District, Tanzania, using survey research design. Through systematic and purposive sampling, the sample of 406 students from 10 schools filled the questionnaire. Validity was established through expert judgment and the questionnaire was subjected to pilot testing whereby Cronbach's Alpha of above 0.700 was established prior to data collection. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-test and Pearson correlation. The study concluded that students are well prepared for career choice. Parents and teachers are perceived by students to have played their role very well for desired career choice. There is no significant difference in career choice preparedness by students characterized according to sex and location. Yet there is a significant positive relationship between parents and teachers' involvement in career choice guidance and students' career choice preparedness. Lastly, there is a positive relationship between teachers and parents' involvement in students' career choice preparedness. It was recommended that since students are focused with career choices of their interest, there is need for schools under investigation to provide a wide range of academic programs for students to choose appropriate subjects. Parents should continue to give career guidance, as the practice yields positive results toward students' career choice preparedness. Since students' future careers are positively influenced by teachers, teachers should guide students toward appropriate choice of career.


The article deals with an actual problem of finding techniques and methods to create a comfortable urban environment. The authors emphasize that in the existing conditions of intensive urban development greater attention should be given to spatial concentration based on and more compact distribution of population in urban space. It is stressed that including mixed-use facilities into urban realm results in a significant improvement of living environment qualitative characteristics. The paper also examines modern approaches to constructing a «compact city» for comfortable and convenient living with a mixed-use tall building development. The authors explore the world's experience of designing tall mixed-use buildings and reveal modern trends in their construction. The statistics given is based on the data analysis of a group of tall mixed-use buildings consisting of more than 400 objects, constructed in 2007-2016. The research shows functional and architectural peculiarities of this typology of tall buildings and investigates a mechanism of creating zones of mixed-use tall building development in the urban structure. In conclusion, the authors consider prospects of development and major directions of improvement of mixed-use tall building parameters for a reasonable territorial urban growth and creation of high-density and comfortable building development.


In the educational context, the e-portfolio provides a platform for social interaction between learners, allowing them to record, share and reflect upon their learning and achievements, thus encouraging greater ownership of learning. This study assessed users' perceptions of the e-portfolio in a number of domains, with investigations on the e-portfolio's effectiveness as a learning tool and whether it enhanced self-regulation and motivation to learn. The study involved around 326 pre-service teachers enrolled in the initial teacher education program at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. The participants used the open-access Google Site as the platform for their e-portfolios in the course of their one-year program. The institution provided the pre-service teachers with technical support and guidance on how to build, maintain and use their e-portfolios. A survey was administered at the end of the program to assess the participants' perceptions of the e-portfolio in terms of its usefulness, and ability to enhance learner motivation. Generally, the study revealed that the student teachers understood the value of keeping their e-portfolios, and this was one of the key motivating factors for e-portfolio usage.


1. The terms for these trends have their own history. The Dutch scholar of religion, P. D. Chantepie de la Saussaye, first coined the term "phenomenology of religion": Eric J. Sharpe, Comparative Religion. A History , 2nd ed. (La Salle, IL, 1986), p. 222; U. King, "Historical and Phenomenological Approaches" in Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion, vol. I, The Humanities , F. Whaling, ed. (Berlin, 1984), pp. 29-164, esp. 39-41. Chantepie de la Saussaye understood and treated the history of religion as part of human consciousness and classified it, therefore, according to the possibilities of understanding it. Nathan Sdderblom followed the same tradition as well (see Eric J. Sharpe, Nathan Soderblom and the Study of Religion [Chapel Hill, NC, 1990], p. xvi). Geradus van der Leeuw added a third theoretical element to these two established ones (classification and understanding): the demand for an epochs (the bracketing of the ontological status of religion and the suspension of its own value judgements). The term "sociology of religion" was chosen by Max Weber as a title for his collection of studies about the history and typology of rationalism. It is occasionally used for the characterization of Emile Durkheim's analysis of religion.


Focusing on transmedial entertainment franchises such as Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, and The Walking Dead, this article takes a straightforward formalist approach in order to study how zombies are represented in comics. It wishes to analyse the graphical expression of movements, the ways comics panels are laid out, the importance of the spatial coexistence of the images and the depiction of the (compulsive) repetition of the attack scene shown in movies and video games in order to explain why zombie fictions and their post-apocalyptic worlds are very easily translated into comics and why the ninth art is able to portray in an exemplary manner the transmedial figure of the zombie.


Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease (COPD) is marked by often severely debilitating exacerbations. Efficient patient-centric research approaches are needed to better inform health management primary-care.The 'COPE study' aims to develop a method of predicting COPD exacerbations utilising personal air quality sensors, environmental exposure modelling and electronic health records through the recruitment of patients from consenting GPs contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).The study made use of Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) from CPRD, an anonymised GP records database to screen and locate patients within GP practices in Central London. Personal air monitors were used to capture data on individual activities and environmental exposures. Output from the monitors were then linked with the EHR data to obtain information on COPD management, severity, comorbidities and exacerbations. Symptom changes not equating to full exacerbations were captured on diary cards. Linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between subject peak flow, symptoms, exacerbation events and exposure data.Preliminary results on the first 80 patients who have completed the study indicate variable susceptibility to environmental stressors in COPD patients. Some individuals appear highly susceptible to environmental stress and others appear to have unrelated triggers.Recruiting patients through EHR for a study is feasible and allows easy collection of data for long term follow up. Portable environmental sensors could now be used to develop personalised models to predict risk of COPD exacerbations in susceptible individuals. Identification of direct links between participant health and activities would allow improved health management thus cost savings.


The grazing value of phalaris–white clover and tall fescue–white clover pastures was compared in a temperate summer-rainfall environment in the high rainfall zone of eastern Australia. Data were derived from an experiment which evaluated pasture cultivars when grown in binary mixtures and grazed by sheep. The data were also simulated with the decision support system SheepO (Version 4.0) and validated by visual techniques, deviance measures, and statistical tests. The model generally simulated green biomass, liveweight gain, and clean fleece weight with acceptable accuracy. Pasture based on tall fescue–white clover produced more green pasture biomass in all seasons, in all years, and at both low (10 sheep/ha) and high (15 sheep/ha) stocking rates when compared with phalaris–white clover. Sheep grazing tall fescue–white clover pasture were turned off about 5 kg heavier each year and produced about 0.6 kg/head more clean fleece weight; the wool production per head of sheep grazing tall fescue–white clover at 15 sheep/ha was similar to that for sheep grazing phalaris–white clover pasture at 10 sheep/ha. These differences in wool production were accompanied by consistent effects on wool quality; the fleeces of sheep grazing tall fescue–white clover pasture were markedly sounder in tensile strength but broader in fibre diameter. These data and the SheepO simulations highlight the potential for pasture cultivars with enhanced seasonal growth and nutritive value to alleviate feed-gaps and improve the feed-base for grazing animals.


A cost-of-quality framework is examined and adapted. Research findings reveal that a context-free prescription of designing in vis a vis inspecting in quality is not possible. Related findings show that partial acceptance sampling is optimal in some con..


Exchange rates play an important role in controlling dynamics of the foreign exchange market. Predicting exchange rates has become one of the most challenging applications of financial time series forecasting due to its unpredictability and volatility. This research study is to develop and compare the accuracy of two models; Generalized Auto-Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) as the time series model and Feedforward neural network with the Backpropagation algorithm as the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for predicting daily currency exchange rate of US Dollar against Sri Lankan Rupee (USD/LKR). For both models, past lagged observations of the data series and moving average technical indicators were employed as the explanatory variables and the predictive performance were evaluated using a number of widely used statistical metric. According to the performance of two models, it can be concluded that the ANN based model performs better when compared with the GARCH model to predict the exchange rate of USD/LKR.


Background Several WHO resolutions on injury prevention were adopted since 1966 and several UN resolutions on road safety were adopted since 2003. The WHO South- East Asia (SEA) Regional committee resolution on accident prevention and trauma care was adopted in 1994. However, in 2005 injury prevention did not progress substantially. Methods In 2005, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) modified the post description of Regional advisor responsible for injury prevention to be more focused. SEARO injury work plan 2006–7 formed the strategies in promoting injury information, multi-sectoral and inter-country collaborations, experience sharing, and training. In 2008–9 work plan, establishment of an injury management unit in the MOH was added. Regular regional and national trainings/workshops were organised and supported. In 2010, the Regional resolution: Injury prevention and safety promotion was adopted. It identifies the major causes of injury in the region, endorses existing strategies and calls for a national mechanism at the highest level to enhance national plans/programs. A progress report was requested for 2014. The Global Road Safety Status Surveys and the Decade of Action for Road Safety were coordinated. Regional epidemiological data, the expert group recommendations and the world reports were used for guiding interventions. Resources were mobilised by WHO Geneva to support regional and national activities. Results By 2015, all countries have national policies/plans. 7 countries have national policies, budgeted plans and a mechanism at the highest level for road safety. 5 countries have budgeted plans for the Decade. 6 countries have budgeted plans to strengthen injury data. 4 MOH's have injury management units. Injury prevention is integrated into undergraduate medical and nursing curriculum and MCH systems. 2 countries enforce and manufacture standardised child motorcycle helmets. 2 countries have sustained injury surveillance. Conclusions Progress is seen in the SEA Region from 2005–2015.


A vertical take-off and landing vehicle that employs a thrust assembly, a fuselage, and an intermediate rotation decoupling interface assembly for rotationally decoupling the thrust assembly from the fuselage. The thrust assembly forms a single combined thrust force about the fuselage in order to form a more stable vehicle during flight.


ABSTRACT This article examines the Australian Senate's 2015–2017 inquiry into corporate tax avoidance to illuminate the tax strategies used by the multinational corporations (MNCs) most targeted by tax justice campaigners, versus those of particular relevance in an Australian context: mining companies. Using documentary analysis, we examine how these companies discursively defended their tax avoidance strategies. Despite differences in the context in which the issue of tax minimisation has risen to prominence, we show that in Australia, MNCs' legitimacy in paying lower levels of tax has been challenged in a similar manner to that of MNCs in other industry sectors that were held responsible for post-global financial crisis austerity measures in states like the US and UK. This suggests that history and context matter not in and of themselves, but for the impact they have on the discursive power of the actors involved, depending on the visibility and salience of the issue associated with them.


The E2F transcription factors play important roles in the regulation of gene expression at the G1/S transition in plants. Here, we show that the rice proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) promoter is activated by transient expression of tobacco NtE2F and Arabidopsis AtDPa in tobacco cells. This transcriptional activation is repressed by co-transfection with a plasmid encoding the tobacco Rb-related protein (NtRBR1), whereas further co-expression of cyclin D overcomes this repression. Importantly, the rice PCNA promoter is activated when cells are transfected with cyclin D alone, and this activation is enhanced by co-transfection with plasmids encoding NtE2F and AtDPa. These results suggest that the effect of cyclin D expression is mediated not only by its associated kinase, which allows it to phosphorylate NtRBR1 thereby releasing the NtE2F/NtDP complex to activate transcription, but also by a mechanism which does not involve transfected NtRBR1.


This paper processes with several typical present phenomena of honesty and credibility crisis in higher learning institutes, and analyses the main reasons of lack of honesty and credibility. On the basis of university teenagers' own characteristics, it stresses importance and urgency of reinforce of honesty and credibility education in the moral-construction task of university teenagers, and puts forwards several approaches to strengthen honesty and credibility education.


This article reports on the short-term effects of relocation on a sample of predominantly aged continuing-care clients with a psychiatric disability. Clients were relocated from a large psychogeriatric hospital to community-based nursing homes and supported residential services (SRS). Clients relocated to SRS facilities significantly increased their emotional well-being and sociability. They also reported being happier in the community. In contrast, the clients relocated to nursing homes were more dependent and showed no improvement over time. There was no evidence of significant deterioration following relocation to nursing home or SRS facilities. Although the sample size was small, these preliminary findings suggest that relocation was not harmful, at least in the short term, to this group. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.


Energy is one of the most critical constraints for sensor network applications of tracking. Object tracking is an important feature of the ubiquitous society and also a killer application of wireless sensor networks. Object Tracking Sensor Network is mainly used to track certain objects in a monitored area and to report their location to the application's users. On the other hand, Object Tracking Sensor Network is familiar for their energy consumption when compared with other WSN applications. Based on the fact that the actions of the tracked objects are sometimes knowable, we propose a Prediction-based Energy Efficient tracking technique using sequential patterns deliberate to achieve considerable reductions in the energy degenerate by the Object Tracking Sensor Networks while maintaining tolerable missing rate levels. The intended method can not only decrease the missing-rate by predict future movements of moving objects, but can also reduce the energy consumption by sinking the number of nodes that join in tracking i.e., the majority of the sensor nodes stay in sleep mode and minimizing the communication disbursement. Index Terms- Object tracking, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), prediction based energy efficient technique, object tracking sensor network (OTSN).


Recent years have seen a dramatic change in the landscape of neurointerventional surgery, in large part due to the significant progress in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This progress has resulted in many thousands of lives saved and the prevention of lifechanging morbidity and dependence in many more patients. Although the development of novel endovascular devices and procedural techniques was critical and arguably the ignition for these advances, as we move forward it is the integration of our systems of care and further collaboration with all stakeholders both within and away from the coal face clinical setting that will lead to further success against this disease in the coming years. Integrated and transformative digital health solutions will be critical in achieving this goal. Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a form of acute stroke that, despite >150 years of research, is yet to find an evidencebased intervention or form of therapy confirmed to definitively improve patient outcomes. However, incorporating novel but relatively simple digital technology solutions and implementing system of care strategies learned from stroke intervention may facilitate a change in the status quo. Most patients with CRAO experience significant visual loss with more than than 80% settling with a postCRAO visual acuity of 20/400 or worse. CRAO is also a harbinger of further cerebrovascular events and should be treated as a medical emergency. Why progress in the treatment and outcomes for patients with this form of AIS has not followed the same trajectory as large vessel occlusions should be critically reevaluated. CRAO is a timesensitive condition, like AIS. Animal and clinical data show the inner layers of the retina to be sensitive to ischemia in a timedependent manner, 4 and there are data which exist (although singlearm) to suggest identifying patients sooner and achieving faster times to reperfusion using intraarterial lytic therapy (IAT) may lead to better outcomes. 6 However, at the time of writing, only one randomized controlled trial, the EAGLE trial published in 2010, has examined the role of IAT versus that of standard medical management for CRAO. This study was unsuccessful in showing a benefit of IAT over medical management. Critiques of the EAGLE study include slow enrollment, potentially unnecessarily high IAT lytic dose (50 mg IA tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), two patients experienced intracranial hemorrhage) and, crucially, excessively long delays from onset of symptoms to the initiation of the active treatment (up to 20 hours, mean 12.8 hours). Conversely, in 2018 Sobol et al published a singlearm series of 15 consecutive patients with thromboembolic CRAO treated within 12 hours of onset of symptoms using a maximum of 22 mg IA tPA. No major adverse events or bleeding events were experienced and a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity (p=0.006) was demonstrated after IAT with a mean time to initiation of treatment of 8.8 hours. A few points regarding CRAO seem clear and uncontroversial: the retina is a perfusiondependent end organ and the 'time is tissue' mantra of stroke appears to apply equally to the retina as it does to grey and white matter;


We present a sample of 68 low-z Mg ii low-ionization broad absorption-line (loBAL) quasars. The sample is uniformly selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 according to the following criteria: (1) redshift 0.4 < z ⩽ 0.8, (2) median spectral S/N>7 pixel−1, and (3) Mg ii absorption-line width Δvc ⩾ 1600 km s−1. The last criterion is a trade-off between the completeness and consistency with respect to the canonical definition of BAL quasars that have the "balnicity index" BI>0 in C iv BAL. We adopted such a criterion to ensure that ∼90% of our sample are classical BAL quasars and the completeness is ∼80%, based on extensive tests using high-z quasar samples with measurements of both C iv and Mg ii BALs. We found (1) Mg ii BAL is more frequently detected in quasars with narrower Hβ emission line, weaker [O iii] emission line, stronger optical Fe ii multiplets, and higher luminosity. In term of fundamental physical parameters of a black hole accretion system, loBAL fraction is significantly higher in quasars with a higher Eddington ratio than those with a lower Eddington ratio. The fraction is not dependent on the black hole mass in the range concerned. The overall fraction distribution is broad, suggesting a large range of covering factor of the absorption material. (2) [O iii]-weak loBAL quasars averagely show undetected [Ne v] emission line and a very small line ratio of [Ne v] to [O iii]. However, the line ratio in non-BAL quasars, which is much larger than that in [O iii]-weak loBAL quasars, is independent of the strength of the [O iii] line. (3) loBAL and non-loBAL quasars have similar colors in near-infrared to optical band but different colors in ultraviolet. (4) Quasars with Mg ii absorption lines of intermediate width are indistinguishable from the non-loBAL quasars in optical emission line properties but their colors are similar to loBAL quasars, redder than non-BAL quasars. We also discuss the implication of these results.


Summary form only given. The article describes a state-centric abstraction for application users to interact with sensor networks. Just as in data-centric routing and storage where physical nodes are less important than the data itself, state-centric abstraction introduces "states" as a natural vocabulary to describe spatio-temporal physical phenomena that the sensor networks are typically designed for. Application programmers specify the computation as creation, sharing and transformation of states, which naturally map to descriptions in signal processing and control applications. We argue that due to the dynamic nature of sensor networks, programs written in state-centric abstractions are more invariant to constant changes in data stream configurations and make the resulting software more portable across multiple sensor network platforms. With the help of models of sensor collaboration, sensing and estimation, the state-centric specifications are mapped into collaborative processing tasks at compile time, and further maintained at run time, leveraging the data-centric caching and routing services. We use a multi-target tracking system as an example to show how state-centric programming models can raise the abstraction level for users to interact with sensor networks and help modularize the design.


There is a meaningful phenomenon in the statute books of all countries. a great amount of laws have been about moralities. in face And governments are still going on legalizing moral standards. This article emphasizes that in the old days when morality lost its binding force to people's behaviors but was necessary to preserve a society, rulers had to turn it to law strictly. With the strengthening and enforcing of legal construction, moral standard will certainly be further advanced.


In this paper, the data storage characteristics of IC cards are discussed first. According to the characteristics, IC cards are divided into three types:the single application data area IC card, single area IC card, and multiple area IC card. Meanwhile, the definitions of read-only area, control area, and data area are given. For the purpose of presenting a specified kind of IC cards and any kind of IC cards, the data storage model of single area IC cards and the uniform data storage model of any IC cards are constructed. Meanwhile, the data structures for both models are defined. Also, the data structure of the area information table and the algorithm of accessing data are given.


This paper uses a new data set of daily secondary market prices of loans to analyze the specialness of banks as monitors. Consistent with a monitoring advantage of loans over bonds, we find the secondary loan market to be informationally more efficient than the secondary bond market prior to a loan default. Specifically, we find that secondary market loan returns Granger cause secondary market bond returns prior to a loan default. In contrast, secondary market bond returns do not Granger cause secondary market loan returns prior to a loan default. Copyright (c) 2010 The Ohio State University.


(10) for depositing particles by a liquid, comprising: - a first chamber (11), - a second chamber (12), - a communication hole between the first chamber (11) and the second chamber (12), and - a vent provided in the second chamber and communicating the second chamber and a medium (200) external to the device.


A real-time methodology has been developed to study the flocculation behavior of kaolin suspensions induced by cationic polymer,by using the focused beam reflectance measurement( FBRM) system. The turbidity,laser diffraction particle size analyzer and light microscopy were used to characterize the properties and morphology of the flocs. The fractal dimension was investigated during the flocculation process based on the fractal theory. Furthermore,the results were analyzed using a model of the flocculation kinetics,based on the Smoluchowski model. Detailed investigations showed that the morphology( size and structure) of the flocs,the turbidity of the supernatant,and the flocculation rates of particle numbers were highly dependent on the CPAM dosage. Records and analysis of FBRM indicated that the mean chord length of the particles increased with CPAM dosage,which was corroborated by laser diffraction particle size analyzer and turbidity decreased. As the extension of time,the floc structure changed during the flocculation process whilst fractal dimension increased,forming relatively tighter and compact structures. The different floc morphology under different CPAM dosages was shown more obviously by the photomicrography. During flocculation,the higher the flocculation rate of particle numbers,the better the flocculation efficiency will be,but it still need more time to reach the equilibrium state.


Today, the use of special optical elements for aberrations control is more and more common because these elements reduce the weight and volume of the optical system but the design of these elements is complicated and it is more complicated if we like to use an analytical way; also, in many cases, after an analytic process we must to use an optimization routine with some optical design program. In this work we propose an analytic method to design systems free of spherical and coma aberrations using an aspherical and diffractive surfaces (hybrid element). We analyzed the form of the back principal plane to different shape factor considering the spherical aberration corrected and no corrected. We use the aspherical surface to correct the coma; we obtain this condition curving the back principal plane and centered it on the back focal point. The diffractive element is used to correct the spherical aberration by apply an exact ray trace, and we use the diffractive coefficients as variables. We find these coeff...


This paper takes the productivity slowdown during the past decades and its direct effects on wages and interest rates as given. From this somewhat pessimistic perspective, we analyze how pension systems will be affected. Key questions are whether declining wage growth and capital returns in the wake of declining productivity growth will undermine the financial sustainability of pension systems and/or the adequacy of pensions as an important social program. We use a pension simulation model to compute the quantitative impacts of a stylized productivity slowdown on the level of pension-benefit income for retirees and the balanced-budget contribution rates for workers. These trajectories serve as indicators of the financial situation of a pension system and the adequacy of pension benefits. Our main conclusion is that policy action is not required for those systems that are self-stabilizing. In the cases in which this is not the case, population aging is still slower than productivity increase even in the case of the assumed productivity slowdown, hence absolute pension income levels will still increase, albeit much slower than retirees have been used to. If this appears politically unacceptable, policy actions should be targeted to increase the quantity of labor and capital in order to offset the lower than previously expected value of labor and capital which has been precipitated by the productivity slowdown. We discuss working longer, working more, educating better, allowing more migration and saving more. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


The general scope of this work was to use recently available ultra‐short pulsed lasers to perform laser‐ultrasonic pulse‐echo thicknesses measurements on thin electroplated metallic coatings. Experiments were first performed using a femtosecond laser coupled to a confocal Fabry‐Perot interferometer (CFPI). The results showed that the CFPI is often inappropriate for the detection of ultrasound pulses having spectral widths much larger than the interferometer's free spectral range. A second experimental session was conducted using a picosecond laser and an InPFe photorefractive interferometer. Multiple echoes of broad band compression waves (up to 500 MHz) were successfully detected on electrodeposited metallic coatings of zinc on steel substrates for thicknesses from 30 to 100 microns. The results show very little dispersion and attenuation in the zinc coatings.


APG is a new type of the non-ionic surfactant. In the presence of acid catalyst, alkyl polyglucoside (APG) products have been directly synthesized from glucose and n-dodecanol.. Influence factors of synthesis process, for example, reaction temperature and time, mole ratio of catalyst to glucose and n-dodecanol, etc, were investigated, and the suitable conditions of synthesis technology have been obtained, i.e., reaction temperature 120℃, mole ratio of catalyst to glucose and n-dodecanol 0.015:1:4, reaction pressure 4kPa, reaction time 4h. The optimal conditions of refining process have also been found. APG products were decolorized by 30% H2O2 water solution. Decolourization reaction temperature is about 90-95℃, time is about 1h, amount of 30% H2O2 water solution is about 2% of the weight of decolorized APG products. In the paper, structures and properties of APG products have been investigated and characterized by FAB (fast-atom bombardment), GC (gas chromatography) and 1H-NMR (1H nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra etc.


The Kuche foreland basin is an gas area of enrichment. By new, there have been found several large-scale gas fields, such as Kela 2, Dina 2 gas fields. The compositional and texture maturities of rocks are very low because of intensely tectonic movement and adjacent material resource. The reservoir is belong to low porosity and permeability with lithological mixture and sand-shale thin inter layers, add it, the area's strata pressure coefficient variety big, mud invade serious. The above characteristic makes the normal logging methods to evaluation accuracy for gas reservoir is lower. For this, the imaging techniques of three companies were introduced continuously in recent years. The applications with these new techniques to valid solution of mud invade, low permeation, discrimination gas-water contact, identification fluid nature and precise computation saturation have incomparable advantages to normal well logging. In the paper a set of logging evaluation methods that have been proved to be efficacious in accordance with gas reservoir description of foreland basin are summarized through new techniques' successful applications in Tarim oil field.


For successful commercialization of biomass to ethanol process, the techno- economic hurdles have to be overcome. Complete substrate utilization is the key for making economics favorable. Existing enzyme preparations do not give high saccharification efficiency, thus, a broader suite of hydrolases is required. Xylanase supplementation in enzyme cocktail is an important strategy to increase sugar yields. In our study, hyperxylanolytic Aspergillus awamori F18 was used to produce xylanase. A. awamori F18 expressed high levels of xylanase during Solid state fermentation of corncob and also, Carboxy Methyl Cellulase (CMCase), filter paper activity (FP lyase) and β-glucosidase (524.43, 43.95, 8.64 and 29.81 IU mg-1 proteins respectively). A 10.6-12.5 fold concentration of these activities was achieved by single-step acetone precipitation. Supplementing concentrated xylanase to Accellerase®1500 resulted in 69.5% enhancement in sugars released after 72 h of saccharification of steam-pretreated rice straw. HPLC analysis of hydrolysates showed higher glucose levels along with the presence of xylose and arabinose. There was a 12.4% increase in the amounts of glucose as well as total sugars released when xylanase was supplemented to commercial cellulase and β-glucosidase.


Background: Methane emission from the ruminants is receiving global attention due to its global warming potential. It imposes the development of cost-effective and easily adoptable energy to reduce methane emissions from ruminants. Apart from this, the information available on the methanogenic microflora and their populations in the Indian native cattle is also very limited. In this study, the normal methanogenic microflora of Indian native Gir cattle was studied using molecular methods and compared with cross breed cattles.
Methods: The rumen fluid was collected and DNA isolation was carried out from Gir, Gir cross and Kangayam crossbred cattle. The partial 16S rRNA and mcrA gene amplification were carried out by PCR and further subjected to sequence analysis. Further, Methanogenic population in the ruminal fluid were analyzed by SYBR Green-based real-time PCR.
Result: This study provides a basic understanding of the normal methanogenic microfloral diversity and their population in the Gir native cattle of Indian origin compared with cross breed cattle.


The interior thermal power consumption of fiber-optic gyro is calculated, According to the interior heat source distributing of fiber-optic gyro, the heat design project of fiber-optic gyro is given and designed two kinds different fiber coil framework. The two kind different fiber coils are simulated on heat exchange by ANSYS software. Contrast on the temperature characteristic of two kind different fiber coil gyro has been done by experiment. The simulation and experiment results show that the temperature characteristic is improved to this fiber-optic gyro with interlayer fiber coil framework, the bias stability of the fiber-optic gyro is improved with temperature variety, and the interlayer fiber coil design project is effective and validated.


The necessary and sufficient conditions for S×_αT to be π-orthodox are given,and the necessary and sufficient conditions for S×_αT to be right strongly π-inverse are also given.


In this paper we present two methods to estimate the local orientation of spatial texture in polarimetric SAR data. The first approach is based on an original spatial parametric modelling of the 2D autocorrelation function, and was introduced in a previous paper. The second method is based on orientation interpolation between a reduced set of basis functions called steerable filters. Both are applied to measured polarimetric SAR data


Now, in this matter Mr. Melville . . . might have been mad to the very pinnacle of insanity; he might have torn our poor language into tatters, and made from the shreds a harlequin suit in which to play his tricks; he might have piled up word upon word, and adjective upon adjective, until he had built a pyramid of nonsense, which should last to the admiration of all men; he might have done all this and a great deal more, and we should not have complained . . . at page 248: The strange, imperious instantaneousness in him. Here in an instant was our whole theory upset. The hieroglyph on the Rosetta stone was not more puzzling than this noun of Mr. Melville's. Review of Pierre by George Washington Peck New York American Whig Review (1852)


In medical studies, there are many situations where the final outcomes are truncated by death, in which patients die before outcomes of interest are measured. In this article we consider identifiability and estimation of causal effects by principal stratification when some outcomes are truncated by death. Previous studies mostly focused on large sample bounds, Bayesian analysis, sensitivity analysis. In this article, we propose a new method for identifying the causal parameter of interest under a nonparametric and semiparametric model. We show that the causal parameter of interest is identifiable under some regularity assumptions and the assumption that there exists a pretreatment covariate whose conditional distributions among two principal strata are not the same, but our approach does not need the assumption of a mixture normal distribution for outcomes as required by Zhang, Rubin, and Mealli (2009). Hence, the proposed method is applicable not only to a continuous outcome but also to a binary outcome. When some of the assumptions are violated, we discuss biases of estimators and propose methods to reduce these biases. We conduct several simulation studies to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the proposed approach. Finally, we apply the proposed approach to a real dataset from a Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) clinical trial.


1. Introduction 2. Regulation and the Single Market 3. Motor Vehicle Insurance 4. Competition Policy and Insurance 5. Jurisdiction in Insurance Disputes 6. Choice of Law and Insurance Contracts 7. Harmonisation of Substantive Insurance Law Conclusion.


Research aimed to design and to assess an information operational model for procurement management in Thai supply chain. A samples are ten experts in the field of information. and supply chain. The data is analysed by means and standardized deviations. The research about an information operational model for procurement management in Thai supply chain consists of six elements namely main elements Suppliers , Producer, Finished goods and Customers. The assessment about an information operational model for procurement management in Thai supply chain using Black-Box technique. The research findings revealed that an information operational model for procurement management in Thai supply chain is appropriate at the high level which mean that This model can be develop information system.


The paper reports on recent studies of carbon-fiber-composite (CFC) targets exposed to intense plasma streams generated by the PF-360 facility. The main aim was to observe interaction of pure deuterium plasma with surfaces of the investigated material and to estimate parameters of plasma in a near-surface layer. Optical spectroscopy was used to measure the emission spectra in the visible range. Distinct deuterium Balmer-lines were recorded and it was estimated that in a freepropagating plasma stream the maximum electron density was about 2 x 10 cm. In experiments with CFC targets it was about one order higher. A dependence of carbon spectral-lines and erossion effects on the crystallographic orientation of the target was observed.


In this paper, a novel technique for simulation of the short-term fading is presented and analyzed. A proposed solution is based on a trained artificial neural network (in further text ANN) and an oscillator for regulating the simulation process. In order to obtain adequate input data for training, cross-validation and testing, extensive measurements of electric field level were carried out in indoor environment. Statistical analysis of gained results has shown good performances of the proposed technique, and thereby the possibility for applying it in the real life situations.


The Chicago Mercantile Exchange funded a study by Block, Gallagher, and Rzepcynski to follow an earlier survey by Block and Gallagher [1]. We have found that the use of interest rate futures and derivatives by Fortune 500 companies has not increased but has actually decreased slightly from 19.2% to 16.5%. The primary reason for the leveling off is related to a less volatile interest rate environment. The average annual change in 90day commercial paper rates has declined from 2.31% in 1978-1985 to 0.76% in 1986-1989.


This paper mainly study a class of special matrices,such asA=aijn×n aij=0,i+jn+1aij≠0,i+j≤n+1 and abtain two results:first,by using definition of reversible matrix,we abtain some of the characteristics of its inverse matrix,which is mentioned in the front;Second,by using the property of nilpotent matrix and strictly up-triangular matrix,seeking its a simple formula for its inverse matrix,which helps to calculate a kind of up-t riangular matrix's power problem.


The compound biological organic fertilizer consists of fermented organic fertilizer 20-30 wt%, inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, potash fertilizer 45-60 wt%, trace elements Si, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, etc. 7-10 wt%, humic acid 2 wt% and Armstrong bacteria 10 wt%. The fermented organic fertilizer is produced with animal excrement, urea, phosphate ore powder and compound bacteria preparation, and through fermentation.


%E24 (50%). The regression analysis showed that surface tension decrease was mainly affected by KH2PO4 (p<0.0001), K2HPO4 (p<0.0006), yeast extract (p<0.0006), and glucose (p<0.0008), whereas cell growth was affected by FeSO4·7H2O (p<0.0001), NH4Cl (p<0.0001), glucose (p<0.0001) and temperature (p<0.0001). Surface tension decrease did not depend on cell growth (r=−0.43, p<0.02). The polar and non-polar components analyzed of biosurfactant produced in all the culture media were rhamnose and fatty acids, respectively. In conclusion, P. putida CB-100 produced biosurfactants with emulsifying capacity and surface tension reducing activity under suitable nutrient and culture conditions that could be used to remove oil from contaminated sites.


Information concerning the engineering aspects of the design of commercial nuclear power plants is presented. Topics discussed include: electric utility economics; nuclear plant cconomics; thermal-transport systems and core design; nuclear analysis methods; safcty requirements; fuel-system analysis; dcsign considerations; and optimization approaches. (DCC)


KEY POINTS
Canada has been at the forefront of cannabis research, education and regulation for the past 2 decades, yet uncertainty remains about how the drug should be used in medicine. Physicians lack evidence-based information and formalized training about cannabis, which stems, in part, from the


DS/FH communication intermediate frequency modulation module is designed based on FPGA, the module can be used in the hopping frequency system with the band of 200MHz, hopping speed of 1000hop/s. It can meet the intermediate frequency π/4 DQPSK modulation requirement. The performance of QPSK, π/4 DQPSK and π/2 DQPSK modulating is compared by MATLAB simulation, The simulation results show that the performance of π/4 DQPSK modulation format is optimization. And the principles, FPGA design, key technique in FPGA and hardware realization of the π/4 DQPSK modulation are given. The modulation rate of the designed intermediate frequency π/4 DQPSK modulation module reaches 2.5 Mbit/s on 10MHz clock rate, the modulating signal can demodulate with 0.025 low error rate in the signal-to-noise ratio −15dB interference environment.


This paper proposes a two-stage maximum entropy prior to elicit uncertainty regarding a multivariate interval constraint of the location parameter of a scale mixture of normal model. Using Shannon's entropy, this study demonstrates how the prior, obtained by using two stages of a prior hierarchy, appropriately accounts for the information regarding the stochastic constraint and suggests an objective measure of the degree of belief in the stochastic constraint. The study also verifies that the proposed prior plays the role of bridging the gap between the canonical maximum entropy prior of the parameter with no interval constraint and that with a certain multivariate interval constraint. It is shown that the two-stage maximum entropy prior belongs to the family of rectangle screened normal distributions that is conjugate for samples from a normal distribution. Some properties of the prior density, useful for developing a Bayesian inference of the parameter with the stochastic constraint, are provided. We also propose a hierarchical constrained scale mixture of normal model (HCSMN), which uses the prior density to estimate the constrained location parameter of a scale mixture of normal model and demonstrates the scope of its applicability.


We have used density functional theory with the gradient corrected exchange-correlation functional PW91 to study the effect of an interfactant layer, where Fe and Cr are replaced by a different metal, on electronic and magnetic properties of an epitaxial interface between -Fe2O3 and -Cr2O3 in the hexagonal (0001) basal plane. We studied a monolayer of M2O3 (M=Al, Ga, Sc, Ti, Ni) sandwiched with 5 layers of chromia and five layers of hematite through epitaxial interfaces of two types, termed "oxygen divided" or "split metal." We found that both the magnetic and electronic properties of the superlattice are modified by the interfactant monolayer. For the split metal interface, which is favored through the growth pattern of chromia and hematite, the band offset can be changed from 0.62 eV (no interfactant) up to 0.90 eV with the Sc2O3 interfactant, and down to –0.51 eV (i.e. the a-Fe2O3/a-Cr2O3 heterojunction changes from Type II to Type I) with the Ti2O3 interfactant, due to a massive interfacial charge transfer. The band gap of the system as a whole remains open for the interfactant monolayers based on Al, Ga, and Sc, but it closes for Ti. For Ni, the split-metal interface has a negative band offsetmore » and a small band gap. Thus, nanoscale engineering through layer-by-layer growth will strongly affect the macroscopic properties of this system.« less


An increase in the sum of alloying elements in industrial silumins causes excess intermetallic phases to form in their structure. When the amount of modifiers introduced into such alloys exceeds a certain amount, structural components coarsen due to overmodification, which may cause deterioration of mechanical properties of cast alloys. As the amount of alloying elements in alloys increases from 7,35 % (АК7ch) to 14,3 % (АК10М2N), the optimum consumption of the modifying microcrystalline remelt decreases from 0,6 to 0,3 wt.%. The optimum amount of introduced titanium is reduced from 0,05 to 0,01 % when using the AlTi5 master alloy and from 0,02 to 0,01 % when using the AlTi5B1 master alloy. With an increase in the silicon content, the modifying effect of the AlSr10 master alloy is enhanced, while the amounts of strontium introduced into alloys are smaller. The paper demonstrates that metallic modifier consumption depends on its modifying property, as well as on the sum of alloying elements in the modified silumin.


The familiar expressions 'nurses eat their own' or their 'young' spark a range of reactions among those in the profession: from sadness and anger, to acknowledgement, rolled eyes or a snort of laughter - but never denial. Kara Douglas investigates the culture of bullying within the professions and the devastating toll it takes.


W hether the issue is pigmentation, wrinkles, acne, facial redness, oily or dry complexion, or simply the fear of looking old, the use of nonprescription skin care products to enhance the appearance of skin has become a mainstay of society and a legitimate aspect of dermatology.1 Women make up the largest group of consumers, but this phenomenon is widespread, and nonprescription skinrejuvenating cosmeceuticals are now the fastest-growing segment of the skin care market.1-3 Routinely, cosmeceuticals are marketed in the mass media and through celebrity endorsements to promote brand recognition. As the sophistication, diversity, and medical claims of the nonprescription skin care product industry expands, patients as consumers trust in physician The Topical Nutritional Pyramid: A Method for Educating Patients on Skin-Rejuvenating Cosmeceuticals


In this paper we consider a layer of incompressible viscous fluid lying above a flat periodic surface in a uniform gravitational field. The upper boundary of the fluid is free and evolves in time. We assume that a mass of surfactants resides on the free surface and evolves in time with the fluid. The surfactants dynamics couple to the fluid dynamics by adjusting the surface tension coefficient on the interface and also through tangential Marangoni stresses caused by gradients in surfactant concentration. We prove that small perturbations of equilibria give rise to global-in-time solutions in an appropriate functional space, and we prove that the solutions return to equilibrium exponentially fast. In particular this proves the asymptotic stability of equilibria.


Diagnosing various medical conditions and interpreting the results of colorimetric tests requires medical professionals to utilize color-based cues. However, those with a color vision deficiency (CVD) are at an increased risk of misdiagnosing patients and incorrectly interpreting the results of colorimetric tests. The most common CVDs afflicting medical professionals are deuteranomaly, deuteranopia, protanomaly, and protanopia, all of which reduce the ability to perceive a difference between green, yellow, orange, and red hues. For example, it has been found that medical professionals and students with a CVD have a decreased ability to detect blood in stool samples and are more likely to misread the results of colorimetric tests. In an effort to reduce these types of errors, potential countermeasures are explored, including screening for CVDs early on in medical school, implementing redundant coding principles for colorimetric medical tests, and designing efficient support systems for medical professionals with a CVD.


Tough fiber-reinforced composites depend on fiber pull-out and crack bridging to arrest cracks in the matrix. In order to achieve fiber pull-out, there must be a weak interface between the matrix and the fiber. In this study, the interface formed at elevated temperatures between alumina and a zirconia-bearing glass-ceramic was characterized to determine its chemical and mechanical properties. The interface was analyzed in planar and cross-sectional specimens by SEM, TEM, optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. It was found that the diffusion of alumina into the glass-ceramic produces a dense layer of zirconia crystallization in the glass-ceramic within 20 microns of the alumina. The strength of the interface is inversely proportional to the thickness of this layer. Firing at longer times and higher temperatures produces the weakest interface. Activation energies (Q) and diffusion coefficients of aluminum into the glass matrix were calculated using a nonlinear regression analysis and data from ion microprobe profiles. Q was calculated to be 538 kJ/mol and the preexponential diffusion coefficient, D/sub 0/, was found to be 4.96 x 10/sup 7/ cm/sup 2//s. Some interfaces fractured spontaneously, possibly because of the martensitic transformation of zirconia. Although it is possible to achieve a weak interface, a weak interface more » demands long firing times (greater than three hours) or high temperatures (greater than 1425/sup 0/C). Under such rigorous conditions, a 20 ..mu..m diameter alumina fiber will totally dissolve. For this reason, the development of an in-situ ZrO/sub 2/ crystallization layer is not a suitable method to produce tough alumina fiber reinforced/glass ceramic composites. 18 figs., 4 tabs. « less