The Mediterranean region is one of the areas in the world most exposed to urban growth and increasing food insecurity. The population should continue to increase (from 446 million in 2000 to 570 million in 2025) and remains concentrated in cities and on coastlines, strongly depending on food imports. Within this context, some cities in the Mediterranean begin to develop food and agricultural strategies that aim to renew and strengthen the links with the local agricultural production: these strategies involve short supply chains and alternative food networks, urban agriculture, land preservation for agricultural purpose, local procurement for schools meals or farm-to-school initiatives. Milan, Barcelona or Lisbon for example create and develop ambitious and creative policies that address food and urban agriculture issues. Do these examples tend to reveal a transition era towards agricultural and food strategies in the Mediterranean? Why do these cities come to worry about food and agriculture issues and take action on them? What food and agricultural practices are conceived, adopted and implemented through these innovative urban strategies? This paper will discuss these questions using three perspectives. First it focuses on the motivations that can lead or not Mediterranean cities to seize food and agricultural issues. From the DAUME project and the partnerships that were established through it, we describe what happens in 6 cities in the Mediterranean: Constantine (Algeria), Athenes (Greece), Montpellier (France), Lisbon (Portugal), Meknes (Morocco) et Pisa (Italia). This panel underlines the various drivers of the agriculture and food urban policies: land and urban planning priorities, food security, social or environmental issues, etc. Secondly we analyze the specific role of either urban or agricultural public policies in the raise of agricultural and food issues at a local scale. More specifically we analyze how urban policies, focused on the necessity to deal with urban growth, face difficulties in interacting with sectorial approaches of agriculture and food related issues. Finally we focus on the case study of Montpellier (France). Montpellier is currently elaborating a food and agricultural municipal policy, part of it involving changes toward more sustainable social practices. The analysis of this policy elaboration, which our research team was a part of, helps revealing the agricultural and food practices of the local authorities, the levers for potential action and the dialogue process. (Resume d'auteur)


A high speed two dimensional (2D) bar-code detection system (BCDS) with two visible-light laser diodes (LDs) driven by a complementary light emission (CLE) method and by a pulse modulation one with bias current (PMBC), has been newly developed to realize highspeed scanning. The CLE method enables a high effective scanning speed, while still retaining the size of the 2D BCDS small. And also, the PMBC method enables a high-frequency drive of LDs, that is. high-speed scanning. This paper experimentarily demonstrates the effectiveness of these CLE and PMBC drive methods.


As a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh's computer engineering department, I found a junior level software engineering position for ABC Technology Corporation where I work on research and development of virtual reality systems. I am fresh out of college, still in debt, but eager to put all that I learned in school to use. The company is currently in the running to secure Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored contract dealing with virtual reality training systems. With the hope of pulling more troops out of the conflict in the Middle East, the military wants to train the troops that are still in battle with the best equipment that they can get their hands on. Virtual reality offers a way for the DoD to train soldiers effectively even with a shrinking budget [1]. It also gives soldiers more opportunities to train, making them more effective in combat. The company can obtain the contact only if ABC produces the best immersion technology out of all of the contenders. In my research department, I have been developing a cutting edge full body immersion suit that will revolutionize virtual training systems. The suit sends electric pulses through the skin to react with the user's nervous system giving more realistic sensations to the users. Virtual reality only works if a user is completely immersed in the environment. This immersion suit's preliminary testing proves that the user's immersion level is leaps and bounds ahead of any other technology on the market. Since immersion is the key aspect of virtual reality that needs to be improved, I am certain that my team's invention will win. Word gets around to other contenders about ABC's recent success with their new technology. Out of the blue, a friend from college, John, sends me an email asking about the product I am working on. John is from a rival contender, Company X. Company X is massive in comparison to ABC and did not want to be beaten by such a small company. John works for their research and development department as well, so John offers me $150,000 to provide him with the code and schematics for the ABC's design. John promises not to copy the product, just improve it. That means that it would be harder for anyone to find out I gave the information away. The $150,000 dollars would be more than enough for me to pay off my school loans and have a very nice amount of spending money after. John and his company are willing to do this because he knows how important it would be for his company to secure a government contract. Currently, the United States spends over $525 billion dollars every year just on the Department of Defense [2]. By claiming even a fraction of that total spending budget, Company X would have a promising source of income for years to come. With the opportunity to escape all of my debt laying on the table, and a small chance of getting caught, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. This scenario has the obvious ethical issue where I encounter a bribe [3]. However, there is an underlying ethical issue with this technology that must also be discussed. Let's begin by looking at the technology.


The concrete microstructure can affect its macroscopic properties, such as the strength and durability, etc. Based on the experimental study of cube compressive strength of steel fibre reinforced concrete, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and using by mercury intrusion method to test the pore structure of steel fibrous, this paper analyzes the influence of fibre on concrete pore structure. And then on mechanical properties of concrete from microcosmic perspective.


I. INTRODUCTION While most states have come to view judicial independence as vital to the dispensation of justice in the domestic sphere,1 states do not have the same expectations of detached jurisprudence when facing disputes under international law. In fact, while a judge associated with a party to a domestic suit may be required by municipal law to recuse herself,2 in "international adjudication . . . [it has been assumed that] each State in the litigation should be permitted to have a judge of its own nationality on the bench."3 The rationale for this arrangement, and the demands of states that it continue, rests on an usually unspoken assumption: states believe that national judges will view fellow countrymen with greater sympathy than foreigners.4 Thus, though in almost every international forum there are regulations and customs limiting judicial conflicts of interest and adjudicators have regularly removed themselves from proceedings for such reasons,5 the vast majority of the fora allow, and even encourage, the existence of a base level of partiality which states believe stems from a judge's nationality. Though the importance of judicial nationality has become visceral for many, its nearaxiomatic status among states remains curious. States have by and large failed to question the assumption of judicial partiality, presuming that their judges will vote with them and that others' judges will similarly follow their masters. By concentrating on the record of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), this article contends that while a continuing focus on nationality is understandable in the ICJ, the "nationality" bias of judges on the Court was never as powerful as claimed by alarmists and today seems to be breaking down even further. For both critics and supporters of international justice, any existence of national6 judicial allegiance would be important-for the former it would buttress one of its most cogent critiques and for the latter it would prove another hindrance to the development of a truly transnational system of law. Part II of this article proceeds first by briefly examining the history of this "judicial nationalism," and the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ)'s (1920-1942) and the ICJ's (1946-the present) tendencies to de facto and de jure assume national bias among their respective judges. The statutes, institutional structures, and practices of both organizations have been fundamentally impacted by the belief in judicial allegiance.7 Despite this, Part III will show, via a quantitative analysis of the Court's voting record from its inception through 2000, including a cross-tabulation of alliance voting on the body, that the power of nationality is indeterminate at best, rarely dispositive, and likely fleeting. Linking nationality with expected voting behavior is an over-simplified and blunt heuristic. Finally, Part IV looks to the future, both normatively and positively. It examines both why the nationality assumption seems to have failed and how such failure is being implicitly acknowledged among states, as manifested by the increasing inconsistency with which it is applied in fora apart from the ICJ. In particular, a substantial rift is emerging between public international law and private international law in this regard; the most recent regulations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) actually prohibit co-nationals from serving on arbitrations.8 It is this return to-and mounting importance of-the commercial, nonstate roots of international litigation (when it was conducted solely between commercial actors) that is ironically changing the landscape of interstate disputes. Arguably, there remain important components of nationality that ought to be recognized. However, the claim that nationality matters in international jurisprudence, as a positive assertion, is so overbroad as to be inaccurate, while the claim that nationality should matter in such jurisprudence, as a normative assertion, seems unattractive in today's world. …


A chiral diacid monomer containing L-phenylalanine-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene-11,12-dicarboximido unit was successfully synthesized in four steps and used in the preparation of a series of novel optically active polyamides by direct polycondensation with diverse aromatic diamines using 1,3-dipropylimidazolium bromide under microwave dielectric heating. Ionic liquids (ILs) efficiently absorb microwave energy and thus are employed as solvent. By controlling the concentration of 1,3-dipropylimidazolium bromide, reaction time and power level, high yield and moderate inherent viscosity polymers could be achieved in a very short period of time. All the resulting polymers exhibited excellent solubility in various organic solvents. The polyamides were found to have inherent viscosities in the range of 0.54–0.85 dL g−1. These polyamides had glass-transition temperatures (Tg) above 180°C, and a 10% weight-loss temperatures in excess of 340°C with char yield at 800°C in nitrogen higher than 40%. A comparative study on effects exerted by microwave technique with conventional method is also presented. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The utility model provides a full -automatic box processing apparatus, including workstation, polyunit, clamping device, advancing device, grouping device, the box of current position department is pushed open back to this polyunit, and it forms a line along moving the track, and clamping device triggers the back by the box that increases gradually, will lie in to move that the box of appointed quantity grasps on the track, and again by advancing device propelling movement to specified region, clamping device lies in to unclamp the box and retracted by advancing device behind the specified region and restores to the throne, and the grouping device is alternately with box propelling movement to the both sides in the current specified region. The utility model discloses a plurality of cylinders of linkage realize the processing of box when different position, the box individuality that makes the dispersion finally merges into the box group of appointed quantity, has made things convenient for vanning and post processing. This scheme can realize that different quantity, not unidimensional box divide into groups through each device of adjustment, and whole process automaticallyes process totally and can use with the other equipment cooperation, reaches the purpose that improves work efficiency.


Earnings announcements are anticipated events with significant price impacts. This fact can motivate informed traders to trade on private information and liquidity providers to reduce liquidity in order to be careful about insider trading. In this paper, we examine the effect of earnings announcements on information asymmetry. Specifically, we investigate whether liquidity suppliers value the possibility of trading with informed agents and whether market behaviour reflects this. To achieve this objective, we take into account the sign of the surprise, the quarter of the announcement, the quantity of previous information and the quality of the information released. One of the main results of the paper is the support of market efficiency. This result is important nowadays since this hypothesis is being questioned after the irruption of the financial crisis.


Reaction of thiosemicarbazides (III) with Me-I/AcONa gives regioselectively the linearly fused products (IV) while reaction of compounds (III) with DCC gives predominantly the angularly fused products (VI).


Magnetic-catalyzed SnO2 with Fe3O4 of CMOS MEMS gas sensor is proposed and it's based on the magnetic-catalytic sensing mechanism to increase sensitivity. Beyond the conventional power dissipation of heating to maintain a certain working temperature, a new approach for gas sensor with magnetic-catalytic mechanism works at the ambient temperature without the consideration of active heating. The design and fabrication is realized by the standard 0.35μm CMOS process to fabricate a gas sensor with mesh stacked electrodes. For the preparation of magnetic sensing material, a prepared solution of sol-gel SnO2 is mixed at SnO2:Fe3O4 = 3:1, which was deposited onto mesh stacked electrodes. When the CO gas sensor is introduced, the sample is tested and verified inside a CO gas chamber with a magnetic field generator of solenoid coil. We also build a magnetic-catalytic gas reaction behavior description based on Gibbs free energy and the Eyring equation. A careful investigation of measurement results, at horizontal magnetic field, the sensitivity of proposed CO gas sensor reaches 1.73%/ppm under the 12 Gauss which shows widely applicable for an ultra-low power chemical microsensor with high sensitivity.


AbstractAgriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and plays an important role in the overall economic development of a nation. In this paper, we have proposed a novel methodology for smart farming by linking a smart sensing system through wireless communication technology. Our system focuses on the measurement of physical parameters such as soil moisture content, nutrient content ,and pH of the soil that plays a vital role in farming activities. The detailed modeling and strategies of smart farming system are demonstrated in this paper.


This research will discuss the interest of maintaining Colombia's the Island of San Andres Nicaragua claim after an international court of Justice decision in 2012. Dispute Nicaraguan territory won by getting the right area of 200 nautical miles as the state beach. To maintain the islands of San Andreas Colombia rejected the international court's decision.Perspective used in this research is Neorealist. This research uses the theory of conflict by K.J Holsti. Based on this theory conflicts caused conflict in achieving a particular goal, such as territorial defense, security, natural resources in order to maintain or achieve a particular goal. Conflicts also include diplomatic actions and propaganda struggle and threats.Colombia has economic and political interests in the islands of San Andreas. From the political aspect of these islands is the border region that is leading the island state security. Islands San Andreas also has potential in the field of marine economy, and tourism. To the national interest, Colombia rejects international court decisionsKeyword : Dispute, Neorealist, territorial defense, tourism.


With the rapid development of 3D scanners, graphic accelerated hardware and modeling tools, the application of 3D model database is growing in both numbers and sizes, e.g., 3D head and body scan datasets. In this paper, a novel method by using cluster-based panoramic views is proposed for retrieving 3D virtual mannequins. First, a Young Chinese Female Virtual Mannequin (YCFVM) database is established by analyzing various 3D body scan data; second, panoramic views of virtual mannequins are obtained, and the Fourier and Wavelet features of the panoramic views are extracted; third, a multi-scale indexing of the YCFVM dataset is generated for fast matching by using fuzzy clustering for the Wavelet features; finally, the Fourier descriptor is embedded into the feature matching with the generated indexing for obtaining more accurate retrieval results. Experiment results show that the proposed method can achieve better retrieval performance than other descriptors used for virtual mannequin retrieval.


The invention relates to a method for burning fuel in an internal combustion engine, in particular for car or truck, comprising the steps of: directly DOLLAR A a) injecting the fuel (F) into a central zone (8) of the combustion chamber at a predetermined time during the compression , forming DOLLAR a b) further compaction of the fuel (F) (with pre-inserted in the combustion chamber air L) and pressures of the fuel (F) into a combustion chamber (in an outer (7) and a central zone 8) subdivides, a middle zone , first porous element (6), wherein the fuel is vaporized (F) and is submitted air is mixed, and DOLLAR A d) igniting the air / fuel mixture.


Significant advances in GaN‐based materials and devices have prompted intense interest in the group III nitrides. In this letter, we report electroluminescence‐detected magnetic resonance (ELDMR) and electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) results on InGaN/AlGaN double heterostructures which have an intense blue emission. The dominant feature detected by either technique is a broad resonance (ΔB∼21 mT) at g≊2.00. Our ELDMR measurements show that this is associated with the blue emission and we ascribe this resonance signal to a deep Zn‐related acceptor. A second resonance, resolved in EDMR, is tentatively identified as a deep donor trap. Based on our results we propose a model for the blue emission from these diodes.


We propose a step towards a resolution to black hole information paradox by analyzing scattering amplitudes of a complex scalar field around a Schwarzschild black hole. The scattering cross-section reveals much information on the incoming state but exhibits flux loss at the same time. The flux loss should be temporary, and indicate mass growth of the black hole. The black hole should Hawking-radiate subsequently, thereby, compensating for the flux loss. By examining the purity issue, we comment on the possibility that information bleaching may be the key to the paradox.


On March 17, 2011, the United Nations authorized military intervention in Libya to protect the country's civilians. The Security Council was reacting to violence between Libyan government forces and domestic opponents that had erupted the preceding month. Two days after the authorization, NATO initiated the intervention, including establishing a no-oy zone and launching aerial attacks on government forces. After seven months, Libyan rebel forces conquered the country and killed the former authoritarian ruler, Muammar al-Qaddaa, in October 2011. Western media and politicians praised the intervention as a humanitarian success for averting a bloodbath in Libya's second largest city, Benghazi, and helping replace the dictatorial Qaddaa regime with a transitional council pledged to democracy. Based on this ostensible success, many experts now cite Libya as a model for implementing the humanitarian principle known as the "responsibility to protect" (R2P). Before such conclusions are embraced, however, a more rigorous assessment of the net humanitarian impact of NATO's intervention in Libya is warranted. The Libya intervention is the latest in a series of international military actions after the Cold War justiaed on the basis of protecting noncombatants. This renaissance of "humanitarian intervention" started in the early 1990s, with prominent deployments of United Nations–authorized air and ground forces to northern Iraq, Bosnia, and Somalia. After NATO intervened in Kosovo in 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton declared, "If the world community has the power to stop it, we ought to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing." 1 The Kosovo intervention, however, had not been authorized by the United


Objective: This study is to evaluate the presence of the metabolic syndrome in a group of 117 outpatients with bipolar disorder treated with mood stabilizers in Taiwan. Method: This was a cross-sectional study. We collected data from follow-up participants at psychiatric outpatient clinics. We focused on the presence of the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the 2005 International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) criteria. Results: We found that 33.9% of the patients met the IDF 2005 criterion for the metabolic syndrome, that 61.0% of them met the criterion for abdominal obesity, 36.8% for hypertriglyceridemia, 53.0% for lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 18.6% for hypertension or on hypertension medications, and 13.7% for high fasting glucose or received antidiabetic medications. Through logistic regression model in subgroup analysis of metabolic syndrome, we found that exposing to the second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) in the past 3 or 3-6 months was not regarded as a significant predictor factor. The odds ratio of the SGAs were 1.687 and 1.393, respectively. We found that monotherapy with mood stabilizer contributed to metabolic syndrome as equal as the SGAs, and that once patients were treated with combined lithium and valproate therapy, the odds ratio of metabolic syndrome was increased to 15.507 (p=0.054). Conclusion: This study indicates that the metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in patients with bipolar disorder. Physicians should be aware that the treatment of bipolar disorder involves the risk-benefit balance for patients in terms of adverse effects such as metabolic abnormalities. Based on the finding of this study, we suggest that the practicing psychiatrists and primary care professionals need to monitor the parameters which are included in the metabolic syndrome to identify those patients with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.


Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to prevent the appearance of neutropenia after chemotherapy, shorten its duration once it appears, and induce the presence of peripheral blood stem cells (1). We recently used G-CSF in a patient with small-cell lung cancer and psoriasis, and the psoriasis worsened during therapy with G-CSF. The patient (63 years old) had received a number of topical therapies and oral retinoids in the previous 30 years for chronic psoriasis. In April 1996, a small-cell lung cancer with bone metastases was diagnosed and the patient received chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide–doxorubicin–vincrist ine alternating with cisplatin–etoposide. The third course had to be delayed because of neutropenia, and G-CSF was given for 7 days. The cutaneous lesions deteriorated in this period and improved thereafter. In the next course, consent was obtained to perform a blood cell count, physical examination, and cutaneous biopsy in the day before initiation of G-CSF (day 0) and in the last day of this treatment (day 7). Results were as follows: Day 0—leukocyte count, 2.14 × 10 / L; neutrophil count, 0.93 × 10 /L; hemoglobin level, 12.4 g/dL; and platelet count, 132 × 10/L. The examination showed erythematous, scaly plaques, with positive Brocq sign, mainly in the extensor surface of the limbs (Fig. 1, A). The biopsy specimen revealed a plaque with uniform acanthosis, focal parakeratosis, and a light mixed infiltrate at some dermal papillae. Day 7—leukocyte count, 19.45 × 10/L; neutrophil count, 16.28 × 10 /L; hemoglobin level, 11.3 g/dL; and platelet count, 95 × 10/L. The examination showed that the lesions were more erythematous and scaly (Fig. 1, B). Histopathologic findings suggested a greater activity compared with the first biopsy. Although psoriasis exacerbates periodically, its coincidence with G-CSF therapy and improvement after G-CSF was withdrawn suggest a causal role in this case. The activity of psoriasis is partly mediated through cytokines such as granulocyte–macrophage CSF (GMCSF) (2). Increased expression of GMCSF messenger RNA has been detected in cells from psoriatic lesions (3–5).These observations suggest that cytokines play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Unlike GM-CSF, the role of G-CSF in the pathogenesis of psoriasis has not been established. G-CSF is not detected in cells from psoriatic lesions (4). However, there are reports in which G-CSF could have been related to the induction (6) or exacerbation(7) of psoriasis. In one of these patients, as well as in ours, the worsening of psoriasis coincided with an increment in the granulocyte count. Since this situation is similar to that described for GM-CSF (8), maybe a high neutrophil count produced by GCSF could exacerbate the lesions. GCSF also exerts some action on neutrophil function and on cytokine responses (9), which could favor chemotaxis and accumulation of activated neutrophils in psoriatic lesions. One report indicated that psoriasis may worsen with tumoral remission and improve with progression(10), but this seems very unlikely in our patient. In summary, although there are no data demonstrating a role for G-CSF in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, one should keep in mind that it may exacerbate previous lesions and even induce the disease.


1 Physician, Master's Candidate in the Graduate Program in Child and Adolescent Health of the Sector of Health Sciences of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil. 2 Physician of the Service of Pediatric Infectology of the Clinics Hospital Complex of the Federal University of Paraná (CHC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil. 3 Professor of the Department of Medicine State University of Ponta Grossa, Brazil. 4 Professor of Department of Pediatrics of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil. 5 Professor of the Department of Clinical Medicine of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.


Discrete sperm masses, of irregular outline, 2–5 mm in their maximum dimension, were found on males and females of Ridgeia piscesae Jones, 1985 (Pogonophora: Obturata), hydrothermal vent tube worms from the Juan de Fuca and Explorer Ridges in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Masses were found in tentacular and vestimental locations, often near the gonopores. The fine structure and size of spermatozoa from inside males are the same as in the masses and are distinctly different from described spermatozoa of perviate pogonophores. Maturation of the spermatozoa appears to be completed within the external sperm mass, after spawning. The sperm masses produced by males may be actively transferred to adjacent females of the densely aggregated animals found at the vent sites. In the females, these masses come to rest near the gonopores where fertilization may occur, just internal or external to the pores.


Generalization of the structure of financing of the main managers of federal budget funds in the context of sections and subsections of expenditures of the budget classification in order to identify the features and problems of further structuring costs in the context of the development of digitalization of budget processes. The current system of structuring sections and subsections of the budget classification of expenditures is considered, the quantitative composition of the codes of sections, subsections and expenditures of the GRBS of the federal budget for 2020 is analyzed. The ratio of the number of codes of sections and subsections of the budget classification of federal budget expenditures for the GRBS for 2020 and the regularity of their relationship is investigated. A low correlation between the number of codes of sections (subsections) and the volume of budget expenditures at the federal level for financing the GRBS was quantitatively revealed. A new concept is proposed — the consumption capacity of the code. The average expenditure intensity of one code of the budget expenditure section for the GRBS is estimated, and the structure of the ratio of budget expenditures and the expenditure intensity of the GRBS cost section code is studied according to the results of the federal budget execution for 2020. The provisions of the organization of the approach to building a digital budget are proposed. The conclusions of the generalization are reduced to a positive assessment in general of the possibilities of analyzing budget expenditures in the current classification of budget expenditures and the need for further deepening of digitalization, contributing to a more rational study and analysis of the effectiveness of the use of budget expenditures of the country.


ABSTRACT Essential oils from the inflorescences of Tagetes argentina Cabr., T. terniflora H.B.K., T. laxa Cabr. and T. filifolia Lag. from Argentina were studied by GC/MS. The oils of T. argentina and T. laxa were found to be rich in (E)- and (Z)-tagetenone (<60.0%), while T. terniflora oil contained (Z)-tagetone (<68.2%) as major constituent. The oil of T. filifolia possessed a characteristic compoisition where (E)-anethole and methyl chavicol together accounted for more than 97% of the oil.


Aim. The work is aimed at confirmation of earlier assumed mechanism of tRNA channeling. Methods. The methods of band shift assay and Forsters resonance energy transfer were used. Results. The affinities of mammalian tRNAs for two tissue specific isoforms of elongator factor eEF1A1 and eEF1A2 were compared. For the first time we have shown the ability of yeast eEF1A*GDP to form non-canonical ternary complex with deacylated tRNAs. The complexation of eukaryotic eEF1A with initiator tRNA, of both bacterial and mammalian origin, was also demonstrated. Conclusions. The formation of the non-canonical complexes of eEF1A*GDP with deacylated tRNAs is common for higher and lower eukaryotes, which is in favor of universality of eukaryotic tRNA-channeling.


Investment has always been a subject of fashion. There are always trends within the industry on how to best place money. Today there is a strong tendency to favor index products and to pick on active management styles. Despite fashion, this paper is on active tactical asset allocation. Asset Allocation is the art of combining different asset classes into one single portfolio. For institutional wealth managers as well as for ultra high net worth individuals, the decisions to be taken in asset allocation are more important than picking single stocks or bonds. In section one, different forms of asset allocation are described. There is a strategic version which keeps allocation constant for a very long time. This differs from tactical asset allocation where allocation changes quite often and is driven by an active investment strategy. Finally, there is portfolio management, which relies on stock or bond picking. If successfully applied, tactical asset allocation will determine whether investors will suffer during a prolonged drawdown. Section one also defines three investment principles that will be used in construction models and investment processes. In this paper, risk is rather cut than spread during a drawdown. In the case of an uptrend, diversification is actively applied, therefore the level of complexity in the decision process is reduced. Simple approaches are favored over complex ones. In section one you will also find a description of the data which was used in this study. An analysis of possible benchmarks is given by defining a set of 2'583 strategic asset allocation portfolios in three different currencies.


I greatly enjoyed 'Going legal'  by Lopez et al ,1 and endorse the article's main conclusions. While the authors' assertion that 'The (Mental Capacity) Act does not allow actions which will involve the deprivation of liberty in those aged 16 or 17' is a fair reflection of that statute's starting position, …


Genetic diversity of spring and summer populations of Brachionus calyciflorus collected from Lake Jinghu in Wuhu City was analyzed using RAPD method. 10 primers that produced repeatable and discernible bands were chosen from 44 random primers. Among the total of 76 loci detected, 65 loci (85.5%) were polymorphic. UPGMA and ME dendrograms of B. calyciflorus were constructed by clustering the amplified bands on the basis of the index of genetic distance. The average genetic distance among all samples was 0.5219. The genetic distance within summer population (0.4304) was shorter than that within spring population (0.4416). The genetic distance (0.6010) between the two seasonal populations was longer than that within either seasonal population. The two trees both showed that the sixteen samples were obviously divided into different clades. In UPGMA trees, the spring and summer populations were divided into two clades. In ME trees, all the summer samples except Su2 were separated as an independent clade. The results indicated that there is an obvious genetic difference between the two seasonal populations and a seasonal alternation in B. calyciflorus population collected from Lake Jinghu, and the sample Su2 may be an interim population.


We consider the stability of the steady free-surface thin-film flows over topography examined in detail by Kalliadasis et al. (2000). For flow over a step-down, their computations revealed that the free surface develops a ridge just before the entrance to the step. Such capillary ridges have also been observed in the contact line motion over a planar substrate, and are a key element of the instability of the driven contact line. In this paper we analyse the linear stability of the ridge with respect to disturbances in the spanwise direction. It is shown that the operator of the linearized system has a continuous spectrum for disturbances with wavenumber less than a critical value above which the spectrum is discrete. Unlike the driven contact line problem where an instability grows into well-defined rivulets, our analysis demonstrates that the ridge is surprisingly stable for a wide range of the pertinent parameters. An energy analysis indicates that the strong stability of the capillary ridge is governed by rearrangement of fluid in the flow direction flowing to the net pressure gradient induced by the topography at small wavenumbers and by surface tension at high wavenumbers.


A phase I evaluation of a weekly schedule of anguidine was undertaken as an alternative to the present continuous daily schedules. The dose ranged from 1.5 to 7.5 mg/m2 given as an infusion over 3 hours. No myelosuppression was noted at any dose level. The toxic effects included nausea and vomiting, hypotension, CNS symptoms (confusion, hallucinations, and psychomotor seizures), chills, fever, and diarrhea. A dose of 5 mg/m2 of anguidine produced acceptable toxicity.


In automatic decimation of polygonal models, the measure of geometric fidelity plays the key role. Among the existing measures, volume based error measure results in better quality approximations whereas the one based on normal field variation better preserves salient features. We exploit both volume and normal field to develop a more reliable and efficient two phase greedy algorithm. In the first phase, the priority of each vertex is defined using the normal field variation across its one-ring neighborhood. In the second phase, the desired number of vertices is removed according to their priorities. Once a vertex is a candidate for removal, it is eliminated by collapsing an outgoing halfedge that is selected by using the measure of geometric fidelity based on volume loss. Subjective and objective comparisons validate that the proposed algorithm not only has better speed-quality trade-off but also consumes less memory space and keeps visually important features even after drastic simplification in a better way than the similar state-of-the-art best algorithms. This method is useful for applications where computing coordinates and/or attributes other than those attached to the original vertices is not allowed by the application and the focus is on both speed and quality of LODs.


In 1991, Ethiopia's new leaders established a multiethnic federation that provides for the right to secession. The secession clause was incorporated for reasons of ideology and necessity. The federation consists of largely ethnic-based territorial units and encourages political parties to organize along ethnic lines. The Ethiopian case is a radical departure from most other federal systems. This analysis focuses on (1) Ethiopia's secession clause, (2) the House of Federation, and (3) state-federal relations. The future of federalism in Ethiopia is unclear. The provisions of a liberal democratic constitution conflict with the reality of authoritarian centralist practice and therefore jeopardize the future of federalism. Although the secession clause has symbolic value, it is unlikely that any Ethiopian government would allow secession to take place. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.


Copper (II) complexes of a series of quadridentate ligands, N,N′-di-8-quinolylethylenediamine (dqen), (R)-N,N′-quinolylpropylenediamine {(R)-dqpn}, and (R,R)-N,N′-di-8-quinolyl-1,2-cyclohexanediamine -{(R,R)-dqchxn}, have been prepared. Their d-d absorption spectra, magnetic moments, and molar conductivities indicate that the complexes have a five-coordinated structure, in which one of the quinoline groups of the ligands occupies an apical position. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the optically active ligands and their complexes exhibit exiton couplets in the ligand's π*←π transition region. From the signs of the couplets, the preferable configurations of the (R)-dqpn and (R,R)-dqchxn complexes are assigned to Δ.


Fault tolerance is gaining interest as a means to increase the reliability and availability of distributed energy systems. In this paper, a voltage-oriented Doubly-Fed Induction Generator is examined. This work applies formerly developped model based sensor fault tolerant control methods to gain and offset faults. For that reason, saturation is modelled. Fault detection is triggered by residuals. Fault isolation determines the faulty sensor. Replacement signals from observers are used to reconfigure the drive and re-enter closed loop control. While model based FDI for these faults is generally possible, it requires the fault to be large enough to be detectable.


Many studies have demonstrated the intimate connection between microphysics and deep moist convection,especiallyforsqualllinesviacoldpoolpathways.Thepresentstudyexaminesfournumericallysimulated idealizedsqualllinesusingtheRegionalAtmosphericModelingSystem(RAMS)andincludesacontrol simulation that uses full two-moment microphysics and three sensitivity experiments that vary the mean diameter of the hail hydrometeor size distribution. Results suggest that a circulation centered at the freezing level supports midlevel convective updraft invigoration through increased latent heating. The circulation begins with hail hydrometeors thatinitiate within theconvective updraftabove thefreezing leveland arethen ejected upshear because of the front-to-rear flow of the squall line. As the hail falls below the freezing level, the rear-inflow jet (RIJ) advects the hail hydrometeors downshear and into the upshear flank of the midlevel convective updraft. Because the advection occurs below the freezing level, some of the hail melts and sheds raindrops. The addition of hail and rain to the updraft increases latent heating owing to both an enhancement inrimingandvapordepositionontohailandrain.Theincreaseinlatentheatingenhancesbuoyancywithinthe updraft,whichleadstoanincreaseinprecipitationandcoldpoolintensitythatpromoteapositivefeedbackonsquall-linestrength.Theupshear-tiltedsimulatedsqualllinesinthisstudyindicatethatashailsizeisde-creased, squall lines are invigorated through the recirculation mechanism.


The problems involved in determining the mechanisms of reactions by quantum mechanical calculations are discussed. Various precautions must be taken if the results of any calculation are to be chemically meaningful. Ab initio studies of reactions must also be carried out at a high level, using large basis sets and allowing for electron correlation. Such calculations are usually restricted to the simplest example of a reaction, which is often untypical. More information can usually be obtained at far less cost through AM1 calculations for a number of examples of a reaction for which experimental data are available. These points are illustrated by recent studies of the Cope rearrangement.


This paper presents the superior switching performance of the in-situ Oxide-GaN interlayer FET (OG-FET) obtained by modeling a 1.4 kV/2.2 mΩ□cm2 device fabricated by the authors [1]. Based on the parameters extracted from fabricated devices, an accurate 2D physics-based device model was developed. Using the device-circuit-integrated model built in Silvaco's MixedMode platform [2], we evaluated the switching performance of the OG-FET in 1) a double-pulse switch circuit, and 2) in a 200 V : 800 V boost converter as well. The OG-FET showed a remarkably low device figure-of-merit (Ron·Qgd) of 1275 mΩ□nC. Our results indicate that our recently fabricated large area GaN OG-FET has the potential of attaining higher efficiencies and also enabling MHz range conversions.


and key words The classical colour polar-based representations, of type (HSV, HLS, etc.), lead to brightness and saturation with non consistent properties. In this paper they are replaced by means of norms, in particular L1 and max-min. Two examples illustrate the suitable relevance of L1 norm with regard to segmentation issues. The first issue deals with the histograms luminance/saturation which are plotted for four different representations. They highlight alignments in the case of the norm L1 and these alignments characterise zones of shadows or of reflections in the image. A model of linearly regionalised spectrum for light flux is proposed for a physical interpretation of this proportionality. The second example relates to morphological colour image segmentation, starting from polar representations. The main underlying idea here is to fully exploit the nature of the saturation component as a balance between the luminance and the hue. More precisely, each of the three components luminance, saturation and hue is processed independently from the others, according to a traditional segmentation technique for numerical functions. In the regions of high saturations, traitement du signal 2004_volume 21_numéro spécial L'image numérique couleur 583


We have developed an essentially green, bottom-up approach for synthesising flexible, organic, semi-conducting nanocomposite films based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and polyaniline (PANI) through aqueous emulsion polymerization. Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) was used as surfactant and dopant for the emulsion. CNCs and DBSA micelle concentrations, their structural organization and alignment with the monomer in the emulsion have a significant effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposite films with electrical conductivity reaching as high as 5.29 × 10−1 S cm−1 which falls in the electrical conductivity range of germanium (2.24 × 10−2 S cm−1) and silicon (0.43 × 10−5 S cm−1) [S. L. Kakani, Electronics Theory and Applications, New Age International, 23–24, 2005]. The CNCs–PANI–DBSA nanocomposite films show a maximum tensile stress and strain values of 22 MPa and 0.89%, respectively and are significantly stronger and more flexible films than those obtained with, for instance, graphene/polyaniline composite paper or graphene paper, where it has been reported in the literature that the tensile strengths were 12.6 and 8.8 MPa, and maximum strains, 0.11 and 0.08%, respectively [Wang et al., ACS Nano, 2009, 3, 1745].


In a homogeneous-good duopoly game with a home and a foreign firm, which compete on prices, it has been shown that the optimal way to assist the domestic industry is by a production subsidy. The argument here is that the subsidy is used to keep potential competitive pressure on the foreign firm. This paper analyzes under which conditions this threat of entry of a subsidized home firm is credible. It is shown that in markets where the firms move before the government, a subsidy is not credible and dominated by a tariff in terms of welfare.


Objective:To probe the clinic value of color Doppler ultrasound-guided percutaneous endoscopic nephrolithotomy(PCNL).Methods:Color Doppler ultrasound-guided PCNL in 42 patients with renal calculi were studied.Results:Color Doppler ultrasound-guided in All patients were totally performed first time.41 patients of Color Doppler ultrasound-guided PCNL was successful firstly.The successful rate was 97.8%.The operation of 1 patient with staghorn stones was failure.There were serious blood loss.Conclusions:Color Doppler ultrasound-guided operation is an accurate method which is valuable in PCNL.


Numerous complications in conveying students'ideas and comprehending the words from teachers due to lack of academic vocabulary Many teaching techniques or strategies the teacher can use to make students learn the vocabulary effectively. This study aims at examining the effectiveness of Computer-based Flashcard Program (CFP) is effective in teaching vocabulary. Pre-experimental method with one group pretest and posttest was the design of this study. This study involved thirty one students of Islamic Junior High School in Makassar city, Indonesia chosen conveniently. The data were collected through a vocabulary test to examine the effectiveness of CFP to improve the vocabulary mastery using t-test. The result of the data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest. This study found that use of CFP is effective to improve vocabulary mastery


The high volume small surface sampler (HVS3) has been validated for measuring lead, pesticides, PAHs, and PCBs in dust in carpets. This is described in ASTM method D5438-94. However, a reliable method is needed for measuring dust and the pollutants in dust on bare floors and upholstery to estimate exposure from such sources. The full report describes tests using the new high volume furniture sampler (HVFS) to collect dust from ten used sofas, test pillows with flat and plush covering, and bare floors. A high efficiency particle filter was used after the cyclone in three tests to determine the penetration of the cyclone by couch dust. Particles above 5 μm are captured in the cyclone. Less than 0.22% of the dust penetrated the cyclone used on the HVFS. A prototype High Volume Tripod Sampler (HVTS) was tested on bare floors and carpets, as well. The Baltimore R&M Cyclone Sampler (BRMCS) was also tested. The HVS3, HVTS, HVFS, and BRMCS all had similar average efficiencies on bare floors or surfaces ranging from 84.2 to 86.7%. The HVFS cyclone with a flexible wand and a notched nozzle showed an average dust collection efficiency of 88.6 to 90.5% on light and heavy loading on foam cushions covered with flat and plush coverings. The HVTS had an average efficiency of 62% on plush carpet and 64.5% on level loop carpet on plush and flat upholstery. The BRMCS had a collection efficiency of 44.1% on plush and 61% on level loop carpet as well as 71.8% and 87.2% on plush and flat upholstery. Methods for sampling bare floors and upholstered furniture were developed. The HVS3 and HVFS provide a reliable method of sampling bare floors and upholstered furniture. The BRMCS is a reliable way to sample bare floors. The HVTS and BRMCS are lower in cost than the HVS3 but have limitations for sampling carpets. The full report was submitted in fulfillment of Subcontract 46534(g21733802)-0003EQ between Battelle Memorial Inst. and Engineering Plus, Inc. This report covers the period between January 3, 1993, and Sept. 30, 1993. Work was completed as of Sept. 30, 1993. This Project Summary was developed by EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully documented in a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering information at the back).


The dual symmetric inverse monoid is the inverse monoid of all isomorphisms between quotients of an n-set. We give a monoid presentation of and, along the way, establish criteria for a monoid to be inverse when it is generated by completely regular elements.


The growth, in vitro of the murine myeloid cell line FDC‐P1 depends on the presenc of serum and a murine hemopoietic growth factor (either granulocyte/ macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) or multipotential colony‐stimu‐lating factor (multi‐CSF, IL3)). To determine the differential roles of serum and colony‐stimulating factor (CSF) during the growth of FDC‐P1 cultures, we investigated the kinetics of proliferation and death after withdrawal of serum or CSF, using flow cytometry to quantitate the numbers of vital and dead cells. After withdrawal of CSF, the cells died without entering a quiescent state. The life span of cultures lacking CSF increased with increasing concentrations of serum (> 50 h at 30% serum), and the cells kept dividing until they died. During the period of population death caused by the absence of CSF, the re‐addition of CSF immediately prevented further cells from dying. After the withdrawal of serum in the presence of CSF, the cells continued to live and proliferate for weeks, but required high cell densities (>> 105/ml), which suggests that the cells produced an active substance that can substitute for serum. Serum as well as serum‐free conditioned medium from dense cultures made the survival and growth of FDC‐P1 cultures independent of cell density. Without sufficient quantities of this activity, all cells of the population died within an interval that was much shorter than one cell cycle, which indicates that the factor acts throughout most of the cell cycle. The results suggest that both the CSF and the serum factor act together to permit cell survival, rather than to drive proliferation.


This paper investigates the thermal conductivity of silicene nanosheets (SiNSs) via molecular dynamic simulation. It shows that the thermal conductivity of pristine SiNSs is about 25–30 W mK−1 and exhibits anisotropic behaviour. Moreover, it is found that isotopic doping is efficient in reducing the thermal conductivity of SiNSs. When SiNSs are randomly doped with 30Si at the doping percentage of 50%, a maximum reduction of about 20% is obtained. This reduction can be increased when the dopants are arranged into a superlattice pattern. The thermal conductivity of these superlattice-structured SiNSs changes non-monotonically as the thickness of their lattice layers decreases. Detailed analysis of the phonon spectra demonstrates that the competing mechanism between the interface scattering and confinement effects of the phonon modes is responsible for this non-monotonical behaviour.


Background: A 66-year-old male was admitted to the hospital because of burn injuries at the right hand and the larynx. A left hemiparesis as a result of a subacute stroke in the right cerebral artery region was present as well. After about two weeks the patient developed an unexplained, painless distension of the abdomen. Blood analysis was inconspicuous.


Electrifying our transportation is one key step to decrease human society's fossil fuel consumption, therefore, reducing CO2 emissions. In the past decade, electric vehicles (EVs), especially electric passenger cars, are successfully commercialized and are gaining increasing market shares. Most of these EVs are powered by Li-ion batteries (LiBs) due to their high performance over other alternative vehicle power sources. After three decades of development, the energy density of LiBs has steadily increased to >250 Wh/kg at the cell level, which enables EVs with a comparable drive range to their gasoline counterparts. However, the charging time of LiBs is much longer than the refueling of a gasoline tank. The current battery technology can only achieve 80% charge for >30-40 minutes at a high temperature (40-50°C), which falls short of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s target of 80% charge within 10 minutes. Achieving such a super-fast charging performance without degrading battery life is a challenge that still has not been solved.
 In this talk, I will discuss our latest findings that by engineering the composition of the electrolyte, the charging performance of LiB can be significantly enhanced. When compared with the commercial carbonate electrolytes (1M LiPF6 in EC-DMC, LP30; or 1M LiPF6 in EC-EMC, LP50), our electrolytes show remarkably better charging performance at all charging rate > 1C. Some formulation of our electrolyte is able to deliver >80% charge at 4C rate within 15 minutes at room temperature. I will discuss our fundamental study to understand the mechanisms underlying the remarkable charging performance of our electrolytes compared to the commercial carbonate electrolytes.


In this work, preliminary results on the capability of Silica Optical Fiber (SOF) sensors, coated by thin films of closed-end (CeSWCNTs) and open-end (OeSWCNTs) Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, tin dioxide (SnO2) and Syndiotactic Polystyrene (sPS), to detect low percentage of gaseous hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures are reported. A Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) approach has been employed in order to simultaneously perform the interrogation of all the fabricated sensors. Experimental results demonstrated the potentiality of the proposed configuration to sense gaseous hydrogen with concentration lower than the explosive limit in air, at very low temperatures (113 K). Especially closed ends carbon nanotubes and tin dioxide based sensors have demonstrated significant sensitivity together with good recovery and reversibility features.


ABSTRACT A modeling calculation methodology for estimating the radionuclide composition in the wastes generated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station has been upgraded by introducing an approach using Bayesian inference. The developed stochastic method describes the credible interval of the regression curve for the log-normal distribution of the measured transport ratio, which is used to calibrate the radionuclide transport parameters included in the modeling calculation. Consequently, the method can predict the probability distribution of the radionuclide composition in the Fukushima Daiichi wastes. The notable feature of the developed method is that it can explicitly investigate the improvement in the accuracy and confidence (degree of belief) of the estimation of the waste inventory using Bayesian inference. Specifically, the developed method can update and improve the degree of belief of the estimation of the radionuclide composition by visualizing the reduction in the width of uncertainty in the radionuclide transport parameters in the modeling calculation in accordance with the accumulation of analytically measured data. Further investigation is expected to improve the credibility of waste inventory estimation through iteration between modeling calculations and analytical measurements and to reduce excessive conservativeness in the estimated waste inventory dataset.


The fruits of Hosui and Cuiguan pears were treated with 1 μl/L 1-methylcyclopropene(1-MCP),the effects of 1-MCP treatment during storage at ambient temperature were studied.The results indicated that 1-MCP treatment made fruit remain high quality and good flavor during storage by delaying the loss of firmness,and maintain relatively high total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acid(TA) content.1-MCP treatment could control the disease on pears and keep high sound fruit rate.It also delayed the fruit senescence process by reducing the malondialdehyde (MDA)content.


A 57‐year‐old man who presented with leptomeningeal lymphoma was reported. The lymphoma cells in the cere‐brospinal fluid were large in size, had atypical nuclei and contained many azurophilic granules in their pale cytoplasm, all of which were consistent with malignant lymphoma of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for cyto‐plasmic CD3, UCHL‐1, and CD56, markers of natural killer (NK)cells. Epstein‐Barr virus encoded small RNA (EBER) was detected in tumor cells by in situ hybridization. No evidence of parenchymal central nervous system or systemic tumor was identified, although at autopsy microscopic lympuoma involvement was found in the pituitary gland and kidney. To our knowledge this is the first autopsy case report of primary meningeal LGL lymphoma.


A female infant with developmental delay was found to have a compound 46,XX,del(2)(pll.2pl3),inv(2)(pll.2q31) G-banded karyotype in all 30 metaphases scored. Noticeably, the deletion appeared to have excised the 2pl2 band (Fig. 1A). Although parental karyotypes were normal, the father had 1/60 metaphases with an apparent reciprocal intrachromosomal insertion; i.e., in the exceptional cell the segments 2pl4p21 (two dark bands) and 2q22q31 (two dark and one intermediate grey bands) had switched positions (Fig. IB).Despite the lack of a full clinical description, the present patient appeared to be mildly affected. A comparison to 12 similar observations (13) further supports the notion that chromatin loss mostly confined to band 2pl2 is compatible with a normal or nearly normal phenotype (1,14). Several complex rearrangements involving different chromosomes and entailing an interstitial imbalance have been ascribed to an unequal crossing-over placed at the base of an inversion or insertion loop in a carrier parent and leading to a deletion or duplication of a nearby segment (3,4). In addition, there is one familial inv(21 )(p 12q22.1 ) with an 1.7 Mb deletion within 21q22.11 (9) and a few de novo pericentric inversions coupled with loss of the segment distal to one breakpoint (5, 12, 15). More complex rearrangements including a pericentric inversion (2,10,11) are disregarded here.The double intrachromosome 2 insertion found in a single cell from the father, suggests a paternal germ-line mosaicism. A feasible meiotic pairing in the hypothetical clone with the rea(2) implies that each inserted segment and their counterparts form one asynaptic loop; in turn, an unequal crossing-over between 2pll.2 in the normal chromatid and 2pl3 at the base of the insertion loop in the rearranged one followed by a canonical recombination still within 2pl3 and inversion of the segment 2pll.2q31 in the now deleted chromatid would account for the patient's rearrangement (Fig. 1C). Remarkably, Stevens et al. (14) have recently shown that two pairs of LCRs flank the breakpoints of the ~9.4 Mb recurrent del(2)(pll.2pl2), a finding that highlights the role of repetitive sequences in the genesis of certain interstitial imbalances mediated by unequal cross-over (3). Although no instance of a constitutional balanced double intrachromosomal insertion is on record, a chromosome 2 with both a paracentric inversion and pericentric insertion in a carrier father led, via one canonical and one unequal crossover, to a rec(2) in an affected child (8).The compound del(2p 12),inv(2)(p 11.2q31 ) karyotype here described recalls two chromosome 2 pericentric inversions of paternal transmission coupled with either a de novo 2pl2 deletion (6) or a de novo 2pl2p21 duplication (7). Based on Hoo's notions (3), Lacbawan et al. (6) asserted "that the winding and coiling of chromatids at the base of a meiotic loop associated with a pericentric inversion may increase the possibility of unequal crossing-over".Notwithstanding the lack of conclusive evidence, our interpretation allows to ascribe the patient's compound rea(2) to the apparent double pericentric ins(2) found in one paternal cell rather than to dismiss such a concurrence as a curious coincidence.[Reference]REFERENCES1. BARBER J.C.K., THOMAS N.S., C0LL1NS0N M.N., DENNIS N.R.. L1EHR T, WEISE A.. BEUTZ B" PFEIFFER L. KIRCHHOFFM., KRAG-OLSEN B" LUNDSTEEN C.: Segmental haplosufficiency: transmitted deletions of 2pl2 include a pancreatic regeneration gene cluster and have no apparent phenotypic consequences. Eur. J. Hum. Genet., 2005, 13,283-291.2. GRANOT-HERSHKOVITZ E.. RAAS-ROTHSCHILD A.. FRUMKIN A., GRANOT D" SILVERSTEINS.. ABELIOVICHD. …


cleanliness of the individual, thanks to a greater knowledge of the host response. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to be conducted. Scarce research is seen regarding relationship of smoking females with periodontitis. The hypothesis of our study was that there is a significant association between tobacco cigarette smoking and periodontitis among female population. As a result, smoking appears to have a direct effect on periodontal tissues. Periodontitis is an inflammatory condition of the teeth's supporting tissues caused by various microorganism that leads to the gradual deterioration of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, resulting in pocket formation, recession, or both . Smoking habits is prevalent in female gender extensively in this part of the country. Hence, this study was undertaken to analyse the clinical and radiological alterations in smokers and non- smokers female population to further strengthen our knowledge on etiopathogenesis of periodontal disease with effect modified by gender. Materials and Method 60 female patients in the age group of 25 – 50 years, with moderate to severe form of chronic Periodontitis, were divided into 2 groups- Group A-Female patients with tobacco smoking and Group B -Female patients without tobacco smoking. Results The result vary significantly in both the groups. In female smokers , molars were the gravely affected teeth in both maxillary and mandibular arches while the canines were the least affected and Palatal surface showed a greater bone loss in both upper and lower arches. Conclusion: In this study we have concluded that Bone loss higher in smoking population than their non-smoking cohorts. Maxillary molars had a higher amount of bone loss appreciated radiographically followed by maxillary incisors, premolars and canines. The same findings were true for mandibular molars. Maxillary palatal and mandibular lingual exhibited greater bone loss scores than buccal surfaces. We strongly recommend a prospective cohort study of cigarette smoking in females and its relation with periodontal disease in future research. All the periodontal parameters including gingival index, CAL , Plaque index significantly higher in female smokers as compared to non smokers


Current annual needle litterfall was analysed in 16 Scots pine stands of different ages, site qualities and latitudes. As a mean, the current needle litterfall was 1605 kg (dw) per ha and year, corresponding to a current annual volume increase of 7.9 m3. It was shown that the needle litterfall 1) increased with increasing site quality, 2) decreased with increasing stand age, and 3) decreased with increasing latitude. An increase in the number of living age classes of needles in the tree crowns with increasing latitude was observed. This should be considered if total needle biomass in the crowns is to be estimated from litterfall. A method is proposed for calculating current annual needle litterfall in Pinus sylvestris stands of any age, site quality or latitude in Sweden.


The enzyme of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) can modify the structure and properties of proteins through catalyzing an acyl transfer reaction of a γ-carboxyamide group of glutamine residue in a peptide chain, resulting the cross-linking of proteins. In this paper, based on the general physical and chemical character of MTG, several satisfied methods was decided after studied on using high centrifugation, ammonium sulfate precipitation, alcohol precipitation, acetone precipitation to separation MTG.


Studies comparing plug‐based (i.e., MANTA) with suture‐based (i.e., ProStar XL and ProGlide) vascular closure devices (VCDs) for large‐bore access closure after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have yielded mixed results.


This investigation deal with the study of thermal and structural prosperities o f Zinc substituted Barium hexaferrite (BaZn2Fe|(0 27) powders prepared by a Sol-Gel route. The BaZn2Fe]60 , 7 hexaferrite precursors were prepared using a Stearic acid gel technique and calcinated at 950°C for 4 hours in a static air atmosphere. The gel and calcinated samples were characterized using various experimental techniques like DTA, TGA, FTIR and XRD and the results are compared.


Objective:To observe the clinical safety and effect of anaesthetic drugs propofol combined with flurbiprofen in double-balloon enteroscopy examination.Methods:90patients,ASA ⅠorⅡ,scheduled for double-balloon enteroscopy examination were randomly divided into three groups(A,B,C),n=30each.Group A received flurbiprofen(1mg/ kg)i.v injection,group B received fentanyl(1μg/kg)i.v injection(total dose≤50μg),group C received nomal saline 5 ml i.v injection before induction.Then three groups received propofol i.v injection(0.8mg/kg),and three groups all received propofol i.v pump[rate=3~5mg/(kg·h)]for maintaining narcotism.Group A received flurbiprofen(1mg/kg) i.v injection before the end of the examination,but group B and group C didn't receive any drug.The blood pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR)and blood oxygen saturation(SpO2)of three groups were monitored during the examination. The reaction of examination,completion time,recovery time and the total dose of propofol were recorded.Pain score(VAS)were recorded at 1min(T0),5min(T1),10min(T2),20min(T3)after the examination.Results:There had no statistical significance in the perioperative MAP,HR,SpO2,completion time and recovery time of three groups(P 0.05).The body movements of group C were more than group A and group B(P0.05).Respiratory depression times of group A and C were less than group B(P0.05).Pain score(VAS)at 1min(T0),5min(T1),10min(T2),20min(T3) after the examination of group A and B was lower than group C(P0.05).Conclusion:Propofol combined with flurbiprofen can provide a safe and effective means in double-balloon enteroscopy examination.


Based on the results presented in the preceding paper, an expression connecting the impact‐noise level (Ln) and sound transmission loss (TL) of a floor is derived that takes into account both the resonant and the forced response of the floor; it thus extends the utility of the formulas derived previously by Heckl and Rathe into the frequency range below the critical frequency. It is shown how this connection between impact‐noise level and sound TL can be used for the experimental evaluation of the potential TL of a floating floor in the presence of certain types of flanking.


We report here a novel integrated passive substrate using thin film technology directly fabricated on multi-layer laminates. The thin film part consists of electroplated Cu interconnect and low-loss BCB dielectric fabricated on flattened PPE laminated substrate. According to microstrip-based approaches, inductor, capacitor and resistor structures were optimized and very high-Q inductors and capacitors were obtained. The separating routing design scheme between the thin film part and the multi-layer laminate part makes the RF-module compact and shows superior isolation performance.


Alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of various methylene group chain lengths [HS–(CH2)n–CH3] (n=9,11,13,15,17) were fabricated on the GaAs(001) surface followed by characterization using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Modal analysis of the CH2 stretching mode region (2800–3000 cm−1) showed that linear scaling of the n-dependent factors accurately reproduced the spectral data, supporting a chain-length consistent physical model upon which a measurement of the absorption coefficient was based. Evaluated from the linearity of the absorbance data, a peak coefficient of 3.5×104 cm−1 was obtained and a domain for ordered self-assembly was assigned for values n>9. Compared with measurements of the absorption coefficient made in the liquid phase, the SAM phase coefficient was determined to be about six times greater. This enhancement effect is discussed in terms of contributions relating to the locally ordered environment and is largely attributed to the chemical properties of the interface. We...


The LDA-induced coupling of 2′,3′,5′-O-protected uridine with diethyl chlorophosphate, during the synthesis of 6-phosphonouridine, is accompanied by the formation of an unexpected side product. LDA adds slowly to the C4 position of the 2′,3′,5′-O-protected uridine after the initial reaction with diethyl chlorophosphate. The presence of the phosphorochloridate facilitates the side reaction. This observation accounts for the previously reported low yield when conducting the coupling reaction for longer durations and suggests a new route for the synthesis of N-alkylated 6-phosphonocytidine analogues.


The fundamental limitations of microdensitometers are reviewed and the design of a high microdensitometer described. The system will digitize to 16 bits in transmission at a speed of 100 kHz using a laser beam moving over the emulsion. Other features are automatic platen rotation and autofocus. The cost will be of order $200,000.


Evaluation of acidity procedures of canned heart-of-palm (Bactris gasipaes). In canned heart-of-palm (Bactris gasipaes) processing, the acidity procedure is important because it can inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Taking this fact into account, the research aimed at evaluating the efficiency of three acidity procedures in process. These procedures were estimated into 4.3, 4.2 or 3.9 pH to low the fresh heart-of- palm pH. This was done in order to decrease the fresh heart-of-palm pH to the canned one pH value, that is below or equal 4.5. Only the acidity procedure with the pH value estimated into 4.3 produced values superior to 4.5 in some canned peach palm. The canned heart-of-palm in brines with 4.0% was the most preferred one. The sweet taste of the fresh heart of palm was notable only in canned with brine of 2%. The acidity procedure with the pH estimated into 3.9 can be safely recommended to the heart-of-palm processing in industry. Nevertheless, the acidity procedure in each lot must be considered an obliged practice, because according to current and previous research studies, it is common the palm variation pH in natura. These recommendations, when efficiently applied, will result in positive food security for the agro industrialization, independently of the chosen brines.


Interfacial reactions of Ni/amorphous Si( a -Si) multilayers are studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). Transformation from a crystalline to an amorphous structure has been observed in as-deposited Ni/ a -Si multilayers with small modulation periods. This phenomenon is suggested to be due to interdiffusion-induced solid state amorphization which is facilitated by the high density of interface in the shorter modulation period multilayers. A thermodynamic and kinetic explanation is given for this phenomenon.


Abstract A new mixed valent chromium-layered oxide, Sr 4.5 Cr 2.5 O 9 , with a structure closely related to the "0201–1201" structure of the superconducting cuprate TlBa 2− x La 2+ x Cu 2 O 9 , has been synthesized at normal pressure. This orthorhombic phase ( a =10.7959(2) A, b =5.4012(1) A, and c =30.0755(6) A) consists of the regular intergrowth of [Sr 2 CrO 4 ] 0201 blocks and [(Sr 0.5 Cr 0.5 )Sr 2 CrO 5 ] 1201 blocks. It differs from the thallium cuprate by the 1:1 ordering of Sr and Cr species within the intermediate layer of the "1201" block, so that at this level CrO 4 tetrahedra, containing Cr 6+ species, are obtained. Moreover, at the boundary between the "1201" and "0201" blocks, CrO 6 octahedra alternate with CrO 5 pyramids, both occupied by Cr 3+ species. The magnetic measurements show an original metamagnetic transition from an antiferromagnetic to a weak ferromagnetic state. These properties are interpreted in terms of strong intralayer and weak interlayer magnetic couplings between Cr 3+ species through a superexchange mechanism.


The article examines the world experience and the main trends in developing international cooperation between cities of the world, analyzes economic effect of international relations between territorial formations of national states, considers topical issues and outlines the problem field of international municipal cooperation in Russia. The author concludes that it is feasible to build up international and foreign economic relations of Russian territorial entities in the context of achieving the goals of the country's economic development and the UN sustainable development until 2030.


Geometric modeling builds computer models for industrial design and manufacture from basic units, called patches. Many patches, including Bezier curves and surfaces, are pieces of toric varieties, which are objects from algebraic geometry. Statistical models are families of probability distributions used in statistical inference to study the distribution of observed data. Many statistical models, including the log-linear or discrete exponential models used to analyze discrete data, are also pieces of toric varieties. While these connections of geometric modeling and algebraic statistics to algebraic geometry were known, direct connections between these applied subjects were only recently discovered by the PIs [arXiv:/0706.2116]. For example, iterative proportional fitting (IPF) from statistics can be used to compute patches, and linear precision in geometric modeling is related to maximum likelihood estimation in statistics. Not only are these basic objects the same, but an important tool, the algebraic moment map of a toric variety, is also shared. In geometric modeling it offers a prefered parametrization of a patch, and in algebraic statistics it is the expectation map of a log-linear model. These same objects arise in dynamical systems; in [arXiv:0708.3431] the authors introduce toric dynamical systems whose space of systems is a toric variety with the algebraic moment map giving the steady state solution. We will exploit these connections to transfer ideas and techniques between these three fields. Krasauskas's multi-sided toric patches [Adv. Comput. Math. 17 (2002)] generalize the classical Bezier patches. Several important problems, including the tuning of a toric patch to achieve linear precision, are amenable to techniques from algebraic statistics. We will also develop IPF into a tool to compute and manipulate toric patches. While these fields use objects from algebraic geometry, the application of methods from algebraic geometry to these fields is in its infancy. We will deepen these applications. For example, there is a dictionary between toric degenerations and control polyhedra of patches that we will elucidate and use. Another direction is to find applications in modeling and statistics of theoretical work of Sottile on bounds (both lower and upper) on numbers of real solutions to equations. We forsee many avenues of research, including several which are suitable for drawing undergraduates into research and others which could form the foundation for a Masters or PhD thesis.


The influence of dead_time in inverter on the output of voltage and current is discussed briefly.In view of dead_time compensation method in vector control,a method based on stator voltage vector orienting is proposed.The exˉperimental results showthat the method arrive at the better compensation conclusion.


Introduction: In the last years matrix autologous chondrocyte transplantation becomes a possible solution in the treatment of chondral lesions. We develop an arthroscopic procedure for chondrocyte implant on hyaluronian-based scaffold. Material and methods: Thirty-five patients treated using this technique achieved 3 years follow up. All the patients were clinically evaluated using IKDC score and with MRI or TC scan. In some Patients we performed a second look arthroscopy and histological evaluation. Results: IKDC objective score improved after 12 months in all patients and the results were confirmed at 24 and 36 months of follow-up. The improving was obtained also according to IKDC subjective score. A second look arthroscopy showed healing of the defect with regenerated cartilage. The histological evaluation has demonstrated in 80% the hyaline type of new cartilage. Conclusions: This matrix autologous chondrocyte transplantation procedure avoids the use of periosteal flap, simplify the surgical procedure and permit to perform the arthroscopic implant reducing the morbidity of the procedure. The preliminary clinical and histological results at 3 years follow-up are encouraging.


The main objective of this research work is to implement a machine vision system which results in identification of different types of sea animals present in under sea water videos. The image sets are created for all frames in underwater videos with different resolution. It helps to generate the best training set for each sea animal. The proposed methodology incorporates automated fragmentation of frames and construction of image set for all sea animals in a given video to identify the type of moving sea animals. Different types of videos like ROV videos and videos taken by Scuba divers using high resolution Camera were used for the proposed work. For all types of videos a common framework is given to detect the boundary region of moving objects in rough background by developing computer vision algorithm with the help of Optical Flow Detection. The performance of the proposed segmentation method used to detect region of interest is verified with the segmentation metrics like dice, jaccard and relative false negative and relative false positive. Finally the detected boundary region of each frame is masked with original frames to segment the Region of Interest. The Dataset is prepared to carry out further process like classification and identification of different types of sea animals. The proposed methodology helps to identify any type of video frames given as input without ground truth value to identify the type of sea animals . Moreover this methodology helps marine engineers to identify the rare sea animals and help the fishermen by indicating the living area of rare sea animals to provide the solution for bycatch problem.


In the global competition of the economy, the entrepreneurship education is regarded as one of the most important sources of competitive advantage, for both individuals and countries. This study examines how school education has an impact on development of entrepreneurial spirit. The Study is confined to Small scale. A sample of 110 entrepreneurs were selected in Brasov region, Romania. For this study primary data was collected through questionnaire method. On the basis of the analysis were drawn the interesting conclusions on the role of education in development of entrepreneurial spirit. The findings indicate that school education has increased the interest to become an entrepreneur. Most respondents have the opinion that the education helps in understanding the role of entrepreneurs in society. Also, a majority of respondents tend to agree that their education gave them the skills and know-how to enable them to begin a business


This book gives an idea of modifications in fabrication steps of 22nm MOS transistor. A 22nm MOS transistor results are compared with a new modification process of stress.Their are two types of stress uniaxial and biaxial stress. Key Features: 1. Concept of Scaling. 2. Basic concept of MOS transistor. 3. Fabication process of 180nm MOS transistor. 4. Modified processes used in fabrication of 22nm MOS transistor.


To investigate the effects of transplanting density and number of seedlings per hole on the yield traits such as dynamic changes of stem tiller,maximal leaf area index and dry matter accumulation,the rice variety Mudanjiang 32 was used in this study. The results showed that the highest dynamic changes of stem tiller number of rice population was detected when seedlings were planted 4 ~ 6 plants per hole,and the transplanting density model was 36 cm × 12 cm,which was consistent with the conventional cultivation way. The maximal leaf area index could be significantly enhanced by increasing the number of seedlings per hold,which relied on the increase of stem tiller number per square meter,whereas increasing cover area per hole would lead to low leaf area index. The dry matter weight at maturation had no significant correlation with the number of transplanting plants and area of each hole.Path analysis showed that dry matter weight tended to increase with the addition of transplanting plants in each hole,while expansion in area of each hole showed an opposite effect. The stem tillers number,dry matter weight at maturation and maximal leaf area index every square meter were significantly or extremely significantly positively correlated with the yield. It was further concluded that the most suitable transplanting models for Mudanjiang 32 were to employ a planting population of 4 ~ 6 plants per hole,and a transplanting density of 40 cm × 10 cm or 30 cm × 12 cm,resulting in yields of 8 635. 4 kg·hm- 2and 8 634. 0 kg·hm- 2,respectively. There was no difference between these two transplanting models,but they were significantly better than the other models.


The paper describes one dimensional simulations of radiation magneto hydrodynamics (RMHD) (3T) for X ray calculation of electro magnetic implosion.The set of RMHD equations is solved with use of split tricks to avoid possible numerical instabilities due to much coupling in solving the set of highly nonlinear equations.Implicit algorithm is used to avoid small time step limitations.Newton Raphson iteration is used to solve the set of linear algebra equations. Some special algorithms are used such as average with weight;initial value formula for iteration;setting of virtual mesh as well as automatically adjusting of time step and so on.Finally,the paper presents a computer result of an experimental model from Pegasus 1,which gets X ray energy 15J and power 16GW.


In a roller overrunning clutch (1) comprises two assembly ring (3,4). On their outer surface facing made out of a cylindrical clamping track (6) and a clamping ramp (7), wherein the roller (5) is pressed against the spring cylindrical clamping track (6) and the clamping tightening ramp (7). A lightweight but high intrinsic rigidity ring having roller overrunning clutch is formed so that at least two rings (3,4) is effected by a non-cutting forming process and made of steel hardenability.


Alfred Brosig Grenzeboch BSH GmbH, Germany explores the use of different types of raw gypsum and the developments in calcining technology in the production of stucco.


Clustering1is an essential task in many areas such as machine learning, data mining and computer vision among others. Cluster validation aims to assess the quality of partitions obtained by clustering algorithms. Several indexes have been developed for cluster validation purpose. They can be external or internal depending on the availability of ground truth clustering. This paper deals with the issue of cluster validation of large data set. Indeed, in the era of big data this task becomes even more difficult to handle and requires parallel and distributed approaches. In this work, we are interested in external validation indexes. More specifically, this paper proposes a model for purity based cluster validation in parallel and distributed manner using Map-Reduce paradigm in order to be able to scale with increasing dataset sizes.
 The experimental results show that our proposed model is valid and achieves properly cluster validation of large datasets.


The arbitration is an institution that has its origins in antiquity, but especially in the middle Ages, a period in which commercial disputes were settled by the parties through a person of authority designated by them, someone with intact reputation, knowing the object of the litigation, but especially enjoying the full confidence of the parties.


We study the performance and diversification of iShares and their rival closed‐end country funds from April 1996 to December 1999. International iShares are country‐specific series of securities that track the price and yield of a specific Morgan Stanley Capital Internation (MSCI) country index and, presumably, should provide diversification benefits. Our single‐index model demonstrates that iShares replicate the home index, showing some potential for diversification. However, our two‐factor model, which isolates the "true" diversification virtues, documents that both iShares and closed‐end country fund market prices maintain considerable exposure to the U.S. market. Furthermore, the net asset value returns of the closed‐end funds demonstrate a strong home country exposure, suggesting there is no substitute for direct foreign investment.


The aim of this study was to model the cycling displacement under uncontrolled outdoor conditions with a wearable sensor and different meteorological measurement methods. One participant completed eight courses of a distance of 9.2 ± 2.4 km with varied profiles and directions. Data were recorded every second with a power meter, a GPS and a speed sensor. The aerodynamic drag coefficient, measured by a Notio wearable sensor, and the meteorological variables provided by the Notio, a Kestrel fixed meteorological station and the OpenWeather website were integrated into the Martin mathematical model to calculate the theoretical power output. The power calculated by the model on the basis of data from Notio, Kestrel and OpenWeather were, respectively, 1 ± 4 W higher, 7 ± 15 W lower and 67 ± 111 W higher than the power measured by the sensor. The overall RMSE and R2, including 7325 data points, were 12.8 W and 0.77 (p < 0.001), respectively, between the power output measured by the sensor and the power output modelled with the data from Notio. The use of the model with the wearable sensor was more precise mainly due to the relative wind measures at all points of the course. Therefore, the Notio can be useful for coaches to follow the evolution of the CdA of athletes on the field. Moreover, the model has the potential to predict the time of a cyclist just before a time trial in order to optimise his pacing strategy taking into account actual weather conditions.


The aim of this paper is to compare and correlate personality characteristics, self-image and social skills of groups of school children, differentiated by the children's age and gender. Ninety children, equally divided according to gender and three age groups (8, 9 and 10 years old) participated. The following assessments were applied: Childhood Personality Trait Scale (ETPC), Child-Youth Self-Image Scale (EAC-IJ) and Multimedia Children's Social Skills System (SMHSC). The results were compared to the normative data and a statistical treatment was carried out regarding the distribution by age groups and gender and the correlation between the evaluated variables. We observed significant correlations among psychoticism and sociability, psychoticism and assertiveness, psychoticism and active pattern, sociability and family self-image, personal self-image and social self-image, passivity and active pattern.


The flow-induced conductance-anisotropy effect in polyelectrolyte solutions has been re-examined. Measurements were carried out with different samples of poly(styrenesulphonate) polyelectrolytes, in the form of acid and sodium salt. The anisotropy effect was found to be independent of the counterion, which led to the conclusion that the atmospherically bound (condensed) counterions retain a high degree of mobility parallel to the polyion chain.


This school edition gives the Latin text of Book II of Julius Caesar's "De Bello Gallico," with an Introduction givingbackground information on Gaul, the military situation, the Roman army, the author and his book. The extensive grammatical notes give considerable help to the student. A vocabulary is included.


Cultural psychological studies have indicated that agency is less developed in Japan compared with American cultures. This study attempted to investigate changes of agency among Japanese youth. The Rorschach scores of 47 students in 2013 were compared with those of 47 students in 2003 in Japan. The 2013 group showed more direct emotional responses, fewer M responses, longer reaction time, and a greater number of undefined responses (e.g., "some kind of animal") than the 2003 group, suggesting that the 2013 group was characterized by a weaker agency. These results indicate that the 2013 group shared the features with an autism spectrum disorder group reported previously (Hatanaka, 2013). However, they made undefined responses rather intentionally without any confusion, which stands in sharp contrast to the autism spectrum disorder group. This might suggest that the current Japanese students chose an undefined attitude in order to adjust to cultural changes in Japanese society.


During recent years bites of the Latrodectus tredecimguttatus spider have been encountered frequently in Istria, Yugoslavia. During the period 1948-1952 in the General Hospital of Pula, 101 patients were treated for this condition. The persons bitten by the spider show 1 a disturbed general condition with severe pains, especially in the loins, abdomen, and extremities, convulsions, tachypnea, pressure in the chest, vomiting, excessive perspiration and salivation, and rigidity of abdominal muscles. The tendon reflexes and the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid are increased, and changes in the fundus of the eye are, in some cases, marked. The patients have hyperemia of the face, edema of the eyelids, and conjunctivitis, and show increased blood pressure, oliguria, albuminuria, abnormal values of urea blood concentration and urine dilution, and temporarily disordered liver metabolism. In some cases some days afterward a rash appears. In regard to other symptoms the local findings are relatively insignificant. To


The results of research of properties and preparation conditions of the plasmochemical SiO2 films are submitted. These films coated various substrates (glass, metals, NaCl). Film deposition was carried out by decomposition of the tetraethoxycilane vapor by the electrical discharge with the frequency of about 18 kHz. The excessive products of decomposition were pumped out with maintenance of the tetraethoxycilane vapor and argon pressure of about 0.2 Torr. The study of element structure has shown that the film represents SixOy with x ≈ 1 and y ≈ 2 and contains an impurity of organic inclusions. Density and index of refraction of a coating are close to these parameters for glass SiO2. The form of the film surface is investigated depending on the coating conditions. Infrared spectra of absorption and Raman spectra are investigated. The results of attempts of the iodine in this film as an impurity are given. This method is applied for preparing of the covering with uniform thickness on glass microspheres used as targets in laser fusion experiments on the installation "Iskra-5."


Abstract: The airways are considered the major port of entry of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. Therefore, studies on the M. leprae interaction with epithelial cells are of great relevance to shed light on earlier events in M. leprae-host interaction. We examined the in vitro interaction between M. leprae and human alveolar and nasal epithelial cells. It was observed that M. leprae can enter both cell types and that epithelial cells can sustain bacterial survival. However, M. leprae had a higher capacity to bind and invade alveolar epithelial cells. Additionally, bacterial ability to interact with nasal epithelial cells was confirmed through the isolation and infection of nasal primary epithelial cells. Moreover, M. leprae entry in epithelial cells is a passive process and actin/tubulin-dependent. Since a critical aspect for understanding the mechanisms of infection is the identification and characterization of the adhesins involved in pathogen-host cell interactions, we studied the surface proteome of nude mouse-derived M. leprae to uncover potential adhesin candidates relevant in M. lepraeepithelial cell interaction Two hundred and seventy-nine cell surface-exposed proteins were identified based on selective biotinylation, streptavidin-affinity purification and shotgun mass spectrometry. Among these proteins, the histone-like protein (Hlp) and hemaglutinin binding heparin (HBHA), two major mycobacterial adhesins, were shown to be exposed on the M. leprae surface and to mediate bacterial attachment to epithelial cells. Delivery of M. leprae to the nasal septum of mice resulted in infection of macrophages and also epithelial cells in the lung tissue. Additionally, M. leprae induces IL-8 in A549 cells but not in RPMI cells. However, human primary nasal epithelial cells secrete IL-8 during M. leprae infection. Also, alveolar epithelial cells produce monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) during M. leprae infection. Moreover, p65 NF-kB subunit levels in A549 nuclear extracts increase in response to M. leprae. Altogether, our data point to the potential of the epithelial airway mucosa as a primary site of M. leprae infection in humans


The hemicellulose content of pulp is dependent on different factors, such as the wood species, the conditions with cooking and bleaching harmonised with the application. In addition to the hemicellulose content, a special interest for the valuation of pulp and the decision of arrangements of the production process is the hemicellulose distribution across the cell wall layers and the influence of several process stages on the hemicellulose distribution across the cell wall layers. The investigations were carried out on dissolving pulp and paper grade pulp. For paper grade pulp, the influence of separate bleaching steps and several bleaching sequences on the distribution of hemicellulose across the cell wall were investigated. Regarding the selected dissolving pulps which were produced according to an acid bisulphite process and a pre-hydrolysis sulphate process the influence of the cooking process on the hemicellulose distribution across the cell wall layers was of a special interest.


In this paper,the effect of voltage,air temperature,gas flow rate and other factors on the ozone concentration were investigated and the law of production and decomposition of ozone was also discussed by using a high-voltage discharge device as electrostatic precipitators.The concentration of ozone in the on site electrostatic-fabric integrated precipitator was also measured.The results demonstrated that the concentration of ozone inside both experimental electrostatic precipitator and industrial electrostatic-fabric integrated precipitator was very low(0.001 mg·L-1).


A simple chemically defined medium was developed and shown to he useful in the detection of nutritional mutants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. These nutritional mutants are most often problematic organisms found in gonococcal infections. The procedure used in preparation of the medium will enable researchers to easily produce a specific medium in a relatively short time. Variations of the medium can be achieved through simple alterations in the composition of one of three stock solutions used.


Book review of Helen Ennis's A Modern Vision: Charles Bayliss, Photographer, 1850-1897. Ennis discusses the commercial and aesthetic aspects of Bayliss's photography.


The relationship between patron and choice of subject in the Norman mosaics of Cefalù Cathedral is explored in this paper for the first time. It proposes that two views were designed into the program: an episcopal view with subjects chosen for their ties to the bishop, facing the bishop's throne on the south, and a corresponding royal view, facing the king's throne placed against the north wall, in a manner similar to what was accomplished at the contemporary Cappella Palatina in Palermo. Possible connections between certain figures in the royal view and the legendary founding of the church are also investigated.