Applications of power converters in electric cars and trains are demanding highly integrated systems with reduced size and high reliability. To increase the power density, many advanced power converter systems were developed utilizing the new wide-bandgap semiconductors or implementing high switching frequency. However, literatures rarely demonstrate any method to optimize the layout of the power converter system. In this paper, a genetic algorithm based method is proposed to design the converter system packing. Detailed procedures are introduced. The method has been examined at a three-phase inverter, which verifies its feasibility and efficiency. It could be a major step to improve the overall performance of the converter systems.


We present a charge integration photon detector that enables the efficient measurement of photon number at the telecom-fiber wavelengths with a quantum efficiency of 80% and a resolution less than 0.5 electrons at 1 Hz. A photodetector that can count the number of photons in a pulse, a so-called photon number resolving detector (PNRD) is an essential tool for all quantum optics experiments and quantum info-communication technologies. Recent theoretical developments have shown that single photons, combined with linear optics and PNRDs, can be used to implement scalable quantum computers. It has also been shown that PNRDs are needed to establish a universal gate set to synthesize any desired optical non-linearity by combining squeezed light beams, linear and quadratic optical interactions, homodyne detectors, and feedforward controls . Such non-linear gates are essential to achieve quantum collective decoding, which is able to boost the capacity of a communications channel as well as enhance the practical security level of a quantum cryptographic system. Unfortunately, PNRD technology is not yet mature. Efforts to achieve PNRD using several device types and materials continue. In the visible region, a visible light photon counter (VLPC) can count the number of photons despite a large dark count. Waks and his coworkers succeeded in observing non-classical photon statistics in parametric down conversion by VLPC. In the telecom-fiber wavelength band, a superconducting transition-edge sensor was developed as a PNRD. While it has sensitivity for a wide range of wavelengths and low dark counts, it requires special process techniques and has to be cooled to 100 mK. Moreover, the quantum efficiency is ~20%, which is not high enough for measuring the statistics of non-classical light directly. In this papar, we describe a charge integration photon detector (CIPD) that enables the efficient measurement of photon number states at telecomm-fiber wavelengths. Our system is constructed with an InGaAs PIN photodiode (Kyosemi Corp., Japan) and a GaAs junction field effect transistor (JFET) (SONY Ltd., Japan) as a preamplifier for the charge integration circuit. The schematic is shown in Fig. 1. A framed area in this figure is cooled to 4.2 K to reduce noise and leakage current. A PIN photodiode converts one photon into one electron-hole pair with a high regard for linearity to incident photons. Therefore, if a low noise amplifier is employed, the number of photons can be accurately estimated by counting the number of charges. The gate electrode of the JFET is connected to the InGaAs PIN photodiode, so that the GaAs JFET operates as a source follower. Photo-carriers are integrated in the gate electrode, and the gate voltage and the source voltage increase at a rate proportional to the number of integrated carriers. Integration amplifiers generally need reset FETs to release charges. Such devices, however, increase the input capacitance and noise, which degrade the signal to noise ratio as described later. In our scheme, therefore, we adopt a mechanical reset probe. That is, the reset probe is isolated from the circuit, and touches the electrode only at the moment of discharge. An InGaAs PIN photodiode has responsivity with high quantum efficiency (~80%) for the wavelengths from 900 nm to 1700 nm at room temperature. The cutoff wavelength grew shorter as the operating temperature was reduced, and reached 1540 nm at 4.2 K. This may be because phonon assisted photon absorption is reduced, while the band gap in InGaAs increases as the operating temperature decreases. However, the responsivity at 1530 nm is slightly higher at 4.2K than that at room temperature. Comparing with data sheet provided by the maker, the quantum efficiency at 4.2 K at 1530 nm is as high as 80%. QThC3-P2


In 1996-1999 eleven large fish pond complexes totalling about 8700 ha were investigated. About 160 species of birds have been recorded in Lithuanian fish ponds that are amongst the most important wetlands in Lithuania for nesting, moulting and staging waterbirds. Fish pond complexes supported about 20% of the individuals of the total estimated Lithuanian population of Little Grebe, about 40-50% of Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, almost all breeding Whooper Swans in Lithuania, about 20% of the individuals of the total estimated Lithuanian population of Greylag Goose, 40% of Shelduck, 30% of Tufted Duck, more than 20% of Gadwall, Pintail and Shoveler. Certain ponds were possible breeding sites of Ferruginous Duck, a globally threatened species. The large fish pond complexes are the most important in Lithuania staging sites of Black Storks and the principal stopover sites of wildfowl with up to 30 000 staging swans, geese and ducks being daily recorded in some ponds. These man-made wetlands are amongst the most important stopover sites for many species of waders with up to 8000 Lapwings, 2600 Ruffs and 1400 Dunlins recorded in some ponds. Several large ponds complexes regularly support concentrations of Whooper Swan, White-fronted Goose, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard and Lapwing, exceeding the 1% Ramsar threshold. New forms of aquaculture being brought about by the market economy may affect the key waterbirds habitats in the large fish ponds.


Introduction In the last few years, computer-based algorithms developed for automatic analysis of retinal images to detect various retinal lesions, segment retinal vessels and, particularly, for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) volume analysis for detection of intraretinal cysts or subretinal fluid and choroidal layer segmentation [1-5]. The choroid, playing a significant role in the physiology of the eye, is a layer between the sclera and the retina. The change in choroidal thickness depends on age and the increased levels of myopia in adults [6]. Moreover, different pathologies of the eye such as diabetic retinopathy can cause some alterations in the thickness of the choroid [6]. One of the common choroidal imaging techniques is indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), (Figure 1), utilizing near-infrared (NIR) for both excitation and detection in order to yield much greater penetration rate than fluorescein angiography. But this technique contains some disadvantages, including low depth contrast and the need for the dye injection which ABSTRACT Choroid is one of the structural layers, playing a significant role in physiology of the eye and lying between the sclera and the retina. The segmentation of this layer could guide ophthalmologists in diagnosing most of the eye pathologies such as choroidal tumors and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. High signal-to-noise ratio and high speed imaging in Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) make choroidal imaging feasible. Several variables such as pre-operative axial length (AXL), time of day and age affect thickness of the choroidal vascularization and should be considered for segmentation of this layer. These days most of the eye specialists manually segment the choroidal layer which is time-consuming, tiresome and dependent on human errors. To overcome these difficulties, some studies have introduced different automatic choroidal segmentation methods. In this paper, we have conducted a comprehensive review on existing recently published methods for automatic choroidal segmentation algorithms.


Mergel has spent years researching in the Cologne archives and the Bachem family papers, among others. He provides one of the clearest descriptions of the kolsche Klungel: the small circle of Cologne families that wielded local influence throughout the century and groomed some of the nation's leading Catholic politicians, including Konrad Adenauer. As a result, his work contributes greatly to our understanding of the Center Party's "Cologne direction." As the ninth volume in the Burgertum series, this revised Bielefeld dissertation should be of significant interest not only to social historians but to those interested in political Catholicism and religious history as well.


Air pollutants penetrate deeply into the airways, reaching the bronchioles and alveoli, and then entering the bloodstream to trigger organ inflammation, dysfunction, and toxicity. Especially, diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and affect airway epithelial cells and regulatory T cells of the innate immunity.1 Recent studies showed that allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are considered part of the one airway disease linked epidemiologically and pathophysiologically.2,3 The upper and lower airways are describe as a single functional unit, so the impairment of nose function in rhinosinusitis may be responsible in part for bronchial pathology.4 The mechanisms in AR and asthma are naso-bronchial reflex, postnasal drip of inflammatory cells and/or mediators from the nose into the lower airways, and absorption of them into the systemic circulation and finally the lung.5,6 This study was to evaluate the effect of DEP on the nose and lung in a mouse model. DEP inhalation methods in mice were conducted as previously described.7 AHR was more prevalent in the DEP exposure group than in the sham group, as well as was higher in the 8-week (8w) DEP group than in the 4-week (4w) DEP group (Figure A). The DEP exposure group had a significantly large number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) (Figure B) and nasal lavage fluid (NLF) (Figure C) compared with the sham group, as well as in the 8w DEP group than in the 4w DEP group.


the clock itself that it was refurbished and included in the renovated sixteenth-century clock. Oestmann's study, which is published in Brill's series on scientific instruments and collections, takes as its main focus the sixteenth-century iteration of the clock, although it begins with the first instantiation, built between 1352 and 1354. After a brief discussion of the automata of that fourteenth-century mechanical clock, the author moves into the initial attempts in the first decades of the sixteenth century to renovate the clock, which was finally carried out under the leadership of mathematics professor Conrad Dasypodius between 1571 and 1574. Then Oestmann moves on to a consideration of the artistic embellishments on the clock (which have received attention from art historians interested in the work of painter Tobias Stimmer) and the technical elements, before exploring the relationship between Dasypodius's design and his interest in ancient architecture (Vitruvian) and engineering (Alexandrine). Finally, the volume contains a number of useful appendixes, including several excerpts of Dasypodius's writing; a description of the design of an astronomical clock (now lost), designed by Isaac Habrecht (responsible for the technical execution of the Strasbourg clock designed by Dasypodius) in 1583; and dozens of illustrations, diagrams, and images. Because Dasypodius's writings about the clock survive (alongside his commentary on Ptolemy and his text on the importance of mathematics), as do contemporary accounts from the university and town leadership, as well as from artisanal archives, Oestmann has a rich body of sources to contextualize this important artifact and reveal its meanings to the people who devised, built, and installed it. The result is a volume that should find readers among scholars interested in the history of science and technology, early modern studies, the Reformation, urban studies, and the relationship between engineering, art, and design.


We discuss high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements on a-Si:H/a-Ge:H periodic amorphous multilayers. Analysis of the data using the dynamical theory yields information on layer thicknesses and densities, interface and surface roughness, and structural defects such as layer thickness fluctuations.


This paper explains various good practices and perspectives of Early Childhood Education across the nation. A good number of reviews across the globe has collected from various sources, research projects, PhD thesis and so on which put categorized as knowledge base, developmentally appropriate practice, observation and assessment, positive behavior guidance, inclusive practices, personal professional development. The research mainly focused on the pedagogical process, language development, social and cultural perspectives of preschools. Theses good practices also implemented and recommended at national level of those nations to their preschool/ Early Childhood Education Curriculum policies.


[Objective] The study aimed to supply theoretical basis for treating acidic heavy metal wastewater with constructed wetland. [Method] Through potting experiments,the treating effect of planting wild Zizania in constructed wetland on acidic heavy metal wastewater containing iron,manganese and total chromium and so on was studied. [Result] During experimental period (7 d),the pH value of heavy metal wastewater at low concn. (iron≤800 mg/L,manganese≤524.8 mg/L and total chromium≤40 mg/L) was increased from 2 to be around 7; the concn. of iron,manganese and total chromium in wastewater were decreased to 5.0,5.0 and 1.5 mg/L resp.,which reached the comprehensive standard for wastewater emission. When the heavy metal concn. in wastewater was higher,the treating time needed to be extended. When the heavy metal concn. in wastewater was lower,the removal rates of wetland system on iron,manganese and total chromium reached above 98.4%,81.2% and 99.5% resp. [Conclusion] Planting wild Zizania in constructed wetland could decrease heavy metal content in wastewater to different degrees and realize the standard-satisfied emission of industrial wastewater.


The invention relates to a method and device for delivering (revenue) stamps (10) and placing same onto (cigarette) packs (11). The revenue stamps (10) are made available in the form of piles of stamps (12). A transfer conveyor (14) uses stamp holders (17) to take hold of the first free revenue stamp (10) on the pile of stamps (12) and transfers the revenue stamp (10) to a vertical feed conveyor (15). The latter transports the revenue stamps (10) downward to a transfer station (16) where they are kept ready for being received by a cigarette pack (11).


The invention relates to a device and a corresponding method for the production of brush seals with obliquely set bristles. The method comprises the following steps: first, an a bristle material existing metallic thread or wire (50) about two mutually parallel and spaced-apart wire cores (42, 46) to a dense metallic thread or wire packing (48) is wound. the metallic filament package (48) is attached to at least a core wire (42, 46) next. Then, the region is at least one of the two core wires (42, 46) heated locally. Then at least one of the two core wires (42, 46) is moved.


Accurate performance prediction of large PV systems with shading is challenging because computational complexity increases with system size. Solar Farmer is a new PV performance model with 3-D shading. Comparing predictions with measurements from the NIST PV test bed we observed a decrease in the annual difference of 17% between module and submodule shading. By varying the resolution of shading from module to cell level, we also determined that 5 points persubmodule, resulting in a 0.5% annual difference, was sufficient to accurately predict performance of shaded systems. Therefore, a balance of accuracy and computational expense was achieved allowing performance predictions of large PV systems with shade.


Many efforts to expand transportation options and structuring well-connected transportation including passenger rail networks were tried in the state of Iowa, but there were many difficulties in the way they were carried out. Previous studies do not focus on analytically explaining the rise and fall of the passenger rail expansion policy initiatives and identifying new factors which could be added in coupling trials in response to the future policy windows. To make progress on this problem, the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) was applied to address the research questions motivating this thesis. The research design includes a case study to analyze the process of the rise and fall of the passenger rail expansion policy initiatives and a survey of young people's transportation trends in Iowa to identify the new factors. Through all findings including the case study conclusions and the analysis of the survey results, it could be concluded that not only the changing transportation trends in the younger generation, which are different from the auto-dependency trends, but also the previous residency experience with public transportation alternatives could be possible new factors in coupling trials to open another transportation policy window in the political stream in the future.


Introduction 1. For a Philosophy of Hydrodynamics 2. What is Classical Mechanics Anyway? 3. Causation in Classical Mechanics 4. Theories of Matter: Infinities and Renormalization 5. Turn and Face the Strange ... Ch-ch-changes: Philosophical Questions Raised by Phase Transitions 6. Effective Field Theories 7. The Tyranny of Scales 8. Symmetry 9. Symmetry and Equivalence 10. Indistinguishability 11. Unification in Physics 12. Measurement and Classical Regime in Quantum Mechanics 13. The Everett Interpretation 14. Unitary Equivalence and Physical Equivalence 15. Substantivalist and Relationalist Approaches to Spacetime 16. Global Spacetime Structure 17. Philosophy of Cosmology


The Industrial Revolution 4.0 era to the Society 5.0 era requires adaptation for the teacher's competencies. So, the primary objective of this paper is to look into Ki Hadjar Dewantara's thoughts on the qualifications to be an ideal teacher. This study is a content analysis of Ki Hadjar Dewantara's thoughts regarding teachers. The result, according to Ki Hadjar Dewantara, suggests that education necessarily requires the presence of a teacher who meets comprehensive competency qualifications, particularly the exoteric/outer and esoteric/inner dimensions. Teacher has both physical (body) and intellectual (rationale) intelligence, while the esoteric dimension is a pure heart and noble character. A teacher's mandatory task is to educate in the three centers of education: family, school, and community, with comprehensive competencies should be introduced to the four teacher competencies (pedagogic, personality, professional, and social), and two dimensions competencies (esoteric and exoteric). So that teachers can recognize students with a noble character, an intelligent conscience, and are physically healthy in their daily lives.


The issue of technology transfer becomes an important note in purchasing independence. In order to achieve independence in the domestic defense industry, the purchase of a defense equipment product must be accompanied by a process of technology transfer through an offset mechanism or the level of achievement of technology transfer from foreign producers into the country. The defense industry policy has a direction towards independence, which is expected in the development of the defense industry stage IV in the period 2025 - 2029. The following line of thought is how the defense industry policies and strategies are developed in the framework of independence. In developing the defense industry's policy formulation and strategy, current conditions, success factors, priority scale and future projections are considered. Through long negotiations, Indonesia finally in December 2011 officially signed a procurement contract for 3 units of Changbogo Class (aka - Nagapasa Class) worth US $ 1.1 billion. The first submarine, KRI Nagapasa 403, was received by the Indonesian Navy in August 2017, and the second ship, KRI Ardadedali 404, was also received by the Indonesian Navy in May 2018. While the third ship, KRI Alugoro 405, is currently under construction at the PT PAL shipyard. The purchase of Changbogo submarines from South Korea is accompanied by a transfer of technology which is hoped that Indonesia will be able to produce submarines on its own in the framework of independence for the defense industry. The government enacted Law Number 16 of 2012 concerning the Defense Industry, which gives obligations to the state for the use of the budget in the weapons and defense sector. The most basic is in article 43 of Law Number 16/2012, including the transfer of technology.


We conducted a qualitative study that analyzed the data collected in a semistructured interview guided, 10 parents applied to head home, which was investigated by the beliefs and actions of those in relation to parenting. As reviewed in the literature, beliefs, explanations they give parents bearings about how the actions of their children Results revealed that there have been major changes in the actions and beliefs of parentsraising against gender stereotypes, division of roles, expression of affection, discipline management and health care, showing greater proximity to the child, responsiveness to their needs, management strategies using less vertical and authoritarian.


In the second half of the 16th century, after the definitive Turkish conquest
 of Constantinople, the titulus of Constantine came to be perceived in a
 fundamentally new way within the design to reaffirm papal authority,
 culminating in the pontificate of Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini. Diplomatic
 wrangling and the strategic plan to save Byzantium in the West in the two
 decades after the fall of Constantinople had and would have had the precise
 aim of reinstating the hereditary title of the Byzantine Caesars, transferred
 to the East by Constantine and never extinguished, within the orbit of papal
 influence. The seat of Peter and the sceptre of Eastern Christianity should
 have been symbolically reunited in the 'New Byzantium,' which would have had
 its base at Rome and its bridgehead at Mystras. The project failed also
 because its main supporters died one after the other within a short period of
 time. But during the decades when it was pursued, we witness a true revival
 of the figure of Constantine and an accentuation of the symbolic primacy and
 legal significance of his title in the deliberations and political actions of
 humanist intellectuals, and their reflection in the artistic commissions of
 the period.


The novel photocatalyst, La<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>-NiO, was prepared by sol-gel with nickel nitrate hexahydrate and lanthanum salt, characterized by means of XRD and SEM. Its photocatalytic activities were evaluated by degradation of Direct Bordeaux (DB) solution as a simulated dye wastewater under daylight irradiation. The results show that Pure and La-doped NiO are a cubic perovskite structure with space group Fm-3m (225). A small amount of perovskite-like structure of La<inf>x</inf>NiO<inf>y</inf> exists in composite structure of La<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>-NiO. The porous and well-fracture photocatalyst particles are composed of nanometer grains about 15.9 nm, which contributes to the increase of photocatalytic efficiency. After 180 min of exposure to the daylight in the presence of 3% La<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>-NiO, the degradation rates of DB are 71.9% much higher than un-doped samples (27.1%). The catalyst surface reaction rate constants (Kr) are 3.88 × 10−2 mg·min−1·L−1 for degradation at 30 mg·L−1 of DB under daylight irradiation.


With NaOH as precipitation agent and NiCl2 as raw material,Ni(OH)2 particles were synthetized by repeated immersion method and sintered at 300℃ for NiO.X-ray diffraction(XRD) shows that the material is cubic crystalling phase of NiO;scanning electron microscope(SEM) shows the NiO particles present a wave-like shape.When evaluated for electrochemical performance,the NiO particles demonstrate improved electrochemical properties with a high capacitance of 455F/g at the current of 10mA.With the increase of cycling times,the specific capacitance decreased;after 200 times it can be retained at 415F/g(91.2% of the initial capacitance).


PURPOSE: A method and apparatus for tracing vocal track resonance using a nonlinear estimator and target guide constraint are provided to allow accurate formant trace even in a non-resonant speech region and easily calculate a simulated characteristic vector during run time. CONSTITUTION: Functions of respective vocal track resonant frequencies are calculated and the calculated results are summed up to form a simulated characteristic vector, to thereby map a vocal track resonant frequency set to the simulated characteristic vector. The simulated characteristic vector is applied to a model together with an input characteristic vector to determine probability that the vocal track resonant frequency set exists in a speech signal.


An experimental investigation was made of simultaneous excitation of purely rotational S0(1), S0(3), and S0(5) transitions in the orthohydrogen molecule (T = 300 K) under stimulated Raman scattering conditions. More accurate values were found of the coefficients in the expansion of the energy of the rotational terms of the H2 molecule in powers of the rotational quantum number/of the ground vibrational state. The observed complex scattering spectrum was accounted for by biharmonic pumping in stimulated Raman scattering.


Generation of peanut-specific gut immunoglobulin A antibodies is independent of T follicular helper cells. Modeling peanut allergy in mice One of the challenges of understanding food allergies is developing animal models that mirror human food allergies. Here, Zhang et al. have developed a peanut allergy model in mice where feeding mice peanuts alongside immune adjuvant, cholera toxin, promoted the development of peanut-specific antibodies. In addition to peanut-reactive immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies, these mice also developed peanut-specific IgE and IgG antibodies. Although development of IgA was independent of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, Tfh cells were required for the generation of peanut-specific IgE and IgG antibodies. In addition to developing a model to study peanut allergy in mice, their results have also brought to the fore the role of Tfh cells in driving distinct antibody-mediated responses. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the dominant antibody isotype in the gut and has been shown to regulate microbiota. Mucosal IgA is also widely believed to prevent food allergens from penetrating the gut lining. Even though recent work has elucidated how bacteria-reactive IgA is induced, little is known about how IgA to food antigens is regulated. Although IgA is presumed to be induced in a healthy gut at steady state via dietary exposure, our data do not support this premise. We found that daily food exposure only induced low-level, cross-reactive IgA in a minority of mice. In contrast, induction of significant levels of peanut-specific IgA strictly required a mucosal adjuvant. Although induction of peanut-specific IgA required T cells and CD40L, it was T follicular helper (TFH) cell, germinal center, and T follicular regulatory (TFR) cell–independent. In contrast, IgG1 and IgE production to peanut required TFH cells. These data suggest an alternative paradigm in which the cellular mechanism of IgA production to food antigens is distinct from IgE and IgG1. We developed an equivalent assay to study this process in stool samples from healthy, nonallergic humans, which revealed substantial levels of peanut-specific IgA that were stable over time. Similar to mice, patients with loss of CD40L function had impaired titers of gut peanut-specific IgA. This work challenges two widely believed but untested paradigms about antibody production to dietary antigens: (i) the steady state/tolerogenic response to food antigens includes IgA production and (ii) TFH cells drive food-specific gut IgA.


With the increasing awareness among rural community over the years, there has been a greater level of penetration of ICTs in the rural lives. There are different models of ICT mediated extension services such as through mobile, web portals, internet, kiosks etc. implemented in India. In this paper, an attempt was made to document the existing Information and Communication Technology based extension models and to make a comparative analysis of the documented models. The study was conducted in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. An exhaustive list of ICT based extension models of these states were documented and comparison was made on selected parameters. There was a significant contribution by the ICTs at all levels with certain limitations which need to be addressed. Six major ICT based extension models were common in these three states while nine prominent ICT models were documented which operated at national level. Most of the ICT based extension mediated projects resulted in significant improvement in the lives of the farming community with respect to production, productivity and improved income status besides increased exposure and access to the information on various domains in agriculture and other related sectors. e-sagu, the ICT based personalized agroadvisory system has increased the income of the farmers to the tune of Rs. 3075 per ha. While Reuters Market Light resulted in an increase of the income by 5-25 per cent and the extension effort of Digital Green was ten times more effective per dollar spent than classical agriculture extension. Issues such as lack of skill to use ICT and unavailability of the mobile handsets compatible to the local language of the farmers were some of the constraints for the effective performance of the ICT based extension services. ICT based agricultural extension services have received considerable interest and acceptance among farmers. Over the years it has been observed that efforts have been made to penetrate the rural farming community through mobile based voice messages/SMS services.


【Objective】To investigate the expression of transgelin in ovarian serous carcinoma tissues and to understand its role in the tumorigenesis and progression of ovarian serous carcinoma.【Methods】 Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and Western blot were used to assess the expression of transgelin mRNA in 38 cases of ovarian serous carcinoma,14 cases of ovarian borderline serous tumors,11 cases of ovarian benign serous tumors and 10 cases of normal ovary tissues.【Results】Positive expression and relative content of transgelin mRNA and protein in ovarian serous carcinoma were statistically lower than those in ovarian borderline serous tumors,ovarian benign serous tumors and normal ovary tissues(P 0.05).The expression of transgelin mRNA and protein were correlated with the pathological stage,grade and lymph node metastasis of cancer but not ascites.【Conclusions】Transgelin expression is low or lost in ovarian serous carcinoma.Transgelin maybe play a suppression role in tumorigenesis and progression of ovarian serous carcinoma.


Let S_n(R) be the space of n×n (n≥2) symmetric matrices over the real number field, and let H_n(C) be the space of n×n Hermitian matrices over the complex number field C. Struction of additive maps preserving rank-1 matrices from S_n(C) to H_n(C) are characterized.


Abstract : Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have attracted a considerable amount of interest in the past decade in part because of their potential to transform waste treatment into an energy-neutral or even producing endeavor. Research on these systems has greatly advanced our understanding of microbially catalyzed extracellular electron transfer, and design improvements have significantly improved power densities in a short period of time. These dramatic improvements in system performance and the current initiatives in scaling up these systems have all occurred in the absence of standard design and testing procedures, and this lack of standardization hinders the pace of technology development. On September 14 and 15, 2011, an Army-sponsored workshop was convened at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania with the following goals: (1) identify BES design and performance parameters that can be meaningfully standardized, (2) determine the best practices for reliable comparative testing of these parameters, and (3) develop a benchmarking framework from which subsequent advancements can be uniformly compared. The workshop had 30 participants, including many of the leading BES researchers in academia from the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium; individuals from the Department of Defense; and representatives from five companies with existing BES initiatives.


A general facility layout problem is concerned with the physical organization or allocation of a production system. However, in practice, these problems are generally
formulated and solved sequentially due to the complicated nature of the integrated problem. Specifically, there is close interaction between the formation of departments
and layout of these departments. These problems are treated as separate problems that are solved sequentially. This procedure is mainly due to the complexity of each problem
and the interrelationships between them. In this research, we take a first step toward integrating the flow-based department formation and departmental layout into comprehensive relationship chart and develop appropriate solution procedures.A heuristic placement procedure, which is capable of changing the orientation of facilities, is proposed to place the machines in the floor area, in order to obtain minimum flow distance travel. Relationship analysis is one of the tools for managing and arranging a
layout and is the basic foundation plant layout. This method can be used to generate good solutions quickly.In this research, the relationship chart method is used to produce various layouts. The layouts are then compared to the current layout based on the total flow distance. Overall, the results show that the layouts developed through the relationship chart method are more efficient than the current layout. In fact, reduction in flow distance as low as 467.691m, which is equivalent to 32% reduction, is recorded.


THE RCN pledged to resist any attempt to introduce performance- related pay for nurses on the eve of the government's announcement of its plans for how pay in the NHS should be determined.


CANDU-SCWR is one Generation IV reactor being developed in Canada. Significant amount of efforts has been made to develop CANDU-SCWR. Little work has been done on the dynamic analysis and control design. To observe the dynamic behaviours of CANDU-SCWR, the detailed CANDU-SCWR thermal-hydraulic model is developed. The movable boundary method is adopted for CANDU-SCWR thermal-hydraulic modeling. The benefits of adopting movable boundary are derived from the comparisons with the fixed boundary method. The steady-state results agree well with the design data. The responses of CANDU-SCWR reactor to different disturbances are simulated and analyzed and the results are reasonable in theory. Linear dynamic models are derived from simulation data of CANDU-SCWR thermal-hydraulic model around the design operating point using a system identification technique to facilitate the control system design. The linear dynamic models are validated and it is shown that they can describe the dynamic characteristics of CANDU-SCWR around the design point accurately.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


.......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv List of tables ................................................................................................................................. viii List of figures ................................................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1: Habitat Use by Dall Sheep: An Occupancy Modeling Approach ................................. 1 Synopsis ......................................................................................................................................


Kinetic evidence support the formation of a copper(III) species, rather than the hydroxyl free radical, when the aquocopper(I) ion reacts hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution.


e18683 Background: A targeted treatment approach using anti-PDL1 agents can maximize clinical benefits. However, this type of treatment is expensive, resulting in barriers to treatment access. PD-L1 expression is a predictor of outcomes for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. There is extensive evidence about the clinical benefits maintained in patients who respond to immunotherapy treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the economic implications of implementing a risk-sharing agreement (RSA) for atezolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC). Methods: We developed a prospective cost analysis of a RSA for atezolizumab as a second-line (or above) therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan) in México. All patients had an ECOG PS 0-1 and PDL1≥1%. The first 4 cycles were funded by the pharmaceutical company. If patients had response by RECIST or clinical benefit (RP), a special government program in the institution absorbed the cost of treatment until progression. A budget impact estimation was performed based on direct medical costs considering a time horizon of 1 year. Secondary endpoints were estimated for each strategy, expressed as the total amount expended and the average cost per patient with or without risk-sharing agreement. Costs and results are express in USD. Results: In total 30 patients were included for second line (n = 23) and third line (n = 7) therapy. The median PFS in all population was 4.67 months (95% CI 3.4-7.8). After 4 cycles, 47% (n = 14) of patients had a RP and increased PFS up to 9.4 months (p < 0.001). A median OS in all cohort was 7.59 months (95% CI 5.1-17.2), however it was longer in patients with RP; 19 months (95% CI 8.81-NR) (p = 0.03). In addition, 33% of patients had RP and PDL1 ≥ 5% whose median OS was not reached The total cost of treatment was $611,557.64 (average $20,385.25 p/p) without a risk-sharing agreement, compared to an overall cost of $260,165.41 (average of $8,672.18 p/p) implementing a risk-sharing agreement. Regarding risk-sharing, non-parametric test as well as paired t test on transformed costs data showed a statistically significant difference in pharmacological cost between the two strategies in relation to cost per patient (p < 0.001). The implementation of a risk-sharing agreement reduced the therapy cost by US$351,392.24 which represents 1.41% of the annual INCan drug budget. Conclusions: Risk-sharing agreement makes it possible to select those patients who have more benefit, thus ensuring that government resources are invested in the population with longer survival, which translates into saving for the state. In this study, the economic impact of risk-shared accounts for a 57.46% reduction in total cost. This is clearly a resource-efficient and treatable option for more patients, particularly in low-income countries.


James Crawford Little ("Johnnie") trained in Newcastle upon Tyne under the highly formative influence of Professor (later Sir) Martin Roth. He was consultant psychiatrist at St James's Hospital, Leeds from 1959 to 1966 before moving to Dumfries. He opted for early retirement in 1981, in part to care for his disabled wife, Catherine.

Johnnie's early research focused …


Abstract A generalist strategy, as an adaptation to environmental heterogeneity, is common in Arctic freshwater systems, often accompanied, however, by intraspecific divergence that promotes specialization in niche use. To better understand how resources may be partitioned in a northern system that supports intraspecific diversity of Lake Trout, trophic niches were compared among four shallow‐water morphotypes in Great Bear Lake (N65° 56′ 39″, W120° 50′ 59″). Bayesian mixing model analyses of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were conducted on adult Lake Trout. Major niche overlap in resource use among four Lake Trout morphotypes was found within littoral and pelagic zones, which raises the question of how such polymorphism can be sustained among opportunistic generalist morphotypes. Covariances of our morphological datasets were tested against δ13C and δ15N values. Patterns among morphotypes were mainly observed for δ15N. This link between ecological and morphological differentiation suggested that selection pressure(s) operate at the trophic level (δ15N), independent of habitat, rather than along the habitat‐foraging opportunity axis (δ13C). The spatial and temporal variability of resources in Arctic lakes, such as Great Bear Lake, may have favored the presence of multiple generalists showing different degrees of omnivory along a weak benthic–pelagic gradient. Morphs 1–3 had more generalist feeding habits using both benthic and pelagic habitats than Morph 4, which was a top‐predator specialist in the pelagic habitat. Evidence for frequent cannibalism in Great Bear Lake was found across all four morphotypes and may also contribute to polymorphism. We suggest that the multiple generalist morphs described here from Great Bear Lake are a unique expression of diversity due to the presumed constraints on the evolution of generalists and contrast with the development of multiple specialists, the standard response to intraspecific divergence.


The role of small and medium-sized businesses is important in the logistics industry sector as the logistics market is mainly comprised of them. However the policies for them are insufficient in Korea. Their market viability is also weak due to dependencies on shippers or large logistics companies. The "sharing" concept can be a good alternative to enhance sustainable development for the small and medium-sized logistics business sector. Therefore this study proposes comprehensive policies based on the "sharing" concept. In order to develop them various overseas cases related "sharing" concept - for example, logistics collaboration, logistics co-ops and legislative institutions - are investigated. Then policies are developed using soft systems methodology (SSM) - a systems approach that is useful and applicable for complicated social problems. The proposed policies can be summarized as five alternatives: 1) establish a collaboration logistics system in the small and medium-sized logistics business sector, 2) promote settlement of co-management structure based on co-ops, 3) spread "benefit sharing" in the logistics sector, 4) legislate an act promoting the advanced logistics industry, and 5) provide comprehensive support including funding. Detailed policy measures are also investigated in this study.


: In humid climate regions, a short period of water deficit, especially during the vegetative growth and tuberization stages, has been found to affect potato plant growth, yield and tuber quality. However, there is still a lack of information on the impact of the water deficit duration. In this study, we examined potato plant growth, yield and tuber quality parameters with plants under 0 to 25 days of water deficit initiated at the beginnings of the vegetative growth stage and the tuberization stage, respectively. We found that for both the vegetative growth and tuberization stages, a longer water deficit duration resulted in no significant change in final plant height but significantly delayed flowering and reduced total biomass, yield, tuber dry matter content and share of large tubers. We estimate that per day of prolonged water deficit, there will be a yield loss of 3.1% and 3.4% for the vegetative growth and tuberization stages, respectively. Similarly, for per liter of irrigation water, there will be a yield increase of 16.3 g and 19.1 g for the vegetative growth and tuberization stages, respectively. Further studies are suggested to examine how supplemental irrigation can be used most effectively to mitigate the impact of water deficit on potato production in humid climate regions.


Graphs are used as a tool for modeling and description of real life network systems which are, transport, electricity, internet, social network etc. The content of these areas may differ but they have common features in certain items between them. In this paper, we have compared the results of the different algorithms for the transportation problem which has considered as network model which is also solved using Path labeling algorithm, and it provides the shortest transportation cost and also the possible number of shortest paths from the initial vertices.


Equipment is described to take double‐exposure silhouette photographs of rapidly moving objects. Each exposure time is about ⅕ microsecond, and the time interval between flashes is adjustable. An eight‐inch square Ektalite Fresnel lens is used as a field lens to focus the light from the illuminating spark into the camera lens; it is especially useful for subjects where the lens is frequently damaged.Timing of the first spark is conveniently made for explosions by a photoelectric tube triggered by the light of the explosion. A double exposure photograph of a dynamite blasting cap is given as an example.


MANY possible uses of seaweeds are described in Prof. Sauvageau's excellent treatise—agricultural, industrial, alimentary, therapeutic. Their value as manure is great, but is limited by cost of carriage. Among industrial uses of brown algae may be mentioned the kelp industries, formerly so profitable as the source of soda, and still yielding potash, iodine, and bromine. Algin, norgin, and tangin are patented products used as dressings for textiles, etc., as also are the mucilages extracted from red algæ. During the war acetone was produced on a large scale by fermentation of brown algae in American munition factories, and used as a solvent for gun-cotton, etc. By a similar fermentation, alcohol can be manufactured in quantity for motor fuel. The Germans devised a "fuse" of Laminaria to explode shells falling into water. Algæ, though commonly eaten in Japan, China, and elsewhere, are really valueless as human food, but for domestic animals they have for ages been used as winter fodder. During the war French horses were successfully fed on a partial diet of algæ; the new food, though quite indigestible at first, gradually became assimilable, probably through the adjuvant action of bacteria or yeasts. Prof. Sauvageau's monograph is a welcome acquisition.Utilisation des Algues Marines.Prof.CamilleSauvageauBy. (Encyclopédie Scientifique: Bibliothèque de Botanique Appliquée.) Pp. vi + 394. (Paris: Octave Doin, 1920.) Price 7.50 francs.


endoscopy alone ( P= 0.04), with high sensitivity, specificity, po-sitive and negative predictive values (93.3%, 92.7%, 72.7%, 98.5%, respectively), and area under the curve (AUC 0.976, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.973 – 0.979; P <0.001) in predicting poor evolution, defined as intensive care unit admission, urgent surgery, or death, in the acute stage. This score is novel as it incorporates clinical, biochemical, and endoscopic indices for prediction of poor evolution in the acute stage. " This study is the first step toward an algorithm for the prediction of outcomes of corrosive injury and it reiterates the importance of taking into account multiple factors rather than endoscopy alone


Wireless sensor networks are widely used in several application domains thanks to their data acquisition and processing capabilities and their decentralized and self-organizing nature. A widely distributed monitoring system is typically characterized by the need to integrate a large amount of data; if considering complex critical environments such as hospitals, these data often have different security requirements, to be addressed by means of specific security protocols and architectures. In such a distributed system, security must be addressed at different levels, namely the physical node level, the inter-node communication level, and the application level. In this paper, we focus our attention on security problems related to the data exchange between sensor nodes and propose an hybrid cryptosystem based on Elliptic Curves, aimed to ensure confidentiality, integrity ad authentication requirements to the inter-nodes communication. The integration issue has been addressed by proposing an extension of the SeNsIM integration platform, in order to enable the management of heterogeneous networks having different security requirements. At this aim, we have developed a flexible wrapper to connect the whole system to the secured network, and carried out a performance analysis of the overhead introduced by security mechanisms, showing the feasibility of the proposed cryptosystem and the platform scalability and extensibility features.


ESA and NASA are studying projects having a tremendous return on variable star research. Other national space agencies are also studying or developing projects of smaller costs but with impressive returns. The projects range from global Galactic surveys like the ESA mission GAIA which will give photometric time series for about 1 billion stars, to detailed pulsation modes studies like the CNES mission COROT which could reach a photometric precision lower than 1 ppm. The presentation will emphasize the future astrometric, asteroseismologic and planet detection missions.


If the sum of a series of positive numbers is not convergent and the series satisfies certain regularity conditions, a probability measure can be found whose support contains no interval, yet whose Fourier series decreases faster than the given series.


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Purpose: Mental index (MI) and panoramic mandibular index (PMI) are important radiomorphometric indices used for assessing the quality of the mandibular bone. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effect of mandibular posterior tooth/teeth loss in young adults on the MI and PMI (superior panoramic mandibular index: PMI-s, and inferior panoramic mandibular index: PMI-i). Materials and methods: Digital panoramic radiographs belonging to 253 patients aged between 18-35 years old were examined. According to the inclusion criteria of the study, a patient and control group was formed. The patient group (n=46) included individuals having at least one extracted tooth in the posterior region of the mandible, and the control group (n=45) included full dentate patients. The MI and PMI (PMI-i and PMI-s) were calculated bilaterally for all of the individuals. Results: No significant difference was found between the MI, PMI-i and PMI-s indices of the patient group and the control group among both genders. Conclusion: The mandibular premolar and/or molar teeth loss in young adults did not lead to any change in the MI, PMI-i and PMI-s indices among both genders.


This paper reports on an EPR and catalytic study of a novel [Fe-porphyrin] catalyst, [FeR4P], used for the catalytic decomposition of pentacholorophenol (PCP). The porphyrin complex [FeR4P] bears 2,6-di-tert-butylphenols (where R = di-ButPhen) at each meso-aryl position of the porphyrin ring. The FeR4P-SiO2 catalyst was found to be very efficient for the degradation of PCP, using NaIO4 as oxidant plus imidazole as cocatalyst. EPR spectroscopy shows that in the presence of the oxidant NaIO4, at a redox potential of Eh = 250 mV, [FeR4P] forms a high valent [FeIV = O Por+· ] state with an EPR spectrum characterized by effective g-values g ⊥ eff  = 3.41 and g || eff  = 2, similar to Compound I of Horseradish Peroxidase. The [FeIV = O Por+· ] state can described by a S = 1 state of the oxoferryl FeIV = O weakly coupled by exchange interaction J to a S′ = 1/2 porphyrin cation radical. The zero field splitting of the FeIV = O is D = +16.5 K and the coupling parameters are J/D = 0.31, J = +5.2 K. We suggest that the formation of [FeIV = O Por+· ] specie to be the key intermediate responsible for the observed efficient catalytic decomposition of PCP.


Purpose – An important lesson that philosophy can learn from the Turing test and computer science more generally concerns the careful use of the method of levels of abstraction (LoAs). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the method and apply it to the paper, modelling and analysis of phenomenological and conceptual systems showing its principal features and main advantages.Design/methodology/approach – The constituents of the method are "observables", collected together and moderated by predicates restraining their "behaviour". The resulting collection of sets of observables is called a "gradient of abstractions" (GoAs) and it formalises the minimum consistency conditions that the chosen abstractions must satisfy. Two useful kinds of GoA – disjoint and nested – are identified. It is then argued that in any discrete (as distinct from analogue) domain of discourse, a complex phenomenon may be explicated in terms of simple approximations organised together in a GoAs. Thus, the method replaces, for disc...


The article is dedicated to the observation of basic approaches in the research of the problem of a lyrical character in the modern literary study. The analysis of fundamental works of the leading Russian scholars and also research works of Bashkir literary scientists in the theory of Bashkir poetry forms the basic contents of the research. The question of the meaning and boarders of the notion of a lyrical character, the idea of identity of lyrical narrator and the author remains debatable. On the basis of the analysis of the opinions of the researchers of this problem the author arrives to the conclusion that the lyrical character is a kind of a collective, typical image of the subject of consciousness in the creative work of one author or in a national lyrical system of a certain period. Together with the feelings of the real author the experience and philosophy of the whole generation and community are also expressed in it.


Background: Fibrinogen is a protein playing pleiotropic role in human body. It is engaged in maintaining hemostasis. Congenital fibrinogen disorders comprise quantitative and qualitative fibrinogen anomalies. The symptoms range from bleeding, thrombosis to asymptomatic at all what is the most common case. Hypodysfibrinogenemia with lower level of fibrinogen of reduced activity, is the least common of all congenital fibrinogen disorders.
Case report: A 31-year-old woman was reported at the 21 weeks of gestation, suffered from genital tract bleeding and there was a history of stillbirth. Clinical examination with no pathology, however laboratory tests revealed coagulation abnormalities due to prolonged thrombin test, decreased protein S and lower fibrinogen level (70 mg/dl). Autoimmune diseases were excluded and the diagnosis was widened with rotational thromboelastometry and genetic test for hypodysfibrinogenemia. The patient was treated with fibrinogen substitution and prophylactic dose of heparin throughout pregnancy and 2 weeks following labour. At 39 week of gestation Caesarean section was done, with no complications.
Results: Genetic test revealed heterozygous mutation in fibrinogen gamma gene confirming hypodysfibrinogenemia. Due to bleeding manifestation in this patient of congenital fibrinogen disorders, fibrinogen substitution was implemented with heparin as a paranticoagulant prophylaxis, what turned out to be successful and enabled the patient to maintain the pregnancy.
Conclusions: As hypodysfibrinogenemia symptoms are diverse the management is difficult and each patient's therapy should be planned separately. Pregnancy may be the first time when congenital fibrinogen disorders reveal and it is especially challenging to prevent from obstetrical complications.


This study aims to were: 1) to know the amount of income farmers in the business of beef cattle in the District Raimanuk. 2) to know the feasibility of beef cattle business in Raimanuk District. Sampling is done through two stages. The first stage is the determination of sample villages conducted by purposive sampling and the second stage is the determination of the respondents who made a simple random. The data were collected using interview technique. The data collected includes primary and secondary data. Primary data obtained from observation and interview, while secondary data obtained from related institutions and literature related to research. The analysis is done by using income analysis and financial analysis. The results showed that the income earned by each cattle rancher amounted to Rp10.318.759/year and the financial investment criteria such as NPV Rp7. 561.847, Net B/C 1.96, IRR 23%, and PBP 2.96 years.


Masking of leaf, stem, and cotyledon tissue below and including the first foliage leaf at node 3 delayed flowering. These masking treatments did not change the rate of node formation and the delayed flowering of masked plants involved equivalent increases in node of first flower and time of initiation of the first flower primordium. Masking of the cotyledons and masking of the first foliage leaf appeared equally effective in delaying flowering. Exposed cotyledons were competent to respond to continuous light before the epicotyl hook opened. It appears that the cotyledons are thus involved' in photoperiodic induction in continuous light in addition to the foliage leaves at nodes 3, 4, and 5.


Endometriosis is a common benign disease in reproductive age women,but it possesses the malignancy tendency to invade,plant and recur.Endometriosis mainly presents as dysmenorrhea,menstrual disorder and dyspareunia.Endometriosis is associated with infertility intimately,and the precise pathogenesis is not completely understood.In recent years,most scholars consider that endometriosis is a kind of autoimmune disease.Autoimmune response play a role in the pathogenesis,and detection of autoantibodies may provide a new auxiliary index on the early diagnosis of the endometriosis.


Twenty five groundnut genotypes were collected from National Oilseed Research Program (NORP), Nawalpur, Sarlahi along with local checks (B -4, Jyoti and Jayanti) were used to study their genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance of pod yield and yield component traits. The study helps to expand the options of variety for various traits as per farmers need. Highly significant variations were observed for all the characters in all the genotypes used in the experiment. Higher phenotypic coefficients of variations were observed for days to 75% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, pods plant- 1, seeds pod - 1, 100 seed weight, pod length, pod width, seed length, seed width, shelling % and SMK %. The character 100 seed weight showed high heritability with high genetic advance and high genetic advance in percentage of mean. Considerable high heritability, low genetic advance and genetic advances in percentage of mean were found for Days to maturity. The study revealed that short duration genotypes ICGV 91104 and genotype ICGV 00440 for duration are better for breeding material from yield point of view.


Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a highly heterogeneous subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which better or poorer outcomes are associated with specific tumor-cell and tumor-microenvironment characteristics. However, identifying such biomarkers has required the use of molecular techniques that are not readily available in routine clinical practice.

Now, investigators have developed a biologic prognostic model (BPM) that uses widely available immunohistochemistry methods …


This study of the 6 counties of Zhangye City in hospitalization rates of 2008,2009, plays all hospitalization costs, the actual compensation ratio, fund utilization, the data form for statistical analysis. Minle County in 2009 found that the total cost to implement hospital prepayment cost control and time limits are hospital management, hospitalization rate, hospital cost control plays were effective, relatively lower than the actual compensation fund safety is assured. Appropriate cost control method that can guide the reform of medical institutions in the internal management mechanisms to control hospital rates and curb the irrational increase of medical costs, but in actual operation requires dynamic monitoring, timely detection of problems,Take appropriate measures to control, and to constant improvement and exploration.


The maximization test applied on the Hartley Guinea Pig and the mast cell degranulation test performed on the sensibilised Guinea Pig serum resulted in: 1, extreme allergenicity; 2, the formation of circulating antibodies anti delta9 THC.


Over the next five to ten years, the City of Surrey is planning to build a Light Rail Transit (LRT)system comprised of two routes. The first route begins at Newton Exchange along King GeorgeBoulevard and continues to 104 Ave where it makes a right turn and terminates at 152 Street. Thesecond route begins at King George Station and continues along Fraser Hwy until it terminates atLangley Centre. One of the key decisions that must be made before construction of the Fraser Hwy route is theplacement of the transit stops. Placing stops requires balancing convenience, utilization, and costs.If too few stops are built, fewer people may use transit and some the bene1ts may not be fully realized. On the other hand, if too many stops are built, using the system may be more convenientfor more people but there will be the risk that some stops are underused and, therefore, the costof building and operating that particular stop may exceed the expected benefits.In this paper, we use linear programming methods to determine the most efficient placementof transit stops along Fraser Hwy from King George Station to Langley Centre. The goal will beto minimize costs while extracting as much bene1t as possible by balancing convenience andutilization of stations.


The present study attempts to investigate the errors in a corpus of 70 essays written by 70 bachelor first year education students studying Compulsory English as a foreign language at three community campuses in Makawanpur District, Nepal in the Academic Year 2017-2018. The instrument used for this study to cull data was students' written essays in English language. All the students were asked to write an essay of almost 500 words on a topic "Growing Use of You Tube among College Students". Only 70 essays that represent 40% of the total 175essays were selected through the simple random sampling lottery method. All the errors in their essays were identified and classified into different categories. The results showed that the students in this study committed sixteen common errors: noun, main verb, auxiliary verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, article, singular / plural, verb tense, sub-verb agreement, possessive, conditional sentences, punctuation, capitalization and spellings. The most committed errors at the lexical level and the syntactic level were preposition errors and addition errors with the frequency of 261 (13.14%), and 722 (36.35%) respectively. The results showed that most of students' errors were due to the intralingual factors, because students from government schools did not have much exposure and communication in target language. Errors in the sentence structures and verb tense were normally influenced by their mother tongue interference.


A comprehensive geometrically nonlinear theory of initially imperfect doubly curved sandwich shells is developed. The theory encompasses sandwich structures with dissimilar face sheets constructed of laminate composites and with the core modeled as an orthotropic body featuring strong or soft behaviors. The theory includes the dynamic as well as the temperature and moisture effects. As a special case, a range of related applications of the theory of sandwich shells with soft core are presented. These involve the buckling and postbuckling of flat and circular cylindrical shells compressed by uniaxially edge loads, and the influence played in this respect by a number of geometrical and physical parameters is highlighted. Also contained are comparisons of buckling results obtained in the context of the present theoretical model with the ones obtained experimentally, and reasonable agreements are reported.


Abstract The effectiveness of e-learning depends on technological support, institutional culture, staff development and students' receptivity and learning behaviours. The relationship of e-learning culture and the issues of cross-cultural delivery is important when learners expect online interactivity. Positive learning outcomes and academic achievement are not linked only to online course communication. Students' learning behaviours also play a role in the overall success of e-learning implementation. Successful online delivery requires shifts, both in understanding and in behaviours, for the change in pedagogical curriculum development. This article proposes a research framework to investigate the current e-learning diffusion in construction-related programmes in UK's higher education and the effect of organizational (and/or national) culture on students' learning behaviours and e-learning effectiveness.


Abstract There are substantial differences in the progression of aging between males and females including in progression and prevalence of disease and longevity. Not all can be explained solely by sex-specific endocrine regulation and growing evidence suggests there are basic biological and genetic differences in sex that drive disparity in physiological function. In this study, we describe metabolic differences at the cellular level that both define some of these biological differences as well as provide a potential mechanism for delineating relevant molecular mechanisms of aging. Using HET3 mice, a genetically heterogeneous model with a consistent female advantage in longevity, we show that primary fibroblast lines retain functional metabolic characteristics, including mitochondrial response and stress resilience, which are representative of the sex of the donor animal. These differences persist even after several rounds of passage using standard culturing techniques suggesting these differences are not driven by direct impact of circulating sex hormones. Moreover, we find that differences in these cellular responses have some predictive power to determine both sex- and individual-specific responses to physiological challenge including obesity and longevity. In addition, we are able to use this model to delineate how donor sex affects cellular responses within defined pillars of aging including proteostasis, metabolic function, and adaption to stress. Overall, our model then provides valuable in defining the cellular responses that contribute to the mammalian aging process.


A multi-output DC to DC converter can have complex control requirements in CCM mode because of the differing load requirements of the outputs. A multi-output DC to DC converter (200) having a single coil or inductor (12) and a freewheel switch (14) is described. A controller (40) measures the duration of the freewheel phase. The controller (40) increases the current supplied to the DC to DC converter (200) in the following duty-cycle if the duration is less than a first value, and decreases the current supplied to the inductor (12) in the following duty-cycle if the duration is greater than a second value.


There is a need of new cost-effective elements of timber structures due to increasing de- mand for individual residential houses. Accordingly, we developed a new design of the com- posite beam with corrugated steel web. Timber flanges with the steel web fit together by the dowel joint, the calculation of which requires clarification by means of the introduction of a design coefficient. The paper presents the main results of an experimental research on thin steel plate-to-timber symmetrical dowel joints. The paper concluded with design coefficients for formulas for determining the bearing capacity of thin steel plate-to-timber dowel joints under short term loads which obtained from results of the experiment


OBJECTIVE
To investigate possible protective effect of maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) against N-methyl-D-aspartate-mediated neurotoxicity on primary-cultured rat hippocampal neurons and the mechanism of the effect.

METHODS
An in vitro system had been developed for the study of hippocampal neurons. Intracellular lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) release was used as a marker to measure the rates of neuronal damage. The cells were stained with Trypan blue to measure the rate of neuronal death.

RESULTS
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) at a concentration of 50 micromol/L resulted in increased release of LDH and the cell mortality (P < 0.01, respectively). Maternal IgG of different concentration (10 mg/L, 100 mg/L) inhibited NMDA-induced intracellular LDH release (P < 0.01, respectively) and cell mortality (P < 0.05, 0.01, respectively), and larger dose had stronger effect (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Maternal IgG had protective effect on primary-cultured rat hippocampal neurons injured by NMDA and the effect was dose-dependent.


Powdered leaves of thirty seven plant species were screened under laboratory conditions with the temperature of 29±2°C and 84±2% relative humidity for their repellent properties against rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L). The screening was carried out with the view of producing more eco-friendly agents suitable for post-harvest rice protection and as sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides in the control of S. oryzae. Reared weevils were exposed to 15.0g of leaf powders admixed with rice grains in laboratory screening test using a modified cup-bioassay. The results revealed that twenty treatments caused significant repellency of adult S. oryzae than the control. Out of these,  Ocimum gratissimum (Lamiaceae), Cinnamomum verum (Lauraceae), Mentha viridis (Lamiaceae), Plectranthus amboinicus (Lamiaceae) and Citrus reticulate (Rutaceae) showed the highest repellent activity. M. viridis elicited the highest and the strongest repellency (89.0 %) in the weevils when compared with the other three treatments. However, the weevils demonstrated considerably high rates of repellency to C. verum, O.gratissimum, C. reticulate and, P. amboinicus which were 76.0%, 74.0%, 68.0% and 64% respectively. When weevils were further tested against 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0g of leaf powders, all treatments showed significantly (p S. oryzae than the control. M. viridis at 15.0g dose elicited the highest and the strongest repellency (89%) in the weevils when compared with the other treatments and concentrations. The overall results indicated that repellency rate increased proportionately with the increase of the dose of the powder. A similar trend of repellency was also observed with time. However, the effects of all plant powders on the insects were highest within 6 hours post treatment. The overall results of the research provide scientific corroboration for the use of the four plant powders as effective grain protectants against the rice weevil. Key words : Sitophilus oryzae; Rice weevil; repellency; plant powders Vidyodaya Journal of Science Vol.14(2) 69-83


A simple, flexible, low cost, computer controlled laboratory scale reaction calorimeter has been assembled using commercially available components. The calorimeter may be used for research, routine analysis and teaching. It has been used, operating in the isope-ribolic mode, to study the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride in relatively dilute solution (∼0,5 M with respect to acetic anhydride) in the temperature range 5 - 40°C. A small enthalpy of mixing has beet observed. This is exothermic at the lower temperatures and becomes endothermic at higher temperatures. The second order reaction rate constant has been derived from the heat flow measuraments assuming pseudofirst order kinetics and it is in good agreement with values reported in the literature.


On January 14, 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a consensus study report titled Sharing Clinical Trial Data: Maximizing Benefi ts, Minimizing Risk [1], which detailed guiding principles and a practical framework for responsibly managing clinical trial data to making data sharing easier. The foundational principles from the IOM report laid the groundwork for the current ecosystem of clinical trial data sharing and are guiding the implementation of a range of data sharing platforms. The current culture and expectation for sharing of individual participant-level data (IPD) is rapidly changing. For example, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) [2] began requiring authors to provide IPD data sharing statements as of July 2018 as a condition for publication. This policy was enacted as investigators demonstrate a growing commitment to sharing trial data [3]. With journal editor policies, industry commitments, funder mandates, and regulatory requirements designed to broaden public access to this data, we appear to be at an infl ection point. An increasing number of established and eff ective data sharing platforms and initiatives are now in existence to facilitate and coordinate access to these data. However, these platforms remain siloed from each other and from existing communities creating a fragmented ecosystem due to complex governance, policy, and security controls. As a result, cross-platform integration of data sets has been diffi cult [8]. In 2016 [4], the authors of this paper envisioned a new, independent, and neutral platform called Vivli that would link existing data sharing platforms and communities to break down these silos and amplify the value of data sharing, as well as provide data archiving capabilities to those who lack the ability to host data long-term. Figure 1 shows the timeline of the emergence of major data sharing platforms and initiatives and how the Vivli platform fi ts into the ecosystem. Vivli has established mechanisms and governance to enable sharing across several of these current platform initiatives despite the wide variety of data access mechanisms, ranging from those with more open access to those with highly controlled access. For users, providing access to a growing and diverse source of trial data has the potential to drive forward new scientifi c discoveries and insights.


Seasonal patterns vary dramatically around the world, and we explore the extent to which systems of season categories support efficient communication about the local environment. Our analyses build on a domain-general information-theoretic model of categorization across languages, and we identify several qualitative predictions that emerge when this model is applied to season naming, including the prediction that systems with even numbers of categories should be more common than systems with odd sizes. We test the model quantitatively using a collection of season systems drawn from the linguistic and anthropological literature and data specifying temperature and precipitation in locations associated with these systems. Our results support the predicted even-odd asymmetry, and we also find that the model makes a number of successful predictions about the locations of boundaries between seasons.


Abstract. Fiber optic sensors are used for a large variety of sensing applications, including security applications and the monitoring of bridges, dams, and pipelines. We propose an algorithm that can achieve highly accurate and robust detection of multiple intrusions over distributed localizations (distributed sensing) in the Sagnac fiber sensing system. This distributed-sensing algorithm involves the application of the fast Fourier transform to the linear spectrum of the phase difference signals resulting from the intrusion. The distances or localizations for intrusions occurring at different places correspond to different "response" peaks, which can be conveniently evaluated in the final localization chart. The fundamental theory underlying the algorithm is presented, and its efficacy is demonstrated via a series of experiments with a 130-km long sensing fiber. The localization-sensing performance of our algorithm, with a minimum standard deviation of 28 m for 23 intrusions at same position, shows high robustness. We believe that our approach can significantly contribute to the development of fiber-optic sensing.


An automatic soldering device for a printed circuit board is provided to perform a soldering work correctly by preventing the movement of the printed circuit board in a soldering process. An automatic soldering device for a printed circuit board includes a base(100), an installation jig(200), a soldering iron unit(310,320), a soldering providing unit(410,420,430), a horizontal transfer unit(510,520,530), a vertical transfer unit(610,620), and a cover unit(700). A control device is installed on the base. The installation jig is installed on a side of an upper part of the base. A printed circuit board is installed inside the installation jig. The soldering iron unit has a soldering iron tip which is heated by a power supply. The horizontal transfer unit transfers the soldering iron toward an installation place of the installation jig or an opposite part. The vertical transfer unit transfers the soldering iron unit vertically. The cover unit is rotatably installed to close an upper part of the installation jig selectively. An aperture is formed on the cover unit. The soldering iron unit is selectively penetrated through the aperture.


This summer, I worked with Professor Leah Keshet and Dhananjay Bhaskar on a project to automatically classify cells based on their shape (morphology) using methods from machine learning. There were two main applications that we were interested in. One application was to investigate the appearance of leader cells, which have been observed to "pull" a group of cells to facilitate collective cell migration (Fig. 1 left). We sought to distinguish leader cells from the rest of the cells by understanding the differences in their shapes. Our analysis was performed on experimental data provided by Dr. Calvin Roskelley. Another application was to study the relationship between the underlying biochemistry of the cell and cell shape. Specifically, we wanted to understand how different proportions of Rac and Rho GTPases within a cell would affect its morphology [1]. For this application, we studied data simulated from a Cellular Potts model (Fig. 1 right).


Introduction: Learning outcomes, as a new concept in higher education, are defined as the abilities that students are expected to have gained at the end of the training course. The purpose of this study is to determine and define the learning outcomes for graduates of clinical laboratory sciences from the perspective of employers. Method: This study was a qualitative study. The participants were 15 employers selected from 10 private laboratories and hospitals using purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and were recorded or handwritten. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis method. Results: Analysis of data revealed 4 overall themes and 11 classifications. Learning outcomes of graduates of clinical laboratory sciences included: skills (pre-analytical, analytical, and post- analytical process); attitude (professional ethics, accountability, interest, and motivation); communications (communication with patients, communication with colleagues, and communication with different departments of the hospital); education and continuous learning (teaching and motivating subordinates, and trying to learn new things). Conclusion: It recommended that university staff pay more attention to learning outcomes expected from graduates by employers. These learning outcomes result in success in the labor market and specialized laboratory environment. More communication between universities and workplaces, including laboratories and hospitals, are recommended.


Mobile IPv6 enables a mobile node to access network at any location in next generation Intemet.This paper analyzes the main security problems of mobile IPv6 protocol,discusses the problems occurred in the current solving schemes,and proposes a binding update authentication scheme of mobile IPv6 based on address encryption.Finally,a security analysis of the scheme has been made.This scheme is used public key cryptosystem,but it is not need the sup- port of public key infrastructure(PKI),and can confront popular attacks,such as impersonation attack.


Objective
To clone and express the polymorphic membrane protein I (PmpI) gene of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) , and to assess the immunogenicity and biological characteristics of PmpI.

Methods
A bioinformatic software was used to analyze the sequence of the PmpI gene of Ct, and to predict B cell epitopes in PmpI. With Ct serovar D DNA as the template, PCR was performed to amplify the N-terminal region (from position 90 to 1464) of the PmpI gene, which was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pET28a to express the recombinant protein PmpI. A Ni-ion affinity chromatography column was used to purify the recombinant protein, which was used to immunize New Zealand rabbits for preparation of polyclonal antibodies. Western blot analysis was conducted to evaluate the immunogenicity of this protein.

Results
A comprehensive analysis was carried out on the secondary structure, flexible regions, hydrophilicity plot, antigenic index and surface probability plot of the protein, which suggested that PmpI had 8 dominant B-cell epitopes. The product of PCR targeting the PmpI gene of Ct serovar D showed a total length of 1 375 bp. The recombinant prokaryotic expression vector pET28a-PmpI was successfully constructed. A recombinant protein with a relative molecular mass of approximately 50 000 was successfully expressed after isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction, and purified by affinity chromatography. Polyclonal antibodies against the recombinant protein were successfully prepared.

Conclusion
The N-PmpI protein of Ct serovar D is cloned and expressed successfully, laying a foundation for further studies on its biological functions.

Key words:
Chlamydia trachomatis; Bacterial outer membrane proteins; Cloning, molecular; Polymorphic membrane protein


The use of language much morre depend on, when, who use it. This happens because of the dynamic characters of language. It means that languange will always develope in accordance with the development and dynamics of sociaty. Whether the language changes quickly or not it depends on intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors consist of character of language itself namely, established, fleksible or adapted. Beside that the important thing in dynamics as of language is that how important the rule of the language as the referance of the other dialecs. Apart from the intrinsic factors. The extrimsics factors also have important rule in the dymamics of development of language. This concerning wheter. The language itself fungtion as a mean of unity or as the identity of the speakers.

Key words: Language, Standardisation


Hot corrosion testing of several nickel-, cobalt-, and iron-base alloys was performed in a Mach 0.3 burner rig to determine the effectiveness of potential fuel additives for reducing sodium sulfate attack. All tests were carried out at 900/sup 0/C for 100, 1 hour cycles. At the conclusion of each test the extent of attack was determined by measuring the maximum metal loss. All corrosion results were compared to cyclic oxidation tests made under the same conditions of time and temperature but in the absence of sodium chloride or additives. While all of the additives tested (salts of Al, Si, Fe, Cr, Zn, Mg, Ca, and Ba) reduced hot corrosion for some alloys, the most effective and consistent additive was barium nitrate. For all alloys this barium additive reduced the corrosion attack to nearly oxidation levels. Although much work is needed to establish cost effectiveness and the extent of a potential fouling problem, this work strongly indicates the desirability of the use of barium to substantially reduce the alkali metal-induced hot corrosion problem.


This thesis argues that tackling the increased operating systems complexity with declarative techniques significantly reduces code complexity involved in adapting to a wide range of modern hardware. Modern hardware is increasingly diverse and complex. It is likely that this trend continues further. This trend complicates the operating system's construction. Operating systems have to adapt to the hardware architecture and exploit all features to guarantee the best possible overall system performance. Not exploiting all hardware features, or using them in a suboptimal or even wrong way, results in lower overall system performance. Traditionally, operating systems adapt to the underlying architecture by predefined policies, which are intermingled with the core operating system's functionality. In this thesis I argue that for two reasons it is no longer possible to encode predefined policies for a set of known hardware architectures into the operating system. First, predefined policies do not automatically guarantee that hardware features are fully exploited on all hardware platforms. Second, for this reason, predefined policies would need to be ported to many different hardware platforms, while, at the same time, it would be necessary to keep the policies suitable for older platforms. This leads to a significant complexity of operating systems and finally to a high engineering effort, when porting the operating system to new hardware platforms. To avoid this problem, the operating systems must gain hardware knowledge at runtime and derive policies suitable for the current architecture through online reasoning about the hardware. This leads to operating sys-


The invention relates to a SeO2-containing copper-based chemical plating solution and its preparation method and application. The plating solution is composed of CuSO4.5H2O, NaNO2, H3PO4, H2O2, SeO2, HNO3 and the like in water according to a certain ratio. The plating solution has advantages of fast film forming speed and uniform dyeing; a plated film will not volatilize harmful gases and will not contaminate cloth; and the plating solution has good stability at normal temperature and can be placed for more than one year. The preparation method of the plating solution is also simple and requires low cost. Conditions for the preparation method are controllable. The chemical plating solution is suitable for copper and copper alloy products, electroplating industry and various hardware products, especially coloring of brass teeth zipper on clothes. A plated film appears bronze, and the plated film obtained during the application of the plating solution used in a plating technology accords with quality inspection technical requirements of metal coating and chemical treatment coating (SJ127677). The technology is simple; conditions are controllable; adhesiveness of the plated film is good; and wear resistance is good.


Background: Several reproductive diseases can prevent ejaculation by the traditional method of collection. Neoplasias as squamous cell carcinoma is the most common tumor of the external genitalia of horses and its lesions usually prevent copulation. The pharmacological induction of ejaculation is an important alternative technique to obtain and preserve the genetic material of stallions incapable of ejaculating by traditional methods of semen collection. However, the protocols currently used have shown questionable results and new protocols are needed in order to increase the success rates. The aim of this study is to report the success of a new protocol in inducing ejaculation when oral imipramine and intravenous oxytocin and detomidine were administrated in a Crioulo stallion.Case: A 9-year-old Crioulo stallion was admitted at the Veterinary Hospital of the São Paulo State University, FMVZUNESP, Botucatu, Brazil, with a history of a mass located on the glans and body of the penis. The histopathological exam confirmed the diagnostic of Squamous cell carcinoma and penectomy was performed. After 10 days of surgery the stallion was submitted to 5 different protocols with 3 days interval between the follow protocols: Imipramine+Xylazine; Imipramine+ Xylazine+Oxytocin; Imipramine+Detomidine and Imipramine+Detomidine+Oxytocin.Discussion: The traditional protocol of pharmacologically-induced ejaculation with imipramine hydrochloride (3 mg/kg/v.o) and xylazine hydrochloride (0.66 mg/kg/iv) was not successful even when oxytocin (20 UI/iv) was added to this protocol. Administration of imipramine hydrochloride (3 mg/kg/v.o) two hours prior to administration of detomidine hydrochloride (0.02 mg/kg/i.v) also did not result in ejaculation. However, administration of imipramine hydrochloride (3 mg/kg/v.o) 2 h prior to administration of detomidine hydrochloride (0.02 mg/kg/i.v) associated with oxytocin (20 U.I/i.v) resulted in ejaculation. The stallion was submitted to three seminal collections with a three-day interval between administration of the protocol and ejaculated in all the attempts after approximately 5 min of detomidine and oxytocin injection, presenting mean values of 50 mL of total volume (TV) and concentration of 80x106 spermatozoa/mL. The VT was higher and concentration was lower when compared to ejaculates obtained by pharmacological induction in previous studies, probably due to daily stimulation with estrus mare to induce penile exposure in order to allow antisepsis of the surgical wound. Thus, it is believed that the large amount of total volume of this stallion is due to the high production of gel by the accessory sex glands, with consequent reduction of ejaculate concentration. The sperm kinetics were evaluated by the computerized method CASA (HTMA-IVOS-12) with total motility (MT) of 84% and progressive (MP) of 38%, with 70% of rapid spermatozoa (RAP), being considered normal to the equine specie and similar to those observed by other authors in pharmacolocally-induced ejaculates. Post-thaw sperm kinetics presented 42% of MT, 21% of MP and 28% of RAP probably due to an intrinsic sensitivity of the stallion to the freezing process. Thus, this report concludes that the protocol associating imipramine, detomidine and oxytocin was efficient in the pharmacological induction of ejaculation, presenting normal and characteristic sperm parameters of the specie. Fresh and refrigerated semen presented good parameters for use in conventional artificial inseminations while frozen semen is indicated for deep horn inseminations or for use in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) programs.


The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of various parameters such as the aspect ratio, subgrade reaction modulus and thickness/span ratio on the frequency parameters of thick plates resting on Winkler-type elastic foundations. For this purpose, 4-noded (PBQ4) and 8-noded (PBQ8) Mindlin plate elements are adopted for the analysis using Winkler foundation model. Two different integration rules, namely the full integration (FI) and the selective reduced integration (SRI) techniques, are used to obtain stiffness matrix of plates. The results obtained in this study are compared with the results that are obtained by SAP2000 structural analysis software.


Writing is analyzing the performance of WRF applications, which run on a Beowulf Cluster, as a form of computer clusters. The cluster is a group of data that uni cation has the correla- tion or the same characteristics. Computer cluster means to unite the computers into a single computing entity. Beowulf cluster is a cluster of computers that are designed speci cally to run applications in parallel. Simulation of moist baroclinic waves, as the application of WRF used for weather forecasting based on the movement of waves in the atmosphere. Application of WRF is a program that is designed to run in parallel. After Beowulf cluster and application of WRF-up correctly will be analyzed speedup and eciency that occurs when the simulation is run on one computer up to four computers. Penamaan File: 51400308


Family planning service providers have noted a greater than 50% nonreturn rate among adolescent clients. Those who fail to return to the clinic are likely to discontinue their use of contraceptives and be at riskfor an unintendedpregnancy. Case record reviews of a random sample of adolescent oral contraceptive users were used to investigate variables correlated with nonreturn for follow-up care. Compared to adolescents who returned to the clinic, those least likely to return had a sexually transmitted disease, had irregular menstrual periods, had a pap smear over a year prior to the initial clinic visit, reported more general health problems, were referred for additional tests, and had waited longer since first coitus to obtain birth control. Implications for the development of a method to screen adolescents for risk of contraceptive discontinuation are drawn.


Background Acquired brain injury and spinal cord injury are leading causes of severe motor disabilities impacting a person's autonomy and social life. Enhancing neurological recovery driven by neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity could represent future solutions; however, at present, recovery of activities employing assistive technologies integrating artificial intelligence is worthy of examining. MAIA (Multifunctional, adaptive, and interactive AI system for Acting in multiple contexts) is a human-centered AI aiming to allow end-users to control assistive devices naturally and efficiently by using continuous bidirectional exchanges among multiple sensorimotor information. Methods Aimed at exploring the acceptability of MAIA, semi-structured interviews (both individual interviews and focus groups) are used to prompt possible end-users (both patients and caregivers) to express their opinions about expected functionalities, outfits, and the services that MAIA should embed, once developed, to fit end-users needs. Discussion End-user indications are expected to interest MAIA technical, health-related, and setting components. Moreover, psycho-social issues are expected to align with the technology acceptance model. In particular, they are likely to involve intrinsic motivational and extrinsic social aspects, aspects concerning the usefulness of the MAIA system, and the related ease to use. At last, we expect individual factors to impact MAIA: gender, fragility levels, psychological aspects involved in the mental representation of body image, personal endurance, and tolerance toward AT-related burden might be the aspects end-users rise in evaluating the MAIA project.


This work presents a method for the analysis of timber composite beams which considers the slip in the connection system, based on assembling the flexibility matrix of the whole structure. This method is based on one proposed by Tommola and Jutila (2001). This paper extends the method to the case of a gap between two pieces with an arbitrary location at the first connector, which notably broadens its practical application. The addition of the gap makes it possible to model a cracked zone in concrete topping, as well as the case in which forming produces the gap. The consideration of induced stresses due to changes in temperature and moisture content is also described, while the concept of equivalent eccentricity is generalized. This method has important advantages in connection with the current European Standard EN 1995-1-1: 2004, as it is able to deal with any type of load, variable section, discrete and non-regular connection systems, a gap between the two pieces, and variations in temperature and moisture content. Although it could be applied to any structural system, it is specially suited for the case of simple supported and continuous beams. Working examples are presented at the end, showing that the arrangement of the connection notably modifies shear force distribution. A first interpretation of the results is made on the basis of the strut and tie theory. The examples prove that the use of EC-5 is unsafe when, as a rule of thumb, the strut or compression field between the support and the first connector is at an angle with the axis of the beam of less than 60o.


An experiment on the radiative π-meson photoproduction from the proton (γp → γπn) was carried out at the Mainz Microtron MAMI in the kinematic region 537 MeV < Eγ < 817 MeV, 140 ≤ θ γγ′ ≤ 180. The π-meson polarizabilities have been determined from a comparison of the data with the predictions of two different theoretical models, the first one being based on an effective pole model with pseudoscalar coupling while the second one is based on diagrams describing both resonant and nonresonant contributions. The validity of the models has been verified by comparing the predictions with the present experimental data in the kinematic region where the pion polarizability contribution is negligible (s1 < 5m 2 π) and where the difference between the predictions of the two models does not exceed 3%. In the region, where the pion polarizability contribution is substantial (5 < s1/m 2 π < 15, −12 < t/mπ < −2), the difference (α − β)π+ of the electric (α) and the magnetic (β) polarizabilities has been determined. As a result we find: (α− β)π+ = (11.6± 1.5stat ± 3.0syst ± 0.5mod)× 10−4fm. This result is at variance with recent calculations in the framework of chiral perturbation theory. PACS: 12.38.Qk Experimental tests – 13.40.-f Electromagnetic processes and properties – 13.60.Le Meson production E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com