PURPOSE: To well join a plurality of workpieces made of a thermoplastic resin. CONSTITUTION: A plurality of workpieces 10A-10D, 12 to be joined mutually are laminated so that the inner surfaces of them are matched mutually and high frequency vibration is applied to the inner surfaces of the workpieces so that the motion of vibration becomes the matching direction of workpieces mainly. The thermoplastic material of the inner surfaces is softened and fluidized by the dissipation of vibration energy and, when vibration is completed, the thermoplastic material is cured to join the workpieces mutually. High frequency vibration is given by a horn 38 constituted so as to pref. resonate as a half wavelength resonator at an ultrasonic frequency in the range between 16 and 25 kHz.


A new diterpene with a fused 5-8-5 ring system was isolated from the fermentation broth of a soil actinomycete. The stereochemistry at C-15 was determined in an unusual manner using a decomposition product.


The concept of 'children's independent mobility', which originates in a study carried out between 1971 and 1990 (Hillman et al. 1990), underpins much of the research on children's mobilities. The study used particular criteria, based on parental determination of children's abilities and freedoms, to construct a notion of independence. This article contributes to previous work in challenging the assumptions underlying this conceptualisation of independence and suggests a rethinking of children's mobilities to more firmly incorporate children's agency and imagination. It does so by firstly critically reviewing existing scholarship and secondly by engaging with an example of a fictional story, "Emil and the detectives", which itself sets out to privilege both of these key aspects of children's mobilities.


Agents are designed to be autonomous problem-solvers, possibly communicating with other agents and users, and are therefore equipped with sufficient cognitive abilities to reason about a domain, make certain types of decisions themselves, and perform the associated actions. In this paper, we propose to integrate agents in a Cooperative Intelligent Decision Support System. The resulting system, called MACIDS is designed to support operators during contingencies. During the contingency, the operators using MACIDS should be able to: gather information about the incident location; access databases related to the incident; activate predictive modeling programs; support analyses of the operator, and monitor the progress of the situation and action execution. In MACIDS the communication support enhances communication and coordination capabilities of participants. A simple scenario is given, to illustrate the feasibility of the proposal.


On the basis of studying the structural characteristics of the 6 300 kN die forging hydraulic press,the 3D-FEM parameterized model of the frame is established by using the ANSYS Parametric Design Language(APDL),and structural analysis is made.The stress and displacement distribution of the frame under static load are disclosured.


During the last few decades, it has been assumed that dysfunctions of neurons and neuronal networks including synaptic abnormalities and consecutive disturbances of neurotransmitters are the main and sole causes of psychiatric disorders. Recent neuroscience has revealed various previously unknown roles of glial cells such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia as modulators of neurotransmission. These glial cells have proved to continuously contact with neurons/synapses, and have been shown to play important roles in brain development, homeostasis, and various brain functions. Beyond the classic neuronal doctrine of neuropsychiatry, accumulating evidence has suggested that abnormalities and disturbances of the crosstalk between neurons and glial cells may induce mental dysfunction and be a risk factor for the manifestation of psychiatric disorders. However, these mechanisms have yet to be well-understood. This research topic of " the Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience " has focused on the most recent developments and ideas in the study of glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) targeting psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, and autism. Here, we publish more than 20 articles including original research, review, perspective, and commentary. While all of the articles are focused on psychiatric disorders, a variety of methods/approaches have been employed from molecular, cellular, and pharmacological approaches using in vitro/in vivo experimental methods to translational approaches using human tissues. Human postmortem research using brain tissues of patients with psychiatric disorders is one of the most important research approaches in biological psychiatry. In this research topic, Bernstein et al. reported a reduced density of glutamine synthetase immunoreactive astrocytes in different cortical areas in major depression but not in bipolar I disorder. Falkai et al. revealed an interaction between a decrease of oligodendrocyte and interneuron density in the hippocampus of schizophrenia patients and discussed the association of oligodendrocyte number with cognitive deficits, proposing that a decreased number of oligodendrocytes in the anterior, and entire hippocampus may be involved in cognitive deficits by impairing the connectivity of this structure in schizophrenia. On the other hand, various novel approaches of brain imaging techniques have been developed to reveal glial dysfunctions in living patients with psychiatric disorders (Kato et al., 2013a). Peripheral blood markers are also suggested to be useful biomarkers of psychiatric disorders. For example, S100B has been considered as a glial marker protein, particular to oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. It passes the blood brain barrier and is detectable in peripheral blood. In this


Background. Children diagnosed with medulloblastoma whose tumor involves the brain stem or has spread through the cerebrospinal fluid pathways to other areas of the brain or spinal cord have a poor prognosis despite therapy with surgery, craniospinal irradiation (CSI), and chemotherapy. Preradiation chemotherapy may improve the outlook for these patients.


IN RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY MAINTENANCE THE RATIO OF EQUIPMENT COST TO LABOR COST HAS BEEN UNDERGOING A CHANGE THAT HAS ALTERED THE VIEW TOWARD IDLE MACHINES. HOWEVER, THE NATURE OF WAY WORK--GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED, CONTINUALLY CHANGING, SUBJECT TO DARKNESS---DISCOURAGES ATTEMPTS TO TRANSFER TO THIS KIND OF WORK THE LABOR PRACTICES OF SHOPS. FACTORS THAT MUST BE ANALYZED WHEN CONSIDERING DOUBLE-SHIFT WAY OPERATIONS ARE LISTED, FUNCTIONS THAT DO AND DO NOT LEND THEMSELVES TO DOUBLE-SHIFTING ARE DESCRIBED, TYPICAL ANTICIPATED COST SAVINGS ARE NOTED BY WAY OF EXAMPLES, AND THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DOUBLE-SHIFTING ARE LISTED.


Every four years consultants all over the world look at American presidential elections trying to unveil new techniques that can be adopted in their own countries. In 2012 databases and metrics become the cornerstone for a successful campaign and therefore, there is a need for new professionals, and for a new way of approaching the profession. The campaign for the re-election of Obama residential is a turning point not only for political communications but also for political consulting: digital revolution will open doors for a new generation of consultants not only in the United States, but also in Europe and South America.


The design of CFG piles with caps applied in expressways in deep soft soil ground differs from that of architectural engineering.There is no appropriate criterion at present.The upper building foundation of construction engineering is rigid and rigid load is imposed on the ground.However,the railway subgrade bears directly the roadbed load and the dynamic load of trains which is flexible load.So under the condition of flexible foundation,the optimization of cushion thickness of CFG pile composite foundation with caps is of great significance.In field load tests,rubber plates are used to simulate the flexible foundation of high-speed railway.Through change of cushion thickness,researches on the settlement deformation and load sharing properties of CFG pile composite foundation with caps are conducted.


The factors that affect formation and dissemination of public opinion have been studied for a long time. However, the findings are disparate and fragmented, given the characteristics of netizens and new media in the Big Data era. To this end, this article introduces eight mechanisms working on formation and dissemination of public opinion on network. Based on system dynamics, this article further proposes a comprehensive causal relationship model to explore the factors affecting the consequence of public opinion on network. Particularly, the role of government is taken into consideration in this model. A simulation with Vensim PLE is conducted. The results of the simulation indicate that group polarization among netizens, opinion leaders, the quantity of media audience, the frequency of media report, government attention, and warning mechanism for public opinion crisis affect the consequence of public opinion on network significantly. Implications of the findings are discussed.


The study is the first of its kind to study third‐person perception within the context of school violence. Linkages to the health psychology literature (optimistic bias) provide the basis for further understanding of adolescents' perceptions of school violence and the influence of media violence in their lives. Results from a survey of 1,500 middle school and high school students suggest third‐person perception regarding media violence decreases with age, and is influenced by perceived reality of media violence, optimistic bias, and knowledge of real world youth violence.


The development of agriculture necessitates the adoption of new and effective methods to increase yields and enhance product quality. Obtaining high-quality agricultural products is becoming increasingly challenging due to climate variations, soil depletion, and decreasing arable land. These factors underscore the need to explore additional technologies that can enhance the cultivation of crops to meet the demand for quality produce. Pre-sowing seed treatment with metabolically active substances represents one such promising technology.
The objective of our study was to investigate the impact of metabolically active substances and their combinations on the processes of yield formation and the quality of carrots from the Nantska seed variety. The following substances were used for pre-sowing treatment of carrot seeds: vitamin E, ubiquinone-10, paraoxybenzoic acid (POBA), methionine, and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4).
Our findings revealed a positive influence of metabolically active compounds on various parameters, including root length, thickness, average root mass, and sugar content in the carrots. The combination of substances, specifically vitamin E + POBA + methionine + MgSO4, exhibited the most significant effect on root length throughout the growth period, surpassing control measurements by 5.23 % to 14.5 1%, depending on the stage of the study. All tested compounds, except for the vitamin E solution, had a favorable impact on the average root mass. Pre-sowing seed treatment with ubiquinone-10 resulted in the highest monosaccharide content in carrot roots after one month of storage, surpassing control measurements by 13.2 %. Although the monosaccharide and disaccharide content in carrot roots decreased during storage in all studied conditions, it remained higher compared to the control measurements, indicating enhanced nutritional value.
In summary, pre-sowing seed treatment of carrots with metabolically active compounds and their combinations demonstrates the potential to improve both quantitative harvest indicators and sugar content in carrot roots, reflecting increased nutritional value. Incorporating pre-sowing treatment with metabolically active compounds into cultivation practices can be valuable in the production of vegetable crops.


This paper reports on an intimate association of a cnidarian with glass sponges. Hexactinellid sponges of the genus Heterochone were found to regularly contain numerous tiny hydroids in their tissue. The hydroid belongs to a new genus and species and is here named Brinckmannia hexactinellidophila. Brinckmannia hexactinellidophila is a reduced form, lacking tentacles and gonophores, which certainly is an adaptation to its endobiotic mode of life. The possession of desmonemes allows it to be classified as a member of the suborder Filifera of the order Anthoathecata. The shape of the hydranth reveals some clear affinities with the Proboscidactylidae, a relationship which is also strongly suggested by a comparison of 16S gene sequences. Because a closer relationship to some other families cannot be excluded at this stage, the new genus is nevertheless not assigned to any known family and classified as Filifera incertae sedis.


On the Improvement of Freshness of Bread by Means of Starch Phosphates.

Basing on previous studies six commercial distarch phosphates have been mixed up in pasted state during dough preparation. The baked wheat products have been investigated with respect to baking quality and bread freshness. Only two of the six distarch phosphates lead to a satisfactory baking result. The freshness of the breads, which have been manufactured with these samples, did not differ significantly from those breads, which have been manufactured by addition of fresh holding substances. Even with increased addition of water and thereby softer doughs no specific effect of the distarch phosphates could be oberserved. Especially the paste preparation proved to be not rational, because it doesn't agree with modern practices of bread production. Thus the use of distarch phosphates as fresh holding substance should not be taken into consideration neither on national nor international basis.


In this paper we consider an optimal control problem governed by a rate-independent variational inequality arising in quasistatic plasticity with linear kinematic hardening. Since the solution operator of a variational inequality is not differentiable, the KKT system is not a necessary optimality condition. We show a system of weakly stationary type by passing to the limit with the optimality system of a regularized and time-discretized problem.


This paper explores the properties of mass and count nouns in child language. Results from experimental research with English speaking children are compared with an analysis of the spontaneous speech production of Italian-speaking children. It is argued that children exposed to Italian and English as young as two know that the target grammar distinguishes between count and mass nouns. Their knowledge however is not fully adultlike: nouns still have to be classified as mass or count. In the classification process, distribution plays a major role. Syntactic properties guide the child in classifying nouns as mass or count. Semantic and perceptual properties play a minor role but can be used by the child in absence of distributional evidence. Introduction This paper is concerned with the distinction between mass and count nouns in child language. First we describe the main properties of mass nouns, then we briefly outline Chierchia's theory. The third and the fourth section investigate how the distinction is acquired: we will comment on the spontaneous speech of three Italian children and the experiments and the analysis conducted by Gordon (1982, 1985, 1988) and Gathercole (1986). The last section provides the conclusions. 1 Empirical Properties of Count and Mass Nouns Let us list the most important properties of mass nouns. Mass and count nouns show different syntactic and semantic properties. We begin with the major distributional properties. The first property we need to consider is plural morphology: count nouns have a singular and a plural form, while mass nouns have only one morphological form. (1) a. I want sandwiches. b. *I want waters. The second property is related to determiners. Consider the following examples: 1 On this topic see Pelletier (1979) and Pelletier and Schubert (1987). 2 Obviously, we do not mean that mass nouns do not have a different morphological form. What is important is that they cannot occur in plural contexts, for example as subjects of plural verbs. Even if this is the most clear difference between count and mass nouns, a caveat is necessary: plural forms of mass nouns are not ungrammatical. As the universal grinder described by Pelletier (1977) shows, it is always possible to use a mass noun as count and vice versa, but such uses are special or marked; nouns can occur in any grammatical context, but they prefer one context over the other.


The VANTAGE system is an integrated PC-based system developed as part of a management review of Port Moresby's stormwater drainage infrastructure. The system uses the MapInfo/MapBasic software to provide a graphical user interface to assist the input, analysis and display of stormwater management information. The VANTAGE system assisted in the preparation of a Master Plan for investment in the upgrading and extension of the drainage system of Port Moresby and in the investigation of the maintenance implications of sediment and waste management strategies. The system also provides easily accessible estimates of flood discharges in future development areas for use in designing the drainage infrastructure. The system can form the basis of an urban services inventory which could include information on water, power and telephone services plus topographic and cadastral information.


In an ongoing effort to modernise South Africa's transfer pricing regulations and tackle potential tax collection deficits, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is focusing on those problematic areas where it believes there is non-compliance by taxpayers and significant potential for increased collections for the fiscal year. Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, highlighted transfer pricing as a key focus area for SARS in his 2012 Budget Speech, specifically where it involves shifting profits to jurisdictions outside South Africa.


Background: Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz., known as Dhataki, is an important medicinal plant used in Ayurveda. Recent studies on leaf showed that it contains important chemical constituents responsible for biological activities. The ethnic folk from India and Nepal are using the leaf to treat ulcers, rheumatism, fever, hemoptysis and as a disinfectant. It is also reported to be used in perfume, leather and textile industries. Aim: To investigate preliminary pharmacognostical and phytochemical parameters of leaf to standardize the drug. Materials and Methods: Identification of plant was done as per the standard guidelines given in the floras. Macro and microscopic evaluation performed as per the routine laboratory procedures. Phytochemical, physico-chemical, florescence analysis, behavior of powdered drug have been conducted as per the WHO guidelines. Results: Unique arrangement of the vascular bundle in mid rib region is observed. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, tannins, and flavonoids. Conclusion: The findings of this study will be helpful in the identification of Dhataki leaf.


The author elaborates the basic conditions of north south Pan River region,the current situation of water and soil loss and various harms which the water had brought,on the basis of them,some specific prevention and control countermeasures were presented.


This paper expounds the theoretical basis of standardized tests and the negative effects of standardized tests on foreign language teaching Several proposals have been put forwards to reform the present language testing


High quality medical research is essential for "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health" (World Health Organization, Constitution) [1]. Research and the evidence that it yields, are critical elements for improving global health and health equity. New and improved medical knowledge is available to clinical practitioners in the form of scientific publications, traditionally in the format of printed or electronic biomedical journals. These publications should be readily available to clinicians across the globe, without financial or access barriers. Recently, two competing predatory phenomena threaten the dissemination of biomedical research, the progress of science, and the advancement of humankind.


Abstract Alzheimer neurofibrillary changes and brain β-amyloid can be stained selectively by silver impregnation on tissue sections and (in the case of neurofibrillary proteins) on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The stain can be applied to frozen sections of tissue from 10–150 μm thick, to similarly thick polyethylene glycol sections, or to 5–15 μm thick paraffin sections. The technique can also be applied to routinely fixed autopsy material. The technique takes advantage of the physical development of nucleation sites, thereby permitting tight control of the entire procedure. It is less expensive than immunocytochemical techniques, and facilitates processing of large numbers of sections through entire hemispheres of the human brain. (The J Histotechnol 16:335, 1993)


By analyzing the optimization simulation models with Synchro software system, this paper researches the independent signal control of typical T-intersection. The rationality of the signal timing by Synchro software system is analyzed, at the same time, this paper analyzes and optimizes the current signal timing of the typical T-intersection through investigating the actual data. It is beneficial for solving the increasingly tense urban traffic.


OBJECTIVE: To probe into the implementation of medication history in Chengdu area during 2009 and to provide reference for the further improvement of medication history. METHODS: Random sample questionnaire survey was conducted among medical workers, pharmaceutical staffs and the general public in Chengdu. The sample included medical workers from 20 hospitals, pharmaceutical staffs from 50 pharmacies and 160 general citizens in Chengdu. RESULTS CONCLUSIONS: 20% of citizens and physicians and about 60% of pharmacists have cognition of medication history. Medication history was only conducted in 35% of hospitals and pharmacies. The difficulty of implementation mainly contained conception barrier and policy deficiency. Physicians, pharmacists and patients should make efforts to break through the traditional concepts of pharmacy. Government should consummate relevant policies. Pharmaceutical and medical staff should improve medical technology. The management of clinic pharmacists in hospitals and other medical institutions should be strengthened so as to set up standard and uniform medication history system, conforming to China's national condition.


f High-performance, special-purpose computer systems are typically used to meet specific application requirements or to off-load computations that are especially taxing to general-purpose computers. As hardware cost and size continue to drop and processing requirements become well-understood in areas such as signal and image processing, more special-purpose systems are being constructed. However, since most of these systems are built on an ad hoc basis for specific tasks, methodological work in this area is rare. Because the knowledge gaited from individual experiences is neither accumulated nor properly organized, the same errors are repeated. I/O and computation imbalance is a notable example-often, the fact that I/O interfaces cannot keep up with device speed is discovered only after constructing a high-speed, special-purpose device. We intend to help correct this ad hoc approach by providing a general guideline-specifically, the concept of systolic architecture, a general methodology for mapping high-level computations into hardware structures. In a systolic system, data flows from the computer memcory in a rhythmic fashion, passing through many processing elements before it returns to memory, much as blood circulates to and from the heart. The system works like an autombbile assembly line where different people work on the same car at different times and many cars are assembled simultaneously. An assembly line is always linear, however, and systolic systems are sometimes two-dimensional. They can be rectangular, triangular, or hexagonal to make use of higher degrees of parallelism. Moreover, to implement a variety of computations, data flow in a systolic system may be at multiple speeds in multiple directions-both inputs and (partial) results flow, whereas only results flow in classical pipelined systems. Generally speaking, a systolic system is easy to implement because of its regularity and easy to reconfigure (to meet various outside constraints) because of its modularity. The systolic architectural concept was developed at Carnegie-Mellon University,'17 and versions of systolic processors are being designed and built by several industrial and governmental organizations.840 This article reviews the basic principle of systolic architectures and explains why they should result in cost-effective, highperformance special-purpose systems for a wide range of problems.


This study surveys the emotional intelligence of middle school students by the BarOn questionnaire of emotional intelligence. It gets some basic results of the emotional intelligence of middle school students. The subjects are composed of the students of 4 middle schools students (senior school:188, junior high school: 182, total: 370). It finds that the difference of emotional intelligence between male and female is widely obvious, and the mode of parents breeding has large affect on the emotional intelligence.


Immunological stress influence the growth and development of livestock and poultry, appropriate nutrition level and breeding scheme can reduce the immunological stress. The effects of nutrition immunological stress was mainly reviewed in this article.


ABSTRACT The year 2001 marked the beginning of a new trading strategy to the benefit of Morocco following the accession to the throne of Mohammed VI in 1999. Less permissive than his father with regard to what was presumed or expected from his reign, the new sovereign has aimed to focus his regime's efforts on legitimising the country's occupation of Western Sahara by offering attractive deals to international corporations. In the absence of political condemnation from foreign countries, civil society and various solidarity movements outside the country have vowed to prevent the king and his government from trading away peace.


The title of any text is one of the most important parallel thresholds. It helps clarify, investigate, construct, and deconstruct explicit and implicit meanings of the text. The title hence is a paramount key to comprehend the text and its cohesion. Using a semiotic perspective, this study considers titles as signs, symbols, icons, and metaphors. They are analyzed and interpreted in terms of structure, signification, and function. What is the importance of the title? What is the relationship between the text and its parallel texts? What are the most important Arabic studies that have dealt with the issue? What are the title's parts and functions? What are the semiotic dynamics that are used in approaching the title? The title is the first threshold on which the reader should ponder before dealing with any text. Moreover, it is the most provoking and challenging element for any writer so that she/he pays a great deal of attention to articulate it attractively. Before reading a book, topic, poem, story, novel, we all interestingly repeat the Arabic proverb, "the written is clear throughout its title"; the title points out unequivocally the content of the text.


In this essay, the research on foreign language learning strategy home and abroad is recalled and summarized and an investigation on English learning strategy is carried out among the students of Chinese for overseas students of Xin Jiang Normal University so that the teacher will understand to what degree they apply different learning strategies and also the relationship between the learning strategy and the performance in their English learning. The conclusion is that the more a student applies learning strategies, the better performance they will achieve in their English learning.


A new volvate Macrolepiota species from China, M. velosa; is described, and Volvolepiota is synonymized with Macrolepiota. Two new names in Macrolepiota are proposed, viz. M pulchella for V. brunnea, and M. brunnescens for V albida.


T he amount of ionizing radiation used in radiologic examinations requires quantification to ensure that the correct measure of radiation is used to generate the image and to record the patient dose in a way that permits an assessment of the risk. Dosimetric units that are commonly used to quantify radiation in diagnostic radiology include exposure (roentgen), absorbed dose (rad or gray), dose equivalent (rem or sievert), and effective dose (rem or sievert). This article explains the rationale for each dosimetric quantity and clarifies the relationships between them.


Mercury is a nominal 6-MV, 360-kA, 2.2-TW magnetically-insulated inductive voltage adder that is being assembled at the Naval Research Laboratory. Mercury, originally known as KALIF-HELA, was located at the Forschungszentrum in Karlsruhe, Germany. Once assembled, Mercury will be used as a testbed for development of high-power electron- and ion-beam diodes. Applications include source development for high-resolution flash radiography, nuclear weapons effects simulation, and particle-beam transport research. This paper highlights the progress of the Mercury assembly and supporting activities, including modifications from the original design, circuit modeling to optimize the Mercury circuit, power-flow simulations to understand and optimize Mercury power flow and load coupling, and MITL theory and modeling to develop a transmission-line code capability for modeling transient effects in MITLs.


The perturbations on electromagnetic wavefronts resulting from the propagation of plane waves through a random medium are resolved into two components: a random tilt and a random residual phase perturbation. This analysis permits the determination of the mean square angle of arrival from knowledge of the aperture plane phase correlation. It also suggests the use of the statistics of the residual phase perturbation in calculations of resolution and of antenna power patterns. The mean square angle of arrival is calculated for linear and circular apertures with various exponential weightings using the description of phase statistics derived by Tatarski from the Obukhov-Kolmogorov theory of locally homogeneous turbulence. Integrals for tilt-compensated average power patterns are derived. It is demonstrated that a significant reduction in the image degradation results when the aperture tracks the random tilt of the wavefront.


Today`s digital broadcasting services based on DVB-SI standard are provided a two-way broadcast. However, using the power of STB if the user does not use a waste of time spent on standby power is becoming a serious problem. Accordingly, for energy savings both at home and abroad to actively promote green policies, but highly functional STB, the internal software to automatically update the appropriate scheduling techniques are not shown, power usage does not meet the standard can. Therefore, In this paper We analyze the current STB technology and the problems, as proper use of power to the standard STB design scheme and the automatic software installation method of operation is presented.


We consider nonlinear partial differential equations with discontinuities, in particular those related to obstacle problems and parabolic equations of Stefan type. By means of a parametric smoothing of the discontinuities the original problems are embedded into a family of differential equations with smooth coefficients. Here the main focus is directed towards the interaction between the smoothing parameter, the discretization, and the behavior of related iterative methods.


A three-dimensional model based on molecular dynamics has been developed to describe the formation of a single cathode spot in vacuum arcs. The formation of the cathode spot is assumed to be controlled by the plasma ions, the effect of which is simulated in LAMMPS through the process of ion bombardment. The cathode is represented by structured copper atoms, while the ions are continuously injected into the domain with a certain velocity towards the cathode surface. Ion bombardment leads to the appearance of a crater, which is caused by the accumulation of pressure effect against the relaxation of substrate temperature. The size of the crater is found to be determined by the spatial distribution of the injected ions. The formation of the cathode spot is also scrutinised by electron emission from the cathode surface with variable surface temperature during the cathode spot development process. In addition, the evaporated atoms forming the metal vapour are observed. This study provides a description of the formation of the cathode spot at microscale, which shall be helpful to further studies of the arc rooting and arc contact (electrode) erosion in vacuum environment.


The research and development results along the characteristics of the micro-mirror element driven by thermal microactuator are presented. This work shows that for calculating micro-mirror element deflection is crucial for consideration the temperature distribution along the length of the micromirror element. The calculation of the superheat temperature is provided, along with the effective overheat temperature. Provided calculations are in good correlation with experimental data.


Following this disease-free interval, eosinophilia heralded the recurrence of the lymphoma. A subset of lymphomas with a hyper-eosinophilia syndrome has been shown to be associated with HTLVI'e2. In three of these four patients, amplification by PCR of DNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed the tux2 sequence of HTLV-I. It was therefore postulated that HTLV-I was responsible for the expansion of T-cell clones controlling eosinophilic haemopoiesis'. Indeed, no integration of proviral genome in the lymphoma cells was demonstrated, except for the case of a Japanese patient who had adult T-cell leukaemia/ lymphomaz. As in the present case, we have previously found negative results for HTLV-I by serological and PCR methods in two additional cases of CD 3 + , 4+ T-cell lymphomas arising in the course of chronic eosinophilia. Furthermore, negative results with primers complementary to the HTLV-I px gene that we used also eliminated HTLV-I1 infection3. HIV-1 infection was also excluded. Therefore, we suggest that, except in zones of endemic HTLV-I infection, the proliferation of the T-cells controlling eosinophil haemopoiesis may have an origin other than HTLV-I or any retroviral infection.


From the purpose of business process visual modeling,studying the goal description and representation in business process,business staff can provide a reasonable design for goal implementation of business process from the intuitive point of view.This paper presents a visual modeling method using the goal tree,which can achieve goal designing view.The goal view will be the basis for further business process designing.This method is based on customer goal tree and business rules,retrieving the business goal template knowledge base,extracting the goal template to meet the requirements,in order to generate the goal view.During the process,this method uses consistency algorithm to verify the entire process under the help of business staff.


Factors to consider in choosing and installing a combustible-gas detection system in an industrial plant, advises Gas Developments Corp., concern the electrical classification of the area (that is, whether the electronics of the sensor would ignite the atmosphere under hazardous conditions), the combustible gas involved, and the type of equipment being monitored. The most common detectors are permanently mounted Wheatstone-bridge point sensors that respond to the concentrations of gases in contact with the measuring element. Though effective, these sensors can be adversely affected by air movement and water vapor in the air. New beam-scanning technologies based on ultrasonics and lasers promise to improve detection methods.


Higher-order processes such as internal pair production, internal bremsstrahlung, and internal ionization have been studied. The internal electron-positron pair production during beta decay of 32P was found to be (6.8+or-1.3)*10-9, an order of magnitude larger than the theoretical estimation. A good agreement between the theoretical and experimental shape of internal bremsstrahlung spectrum of 32P was found. The internal ionization probability of (21.9+or-3.9)*10-4 for the beta + decay of 65Zn was obtained.


This article discusses the street and road network of the city as a source of chemical pollution of the air environment, as a serious concern is the condition of atmospheric air in cities from exposure to traffic flows. In current practice, regulatory requirements and standards to ensure environmental security in the planning and construction of settlements does not meet modern requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to develop measures on the formation of air quality in the city taking into account the impact of highways of the city. On the example of the city of Tyumen assessment of the transport system as a source of chemical pollution of the air environment, which allows to provide the ecological safety during the planning and construction of territories.


Sporidesmin is the mycotoxin that causes facial eczema disease (FE) in New Zealand (NZ) livestock. In an artificial sporidesmin dosing test, the introduced Finnish Landrace sheep breed was found to be significantly more tolerant to FE than the introduced Texel breed. This finding enables cross-breeding strategies to improve disease tolerance. Combining published data with the current study, a tentative inference is that Finnish Landrace, Merino and East Friesian are more FE resistant than Romney, Texel and Border Leicester.


A unique optical property of biological tissue is high anisotropy so that light is scattered in the same direction with respect to the incident direction. We demonstrate that simple back-directional gating allows us to take advantage of such an intrinsic property of biological tissue to significantly suppress unwanted diffuse light. In back-directional gated imaging, the high anisotropic property of the surrounding medium can serve as a waveguide in a moderate depth. Although this idea is straightforward, it has not been utilized for diffuse light suppression and imaging quality improvement such as contrast and resolution in large-area imaging for biological tissue. We further show that by combining a spectral analysis with back-directional gated imaging, image contrast and depth can be dramatically enhanced for visualizing stromal microvascular blood content in a relatively large area. Because microvasculature can be heterogeneous, our imaging approach can permit detailed visualization of microvascularity in a relatively large area up to ~20 mm x 20 mm.


Systems and methods are provided for monitoring the stability of the wafer inspection recipe over time. One method involves collecting the test results over time. Test results, while wafer inspection recipe wafer at different times, are generated by at least one wafer inspection tools 200-208. This method, by comparing the test results generated at different times with each other, including identifying the abnormal variation of the test results. The method also causes abnormal variation determines the wafer, the wafer inspection recipe or whether considered at least one wafer inspection tools in one or more 200 to 208, thereby, the wafer inspection recipe There also include determining whether stable over time.


Refractory composition and manufacturing method is provided, wherein the composition has improved fire resistance alkali resistance and excellent handling properties. Compositions and methods for their preparation may contain a binder which is sintered in a number of ceramic particles and said particles, said binder is distributed as a result of in situ reaction between the aluminum metaphosphate and alumina and containing aluminum orthophosphate crystals. Kit provided in accordance with the present invention is to provide a substance for use in the manufacture of a composition, wherein the kit comprises aluminum metaphosphate and non Fashiru additives.


Political participation and the way in which people are taking part in political decisions and social administration are among the issues that have been discussed throughout the history of political ideas since time immemorial even before the Christ. One of the striking examples of political participation of people of a society is taking part in various elections of a country that is one of the issues of political geography and electoral geography. Electoral geography is a term that was first coined by French scholar Zigfrid in 1913. Political participation usually refers to the domain of access of the citizens to their normal democratic rights in political activity to which they are legally eligible. Participation in election includes voluntary activities that are done by ordinary people in order to influence the public policy. This influence might be direct or based on one's personal choice of the one who decides the general policies. Voting in elections is part of this influence. Holding free and just election and the existence of political competition are among the aspects of democracy and legitimacy of political systems. This category is of higher importance in the societies, which are in transition. Election and electoral competition are one of the significant indices of democratic system at the heart of which two elements of continuation and change evolve. Thus, in the current research we will discuss the effective factors in the participation of people in election, aspects of political participation, behavioral patterns in election, effective factors in electoral behavior and elections in a number of developed countries and so on and so forth.


Abstract The root system of a plant works like a factory that produces a huge amount of chemicals to communicate effectively with the microorganisms around it. At the same time, micro-organisms can use these compounds as an energy source. The variety of microorganisms associated with plant roots is enormous, amounting to tens of thousands of species. This complex microbial community, also called the second plant genome, is essential for plant health and productivity. Over the last few years, there has been significant progress in research into the structure and dynamics of the microbial sphere of the rhizosphere. It has been proven that plants shape the composition of microorganisms by synthesizing root secretions. On the other hand, microorganisms play a key role in the functioning of plants through their positive impact on their growth and development. In general, rhizosphere microorganisms promote plant growth directly by providing plants with minerals such as nitrogen and phosphorus and by synthesizing growth regulators, as well as indirectly, by inhibiting the development of various plant pathogens. 1. Introduction. 2. Functions of rhizosphere microorganisms. 3. Microorganisms increasing the availability of minerals. 4. Microorganisms synthesizing plant growth regulators. 5. Biological plant protection. 6. Summary


Hardbound. These 3 volumes contain the eight Technical Committee reports, six Specialist Committee and 2 Special Task Committee reports which were presented for the 14th International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC 2000) in Nagasaki, Japan between 2nd and 6th October 2000.Volume III will be published in 2001 and is to contain the discussion of the above subjects.


Various structures of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) including electrophosphorescence were measured for their capacitances. The zero bias capacitances were in inverse proportion to the total thickness of organic layers. Positive bias voltage only affected the capacitances. It is suggested that Joule heating of organic layers caused the dependences of the capacitances on voltage. The maximal capacitances were scattered from 7 to 34nF/cm2, and in inverse proportion not only to the total thickness, but also to the single layer thickness of Alq. The similarity of these proportionality factors suggested that the dielectric constants of the hole transports and Alq were not so different, and the contribution of Alq layer was dominant for the maximal capacitance. The capacitances of OLEDs were roughly estimated from total thickness without respect to the difference of dielectric constants of whole layers.


In this paper, obtainment of 3 by simultaneous inversion of configurations of C22, C23, in 2via its ditosylate or dimesylate was unsuccessful, leading to elimination products instead. However, monotosylate of 2 can be readily obtained with exclusive regioselectivity, which in turn gave a single epoxide 7b Hydrolysis of 7b gave 3 and 2 is a ratio of 2:1, with a combined yield of 80%. The-recovered 2 can of course be recycled again.


Blockchain technology relies on its advantages such as decentralization, consensus mechanism, traceability and automatic execution, it makes educational practitioners and researchers more and more engaged in this aspect of research. In scope, the research directions are quite different at home and abroad, and in depth, most of the research is at the stage of theoretical knowledge. In order to block chain technology in the process of education informatization can effectively build a talent training system and promote education equity, we analyze and discuss the problems existing in the practical application of blockchain in learning methods, learning outcomes, digital education resources, education evaluation and education smart contract management, etc. Therefore, we propose solutions and provide examples and theoretical basis for the implementation of blockchain applications.


The present invention relates to a surface shape measuring apparatus and a control method. A surface shape measuring apparatus according to the present invention comprises a light source for emitting light; And an optical divider for directing the light from the light source to the object to be measured; Light interference module for irradiating the light from the light divided to the object to be measured and form an interference light based on the light reflected from the object to be measured and; A transfer unit for adjusting a separation distance between the light-interference module and the object to be measured and; Image sensing unit in which the interference light to the image pickup from the optical interference module; It has been provided with the information on the distance from the transfer unit, characterized by comprising a control section for, based on information of the distance on the synchronous timing and the imaging timing the imaging portion of the light source. Accordingly, a more precise measurement to measure the surface shape of the measurement object can be possible, and shorten the measurement time.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of sevoflurane on δ-band of quantitative pharmaco-electroencephalogram(QPEEG) in rabbits,and the dose-effect and time-effect relationships.METHODS Eighteen healthy rabbits were randomly divided into three groups(n=6),sevoflurane 50,100 and 200 μl·kg-1.The EEG samples were obtained prior to and at regular intervals(0,0.5,1,2,3,5 and 10 min) within 10 min following the administration of sevoflurane.EEG activity was processed with power spectral analysis.RESULTS The percentage of δ-band power showed no significant changes in sevoflurane 50 μl·kg-1 group but increased and reached a significant level(P0.05)in sevoflurane 100 and 200 μl·kg-1 groups after 30 s-10 min in all regions of the brain,especially in sevoflurane 200 μl·kg-1 group.Changes in δ-band power 30 s-10 min following adminitration of sevoflurane were correlated with the dose of sevoflurane(r=0.734-0.944,P0.01).CONCLUSION With the increasing dose of sevoflurane,the percentage of δ-band power progressively increases,suggesing that δ-band power can be an effective means of monitoring the depth of anesthesia.


This report presents the results of Zhishi.links, a distributed instance matching system, for this year's Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative (OAEI) campaign. We participate in Data Interlinking track (DI) of IM@OAEI2011. In this report, we briefly describe the architecture and matching strategies of Zhishi.links, followed by an analysis of the results.


In this paper, we describe a simulation and analysis study of Wireless network in routing protocols using MANET. AODV (Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing ) Self-configuring network of mobile routers connected by wireless links .In Black hole attack on AODV no of nodes a malicious node acts like a Black hole, dropping all data packets passing through it as like matter and energy disappears . At the advanced type of AOMDV protocol are used AOMDV (Ad-Hoc On-Demand Multiple Routing) - a multipath extension to AODV multiple loopfree and link-disjoint paths. AOMDV Protocols as better than AODV. The simulation result AOMDV protocols packet data send energy consumption and at a same time so many packet deliveries. Simulation the AODV and AOMDV different nodes create network area scenarios in perl script. The process is AODV packet send to source to destination when the Black hole Attack on AODV. These are different parameter are calculate Throughput, PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio), and measured the End to End delay on different network scenarios. Measure the protocols with different packet size and calculate the Energy Consumption. This work will be done with help of the ns-2 simulator (Network Simulator 2.34).


Sir, A 66-year-old male patient with bronchial carcinoid of left upper lobe of lung was scheduled for lobectomy. Standard monitors were attached and patients trachea intubated with a 35 Fr left sided double lumen tube. Left internal jugular vein (IJV) was cannulated with a 7 Fr 20 cm triple lumen catheter using anatomical landmark based technique in a single attempt using central approach and catheter was fixed at 13 cm. Central venous pressure (CVP) trace was normal and venous back flow was present in all the ports.


We examine an experimental transition from periodic to aperiodic and back to periodic dynamics in the combustion of acetaldehyde(ACH) in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with power spectra, autocorrelation functions, phase portraits, Poincaŕe sections, the Wolf–Swift–Swinney–Vastano (WSSV) method for determining the largest Lyapounov exponent, and the Grassberger–Procaccia (GP) method for determining correlation dimension. Each technique gives some indications of a transition to chaos, but there are discrepancies in that the largest Lyapounov exponent is positive but does not converge and the GP method results in a correlation dimension between one and two for two aperiodic data sets. We explore in instructive detail possible explanations for false indications of chaos by comparing our results with calculations on the Rossler chaotic attractor and the van der Pol periodic attractor modified to examine the effects of uneven point distribution and three types of experimental noise. An uneven distrib...


Abstract Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) continues to attract interest as a way of achieving social and environmental outcomes at the local and regional scale. Central to the success of CBNRM is the importance of capacity building and participatory approaches to research and management. This paper discusses an initiative in East Gippsland which involved a facilitated process to assist local residents build their capacity to manage their landscape. Through conducting a community survey, the project facilitated landholders to voice, develop and refine their understanding of remnant vegetation management, dieback and revegetation on private land. In doing so, landholders have improved not only their understanding of the issues but also their ability to act upon them. The empirical findings of the study highlight two issues of relevance to dieback on the East Gippsland Red Gum Plains. First, there is a perception that dieback has remained stable for at least 10 years. Second, scattered trees and small patches of trees are more vulnerable to dieback than clumped trees in larger patch sizes, as well as roadside vegetation. The research demonstrates the value of a community-based approach to NRM in terms of harnessing local knowledge, fostering human and social capital and engaging with interested landholders.


The pine wood nematode,Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is the pathogen of pine wilt disease and interacts with its carried bacteria.To analyze the interaction between B.xylophilus and the carried bacteria,the metagenomic fosmid library of the bacteria associated with B.xylophilus was constructed.The bacteria were enriched by Nycodenz centrifugation and sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS)lysis,and the genomic DNA was extracted by the phenol-chloroform method.The size of the insert fragment of the clones was range from 30 kb to 45 kb.The library consisted of 19 200 clones with an average insert fragment size of 40 kb,thus the total size of the fosmid library was estimated at 7 680 000 kb(=19 200×40 kb).Fosmid stability assays indicated that the insert DNA was stable during propagation in the fosmid system.The end sequencing results of randomly selected 96 clones was compared in NCBI with BLAST program.It was showed that the percentage of B.xylophilus,bacteria and other no significant similarity sequences was 5.2%,64.6% and 14.6%,respectively.The analysis of the bacterial diversity revealed that Stenotrophomonas was the dominant group.Sphingomonas,Cupriavidus and Pseudomonas were the secondary dominant communities.The library supplied the foundation for analysis of ecological role of bacteria and its interaction with B.xylophilus.


Gambyong dance is a traditional dance come from Surakarta city that has been known internationally and is usually performed in order to welcome important guests and other important events. This article aims to explain about Gambyong dance which is proven to add to the reader's insight about this traditional dance and can participate in preserving it. The research method that will be used is a qualitative descriptive method by conducting by literature study. Through library studies, it can be seen that Gambyong dance can still considered as an ancestral heritage so that the people of Surakarta city are still maintaining and preserving it. The form of preserving Gambyong dance can be seen from many dance studios in the city of Surakarta which are expected to be a means of teaching the dance to the local community, especially to the younger generation and continue to display the dance in important events so that this dance is not eroded by the times. Gambyong dance is one of the main atraction for Surakarta city which has a positive impact, which is to increase the economic sector, tourism sector, and the cultural sector of Surakarta City.


Thomas J. J. Altizer's apocalyptic voice defies standard academic discourse because it sets itself against the demands of merely understanding what is and insists on living in the demand to sweep away being and all its nostalgic comforts. This paper attempts to forefront the consequences of that apocalyptic voice, beyond post-modern criticisms of both apocalyptic tones and the idea of voice itself, in the refiguring of the sacred amid the difference between 'space' and 'place'. Rilke's 'terrifying angels' from the Duino Elegies serve as a case study for understanding the shape of an individual response to the apocalyptic demand, and help to make sense of the type of sacred engagement Altizer's apocalyptic voice calls forth.


Background Curdione, one of active ingredients of a traditional Chinese herb medicine-Curcuma zedoary, has been reported with beneficial therapeutic effects in lots of cancer types. However, the potential anti-cancer effect in uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear.Methods The aim of this study was to explore the potential effect and mechanisms of curdione on uLMS in vitro and vivo with uLMS cell lines and mouse xenograft tumor model respectively.Results Curdione triggered anti-proliferation effect in uLMS cell lines by inducing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, caspase-mediated cell apoptosis, and pro-death cell autophagy. Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1), which was dependent on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), mediated the anti-proliferation effect of curdione. Curdione down-regulated IDO1 expression and promoted the dephosphorylation of protein kinase c (PKC), glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) and β-catenin in cell lines. PKC/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway responsible for constitutive IDO1 expression in uLMS. COX2 mediate the promotion effect of curdione on the PKC/GSK3β/β catenin pathway activity, which was detected by COX2 inhibitor, and further confirmed by COX2 siRNA and COX2 overexpression. The pathway activity was inhibited by COX2-siRNA and enhanced by COX2 overexpression. In turn, the pathway inhibitor suppressed IDO1 expression. The anti-proliferation effect of curdione on uterine leiomyosarcoma were further confirmed in vivo. Echoing to the results in vitro, the underline mechanism involved in COX2-mediated IDO1 down-regulation via PKCδ/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway.Conclusion COX2-mediated IDO1 down-regulation via PKCδ/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway involved in the anti-proliferation effect of curdione on uterine leiomyosarcoma in vitro and vivo.


IN HIS RELENTLESS pursuit of excellence, Tom Peters singles out the importance of design in the organizational quest for innovation, quality, and creativity. As he sees it, design is both process and a state of mind that pervades the enterprise—an openness to risk, a search for the unexpected, a thoughtfulness about details. To set executives on the right path, Peters outlines the first steps decision makers can take in a journey to discover the competitive opportunities unveiled by "design mindfulness."


This passionate and perceptive book maps the politics of South African cricket from isolation through to transformation, in the light of competing political priorities. Ashwin Desai's enthusiasm for the game itself and its players, and his commitment to political and economic change, shine clearly through this hard-hitting and sometimes controversial narrative.


The method for forming the piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer device having a first electrode deposited on the dielectric layer disposed on the primary substrate. The piezoelectric material is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode to form a transducer unit. From which a portion of the first electrode are patterned at least the piezoelectric material so as to extend outward laterally. The primary substrate and the dielectric layer is etched to form a first via extending to a portion extending outward laterally of the first electrode, the first conductive material is deposited to substantially fill the first via the first It forms a part and the electrically conductive coupling by extending outwards to the side of the electrode. The primary substrate is etched to define a second via extending therethrough, wherein the second via is laterally separated from the first via. Related methods and apparatus are also provided.


In this paper the methodology of Oral History is analyzed as a place of convergence between several human and social disciplines that have as a goal the understanding of history through the individual experience and specifically through oral testimony. The relation between Oral History and Neomarxist social history is seen in more detail because both disciplines are interested in the recovery of the history of the lower classes. From this pint on three fundamental aspects are presented: memory, the duality experience-expectative and local identity, as well as the way their principal expositors, Jose Carlos Sebe Bom Meihy, Brasilian historian, Reinhardt Koselleck , German historian, and Linda Shopes, urban historian, understand these categories. In the last part these categories are used to analyze extracts of interviews belonging to diverse projects.


To further enhance the security of the wireless communication systems, an architecture of the cooperative jamming (CJ) assisted slow frequency-hopping (FH) systems is proposed in this paper. Then, after the CJ cancellation operation, the residual CJ raised from synchronization error is analyzed, where the inter-symbol interference (ISI) is employed to depict the time misalignment between the received signal and the local reference CJ at the receiver, and the inter-hop interference (IHI) is introduced to describe the frequency misalignment. In addition, the closed-form expression of the jamming cancellation ratio (JCR) is derived to evaluate the CJ cancellation performance. Theoretical analyses and simulation results show that in the slow FH systems, both the proportions of the ISI and IHI components in the residual CJ are jointly determined by the synchronization error and the hop length. Besides, the JCR increases with the increase of the hop length and the jamming-to-noise ratio (JNR), and decreases with the increase of the synchronization error.


Synchronization bears greater significance for stability of coupled dynamical systems. It represents the adjustment of rhythms among coupled systems in consequence to phase locking and consensus among the corresponding states. In general, exact condition which gives synchronization is not clearly known. The objective of present work, is to achieve sufficient condition for synchronization of ring coupled four oscillators and the same is achieved using Lyapunov approach. The sufficient condition which gives synchronization of benchmark ring coupled oscillators e.g. Van der Pol and Fitzhugh Nagumo neural oscillators have been obtained when they are uniformly linearly coupled in a ring. Also, the numerical simulations of the derived results have been reported.


Foliar fertilization is a common practice to deliver nitrogen (N) to turfgrasses. The mechanisms of foliar applied nutrient uptake, particularly the effects of the leaf cuticle layer, have not been clearly characterized in turfgrasses. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of acute moisture stress on the morphological and compositional components of the cuticle and the resulting effect on foliar-applied N absorption. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) was irrigated to return 100% or 50% evapotranspiration rate (ET) for 10 days to examine cuticular modifications resulting from acute moisture stress and foliar N uptake with and without a surfactant. Acute water stress increased the total cuticle wax by 11%, mostly as a result of the compound 1-hexacosanol, and increased crystalloid density creating a rougher leaf surface. The 50% ET treatment significantly reduced recovery of N-labeled urea by 14%, which was attributed to the increased total cuticle wax and crystalloid density making the surface less receptive to foliar applications. The surfactant addition to the urea solution increased N-labeled urea recovery by 21% and absorption of N in 50% ET plants to levels consistent with the 100% ET plants. These results suggest that acute moisture stress modifies the cuticle wax load and morphology, thereby hindering foliar absorption; however, a surfactant addition can help to mitigate this effect and increase absorption of N. Drought is a major environmental stress worldwide resulting in decreased plant productivity and diminished plant health. Climate model predicts this to become a more severe problem in the future (Farooq et al., 2012). Drought stress causes cellular dehydration, loss of turgor pressure, and ion toxicity (Bartels and Sunkar, 2005). Plants' protective responses to water deficiency can include stomatal closure to reduce transpiration (Sharp and Davies, 1989), leaf rolling/orientation to reduce water loss and heat exposure (Kao and Forseth, 1992), and osmotic adjustment to reduce water potential (Delauney and Verma, 1993). In addition to these drought tolerance strategies, cuticle augmentation in response to water deficit has been well documented in a number of plant species, specifically cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) (Bondada et al., 1996), Arabidopsis [Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.] (Kosma et al., 2009), tree tobacco (nicotiana glauca L.) (Cameron et al., 2006), soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (Kim et al., 2007a), sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) (Kim et al., 2007b), rose (Rosa ·hybrids) (Jenks et al., 2001), citrus (Bondada et al., 2001), and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) (Samdur et al., 2003). The plant cuticle is a continuous extracellular membrane located on the above-ground organs of most higher plants. Only roots and secondary plant tissue as well as some mosses are devoid of this protective barrier (Koch and Ensikat, 2008). The main function of the cuticle is to protect against uncontrolled water loss to the atmosphere through transpiration (Burghardt and Riederer, 2006; Cameron et al., 2006; Riederer and Schreiber, 2001). Secondary characteristics of the cuticle include antiadhesive properties, repelling water, particles, pathogens, and other molecules, which could hinder the uptake of foliar applications of nutrients and pesticides in an agricultural system (Bargel et al., 2006; Koch et al., 2008). The plant cuticle is comprised of two main portions: the cutin, which provides structure, and waxes, which provide protective functions to the plant. Many of the protective functions of the cuticle, especially repellency, can be attributed to the cuticular and epicuticular waxes that develop on the plant surface. The chemical composition of cuticular waxes is a mixture of aliphatic and aromatic components comprised of various combinations of long chain alkanes, fatty acids, primary and secondary alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones, the proportions of which are dependent on species, developmental stage, and organ (Bargel et al., 2006; Jetter et al., 2006; Riederer and Markstadter, 1996). Epicuticular waxes form thin two-dimensional films and/or three-dimensional structures, depending on chemical composition (Koch et al., 2008). Crystalloids are common threedimensional structures and are characterized as granules, plates, platelets, rodlets, threads, and tubules (Barthlott et al., 1998; Jeffree, 2006). The three-dimensional structures add roughness to the cuticle making it more hydrophobic to foliar applications. Foliar fertilization is widespread in turfgrass maintenance programs because of the labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness resulting from the ability to tank-mix and apply the fertilizer concurrently with additional chemicals. Low-rate application of nutrients to turfgrasses in standard intervals promotes uniform growth that increases playability and aesthetics (Bowman, 2003). Increased canopy color, leaf N concentration, and leaf micronutrient concentrations were reported from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stonlonifera L.) fertilized frequently using liquid solutions (Schlossberg and Schmidt, 2007). However, the combination of liquid and granular fertilizers provides the best turfgrass quality and reduces total fertilizer input (Totten, 2006; Totten et al., 2008). Minimal N losses from volatilization were documented on creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. · C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy cv. TifEagle] putting greens applied with foliar urea applications, providing evidence of lower environmental impact by foliar fertilization (Stiegler et al., 2011). Nitrogen absorption with various N sources and factors affecting uptake have been studied on various species in the past. Stiegler et al. (2013) found N-labeled urea uptake was superior to other tested N sources, where absorptions levels ranged from 31% to 56% Received for publication 18 Aug. 2014. Accepted for publication 21 Oct. 2014. We thank Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association for financial support of this project. Also we thank the Clemson Electron Microscopy Laboratory for scanning electron microscopy training and assistance. We also thank Dr. Melissa Riley for her help with cuticle methodology and analysis. We appreciate the internal reviewers for their input and suggestions and thanks for Drs. Jeff Atkinson and Bob Cross for their reviews of the manuscript. To whom reprint requests should be addressed; e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. 1582 HORTSCIENCE VOL. 49(12) DECEMBER 2014 of N sources applied after 8 h. Absorption of N-labeled urea was variable through summer months ranging from 36% to 69% on a creeping bentgrass putting green, which it was suggested could partly have been associated with increased cuticle wax loads (Stiegler et al., 2011). In ryegrass (Lolim perenne L.), foliar-applied N-labeled urea was found to be absorbed by 30.3% and 53.1% by new and old leaves after 48 h, respectively. A significant negative relationship was found with urea uptake and epicuticular wax amounts in citrus leaves and cotton (Bondada et al., 1997, 2001). Aqueous pores (greater than 1 nm) have been demonstrated on plant cuticles and provide entry of water and small molecules into the plant (Schönherr, 2006). There is also evidence of a stomatal pathway for the uptake of foliar-applied solutions. Eichert and Goldbach (2008) found significant differences in N uptake with stomatal aperture and stomatous vs. astomatous leaf surfaces, indicating the role of stomata in foliar uptake. The use of adjuvants has also been demonstrated to increase the uptake of foliar-applied chemicals in several plant species under various environmental conditions (Fernandez et al., 2006; Liu, 2004; Neal et al., 1990). For example, surfactant added to potassium nitrate applications increased potassium content in cotton leaves compared with applications with water alone (Howard et al., 1998; Howard and Gwathmey, 1994). Rawluk et al. (2000) documented a 25% increase in N recovery when a nonionic surfactant was added to foliar applications of N-labeled urea in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Surfactant added to C-labeled glyphosate applied to barnyardgrass increased the uptake, movement, and herbicide activity (Kirkwood et al., 2000). The addition of adjuvants has become a common practice to increase uptake and reduce losses of foliar-applied fertilizers and pesticides (Wang and Liu, 2007). Creeping bentgrass is the most widely used turfgrass species for putting greens. There is currently a lack of research examining the influence of water stress to the cuticle layer within the species. Data are also lacking to determine if morphological or compositional changes in the cuticle from acute moisture stress influence foliar N uptake and if added surfactant can amend those changes. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine creeping bentgrass cuticle total wax, chemical composition, and morphology; 2) determine the influence of drought stress on creeping bentgrass cuticle total wax, chemical composition, and morphology; and 3) quantify foliar absorption of N-labeled urea with and without a surfactant. Materials and Methods Experimental units. This study was conducted in a growth room at The Clemson University Greenhouse Facilities, Clemson, SC. A mixture of 50:50 seed established (in 2010) 'A1-A4' creeping bentgrass putting green plugs (51.61 cm) were harvested from the nursery green at Thornblade Country Club, Greenville, SC, on 4 Apr. 2011 and 2 June 2011, washed thoroughly to remove sand and organic matter from the root zone, and roots cut to 10 cm. Plants were transplanted into 51.61-cm diameter · 18.41-cm depth plastic pots (Elite 300 series) with free drainage, an 85:15 (sand:peat) root zone mixture, and placed in the growth room. The average temperature and relative humidity were 21 C and 31%, respectively, under a 12-h photoperiod with 350 to 450 mmol·m·s photosynthetically active radiation at canop


Inflation is one of the major macroeconomic problems facing Nigeria today. Over the years, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been using monetary policy instruments in tackling inflation in the country. However, the menace of inflation has not been adequately put under control. It is therefore necessary to examine the effectiveness of monetary policy instruments in combating inflation in Nigeria: This study therefore examines the efficacy of monetary policy instruments in fighting inflationary pressure in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examines the impact of reserve requirement, liquidity ratio, treasury bill rate, monetary policy rate and money supply on inflation in Nigeria. Annual time-series data from 1981 to 2019 were used for the study. A variety of analytical techniques such as Phillips-Perron unit root test, Johansen cointegration test and error correction model was used in analyzing the data. The findings indicated that reserve requirement, liquidity ratio, monetary policy rate and Treasury bill rate have no significant influence on inflation in Nigeria. The main recommendation is that there should be a proper co-ordination of monetary and fiscal policies to reduce conflicts in the implementation of both policies.


Amongst various plastics, Polystyrene is the material seen, touched and felt most, in ou daily life. This is true for every man, woman and child because Polystyrene is a household material in most of its applications at home, at work and at play. This article describes Polystyrene materials, modern manufacturing techniques, and p otential for new applications in the Indian market place.


Canada and the United States have shared important legal traditions, although these two neighbors have evolved from distinctive political cultures. The Canadian historian W. L. Morton succinctly captured the differences between the two cultures: "Not life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but peace, order, and good government are what the national government of Canada guarantees."' On the other hand, the legal system of much of Canada and the United States derives from common law, a heritage that placed some value upon the protection of certain rights and liberties. For example, the right to live life and make decisions free of burdensome governmental restraint had its origins in the common-law tradition. The torts of trespass, eavesdropping, libel, and defamation of character ensured that some of these expectations of privacy would


As a basic English course,pronunciation and intonation has attracted more and more attention.Meanwhile,deficiencies still exist in teaching activities.We should get at the root of the problems and bring up some related countermeasures,so as to improve the teaching quality and level up the general standard of student's pronunciation and intonation.


In the real world applications nowadays, the situation of low defect level in process often exists, and it results that the performances of classical attribute control charts become bad. Historically, classical attribute control charts have been developed by using the normal approximation. However, the normal approximations are far from adequate for the situation of low defect level and the sample size is not large enough, mainly due to skewness in the exact distribution. In this paper, an improved square root transformation, named ISRT, is used to construct the ISRT p-chart, np-chart and c-chart for charting the binomial data and Poisson data. Comparing the ISRT p-chart with several known p-charts, the minimum sample sizes required for obtaining positive lower control limits for the ISRT p-chart are small. Numerical results also indicate that the ISRT control charts can match any specific percentile point of run length distribution of the true limits when the parameter is unknown.


This article presents a broad conception of Physica l Education, which has its roots in a cultural- historical perspective of man, world and society. I t aims at reflecting the current reality, showing P hysical Education/Sports as being a profession with a socio political diversity which embodies the complexi ty and the cultural plurality of its time and the social o rganization which, although divided into socia l classes, determines the interest and the knowledge transmitted in their different social practices. These ideas alto comprise the worldview that the Nucleo de Estudos em Planejamento e Metodologia da Cultura Corporal da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - Nepecc/UFU (Nucleus o Studies in Planning and Methodol ogies of Corporal Culture at Federal University of Uberlândia) presents to th e community with the scientific-pedagogical project of social intervention in the context of university and speci ally of elementary public school learning.


Enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning of mild-heat processed spreads, based on basil and cheese was monitored as color changes, by means of multivariate color image analysis. The objective of the study was to assess the antioxidative potential of lactoferrin with combinations of ascorbic, citric, lactic acid, and NaCl on prolonged lipid oxidation in fresh basil-based spreads. The "browning"process, occuring in various foods, can be monitored by an algorithm describing the color properties of digitalised images, expressed by its color coordinates.The images were taken with a CCD camera, and afterwards transformed to frequency color distribution of color coordinate values. Different concentrations of organic acids had main influence on browning process, while lactoferrin and NaCl presence had no significant effect. The determined values of Peroxide Value (PV), Acid Value (AV) and oxidative induction time, determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry OITDSC (for both 0 and 30 day) were the input values for further calculation.


The investigation of the effects of diffusion in a magnetic field gradient on the spin-echo experiment in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is extended to small samples in which the diffusion is bounded, or restricted. From the point of view of NMR, bounded diffusion means that the spin dephasing time ${T}_{2}\ensuremath{\gg}{t}_{x}$, the average time for a molecule to diffuse once across a sample width $a$. A more realistic criterion is that $a$ is small enough or that the diffusion coefficient $D$ is large enough that the quantity $\frac{\ensuremath{\gamma}G{a}^{3}}{D}$ is about equal to or less than 1, where $G$ is a linear magnetic field gradient and $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is the nuclear gyromagnetic ration. An effective self-diffusion coefficient ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}(t)=\ensuremath{-}12 \frac{\mathrm{ln}[\frac{M(t,G)}{M(t,0)}]}{{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{2}{G}^{2}{t}^{3}}$ is defined from the Hahn spin-echo experiment, where $t=2\ensuremath{\tau}$ is the time of the echo, and $M(t,G)$ is the echo amplitude. For infinite samples, ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}=D$, the true self-diffusion coefficient. However, when ${t}_{x}\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{2}$, then $\frac{{D}^{\ensuremath{'}}}{D}l1$ and ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ depends on $t$. The measurement of ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ is made by holding the times of an echo, $t=2\ensuremath{\tau}$, constant and varying $G$. Experimental data are presented on ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}(t)$ for four values of $a$ and values of $\frac{\ensuremath{\gamma}G{a}^{3}}{D}$ which range from being much greater than unity to less than unity. Results of the Carr-Purcell experiment are also presented and briefly discussed. A comparison of data from the spin-echo experiment is made with a theoretical calculation of ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}(t)$ which uses Torrey's modification of the Bloch equations and requires that boundary conditions be satisfied. Results are compared with the theory developed by Robertson. A universal curve for $\frac{{D}^{\ensuremath{'}}}{D}$ versus $\frac{t}{{t}_{x}}$ is plotted, illustrating that ${D}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ is independent of $G$. It is shown that the reduced rate of decay of the echo envelope in the case of bounded diffusion is, in effect, a motional-narrowing phenomenon.


A systematic study on the thickness dependence of dynamic magnetic properties and their thermal stability behaviors of FeCoHf thin films grown by gradient-composition sputtering technique was carried out. The critical thickness for the formation of stripe domain structures at room temperature was found to be around 120 nm based on the appearance of the multiple resonance peaks and the shape of the magnetization curves. For the films with thicknesses less than 90 nm, the ferromagnetic resonance frequency and in-plane magnetic anisotropy are increased with the increasing of temperature; however, for the films with thicknesses in the range from 90 nm to 120 nm, the ferromagnetic resonance frequency is reduced with temperature and the secondary peak appears as the temperature is raised suggesting an evolution of stripe domains. For the films with stripe domains at room temperature, the ferromagnetic resonance frequency is also decreased with increasing temperature, and in some cases, there is a splitting up o...


Several 1-aryl-5-tetra-0-acetyl-β-D-galactosyl-2-,S-benzyl-2,4-isodithiobiurets have been prepared by the interaction of aryl-S-benzyl isothiocarbamides and tetra-0-acetyl-β-D-galactosyl isothiocyanate. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds have been established on the basis of usual chemical transformations and IR, NMR and Mass spectral studies.


According to the gene sequences of duck Newcastle disease virus(NDV)L gene and Muscovy duck parvovirus(MDPV)Vp3gene in GenBank,two sets of specific primers were designed by Primer Premier 5.0.The duplex PCR assay was developed through optimization of reaction conditions and validation of specificity,sensitivity and repetitiveness of the method. The sensitivity of the assay was 30fg for NDV and 16fg for MDPV.No specific bands of the same sizes were amplified from other duck pathogens,such as duck plague virus,duck hepatitis virus,duck circovirus,H9subtype avian influenza virus,duck flavivirus,Salmonella,E.coli,avian Pasteurella multocida.This duplex PCR assay was a quick,sensitive and specific test for detection of duck NDV and MDPV,and would be useful for the control of these viruses in ducks.


Starting from a many–body Hamiltonian for a system of photogenerated electrons and holes, spin-split by magnetic ions in diluted magnetic semiconductors, we derive, presumably for the first time, an expression for the photomagnetization as a function of the photon power, frequency, excitonic interaction and the magnetic ion concentration. Damping of nonequilibrium carriers and spin excitons is considered phenomenologically. Our results agree qualitatively with some of the systematics of the photomagnetization observed in Hg 1−x Mn x Te.


CD trim process is incline to run on strip tool because of the low cost and high throughput benefit. However, CD stability is the key challenge. In this article, PR descum process for CD trim was studied on the chamber with substrate temperature <300 °C. It is found that the CD was sensitive to the chamber condition which impacted by the mix-run and tool idle while normal strip process kept stable ash rate. The mechanism of the impact was studied and verified. The results from this study also provide guidance on how to get the good stability of CD trim process in downstream plasma chamber.


This paper deals with the collected, processed and systematized information about the existing sources of air pollution caused by the facilities of Naberezhnye Chelny, their physical properties, qualitative and quantitative composition, as well as full-scale survey of the composition and intensity of traffic environment. Based on these data the summary calculation of emissions from factories and motor vehicles was performed. The content of pollutants was instrumentally measured in ambient air and the graphs of correlation between calculated and measured concentrations were constructed.


The article deals with the trends and priorities of social and economic policy of Russia in 2002-2003. It presents the detailed analysis of the current debate on economic growth in the country. The author stresses two important facets of contemporary growth. First, the importance of profound structural changes and development of post-industrial economic system. Second, the specifics of post-revolutionary development which means high level of transaction costs and diminishing rate of "reconstruction growth". The problems of WTO accession and Common European Economic Area are discussed also from the prospects of consolidation of economic growth. The influence of the forthcoming elections on the economic policy is also under discussion. The paper provides a list of economic policy priorities for 2003 and for the medium-term (3-4 years).


Industrial‐scale metal mining has long been a feature of developing economies. Processing ores to recover minerals has generated large quantities of waste rock, tailings and contaminants. Mining‐related deposits, along with associated soil and water geochemistry, river modifications and other environmental changes, are a product of the nature, scale and intensity of past operations. These artefacts of historical mining create anthropogenic landscapes that extend far beyond individual sites due to the dispersal of mine waste by rivers and pose enduring threats to human and ecosystem health. Their presence and significance, however, are often overlooked by heritage and environmental managers. To be acknowledged as artefacts of the historical mining industry, landscape features must be identified and characterised with reference to the human activities that triggered their formation. This requires an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates anthropogenic landscape change at a regional scale. In this paper, we integrate archaeological, geomorphological and geochemical evidence to identify and analyse mining‐related changes to the Loddon River valley in Victoria, Australia. Nineteenth‐century gold mining caused extensive erosion of creeks and gullies and mobilised sediments that filled channels and spread over floodplains. In addition, tailing deposits concentrated arsenic at levels significantly above environmental background conditions. Recognising these legacies of historical mining is vital to understanding mining heritage and to managing healthy rivers, environments and communities.


Our analysis uses an oral corpus made up of sequences in which informants are asked a specific question i.e. to indicate the boundaries of their neighbourhoods. The answers obtained are utterances of the following type, « The neighbourhood runs from Street X as far as to Street Y » . How are we to define the roles and inter-relations of these « fictive motion » sentences in the production of meaning ? How can praxis — that concerning motion here — be inscribed in the forms of language ? In order to try and answer that question one is led to posit hypotheses concerning the meeting points of both linguistic representation of praxis and the praxis of linguistic output itself, i.e. of both represented praxis and representing praxis.


Both members of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton, Jackie Powell and Andrew Goddard are Lecturers in the Departments of Social Work Studies and Accounting and Management Science respectively. Coming from different profes sional backgrounds, both have an interest in developing an approach to evaluation com bining qualitative and quantitative methods, which gives equal emphasis to both the plurality of interests and concerns and the resource costs involved in the delivery of services.


The variation of the intensity of environmental γ-rays has been studied with a Ge(Li) spectrometer. The 12 γ-rays were selected to be examined and typical characteristics of variations were obtained for each γ-rays. The intensity of γ-rays of 214Pb and 211Bi which are 222Rn daughter nuclei increases on rainy days to the severalfold value of the average in the case of no precipitation. These variations were observed to be roughly proportional to rainfall rate in a sequence of precipitation. The γ-rays intensity of nuclides of the thorium series and 137Cs is nearly constant within about 3% regardless of the weather. Its variation is about equal to the statistical fluctuation of the present measurements. The mean diurnal variations of f-ray intensity were obtained on days without precipitation. The intensity of 214Pb and 214Bi j-rays fluctuates nearly sinusoidally with an amplitude of about 6% of the average value and the maximum in the early morning.


Renal hypertensive rats prefer water to 0.150 M NaCl solution when given a choice between the two to drink. Either surgical thyroidectomy or the administration of goitrogenic agents at the time of induction of renal hypertension prevents the development of hypertension and results in a preference for NaCl solution. The preference may not be related to hypothyroidism per se, since a NaCl appetite is not observed in rats treated with doses of radioactive iodide large enough to destroy the thyroid gland. Goitrogen- treated rats show the greatest preference for NaCl solutions when the concentrations range from 0.075–.150 M. The salt appetite is relatively specific for NaCl. Other salt solutions, including calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, KC1 and sodium thiocyanate, were rejected by treated rats in favor of water offered simultaneously. The reasons for the NaCl appetite and its specificity in both surgically thyroidectomized and goitrogen-treated rats are not apparent from these studies. However, a comparis...


Elementary considerations indicate that thiol radicals, RS•, should have a high redox potential However, the equilibrium [4],which is established in the presence of excess RS−, would convert RS•to which is a reducing species. Experimentally it was demonstrated that thiol radicals made by γ radiolysis of β-mercaptoethanol solutions effected two-electron oxidation of dihydroflavin FlH2 at pH 6.3 and of FlH− at pH 8. On the other hand, readily reduced Fl to FlH2 or FlH− as expected. At pH 9, photostationary states were established after a few minutes radiolysis and the ratios [FlH−]ss/[Fl]ss were a function of The main reactions occurring were:The values of k19 and k22 were both large. The ratio k19/k22 was ∼0.8 for lumiflavin and ∼0.3 for flavin adenine dinucleotide. The cyclic disulphide anions of lipoamide and dithiothreitol also effected two-electron reductions of flavins. However, the protonated form of oxidized FlH2, and the photostationary ratio [FlH−]ss/[Fl]ss was an approximate linear function of . ...


This paper addresses the secure and economic operation problem of integrated electricity and natural gas system (IEGS), considering its participation in the power system's frequency regulation (FR). IEGS can make profits by participating in the Frequency Regulation Auxiliary Service Market (FRASM) through the power reserve (PR) of the gas turbine (GT). However, the time required for FR is uncertain, which poses a challenge for its safe operation. We establish a robust model to balance security and the economy. Since the gas network is described by highly nonlinear partial differential equations that hinder the solution, we linearized the gas network by the difference method. Then the solution is obtained through a two-stage robust optimization algorithm. Our proposed model introduces the dynamic security concept into the IEGS operation optimization when participating in FRASM for the first time. The simulation results verify the effectiveness and necessity of the proposed model and algorithm.


Identification of genotypes adapted to a particular region is of special interest to breeders and plant geneticists. In order to identify adapted genotypes in sesame lines based on multi-trait selection, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with four replications at Moghan Agricultural Research Station of Ardabil Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center during the years 2017 and 2018. The genetic materials evaluated in this study were consisted of 14 superior lines from preliminary yield trails of the three different regions evaluated in 2016 (Derived from the management of segregated generations in a pedigree way) and Oltan cultivar as a check. Combined analysis of variance showed that the genotype and genotype × year interaction effects were significant for all of the studied traits. Biplot analysis of sesame genotypes showed that the first two components explained the 55.3% of the total variations of traits. Which-won-where/what polygon pattern based on different traits of sesame genotypes showed that G3 and G8 had the highest yield and yield components such as plant height, number of capsules per plant and oil content, respectively. Based on comparing of genotypes with ideal genotypes biplot, Shukla stability index, superiority index and heat map analysis, genotypes G3, G8 and G9 were better than Oltan cultivar, thus identified as the best genotypes. These genotypes have the potential to be used in research-extension trials for introduction as a new cultivar for cultivation in Moghan region.


e14040Background: NKTR-214 is a CD-122-biased agonist that targets the IL-2 pathway and is designed to provide sustained signaling through the heterodimeric IL-2 receptor pathway (IL-2Rβɣ) to preferentially activate and expand NK and effector CD8+ T cells over T regulatory cells within the tumor microenvironment. In a phase 1 monotherapy trial, pts treated with NKTR-214 demonstrated a substantial increase in CD8+ T and NK cells within the tumor microenvironment even when pretreated with multiple prior immunotherapeutic agents (abstract submitted). Based on this biomarker data and a favorable safety profile, a trial combining NKTR-214 and nivolumab was initiated. Methods: This is an on-going phase 1/2 study of NKTR-214 plus nivolumab in Pts with either melanoma (Mel), NSCLC, renal, bladder, or TNBC. Pts who are immunotherapy naive or checkpoint therapy relapse/refractory are being studied separately. NKTR-214 and nivolumab are administered IV on a q2w or q3w schedule. Cohort 1 received NKTR-214 0.006 mg/kg...


We present the case of an 8-year-old athlete with no significant personal history brought with the ambulance in the emergency department for loss of consciousness, vomiting and seizures with sudden onset, without prodromal signs and symptoms while she was in the playground and jumped on an elastic trampoline. After 30 min of beginning sedation, the patient presents right hemiplegia, difficulty in swallowing and clinical signs of right body decerebration. Anamnesis from relatives, physical examination, blood analysis and electrocardiogram has given poor data to establish a certainty diagnosis. Subsequently, parents reported that grandmother was diagnosed with atrial myxoma, but the mother of the patient did not have it. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of brain scan revealed multiple areas of ischemia in the cerebellum, pons and medulla also magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques, three dimensions (3D) including time-of-flight (TOF) sequences showed absence of blood flow in the left middle cerebral artery (Figure 1). To determine the source of the emboli, the next exploration was echocardiography which revealed a giant left atrial myxoma, polylobate, with transvalvular protrusion which resulted in 3–4-degree mitral regurgitation (Figure 2). Subsequently, the patient was sent to intensive care for monitoring and treatment but, unfortunately, died a week after the diagnosis was established.


The coating of corrosion-resistant layer for metal sheath is an important process in the production of HV power cables 110 kV and above.The traditional asphalt coating machine has the disadvantages of poor production continuity,uneven coating and severe pollution to the working table.This paper presents a new asphalt coating machine,in which the molten asphalt produced by electric heating is transferred to a trough,from which the asphalt melt is transferred to the coating machine and evenly coated on the metal sheath.The heating of asphalt is achieved by a non-contacting far infrared heater instead of the traditional contacting heater,which improves the heating efficiency and safety factor and reduces the pollution to the working table.


Non-contrast Magnetic Resonance Angiography for Evaluation of Peripheral Arterial Disease Iliyana P Atanasova Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA with an estimated prevalence of up to 20% in those over 75 years. Vascular disease and kidney impairment frequently coexist; prevalence of moderate to severe renal dysfunction in PAD patientsis estimated at 27-36%. Knowledge of location, severity, and extent of PAD is imperative for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. However, all established imaging modalities that are routinely used for treatment planning are contra-indicated in kidney disease patients. Contrast-enhanced x-ray and CT angiography are unsafe due to exposure to nephrotoxic contrast material and ionizing radiation. Recently, the FDA has also warned against the use of gadolinium-enhanced MRA (Gd-MRA) due to evidence that gadolinium could trigger a lifethreatening condition known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with moderate to severe kidney dysfunction. There is a clinical need to develop vascular imaging techniques that are safe in patients with coexisting PAD and renal insufficiency. The focus of this thesis was the development of a non-contrast alternative to Gd-MRA for imaging of peripheral vessels from renal to pedal arteries. A new imaging sequence for noncontrast visualization of the abdominal and pelvic arteries was designed, implemented, and validated in a small cohort of PAD patients against Gd-MRA. In addition, an existing fast spinecho based technique for unenhanced imaging of the lower extremities was optimized for improved performance in a clinical setting.


The invention relates to a method of applying an identification number onto a surface, in particular an engine block of a motor vehicle. Here, the identification number is applied with a deep structure which varies in its depth.