Cryogenic propellants are readily heated when used. This poses a problem for rocket engine efficiency and effective boot-strapping of the engine, as seen in the "hot" LOX (Liquid Oxygen) problem on the S-1 stage of the Saturn vehicle. In order to remedy this issue, cryogenic fluids were found to be sub-cooled by injection of a warm non-condensing gas. Experimental results show that the mechanism behind the sub-cooling is evaporative cooling. It has been shown that a sub-cooled temperature difference of 13 ° below saturation temperature [1]. The phenomenon of sub-cooling of cryogenic propellants by a non-condensing gas is not readily available with the General Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) [2]. GFSSP is a thermal-fluid program used to analyze a wide variety of systems that are directly impacted by thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. In order to model this phenomenon, additional capabilities had to be added to GFSSP in the form of a FORTRAN coded sub-routine to calculate the temperature of the sub-cooled fluid. Once this was accomplished, the sub-routine was implemented to a GFSSP model that was created to replicate an experiment that was conducted to validate the GFSSP results.


Combining ability of three tetraploid (LT7-48.1, LT9-24.1 and LTCC-24) and four diploid lines of watermelon ('Crimson Sweet', 'Perola', 'New Hampshire Midget' and 'Charleston Gray') was evaluated using a partial diallel scheme. A randomized block design, with three replications and seven plants in each field plot was used. Parents and F1's were evaluated regarding the number of days to the set of the first male and female flower, the number of fruits per plant and the length of the main vine, fruit mean weight, total soluble solids, transversal and axial fruit diameter, rind thickness at the stem and at the scar flower regions, flesh color and hollow heart. The tetraploid and diploid parents were diversified regarding the traits studied. The GCA effects were much higher than the SCA effects for most of the characters analyzed, particularly, for characters related to plant yield, showing the major relevance of the additive genetic effects. However, some traits like earliness and hollow heart presented non-additive genetic effects and, therefore, evaluation and selection of lines in hybrid combinations will allow the synthesis of superior watermelon triploid hybrids.


INTRODUCTION: Ischemic or low-flow priapism is a serious condition characterized by a persistent, painful erection that lasts at least 4 hours or is unrelated to sexual stimulation. Both stuttering (repeated short episodes) and fulminant (long-lasting) priapism are prevalent in men and boys with sickle cell disease (SCD). Approximately 40% of patients with SCD will experience priapism during their lifetime. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify published studies reporting the burden associated with priapism in patients with SCD.
 METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL/CDSR and 14 congresses were searched from May 9-16, 2019. Results were screened against predefined criteria by two independent researchers. Studies assessing the clinical, humanistic, or economic burden of human patients with SCD and priapism (N≥15) were included. Outcomes of interest included priapism-related symptoms, treatment-related complications, quality of life (QoL), and economic burden.
 RESULTS: The literature search identified 1236 articles; 62 full-text studies were reviewed in detail and 34 studies were included in the analysis. Most studies were retrospective observational (21), others were prospective (7 observational, 6 interventional). Study size varied widely (range: 15-10,788 patients). Of 27 studies that reported mean or median patient age, the age statistic for patients with SCD and priapism ranged from 10 to 32.
 Overall, 19 studies reported at least one aspect of clinical burden. Thirteen reported the rate of erectile dysfunction or impotence, ranging from 0% to 56%. Eight reported treatment-related complications, including perceived penile scarring/deformity (19.4%) and small intrapenile hematoma (13.3%).
 Nineteen studies reported QoL outcomes. Eight reported physical outcomes, including a negative impact of SCD-related priapism on sleep quality and worse scores on periodic limb movement and apnea hypopnea indices. Seven reported measures of sexual function, including low rates of satisfactory sexual intercourse. One study reported a diminished Sexual Health Inventory for Men score in patients with active priapism, and another found a statistically significant relationship between stuttering priapism and premature ejaculation. Three studies reported measures of mental function, one of which outlined increased cognitive fatigue and impaired emotional functioning among children with priapism and another reported that 36% of patients had substantial to very extreme worry regarding episodes of priapism. Use of validated measures for QoL were limited: 3 studies assessed patients with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and 1 with the Priapism Impact Profile (PIP). No studies measuring the burden to caregivers of pediatric patients with priapism were identified.
 Eight studies reported the economic burden of priapism in patients with SCD, including rates of emergency department visits (4 studies: 56.5% sought hospital treatment - 26/46; 49.8% admission to the hospital out of emergency department visits - 5371/10,788; 50.4% admitted at the emergency department - 930/1844; 26% vs. 11% readmission vs no readmission - p <0.001) and hospital length of stay (4 studies: mean 3.38 days; mean 3.8 days; median 2 days; median 5 days in patients who received an exchange transfusion as a treatment for priapism.). Three studies reported direct treatment costs, ranging from a mean of $4496 (2015 USD) for patients who did not undergo penile operations to a mean of $19,670 (2013 USD) total adjusted hospital costs for patients receiving both transfusions and urologic procedures.
 CONCLUSIONS: This SLR identified 34 studies reporting the burden of priapism in patients with SCD. No RCTs were identified. The use of comprehensive or validated measures of humanistic burden was limited. Manifestations of priapism are wide-ranging, including painful treatment-related complications, impaired sleep, and diminished physical, mental and sexual function. Patients with priapism and SCD are more likely to visit the emergency department and experience longer hospital stays compared to SCD patients without priapism. Together, the evidence identified in this SLR indicates that priapism not only can result in erectile dysfunction, but can impair multiple dimensions of a patient's physical and mental health.

 Nellesen: Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy. Lucas:Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy. Liu:Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy. Bhor:Novartis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Paulose:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Employment.


Background: Racial disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality are well known. PCa is known to be more aggressive in African American men (AAM) compared to European American men (EAM) in terms of higher incidence and mortality rates. Here we validate a tumor gene expression pan-cancer race model in men with PCa and further characterize genomic differences that may contribute to disparate clinical outcomes. Methods: We obtained deidentified genome-wide expression profiles from clinical use of the Decipher RP test in 9,953 men from the GRID registry database. A subset of men (n=313) had known race status. A pan-cancer race model, developed to predict patient AAM race from analysis of gene expression patterns in 4,162 tumors from retrospective cohorts with known race status, was applied to the prospective cohort for race prediction. Hallmarks of cancer, immune modulators, AR activity, and prognostic gene signatures available in the GRID were used to gain a molecular perspective on PCa racial disparities. Results: The race model was independently validated in the subset of men with known race and had an AUC of 0.98 for differentiating AAM from EAM. The model was then applied to the 9,640 GRID patients with unknown race status and classified 6,831 as EAM, 1,058 as AAM, and 1,751 as having indeterminate race. Characterizing the molecular subtypes, we found known and predicted AAM to be enriched with SPINK1+ tumors (21% and 24%, respectively) compared to predicted EAM (8%). In contrast, while ERG+ was found 22% and 19% in known and predicted AAM, respectively, compared to 46% in predicted EAM. Based on PAM50 prostate cancer classifier, 61% of AAM were classified as basal-like tumors, whereas 41% were basal-like in EAM. Similarly, 28% of AAM had low AR-A while only 11% of EAM had low AR-A. AAM tumors had higher levels of immune infiltration signatures as well as higher scores for inflammatory and interferon gamma responses, NF-KB mediated tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity, and interleukin 6 (IL6) signaling activity scores. AAM had lower DNA repair glycolysis scores compared to EAM. Conclusion: Known and predicted AAM were enriched with SPINK1+ tumors, higher immune infiltration and activation but lower ERG+, DNA repair, and AR activity tumors. Using such large GRID data with known race, we will further understand the underlying causes associated with prostate cancer racial disparities. Citation Format: Walter Rayford, Jennifer Jordan, Mandeep Takhar, Mohammed Alshalalfa, Darlene Dai, Nicholas Erho, Mark D. Greenberger, Elai Davicioni. Genomic variations associated with prostate cancer in large cohort of African American men [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Prostate Cancer: Advances in Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research; 2017 Dec 2-5; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(16 Suppl):Abstract nr B098.


Distributed Generation (DG) is a future power system configuration, proposed to primarily address various issues related to integration of distributed energy resources and increased demand of reliable electricity supply. it can provide higher supply reliability to high value customers, and clear economic and environmental benefits compared to traditional power systems. This paper summarizes the results of investigations on various technology, policy and regulatory issues faced by the development of DG. A number of barriers for DG and development required further are identified and presented. The potential economic benefits and contributions to environment achieved through micro-grid technologies are also described in the paper.


The invention provides a giant salamander noodle and a preparation method thereof, wherein, the noodle substantially comprises giant salamander albumen powder and flour. The method comprises the following steps: evenly mixing the giant salamander albumen powder and the flour, wetting with water, pressing into the shape of strip and drying. The giant salamander albumen powder is prepared by the following steps: removing the skin and the internal organs of the giant salamander, steaming and boning the giant salamander, shattering the boned giant salamander and drying. The weight ratio between the giant salamander albumen powder and the flour is 1-20:100. The invention, to the maximum degree, maintains the original efficacy of nourishing and healthcare components in the giant salamander such as amino acid and the like, the product tastes smooth and tender, is chewy, can be eaten on a long-term basis, and has the functions of improving immunity, reducing blood sugar, improving memory, improving sleeping, etc.


Genome scan was used to identify chromosomal regions and genes that control quantitative trait loci (QTL) of economic importance using 1129 animals from F1 and F2 populations obtained from crosses between Meishan and commercial Dutch breeds (Large White and Landrace). Animals were genotyped for molecular markers covering the entire genome. The chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 19 were studied for intramuscular fat (IMF, %) and backfat thickness (BT, mm) and the chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 17 and 19 for body weight gain (BWG, g/day) from 25 to 90 kg of live weight. QTL analyses using Bayesian methodology were applied to genetic model combining the marker-linked QTL, Finite Polygenic (FPM) and Infinite Polygenic (IPM) effects. The summaries of estimated parameters were based on Marginal posterior distributions obtained by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. In general, the results indicated one QTL for BT, independent of the prior. It was not possible to detect QTL for IMF or BWG probably due to non-informative markers or to the absence of QTL segregating in the studied chromosomes. This study suggested the advantage of using a combination of genetic models to analyze experimental data instead of fitting only the polygenic or the oligogenic model.


Urgency of the research. The relative share of products manufacturing accrues namely to entrepreneurship, and given that notable importance of the entrepreneurship institution for the society, state and economy as a whole is quite obvious. Target setting. The article representing an attempt of comparative economic and legal analysis of the "entrepre-neurship" category. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Issues considered in this paper have been analyzed in the economic and legal science quite well. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. In economic and legal sciences there is no unity of concepts concerning understanding of the "entrepreneurship" category, so the relevant issue requires complex economic and legal comparative study. The research objective. The article representing the comparative economic and legal characteristic of the "entre-preneurship" category. The statement of basic materials. The economic and law approaches to the understanding of the entrepreneurship essentially differ by their content. Economic approaches develop the economic essence of entrepreneurship as a special kind of economic activity and indicate its creative, businesslike, innovative, fresh, profitable and risky nature. Law approaches to understanding of entrepreneurship is aimed to determine, define and enshrine the legal aspects of entrepreneurship on the grounds of the law purpose in general. Conclusions. The determination differences of economic and law theories of entrepreneurship serve as proof of the fact that entrepreneurship has a complex nature and various sides, including economic and legal ones. Moreover, upon comprehending of the "entrepreneurial activity" category it is necessary to consider all aspects of its nature and content, which will give a possibility to provide the view complexity, and, therefore, a comprehensive learning of the nature of the corresponding category.


This article introduces the reader to the different types of heart muscle disease which are commonly encountered in clinical practice. It then discusses cardiovascular magnetic resonance and explains how it can help in the work up of these diverse conditions.


In the article the comparison between a method of definition of capillary characteristics of textile materials and a method of definition of washing ability of binary solutions of PEAHENS is presented. Surface active agents (surfactants) chemical compounds that are concentrated at the interface, cause a decrease in surface tension. We have studied two classes of surfactants (anionic and nonionic surfactants).For textile materials the most popular using method is the indirect method of an estimation of wetting by means of height of a rising of a liquid on the vertical sample of a fabric. For washing and wetting ability of mixed solutions are characterized sinergetnye effects, when the value of properties in a mixed solution significantly exceeds that in each of the binary. It is established that moistening and washing ability are correlated among themselves, and wettability can serve as criterion of an estimation of washing ability. A hypothesis that it was of surfactant adsorption is the limiting stage of the washing steps.


An extensive research program at Jim Walter Research Corp. resulted in the development of the first closed cell phenolic foam exhibiting both low initial k-factor and low k-factor drift rate. To achieve these properties, it was necessary to develop novel organic surfactants. Although silicone surfactants gave fine, closed cell phenolic foam, initial screening studies indicated that the organic surfactants (LK series supplied by Air Products Co.) gave foams having lower and more stable insulative properties. Further attempts to produce a surfactant similar to the LK surfactants but with improved stabilization properties were partially successful [1]. Characterization of these surfactants showed the presence of ungrafted copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidinone and dibutyl maleate which were found to be foam destabilizers [2]. When the foam destabilizing copolymers were found in the surfactants, changes were made in the grafting substrates, grafting monomers, and free radical initiators to ensure that total grafting was achieved. These modifications resulted in several excellent surfactants for phenolic foam [3]. The surfactants were made by grafting maleate


e21531Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have remarkably improved the natural history of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with improved clinical responses and overall surviva...


Auxiliary heating experiments with electron cyclotron heating have been carried out in the DIII-D tokamak. Waves at 60 GHz have been launched at power levels up to 1.4 MW from both the high-field and low-field side with the appropriate polarization for damping at the fundamental resonance (2.14 T). Confinement was studied in L-mode and H-mode plasmas for a single-null, open divertor geometry. For L-mode discharges, the energy confinement scaling agrees well with the ITER-89 power law or offset linear scaling relations. With strong off-axis heating, the electron temperature profile remains peaked, and power balance analysis indicates that the transport cannot be described by a purely diffusive model. In H-mode confinement plasmas, the magnitude and scaling of the confinement time are equal to that of plasmas heated by neutral beam injection (NBI), if the energy stored in the fast ions is removed in the NBI cases. A major issue for steady-state H-mode plasmas is control of the edge-localized mode (ELM) behavior. By moving the resonance location {plus minus}5 cm around the separatrix, the frequency of giant ELMs can be changed by a factor of three. Non-inductive current drive with electron cyclotron waves has also been investigated. Driven currents up to 70more » kA have been observed, but the current drive is enhanced by the residual dc electric field. Currents aiding and opposing the Ohmic current have been measured. The magnitude of the current for co-current drive is greater than expected from modeling which includes trapped particle effects, but no electric field. Preliminary calculations including the residual dc electric field can account for the observed enhancement.« less


This paper deals with the energy dissipation of ductile metal plate due to cutting. By using nondimensional analysis, we present that the dissipation energy of tearing behaviour can be formulated as a function of slenderness ratio expressed by cutting length, yield stress, plate thickness and elastic modulus. The validity of the proposed formula for Al-alloy, copper and mild steel is demonstrated by comparing the proposed formula with experimental results, which are shown in good agreements except for thick mild steel plate.


There is provided an apparatus (2) for the forming or curing of a fibre-reinforced polymer composite material (10). The apparatus (2) comprises a first layer of material (4) positioned to overly the fibre-reinforced polymer (10); a second layer of material (6) positioned to overly the first layer (4) to define a chamber (8) therebetween. The apparatus (2) further comprises a vapour source (16) and a fluid communication path having; a transfer section (18) in fluid communication with the vapour source (16) and chamber (8), and, a return section (20) in fluid communication with the chamber (8) and the vapour source (16).


Institutional development strategy is the fundamental development path chosen in view of both present and long-term interest and of core mission of higher education. Development strategy defines the mode of development of higher education institutions (HEIs). Many HEIs in China have not yet had a development strategy, hence its mode of development may well be inappropriate. With the goal to build a nation with strong higher education, it is imperative for HEIs to innovate its development mode and form a clear development strategy. It is not easy to form an institutional development strategy. A HEI needs to consider a range of issues, involving its advantages and disadvantages, social need, new areas of institutional development, and continuity and discontinuity of institutional traditions.


The Vc contents(quality ratio) of six types of tomato fruits had been determined with ultraviolet spectrophotometric analysis and it was found that the Vc content of green tomato was the highest up to 6.124 mg/g.The influences to Vc contents were studied under the following conditions as ordinary heating and microwave heating,storage at room temperature and cold storage.The results showed that the Vc contents of tomato fruits was lost less when they were heated with ordinary method,however,it would cause great loss under microwave heating which can reach 90% when heated for 1 min with 750 W microwave.The cold storage(4℃)of tomato fruits can decrease the loss of Vc content,but longer time can also result in great loss,which can reach 60% in 10d.Under quick-freeze situations,eg,-20℃,the loss of Vc content doesn't change in a remarkable content and can only reach 12% in 30d.


Abstract: How to establish a comprehensive conservation strategy for China's cultural heritage conservation has not yet been paid attention. Nowadays cultural heritage conservation involves more and more factors and gradually turns into a complex multi-criteria decision problem, which brings many difficulties to strategy-making. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) can be very useful in reaching a likely result which can satisfy the decision makers. With the help of the foundation funded by the Ministry of Education and the State Archives Administration of China, this paper is intended to investigate the feasibility of applying the AHP in cultural heritage conservation to improve the decision making with a more systematic and logical approach. First, the important criteria and alternatives for cultural heritage conservation were identified. These criteria and alternatives were used to formulate an AHP-based model to represent the strategy making aspects. Then the AHP-based model was analyzed, and finally some conclusions were obtained, such as · «restoration technology is emergent · ·, · «technological application is important« ,· etc. Key words: cultural heritage, conservation strategy, AHP Resume: Comment etablir une strategie globale de conservation pour l'heritage culturel chinois n'a pas fait l'objet d'une grande attention. Aujourd'hui, la conservation de l'heritage culturel comprend de plus en plus de facteurs et devient progressivement un probleme de decision complexe a multi-criteres qui entraine beaucoup de difficultes pour la prise de strategie. Le Processus de la hierarchie analytique (Analytic Hierarchy Process/???) est tres utile pour chercher un resultat qui pourrait satisfaire ceux qui prennent la decision. Avec l'aide de la fondation financee par le ministere de l'Education et l'Administration nationale des archives de la Chine, cet article essaie d'etudier la feasibilite d'appliquer G??? a la conservation de l'heritage culturel de sorte a faciliter la prise de decision avec une approche plus systematique et logique. Tout d'abord, les criteres et alternatives importants pour la conservation de l'heritage culturel etaient identifies. Ils etaient utilises pour formuler un modele base sur G AHP dans le but de representer les aspects de la prise de strategie. Ensuite, ce modele etait analyse, et finalement on obtenait des conclusions, comme « la restauration technologique est emergente », « l'application de la technologie est importante » etc. Mots-Cles: heritage culturel, strategie de la conservation, AHP (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.) 1. INTRODUCTION China's cultural heritage, whether immovable or movable, is rooted in one of the world's oldest cultures and of very great importance to comprehend Chineses history as well as the daily life of contemporary China. The latest official statistics by State Administration of Cultural Heritage shows that there are nearly 400,000 immovable cultural heritage objects and about 12,000,000 movable cultural heritage objects, which represents China's abundant cultural heritage collections. The accumulation of cultural heritage objects certainly leads to some conservation and restoration problems. The longer these objects stored, the more problems involved. The conservation and restoration organized by the government dated back to Zhou dynasty* *1100 B.C.- 256 B.C.* *and gradually formed the tradition of technological treatments. However, the application of conservation and restoration technology is not omnipotent in terms of conservation. Modern practice proves that other factors such as policies and laws now also function in protecting these cultural heritage collections. How to comprehensively evaluate the most influential factors and to accordingly form a comprehensive strategy so as to guide the conservation practice has not yet established till now in China, while its counterparts like the European countries and Autralia have already taken actions. …


The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of menstrual function in the remote period after induced termination of pregnancy in the first trimester.


To create and optimize the institutional environment of the autonomy in high education is the inevitable road for implementing the autonomous rights of running a university, building modern university system and promoting the connotative development of colleges and universities. The institutional environment of the autonomy in high education mainly includes three aspects: the compulsory system, the normative system and the system about cultural cognition. At the moment, the realistic paths to optimize the institutional environment of the autonomy in high education mainly include: establishing and improving the laws and regulations of the autonomy in high education, perfecting the policies of the autonomy in high education, strengthening the cultural cognition of the autonomy in higher education, and enhancing the self-discipline and self-confidence of colleges and universities.


Objectives The lack of effective treatment for cartilage defects has prompted investigations using tissue engineering techniques for their regeneration and repair. The success of tissue-engineered repair of cartilage may depend on the rapid and efficient adhesion of transplanted cells to a scaffold. Our aim in this study was to repair full-thickness defects in articular cartilage in the weight-bearing area of a porcine model, and to investigate whether the CD44 monoclonal antibody biotin-avidin (CBA) binding technique could provide satisfactory tissue-engineered cartilage. Methods Cartilage defects were created in the load-bearing region of the lateral femoral condyle of mini-type pigs. The defects were repaired with traditional tissue-engineered cartilage, tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with the biotin-avidin (BA) technique, tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with the CBA technique and with autologous cartilage. The biomechanical properties, Western blot assay, histological findings and immunohistochemical staining were explored. Results The CBA group showed similar results to the autologous group in biomechanical properties, Moran's criteria, histological tests and Wakitani histological scoring. Conclusions These results suggest that tissue-engineered cartilage constructed using the CBA technique could be used effectively to repair cartilage defects in the weight-bearing area of joints. Cite this article: H. Lin, J. Zhou, L. Cao, H. R. Wang, J. Dong, Z. R. Chen. Tissue-engineered cartilage constructed by a biotin-conjugated anti-CD44 avidin binding technique for the repairing of cartilage defects in the weight-bearing area of knee joints in pigs. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:–295. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.65.BJR-2016-0277.


Submitted for the MAR12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Non-Adiabatic Holonomic Quantum Gates in an atomic system VAHID AZIMI MOUSOLOU, CARLO M. CANALI, School of Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden, ERIK SJOQVIST, Department of Quantum Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden — Quantum computation is essentially the implementation of a universal set of quantum gate operations on a set of qubits, which is reliable in the presence of noise. We propose a scheme to perform robust gates in an atomic four-level system using the idea of non-adiabatic holonomic quantum computation proposed in [1]. The gates are realized by applying sequences of short laser pulses that drive transitions between the four energy levels in such a way that the dynamical phases vanish. [1] E. Sjoqvist, D.M. Tong, B. Hessmo, M. Johansson, K. Singh, arXiv:1107.5127v2 [quant-ph] Vahid Azimi Mousolou School of Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden Date submitted: 25 Jan 2012 Electronic form version 1.4


The world's security structure is facing a qualitative change and there is an ongoing search for achieving equilibrium for global security. There is a need to analyze what the catalytic determinants of the contemporary security issues are. Examining the issue of regionalism may be helpful to reveal those determinants to some extent. The fact that new threats to the new security environment are regional in scope and effect, regions and regionalism can be considered as the prominent unit of analysis level. Especially, regionalism may suggest a theoretical framework for assessing the two main trends of globalization which are consolidation and disintegration. In an effort to widen the scope of regionalism, this study firstly overviews the regionalism studies of the Cold War era. Secondly, the 'new-regionalism' and the alternate approaches within the new-regionalism studies are mentioned. Finally, it is offered that how a regional perspective can enrich the inquiry of the catalytic determinants. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and explain the theoretical basis of new-regionalism in security studies and to contribute to the acceleration of the discussions since regionalism can be the slipknot of the consolidation and disintegration trends both in theory and in practice.


Differences in the level and quality of Bank lending services should be due to the differentiation of companies by competitive and credit strategies, as well as industry conditions. The presence of imbalances in the territorial concentration of credit institutions has an impact on investment conditions, the cost of credit resources and the amount of credit and tax risks. To neutralize these factors, organizations of the non-financial sector are increasingly turning to financial engineering. The purpose of this article is to consider the changes in investment demand and the dynamics of the structure of the loan portfolio based on the combination of financial instruments for the implementation of the investment strategy of the business. To achieve this goal, the cluster approach is used to improve the financial stability of companies and credit institutions. Structural shifts in the global economy are transforming credit and investment resources and changing the nature of factors that influence investment decisions of market actors. In addition, structural shifts have exacerbated the problems of the monetary transmission, namely the growing reluctance of the banking sector to provide loans to companies in the non-financial sector, although the liquidity risk for banks has been overcome. The main method of risk research is based on the dynamic stochastic equilibrium (DSGE) model used for financial engineering to balance the negative correlation between credit and tax risk and profitability and competitiveness of cluster companies. The approach will strengthen the financial stability of enterprises belonging to the cluster and the cluster itself and carry out meso-economic forecasting.


Background : The decline in the population of snails, a source of protein of people living in the high forest zone due to environmental pollution and the hazard caused by the disposal of radiographic developer effluent into streams, bushes or forests and public sewer systems makes the assessment of the effect on giant African snails ( Achatina fulica ) from environmental pollution due to radiographic developer effluent very important. Materials and Methods : Ninety 5 months old, 12 months old and 24 months old giant African snails were randomly divided into 6 groups of 15 snails for each age group based on the dose of developer effluent to be administered. One group from each age group was designated the control and the remaining, the experimental group. Range finding test was performed at effluent concentrations of 100 %, 50 %, 25 %, 12.5 %, 6.25 %, 3.125 %, 1.6 % and 0 % (control) in 150 ml of distilled water. The effluent solution was administered on the feed and soil of the experimental snails only. Results: Behavioural changes occurred between 0.2 – 1.0 % concentration and mortality at 24 – 96 hours exposure to the effluent solutions. The percentage (%) mortality of the giant African snails increased as the effluent concentration increased from 0.2 - 1.0 % and at increased exposure time of 24 – 96 hours. The estimated 96 hours LD for the 5, 12 and 24 months old giant African snails were 50 0.20 ��0.23, 0.23 ��0.25 and 0.30 ��0.26 respectively. Conclusion : Radiographic developer effluent is harmful to the giant African snails, with the % mortality increasing with increase in concentration and exposure time to the developer effluent. Legislation is recommended to ensure safe disposal of radiographic developer effluents into the Nigerian environment considering the importance of giant African snails ( Achatina fulica ) to the ecosystem and the economy. ABSTRACT


ABSTRACT This study analyses the relationship between provincial election outcomes and campaign spending. This study is novel as it utilizes only those expenses that should have a causal link with election success. OLS regression controlled for candidate quality, incumbency, and economic conditions reveals a positive (negative) relationship between campaign (challenger) spending and election succession, while logistic regression results in a 93% correct prediction rate. Two-staged least-square regression corroborates the findings. The results suggest that although campaign spending is useful, incumbency status and experience are more important. Additionally, campaign spending is less important during close elections and has a diminishing marginal return.


The performance of catalyst LDC- 200 for heavy oil catalytic cracking( RFCC) was evaluated in a riser pilot unit,and the catalyst' s commercial application in a 3 Mt / a RFCC unit was introduced. The commercial application results showed that when the feedstock performance and main process conditions were stable,compared to reference catalyst LDO- 70,LDC- 200 increased the yield of gasoline,diesel,total liquid and light oil,the selectivity of propylene,the olefin in gasoline and the octane value( RON) by 0. 29,0. 54,1. 77,0. 83, 1. 72,4. 9 percent points and 1. 5 units respectively, and decreased the slurry yield and coke yield plus loss by 0. 71,1. 03 percent points respectively.


Abstract: In this essay I begin with Foucault's theorization of the convulsive body of the possessed as a site of struggle. Next, I amend this perspective with Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's notion that "the concept is not object but territory" (What is Philosophy? (New York: Verso, 2003) 101). That is, rather than looking at convulsive bodies as objects through which actors (another form of object) struggle, I approach convulsions as evidencing acts of territorialization. Instead of a corporeal object over which actors struggle for ownership, this perspective reframes convulsions as a process of space-making that is constitutive of the space-makers. Amending Foucault's take on convulsions with Deleuze and Guattari's notion of territory allows for analysis of "techno-horror" popular entertainments as constitutive processes in the unfolding of new reproductive masculine subjectivities.


The problem of providing tools to support legally valid negotiations between agents is becoming more and more critical. Agents are supposed to perform crucial tasks autonomously; however, they cannot exploit an extensive set of laws since the development of a full legal corpus for the computer world is yet to come. In this work we present an innovative model of interaction between agents that leads to an increase in the level of trust in negotiation-intensive MASs. In particular, we address some common problems related to trust and security in real-world negotiations and outline a set of abstractions that we can use to increase the level of trust that we can expect from agreements with third parties.


Ever wondered whether your latest PICAXE project idea would actually work in real life? Well, now you can find out with the new PICAXE circuit simulator software. PICAXE Virtual System Modelling (VSM) is a new circuit simulator that combines a virtual PICAXE chip with animated components and Berkeley SPICE circuit analysis to produce a simulation of a complete PICAXE project.


Abstract : Some activities of the Canadian Forces such as firing practice, storage and demolition procedures may cause the dispersion of energetic compounds in the environment These compounds should be closely monitored due to their highly specific physical, chemical and toxicological properties. In Canada, limited efforts have been spent in the past to examine this particular environmental threat This report details the characterization of four potentially explosives-contaminated sites located at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, 14 Wing Greenwood and at Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Bedford. The sampling and analytical methods are described and the results are presented. In general, our results show a non-presence to a low contamination level (<15 mg/kg). However, the Wellington Antitank Firing Range at CFB Gagetown showed relative high levels of contamination by HMX, a high explosive compound used in many antitank rockets. This work should help the Canadian Forces to pursue their operational activities, while minimizing the impacts on the environment by providing a better comprehension of the source of contamination and helping to minimize the environment impacts in the future.


This paper presents stylized facts on energy intensity developments in the productive sectors of seven countries from the Asia-Pacific region over the period from 1980-2004. The paper first analyzed the trend in energy intensity based on the energy consumption data and gross value added data acquired from IEA and Groningen Development center. Secondly, the paper applies the Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) to decompose energy intensity into the relative contributions of structural changes and efficiency improvements. The main results are: (1) there was absolute convergence in energy intensity of the productive sectors between the seven countries being analyzed; (2) the industry sector contributed the most to changes in energy intensity from 1980-2004; (3) structural changes involving shifts of production between subsectors increased overall energy intensity, whereas efficiency improvements within each of the subsector pushed down energy intensity.


Several European municipalities developed an information map called solar cadaster that provide qualitative information for the citizens about the possible locations and amount of the small scale household solar PV system installations. The objective of these cadasters is the promotion and fostering of the distribution of the PV systems. Most of the cadasters are based on remote sensing roof measurements and irradiation information but provide only indicative data. Our solution is based on ten implementation type categories such as individual small houses, housing estates, solar carports, public institutions, etc. We looked for which segment of the solutions can raise the penetration with greater efficiency. We found that in Budapest there are eight large 10 storeys block-type housing estates with 100 thousand flats. Here 20-40 kWp can be installed for each staircase that is about 300-600 MWp for 1500 staircase. The total additive PV potential in Budapest is 1500 MW.


In big data universities, an understanding of how the individual learning style and preferences interacts with the instructional medium presented is needed. In this study we examined the VARK learning style inventory using the variable-centered, person-centered and social approaches. We worked on a big "data set" which encompasses two data sources the first was LMS while the second was social media portals associated with that LMS. In order to make classification as well as prediction for the learner's learning style LS, we applied "WEKA" as we established a comparative analysis among different machine learning algorithms in order to know which one is the fit for the used "data set".


This paper analyzes the importance of glass batch distribution and introduces the batch distribution process,SIEMENS ET200 its application in the batch distribution control.Through production practice,the modified batch distribution is reliable well proportioned and has a wide application.


In this paper, basic principles of fractals and their application for lightning modeling are discussed. Attention is drawn on how fractals have been used for geometric modeling of lightning to take care of tortuosity and branching. Random midpoint displacement algorithm and fractal recursion are used to model the lightning. It has certain value to the lightning research.


Summary Earth models are routinely used in the oil & gas industry to integrate multidisciplinary data and to predict the subsurface conditions. While most earth models predict reasonably well at the field scale, they often fail to accurately predict the subsurface conditions at a specific location, especially in stratigraphically complex reservoirs. Several advanced 3D seismic interpretation workflows are available to create more reliable earth models: inversions, seismic stratigraphy and geomorphology amongst others. But these workflows are often used as standalone projects. In addition a common pitfall for interpreters is to go from a qualitative to a quantitative interpretation without accounting for the workflows assumptions and limitations. The purpose of this paper is to review the different ways of integrating advanced 3D seismic interpretation results to better constrain an earth model (from pre and post-stack inversions, to seismic stratigraphy and geomorphology). Various examples will be used to discuss pitfalls and practical solutions for a successful quantitative seismic interpretation. Particular attention will be paid to the use of local geostatistics to integrate 3D seismic data into an earth model.


We present the calculation of the binding energy of 2p pion for various central charges Z. We have taken into account the interaction between the magnetic moment of the nucleus and the orbital magnetic moment of the pion. The obtained results show that the interaction between the magnetic moments decreases teh binding energy. This decrease is larger when the two magnetic moments add one another. Also, the binding energy increases with Z increasing.


There are several recently proposed algorithms for solving the overdefined MQ problem, two of them are XL represented in (2) and XSL represented in (3). There is an opinion that these algorithms may be used as an attack on AES, because AES can be represented as an overdefined MQ problem. In our research we constructed a new cipher called Baby Rijndael. It is a scaled-down version of Rijndael with the same algebraic structure. We apply the XL and XSL attacks on Baby Rijndael to see if it might be possible to apply them on AES.


SPH(smoothed particle hydrodynamics) method,a pure Lagrangian,meshless hydrodynamics method,has been widely applied in numerical simulations in many engineering fields.Since SPH method was a newly emerged method for the applications in the geotechnical engineering fields,the basic concept was firstly introduced concerning the researches in geotechnical engineering.Then the emphases were put on the numerical simulations in the fields relative to geotechnical engineering with SPH method.Moreover,as far as the researches on seismic liquefaction were concerned,it was proposed that the deformation characteristics in the pre-and post-liquefaction process should be generally analyzed in the frame of SPH method,and the mechanism of structure failures in liquefaction should be considered with coupled SPH-FEM methods which were verified in explosion and impact science.


Objective: To investigate the rehabilitation protocol and rehabilitation effects after tendon repair. Methods: According to the different parts, different rehabilitation programs were performed on 79 tendons in 35 cases, employing BTE Primus rehabilitation and evaluation system. Results: For extensor tendons, the results were excellent and good in 71% of cases, and for flexor tendons, the results were excellent in 35% of cases, good in 52%, and fair in 13%. Conclusion: Early active and passive motion, digitized rehabilitation, individualized program play important roles in postoperative management of tendon injury.


The optical electronic nose (e-nose) is drawing more and more attention from the academia and industry in Internet of Things applications. Since the charge-coupled Device (CCD)-based portable spectrometer is commonly used in gas sensing system of e-nose, the baseline drift interference is easy to be introduced, which reduces the accuracy and sensitivity of the system and makes the sensing performance worse. For this issue, first, the baseline drift data are analyzed and the characteristics of the baseline drift interference brought by the portable spectrometer are found in this article. Then, according to the characteristics of the drift, a baseline drift suppression technique for portable spectrometer is proposed. Specifically, it mainly includes four steps: data preprocessing, dimension reduction using principal component analysis, sources separation using independent component analysis, and reconstruction after interference suppression. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed technique suppressed the interference effectively and even better compared with classical existing methods.


Abstract : The effect of target surface and shape, on the power reflected from it, as a function of aspect angle theta, has been investigated at 0.48, 0.63, and 10.6 micrometer in a laboratory environment. In particular, at 0.48 micrometer the reflected wave amplitude was measured relative to a standard cross section target, a Lambertian Reflector. This enabled the determination of actual Laser Radar Cross Section (LRCS) values for these targets. Further, the experimental results obtained were found to agree closely with analytical predictions based on specular scattering theory.


Trajectories have been computed during a 10-day period in January for approximately zonal rings of parcels in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere of a general circulation model. Time histories of ozone and water vapour highlight the central role of the subtropical jet streams as mixing agents for tropospheric and stratospheric air. There is some evidence of inertial oscillations in the upper tropical troposphere, particularly at longitudes where there is no large-scale convergence or divergence. The western tropical Pacific from about 150°E to 160°W appeared to be a centre of large-scale motion, with pronounced upper tropospheric descent below about 10 km and ascent at and above 16 km, apparently linked to large-scale ascent in the middle and high latitude stratosphere up to 30 km.


This paper provides novel evidence that increased student loan debts, caused by rising tuitions, increase borrowers' demand for additional consumer debt, while simultaneously restricting their ability to access it. The net effect of student loan debt on consumer borrowing varies by market, depending on whether the supply or demand channel dominates. In loosely underwritten credit markets, increased student loan debt causes borrowing to increase, while in tightly underwritten markets, increased student loan debt reduces the use of credit. These findings match predictions of a standard lifecycle model of household consumption and borrowing, augmented with a realistic student loan repayment contract.


Crustal anatexis is an important process in the tectonic evolution of many orogenic systems. In the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen in the South China block, the duration of partial melting and its relationship with orogenesis are poorly constrained. In this study, we present a multifaceted approach to determine the timing of anatexis and unravel the petrogenesis of Fuhuling migmatites in the Yunkai region of the southwestern South China block. Geochemical analyses indicate that the migmatites have (meta-)sedimentary protoliths. The absence of anhydrous peritectic minerals but the presence of microstructural and outcrop-scale indicators of partial melting suggest that the Fuhuling migmatites experienced fluid-present melting. Complex zoning and variable trace element concentrations in newly formed zircons in migmatites reflect their evolutionary histories during partial melting. Anatectic melt was present at Fuhuling in the Yunkai region from ca. 449–427 Ma during early Paleozoic Wuyi- Yunkai orogenesis. The wide variety of morphologies observed in the Fuhuling migmatites implies that migmatites in the Yunkai region experienced incipient partial melting, melt segregation, and melt migration. Combining new and previous results, we argue that the Yunkai region experienced two stages of crustal anatexis during the early Paleozoic, which may have been triggered by crustal thickening followed by rapid exhumation and orogenic collapse during the intra-plate Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny in the South China block.


A rapid method is described, which yields brilliant and selective differential staining with phloxine-methylene blue. Aqueous phloxine (1%) is treated with hydrochloric acid (1 ml/l gm of phloxine) and the water-insoluble precipitate is washed, dried, and dissolved in acidified 95% ethyl alcohol. Slides are stained for several minutes in this solution (0.2%) followed by brief staining in the usual azure-methylene blue solution and differentiated with colophonium-alcohol. The method eliminates the necessity for prolonged staining at elevated temperatures, reducing the total staining procedure to approximately 15 min. In addition, controlled differentiation with colophonium-alcohol can be carried out on formalin-fixed material without loss of phloxine. The selectivity and tinctorial attributes of phloxine are also considerably improved.


Our qualitative research effort was designed to identify relevant perspectives on minority and gender differences in career development from three key groups of actors in the career-management system. The first group was those who actively manage or set policies regarding officer careers. The second key group included those who are asked to judge officer careers through the promotion board process. The third group was midcareer officers themselves. These three groups were identified to provide perspectives on how the career-management system is designed to work, how it actually works, and how it is perceived to work. In total, we interviewed 233 individuals across the four services. All discussions were held during the summer and fall of 1995. In this appendix we detail how individuals in each of these groups were selected to participate in our study, how we conducted our interviews, and what topics were covered. We interviewed individuals from all four services who managed the various components of commissioned officer careers, including accessions , duty assignments, professional military education (PME) and graduate education, performance reviews, and selection boards. The objective of these interviews was to assess the formal career process and formalized policies and procedures affecting commissioned officer careers.


Abstract Nanoparticles synthesised using natural resources is a cost-effective and ecofriendly technique with a number of advantages. In current work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized using the extract of Fragaria ananassa seeds. The extract was used as a source of phytochemicals that can act as reducing and stabilizing agents. The characteristics of AgNPs were determined by UV/Visible, FTIR, SEM, XRD and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. The appearance of the distinctive absorption peak in UV-visible spectra at 430 nm confirmed the formation of AgNPs. The involvement of different bioactive functional groups with AgNPs was authenticated by FTIR studies. Particle size and morphology was confirmed by DLS, SEM and XRD analysis. The catalytic potential of AgNPs for the removal of poisonous organic dyes, brilliant green (BG) and methyl orange (MO) was also tested. Effect of different parameters including the catalyst concentration, dyes concentration and presence of different salts on the degradation of dyes was investigated. Nano-size and well-distributed nature of AgNPs, BG and MO dyes were degraded rapidly individually as well as simultaneously. The degradation process obeyed pseudo first order kinetics. Authors concluded that AgNPs synthesized using environment friendly and cost-effective method, can be used as a new tool to combat pollution caused by carcinogenic organic dyes.


Relative antioxidant activities of the crude methanolic extract of Stereospermum kunthianum , two phenylpropanoid glycosides and one iridoid glycosides called Stereospermiside 1,Stereospermin 2,Stereostin 3 previously isolated and characterized from the plant were studied. The free radical scavenging activity was determined by the 2, 2-diphenylpicrahydrazil radical (DPPH) using a spectrophotometer and the absorbance measured at 517nm. The result of the study revealed a significant antioxidant activity of the phenylpropanoid ester glycosides 1, 2 and 3. This work lends support to the antioxidant property of the S. kunthianum .


The deodorizing effects of different amounts of jasmine tea,green tea and chrysanthemum tea on kelp extracts were studied by single-factor experiments. Sensory analysis showed that all of them could deodorize kelp extracts to some extent, among which chrysanthemum tea not only almost deodorized kelp extract but also gave it some chrysanthemum flavour. This extract was more suitable for use in nutritional kelp drinks.


Of the many sources that may cause lead poisoning leaded petrol stands indicted as one of the worst offenders against public health. In countries still fuelling with leaded petrol about 90% of the lead in the environment comes from emissions in the form of fine particles that are inhaled in the lungs. Surveys in the US in the early 1980s showed that 88% of children had blood lead levels above the 10 mcg/dl lead concentration safety limit established by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However evidence is now emerging that doses even below that safety limit may cause neurological damage. Hence in 1994 the UN commission called on governments worldwide to switch to unleaded petrol. Yet by the end of 2000 only 42 countries had phased out or were phasing out lead from petrol.


Objective To quantify the two-dimensional systolic strain of short axis in left ventricle (LV) in patients with di- lated cardiomyopathy(DCM)using speckle tracking imaging(STI).Methods Echocardiographic examinations were performed on 26 patients with DCM verified by clinical diagnosis and in 30 healthy subjects to obtain LV short-axis views of three consecutive cardiac cycles.Using software package GE EchoPAC PC,global strain in basal,middle,and apical views and radial and circumferentM strain in LV 18 segments were measured.Results Compared with controls,average LV global strain in all views,systolic peak radial strain in all segments and systolic peak circumferential strain in 16 of 18 segments in LV were significantly reduced in DCM.Conclusion Av- erage global strain and peak systolic radial strains in all segments,peak systolic circumferential strains in most segments were significant- ly reduced in DCM,which indicates that systolic function in LV short-axis of patients with DCM is severely impaired.


PurposeIn this paper, the standard Peridynamic Timoshenko beam model accounting for the shear deformation is chosen to describe the thick beam kinematics. Unfortunately, when applied to very thin beam structures, the standard Peridynamics (PD) encounters the shear locking phenomenon, leading to incorrect solutions.Design/methodology/approachPD differs from classical continuum mechanics and other nonlocal theories that do not involve spatial derivatives of the displacement field. PD is based on the integral equation instead of differential equations to handle discontinuities and other singularities.FindingsThe shear locking can be successfully alleviated using the developed selective integration method. In particular, this technique has been implemented in the standard PD, which allows an accurate result for a wide range of slenderness from very thin to thick (10 < L/t < 103) structures. It can also accelerate the computational time for particular dynamic problems using fewer neighboring integration particles. Several numerical examples are solved to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for modeling beam structures.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the severe shear locking phenomenon in the Peridynamic Timoshenko beam available in the literature, especially for very thin structures. A new alternative for the alleviation of shear locking in the Peridynamic Timoshenko beam, using selective integration. Hence the developed Peridynamic Timoshenko beam model is effective for thin and thick structures. A new peridynamic formulation for the low-velocity impact beam models is presented and validated.HighlightsThe paper highlights the severe shear locking phenomenon in the Peridynamic Timoshenko beam proposed in the literature, especially for very thin structures.The developed Peridynamic Timoshenko beam model based on selective integration is effective for thin and thick structures.A new peridynamic formulation for the low-velocity impact beam models is presented and validated.


It is the position of this paper that all the various kinds of rulers in these novels, Sam (Anthills), Koyaga, Nkoutigui Fondio, Tiekroni, Bossouma, (Waiting for the wild beasts to vote Waiting)), of whom we shall only refer to the first three in our discussions, Fahati (Le Recit du Cirque de la vallee des morts… (Le Recit)), Agyeman (Stench), the Ruler, and Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus Whitehead (Wizard) and Leon Mignane (The Last of the Empire (The Last)) are spawn by the collective actions and inactions of the masses. This is because every action or inaction by individuals in society is undergirded by vested personal interest. [...] The fact that the whole society comes together to oust the Agyeman regime constitutes a tacit endorsement of society's complicity in bringing into being that regime. By their collective involvement in this ouster they show that they determine the kind of regime that superintends their affairs. In other words, it is a question of Ife onye metalu44, a man, and by extension a society suffers for its own deeds or misdeeds.


Abstract The laser scanning technology offers quite new possibilities in the field of the existing monitoring of engineering structures. The basic advantage of the laser scanning technology is huge amount of measuring observations and practically complete geometric and spectral information about the measured structures, which may be required within the short time. In the context of detection of threatens related to deformations and displacements of building structures, the surface - quasi-continuous distribution of measuring points is one of the most important factors. which ensure the possibility to perform correct evaluation of safety conditions of investigated structures. The proposed technological solution offers a series of new possibilities and the resulting methodology of determination of deformations and displacements of various structures, will considerably increase the scope of possible works and analyses. This will also create the new segment of data, which will result in delivery of additional information concerning conditions of the structure to experts from various fields, such as, among others, civil engineering, construction or geotechnique, who monitor the given structure.


Norris was working on a Master's degree in History at the University of Minnesota when he received a call from Carl Lundquist, then president of Bethel College and Seminary, inviting him to come to Bethel as a librarian. Thus, Norris began his 38-year career at Bethel in 1959 as Head of Technical Services and Cataloging, working alongside Librarian David Guston. While working full-time at Bethel, Norris completed an MA in Library Science (1961) and a PhD in history (1968) from the University of Minnesota. He completed his PhD under the direction of noted evangelical historian Dr. Timothy Smith. His dissertation, "Salvation in the Slums: Evangelical Social Work, 1865-1920," was published by Scarecrow Press in 1977 as part of the ATLA Monograph Series.1


Multinucleated cells, or syncytia, are found in diverse taxa. Their biological function is often associated with the compartmentalization of biochemical or cellular activities within the syncytium. How such compartments are generated and maintained is poorly understood. The sea urchin embryonic skeleton is secreted by a syncytium, and local patterns of skeletal growth are associated with distinct sub-domains of gene expression within the syncytium. For such molecular compartments to be maintained and to control local patterns of skeletal growth: 1) the mobility of TFs must be restricted to produce stable differences in the transcriptional states of nuclei within the syncytium, and 2) the mobility of biomineralization proteins must also be restricted to produce regional differences in skeletal growth patterns. To test these predictions, we expressed fluorescently-tagged forms of transcription factors and biomineralization proteins in sub-domains of the skeletogenic syncytium. We found that both classes of proteins have restricted mobility within the syncytium and identified motifs that limit their mobility. Our findings have general implications for understanding the functional and molecular compartmentalization of syncytia. Summary statement Transcription factors and effector proteins have limited mobility within the skeletogenic syncytium of the sea urchin embryo.


As in other parts of the developing world access to antiretroviral treatment in the countries of Eastern European and the Newly Independent States (EE/NIS) is still limited. Likewise the treatment advocacy and literacy movement in this region is still very weak. The European AIDS Treatment Group Europes oldest network on access to treatment issues is currently expanding to these countries in order to assist in the building up of treatment preparedness in the region. (authors)


The formulation of optimal control problems governed by Fredholm integral equations of second kind and an efficient computational framework for solving these control problems is presented. Existence and uniqueness of optimal solutions is proved.A collective Gauss-Seidel scheme and a multigrid scheme are discussed. Optimal computational performance of these iterative schemes is proved by local Fourier analysis and demonstrated by results of numerical experiments.


Concentric symmetrical branch heat exchange system (10) includes, in a first section of the system was uniformly dividing the product stream, and also a tubular concentric heat exchanger arranged in parallel and series the array (13) (14) includes an inlet manifold (11). Flow through each leg of the system may be further divided by a second manifold (12). Division of the product stream is higher, and the flow rate of the controllable products, and at lower heat exchanger inlet pressure, makes it possible to produce a heat exchanger. By having a lower inlet pressure, construction cost of the heat exchanger is reduced, in order to generate fragments of individual shapes, it is possible to attach the cutting or forming device to the heat exchanger outlet. By cutting or molding device is installed at the ends of the branch heat exchanger, the product can be cooled and cut results in one step, while the injector refrigerator, or the same cooling device, and from here it is possible to eliminate the material handling process of transporting. .FIELD 1


Introduction: Tantalite and other solid mineral deposits in Oke-Ogun occupy a very large landscape, and the possibilities of further exploration in new landscape and abandoning unproductive sites cannot be ruled out. These landscapes when abandoned become hideout for criminals and ritualistic activities which pose a great threat to the wellness of the people in the area and Nigerians at large. Objectives: This study attempts to investigate the radiological safety of these abandoned mines so as to convert them to economical valuable sites that can serve as a means of employment for population of the unemployed youth in the area and Nigeria at large. Materials and Methods: A total of seventeen soil samples were randomly selected. These samples were processed and analyzed for activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K using Hyper Pure Germanium Gamma Spectrometer. RESidual RADioactivity software version (6.5), a computer program developed by the Environmental Assessment Division of Argonne National Laboratory, was used for dose prediction for 70 years using the activity concentrations of soil samples from all the selected sites as its input parameter for the software. Predicted doses were estimated with respect to the three exposure pathways, namely external gamma irradiation from radionuclides in the soil samples, inhalation of dust particles, and inadvertent ingestion of soil. Results: The measured activity concentrations of radionuclides: 226Ra for all the sites is in the range of (17–177) Bq/kg, 232Th in the range of (2–107) Bq/kg, and 40K in the range of (650–1667) Bq/kg. The predicted dose for all the sites is within the range of 0.05–0.35 mSv/y with Eluku mining site having values greater than the permissible limit of 0.25 mSv/y. The health implication of these values is that three of the sites (Gbedu, Sepenteri, and Komu) are safe for other usages. Conclusion: Any of these three mining sites may be used for re-creational purposes, fishing and building of estates to mention but a few.


Abstract A group of elementary students (n = 155) were surveyed with respect to four aspects of relationships with pets—preference, ownership, attachment, and attitude—in order to further explore the connection that appears to exist between human–animal interactions and empathy. The investigation was initiated, in part, in order to elaborate upon findings from an earlier study (Daly and Morton 2003) and focused mainly on the relationships between children and dogs and cats, although horses, birds, and fish were also included. Some of the general findings related to dogs and cats are: (1) children who preferred (Pet Preference Inventory) both dogs and cats were more empathic than those who preferred cats or dogs only; (2) those who owned both dogs and cats were more empathic than those who owned only a dog, owned only a cat, or who owned neither; (3) those who were highly attached to their pets (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale) were more empathic than those who were less attached; and (4) empathy and positive attitude (Pet Attitude Scale) revealed a significant positive correlation. As expected, girls were significantly more empathic than boys. Moreover, while cell sizes were low with respect to pet preference and ownership, empathy was also higher for individuals who expressed a preference for birds and horses. While the earlier study (Daly and Morton 2003) indicated that higher empathy was associated with dog ownership more so than other pets, including cats, a notable finding of the present study is that empathy appears to be positively associated with individuals who prefer, and/or who own, both a dog and a cat. The implications extend to the need: (1) for continued empirical research investigating the relationship between human–animal interactions and empathy; and (2) to refine the questions that lead to a clearer explanation of this relationship.


The TPA test on "Dangshan pear" during shelf life by TA-XT2i through destructive methods show that the parameters such as hardness, brittleness, elasticity, chewing, resilience, cohesive, of the fresh pear, share the same descending trend, so any index can be reflected the complicated texture. Dangshan pear, gong pear, shuijing pear, shuijingxue pear, xiang pear′s TPA test had been done, so more clear date could be gotten.


Abstract The general character of stationary Rossby waves in a state with homogenized tropospheric PY as opposed to more conventionally assumed PV distributions is discussed. It is shown that the expected changes in wave pattern are inconsequential.


In this paper, a two-degree-freedom (TDF) internal model control (IMC) method is applied to the load frequency control (LFC) of multi-area power systems with of wind turbines. TDF-IMC needs only to tune two parameters and can achieve good disturbance rejection performance. For implementation, IMC controllers are approximated with PID controllers. A frequency response dynamic model including simplified wind turbine is used in the design and simulation, and the physical constraints such as generation rate constraint (GRC) and speed governor dead band are considered. Simulation results show that the proposed method can damp the frequency and tie-line exchange power deviation quickly, and is robust to parameter variations. Furthermore, the participation of wind turbines in LFC can enhance the total system performance.


In the new curriculum implementation,the contrast between teachers' belief-statement and teaching behavior should be taken into consideration.This paper makes examination and reflection on the hidden belief of the teachers behind their belief based on the their native concept and teaching factors they care according to various questionnaires. Some teachers really stick to traditional teaching beliefs with the orientation of knowledge transmissioa It is suggested that they should integrate the knowledge transmission with the development of mathematics thinking,by setting up abundant and multidimensional curriculums,and make discusses relying on the issue context that can inspire teachers' spirit of doubt and criticism so as to make change of teachers' belief.


The effects of different kinds of additives,including transglutaminase,soy protein isolate,wheat gluten,corn starch,ascorbic acid,gelatin and gellan gum on the gel strength and water holding capacity of bighead carp surimi are studied. The results show that transglutaminase,soy protein isolate,wheat gluten and corn starch can improve the gel strength of bighead carp surimi gel. Wheat gluten and corn starch can improve the water holding capacity,as well.


Existing methods on facial expression recognition (FER) are mainly trained in the setting when all expression classes are fixed in advance. However, in real applications, expression classes are becoming increasingly fine-grained and incremental. To deal with sequential expression classes, we can fine-tune or re-train these models, but this often results in poor performance or large computing resources consumption. To address these problems, we develop an Incremental Facial Expression Recognition Network (IExpressNet), which can learn a competitive multi-class classifier at any time with a lower requirement of computing resources. Specifically, IExpressNet consists of two novel components. First, we construct an exemplar set by dynamically selecting representative samples from old expression classes. Then, the exemplar set and new expression classes samples constitute the training set. Second, we design a novel center-expression-distilled loss. As for facial expression in the wild, center-expression-distilled loss enhances the discriminative power of the deeply learned features and prevents catastrophic forgetting. Extensive experiments are conducted on two large-scale FER datasets in the wild, RAF-DB and AffectNet. The results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method as compared to state-of-the-art incremental learning approaches.


Big Data is a complex collection of huge amount of data records, everything around us is a source of big data that is too broad and too complex. Big data is generated by traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Many challenges are there in Big Data, they includes analysis of data in big data, capturing of data, data curtain, searching, sharing of data record, storage of data, data transfer, visualization, querying with database, updation of database and information privacy. Privacy preservation can be managed properly in case of limited amount of data, but in case of huge amount of data that is ―Big Data‖ privacy preservation is a very big issue. Many algorithms are discussed here to solve the privacy preservation issue, generally Anonymization, Notice and Consent, Differential Privacy methods are used to resolve the issue of privacy preservation, each method have its merits and demerits, any method is not fully comfortable to provide required level of privacy having less amount of burden. In this paper there is discussed an advanced k-anonymity algorithm with privacy key, unique key is generated automatically by privacy key generation mechanism at the time of data creation. Then the information is stored in the database with that key, thus, user data is much secure than existing kanonymity algorithm because of two level of security. The first level is by Kanonymity and the second is by privacy key. General Terms Privacy Preservation, Big Data Privacy and Security, Various privacy preserving algorithms and there comparison etc


I had interviews on placements during my training. I found them informative and constructive, and I appreciated being able to assess my progress on a formal level.


3876 STI-571 (Gleevec, imatinib mesylate) is a kinase inhibitor that specifically targets the activated Abl oncoprotein and several membrane tyrosine kinase receptors, including PDGF-R. Both PDGF ligands and receptors are often overexpressed in gliomas, suggesting the existence of an autocrine stimulatory loop. It is known that PDGF-R signals mainly through PI3K/Akt and Ras/MAPK pathways. PI3K/Akt is a major cell survival pathway and constitutively active AKT2 has been demonstrated to confer cisplatin resistance. In a previous study, it has been shown that STI-571 inhibits the growth of the human glioblastoma cell line U87-MG in nude mice. In the present study we compared STI-571 antiproliferative activity on U87-MG and on its cisplatin-resistant variant U87-MG/Pt. U87-MG/Pt was selected in our laboratory by culturing cells in stepwise increasing concentrations of cisplatin (resistance index ∼ 10) and displays a lower level of PDGF-R protein expression than U87-MG. Unexpectedly, U87-MG/Pt cells were significantly more sensitive to STI-571 than U87-MG (IC50 values = 18.6 ± 3.9 μM vs. 32.6 ± 3.9 μM, respectively; P


In this article we show the existence of weak solutions for ob- stacle problems for A-Dirac equations with variable growth in the setting of variable exponent spaces of Cliord-valued functions. We also obtain the ex- istence of weak solutions to the scalar part of A-Dirac equations in space W 1,p(x) 0 ( ,C'n).


In this paper, we study the Fowler-Nordheim field emission (FNFE) from carbon nanotubes on the basis of a newly formulated electron dispersion law by considering the fact that the intense electric field needed for FNFE changes the band structure in a fundamental way. It has been found that the field emitted current increases with increasing electric field in oscillatory manner due to the appearance of van Hove singularities and exhibits spikes for particular values of the electric field where the singularity occurs. The numerical values of the field emitted current in all the cases vary widely and the determined by the chiral indices and the diameter in the respective cases. The results of this paper find three applications in the fields of nanoscience and technology.


We generalize the classical max-min rate allocation policy with the support of the minimum rate requirement and peak rate constraint for each connection. Since a centralized algorithm for the generalized max-min (GMM) rate allocation requires global information, which is difficult to maintain and manage in a large network, we develop a distributed protocol to achieve the GMM policy using the available bit rate (ABR) flow control mechanism. We give a proof that our distributed protocol converges to the GMM rate allocation through distributed and asynchronous iterations under any network configuration and any set of link distances.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the possibility of far-lateral retro-condylar approach in an attempt to apply endoscope.

METHOD
For anatomical information, the microneurosurgical anatomical dissection, observation and measurement had been performed under microscope and endoscope by mimicking the far-lateral retro-condylar approach on 10 adult cadaver heads and 10 adult dry skulls.

RESULT
The complex relationship exists between the osseous jugular foramen and its adjacent structures. The exposed anatomic structures of jugular foramen region were observed under microscope and endoscope without drilling occipital condyle and jugular tubercle.

CONCLUSION
With the technology of modern microsurgery and endoscope, several diseases in jugular foramen region can be operated via far-lateral retro-condylar approach without drilling occipital condyle and jugular tubercle.


To improve the correct rate of the Kohonen neural network model for clustering of network intrusion, this paper combines the Invasive Weed Optimization(IWO) algorithm and the Kohonen neural network, and proposes IWO-Kohonen clustering algorithm. It uses IWO algorithm to optimize the initialized weights of the Kohonen neural network, and trains the Kohonen neural network model to calculate an optimal value. By using IWO algorithm, the search ability of the clustering algorithm is enhanced, which not only improves the correct rate of clustering, but also accelerates the convergence speed of the algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has higher correct rate comparing with fuzzy clustering algorithm and generalized neural network clustering algorithm, and it has higher detection rate and lower false alarm rate comparing with ant clustering algorithm and C-means clustering algorithm.


The quinolyl and phenyl rings in the title compound, C18H16N2O, form a dihedral angle of 89.07 (5)°. The amide group is rotated out of the quinoline ring plane, with a dihedral angle of 21.19 (1)°.


The authors present the results of their research on the sexual behaviour of Czech boys and girls aged 12 - 18 years. A representative sample of 1011 students in basic and secondary schools were interviewed individually. It was found that by the age of 18 as much as 75% of the respondents were sexually experienced. An alarming finding was the high numbers of sexual partners in this group as compared to their peers in West Europe and in the USA. Thirty-four percent of sexually active girls and boys had had four or more partners. On the other hand the use of condoms was considerably lower as compared to adolescents in other Western countries. Less than 10% of sexually active adolescents used the condom regularly. Much ignorance was present about ways of HIV transmission. The findings of this survey indicate an increasing and disturbing problematic health situation in relation to the sexual behaviour of Czech adolescents at present. (authors)


The invention relates to a sheet-like composite comprising a first composite region and a second bonding area; wherein the first composite field includes as mutually superposed layers of an outer surface of the first bonding region to an inner surface of the first composite region: a) a thermoplastic layer A, b) a support layer, c) a barrier layer, and d) a polymer inner layer; wherein the outer surface of the first composite region is a surface of the thermoplastic layer A; wherein the second area includes composite as mutually superposed layers of an outer surface of the second bonding region to an inner surface of the second bonding region: A) a first thermoplastic layer B, B) the carrier layer; C) the barrier layer; and D) the polymer inner layer; wherein the outer surface of the second bonding region is a surface of the first thermoplastic layer B; wherein said second composite portion does not include a portion of the thermoplastic layer A; wherein a layer thickness of the thermoplastic layer A in the first bonding area is more than a thickness of the first thermoplastic layer B in the second bonding area. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for printing on a sheet-like composite; a container precursor; closed container; a device for printing; and a use of a polyvinyl acetal.


Introduction: Craniotomy is a surgery in which a flap of the skull is opened to access the problem area in the brain. Since paying attention to the aesthetic aspects of the patient's head after surgery is very important for the patient's mental health and social life, surgeons should try to adopt a method that minimizes damage to the scalp and follicles. Methods: In this clinical trial study, patients who were candidates for frontotemporaneopranital craniotomy surgery were selected. 23 selected patients were randomly divided into two groups consisting of a 12-member intervention group (LG Kempe) and an 11-member control group (Standard Reverse Question mark). Patients underwent a preoperative biopsy of the scalp and a follow-up biopsy six months postoperatively. In the evaluation of aesthetic aspects, the created scar was scored using SBSES scoring system. Patients were also directly asked about their satisfaction with the operation and the scar created. Results: In 23 patients, the results showed that patients who underwent LG Kempe incision craniotomy received significantly higher scores in SBSES scoring evaluations (P value = 0.005, p <0.05). There was no significant difference in subjective evaluations by asking patients about their satisfaction with the scar site and the operation area (P value = 0.75, p> 0.05). In the analysis of post-operative hair follicle density between the two groups (P value = 0.910, p> 0.05) general changes in pre-operative and post-operative follicle density in all samples (P value = 0.657. P> 0.05) as well as comparing the changes between two groups, no significant difference was found between follicular density changes between the intervention and control groups (P value = 0.137.p> 0.05). Conclusion: Patients treated with LG Kempe incision had significantly higher SBSES scores, which can be considered an aesthetically superior method that could prevent the formation of undesirable scar. *Correspondence: Behnia Ahmadi HaliliMedical Student, Ahvaz Jondishapur University of Medical Sciences, Khuzestan, Iran email@example.com Tel: +9809216028832 Cosmetic effects of scalp incisions


Since 1980, state governments have passed over 1700 pieces of immigration legislation equal in the number of permissive immigration laws to restrictive immigration laws. Driver's Licenses are a policy area directly under state jurisdiction in which states are creating legislation regarding licenses for those unable to prove legal residence. This brief considers California and Oregon as case studies to examine state variation on driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, and suggests that structural opportunities and the agency of state issue entrepreneurs opposing driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants influence the process and ultimate outcome of driver's license legislative efforts.


Music is a pervasive presence in society and is routinely used to influence human behavior in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes including exercise behaviors and physical education (PE) classes. However, little evidence exists to support what effect, if any, music has on learner outcomes in PE. The effects that playing music during elementary PE lessons had on children's physical activity (PA) rates were examined in this study. Physical activity rates (via pedometry) of elementary PE students (Grades 3 to 5, n = 115) were measured under two treatment conditions (music or no music) and across two lesson types (walking or Frisbee) in a crossover design. Data were analyzed using a within-and-within repeated measures ANOVA. Findings indicate that including music throughout PE lessons significantly increases PA for both genders and across both activities (p < .000). Also, a significant music-by-activity type interaction effect was noted (p < .000), indicating that music has an increased effect as the nature of the activity becomes more vigorous. A significant gender effect (p < .000) was also noted. Using music may be a beneficial environmental change that will increase PA in elementary PE and is more pronounced as intensity increases.


This paper deals with the research in the field of teaching process organization concerning physical training by the following specialized means such as hand-ball, soccer, table tennis, badminton, arm wrestling, track and field that are applied in MSAU named after V.P. Goryachkin.


Efforts to explain the underrepresentation of women in Congress, as well as other institutions, have failed to detect significant gender differences in the availability of campaign resources. Thus one may be tempted to conclude that the underrepresentation of women is unrelated to the availability of resources. However, implicit in this conclusion is an assumption that the effects of resources are gender neutral. If the value of a resource depends on the gender of the candidate, women may need more or less of a resource to do as well as men. On this note, the author tests that assumption by examining House races between 1988 and 1992. For challengers, the author finds that the value of campaign spending and party strength is greater for men than women, whereas in open-seat races, women received greater value from a strong party than did men.


We present a new study on the elastic scattering cross section of dark matter (DM) and neutrinos using the latest cosmological data from Planck and large-scale structure experiments. We find that the strongest constraints are set by the Lyman-α forest, giving σDM−ν ≲ 10−33(mDM/GeV) cm2 if the cross section is constant and a present-day value of σDM−ν ≲ 10−45(mDM/GeV) cm2 if it scales as the temperature squared. These are the most robust limits on DM-neutrino interactions to date, demonstrating that one can use the distribution of matter in the Universe to probe dark (``invisible") interactions. Additionally, we show that scenarios involving thermal MeV DM and a constant elastic scattering cross section naturally predict (i) a cut-off in the matter power spectrum at the Lyman-α scale, (ii) Neff ∼ 3.5 ± 0.4, (iii) H0 ∼ 71 ± 3km s−1Mpc−1 and (iv) the possible generation of neutrino masses.


I PROPOSE A NEW or, to be more precise, a more sustained reading than I have come upon of Vergil's allusion in Eclogue 10 to the "Dying Daphnis" of Theocritus' Idyll 1. The proposed reading of the allusion will be seen to be the starting point for a rather positive (if not to say "optimistic") reading of this difficult and seductive eclogue.1 I do not claim to "correct" the readings of this poem by the many scholars to whose work I am indebted. Rather, I write to offer another, as I think, "coherent reconstruction" (to use Conte's phrase2) of Eclogue 10. This poem, like any literary text, has "gaps"3 or interpretive spaces, which make possible uncertainty and require interpretation of the reader. More than one kind of reading might well account for the text of any poem and therefore serve as a "coherent reconstruction" of the text. Much work on allusion has observed that allusion signifies through difference as well as through similarity.4 For the purposes of this essay, I use the term imitatio to denote imitative allusion and aemulatio to denote ironic allusion. Through imitatio an author establishes a relationship of similarity and affinity to a prior text, thereby creating a degree of authority for his new text. Once similarity has been established, the author may choose to deviate significantly from his model text, thus creating difference or ironic allusion-exploiting his reader's assumed familiarity with the model text to claim, implicitly, independence from or superiority to the


Using data from two empirical studies, the present article investigates whether German adjective-noun compounds are inherently more appropriate to function as naming units or kind terms than the corresponding phrases. In the first experiment, it was tested whether subjects prefer a non-lexicalized compound (e.g., Kurzcouch, short_couch) or the respective non-lexicalized phrasal counterpart (e.g., kurze Couch, short couch) in order to express a novel complex lexical concept (e.g., It is a very specific couch that is 1.30 meters short because it is designed only for children up to this size.). In the second test, subjects rated on a scale how well the compounds and phrases expressed the newly created concepts. The findings of the two studies support the idea that compounds are better naming candidates than phrases. It is claimed that the effect derives from the specific formal nature of compounds and has consequences for the processing and mental representation of the two construction types.


Function P-Sets(function packet sets) are a new mathematical model and structure,and are a new theory and methodology in the research of the laws of dynamic information system.Function packet sets are a pair of function sets composed of function internal P-set S(function internal packet set S) and function outer p-set SF(function outer packet set SF).Function P-sets have the functional and dynamic characteristics.By virtue of these characteristics,this paper explored the attribute control of information laws and presented the generation of function packet sets and information laws,and attained the theorem of the attribute control of information laws,and achieved the application of attribute control of information laws in image border information stabilization.


BACKGROUND Neisseria meningitidis strains belonging to clonal complex 11 is the cause of numerous outbreaks and epidemics in the United States, Canada and Europe, accounting for 49.5% of cases of meningococcal disease caused by serogroup C worldwide. In Brazil, it is the second most frequent clonal complex within this serogroup. The genetic characterisation of cc11/ET-15 variants is important for the epidemiological monitoring of meningococcal disease, through the identification of circulating epidemic clones, to support specific actions of Health Surveillance aiming outbreaks control. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to identify features in the genome of cc11/ET-15 clones through whole-genome sequencing (WGS), that differ from cc11/non-ET-15 strains that could explain their virulence. METHODS The whole genome of three cc11/ET-15 representative strains were sequenced with a minimum coverage of 100X with the MiSeq System and compared to the genome of cc11/non-ET-15 strains. RESULTS Genome analysis of cc11/ET-15 variants showed the presence of resistance factors, mobile genetic elements and virulence factors not found in cc11/non-ET-15 strains. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our results show that these strains carry virulence factors not identified in cc11/non-ET-15 strains, which could explain the high lethality rates attributed to this clone worldwide.


I SHOULD first wish to pay tribute to, and honour the memory of, a distinguished surgeon-a man of broad interests, a dogmatic teacher of no mean ability, an administrator with a social conscience. In this spirit, and conscious of the privilege that is mine of being invited to follow in this Lectureship some very eminent medical men, I make bold to suggest for consideration a topic that would have fascinated and intrigued its founder, A. B. Mitchell. From what I can gather, he enjoyed getting his teeth into problems that seemed at first sight too big for him. The topic before us is: "Leprosy-a clinical and pathological challenge". Before we consider what leprosy is, we should say what it is not, thereby removing some misconceptions and misunderstandings, and demolishing some cherished idols and pseudo-scientific folklore enshrined in medical text books and Bible dictionaries. Leprosy is not a highly contagious infection. It is not an invariably progressive disease, leading inevitably to mutilation and deformity. It is not a disease that is virtually incurable, one in which the fingers and toes drop off. It is not a mysterious condition somehow associated with Divine punishment for wrongdoing or ceremonial uncleanness, or with ritual defilement. It is not a condition invariably associated with poverty or beggary, or with dirt and squalor. It is not a fearful combination of the supposed incurability of cancer, the contagiousness of tuberculosis and the shame of venereal disease. If leprosy is none of these things, what is it? It is a slightly contagious disease, caused almost certainly by a mycobacterium of low pathogenicity that has weak powers of invasion. It is usually self-limiting and self-healing. It is endemic in cold as well as in hot countries. It is characterized not only by disfiguring hypopigmented skin patches and nodules and by invasion of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, but also pre-eminently and most importantly by damage to the peripheral nerves. It is not necessarily associated with dirt, poverty, overcrowding or poor hygiene, although each of these factors may have something to do with its spread, or with its persistence in any one focus. It is, of course, unassociated with venereal transmission, and should bear no connotation of shame. Clinically and pathologically, leprosy is several conditions, and as such it presents a continuing challenge to those interested in disease and sequelae of disease, in human suffering and in economic …


Engaging consumers in interactive marketing communication is instrumental in business–customer relationships building and development. Social media enables consumers to initiate marketing messages and gain growing control in the communication process due to its enhanced interactivity features. This study investigates whether communication between businesses and their social media users is interactive and how interactive it is. It also attempts to determine what types of messages are more likely to result in interactive communication. The findings reveal that businesses are attempting functional interactivity while individual users are increasingly securing a control to achieve contingent interactivity. Businesses are adopting a consumer-centric approach in designing and executing marketing communication messages to achieve interactivity though significant variance is established between businesses as measured by Interactivity Performance Matrix. Challenges remain for businesses as to how to engage their customers by utilizing the interactivity features of social media to facilitate relationships formulation and development.


The invention discloses a method for preserving deep brown boletus reticulatus strains, and belongs to the technical field of funguses. The method comprises the steps of a, connecting deep brown boletus reticulatus fruit body tissues into an M1 test tube culture medium to cultivate a mycelium, making the culture condition to be at 30 DEG C, and conducting dim light culture for 15-20d; b, respectively loading 5% mycose by weight percentage and 20% glycerinum protective agents by weight percentage into 1.8ml cryopreserved tubes, and conducting 121 DEG C sterilization for 30min; c, inoculating deep brown boletus reticulatus mycelium blocks in the cryopreserved tubes, inoculating 3-5 blocks by each tube, and putting the tubes into a cryopreserved box after inoculation; d, firstly putting the cryopreserved box into a -20 DEG C refrigerator for 12h, and then rapidly putting the cryopreserved box into a -80 DEG C ultralow temperature refrigerator to conduct preserving. The method has the advantages that the low-temperature preservation is achieved, the preservation time is longer, the character of the mycelium after the mycelium is stored for eight months is still excellent, mushroom house artificial cultivation is carried out by the strains preserved by the preserving method, the mature days of the fruit body are shorter, and the weight of the fruit body is heavier.


Filtration tests on Al-killed Cr-Ni steels (17.5% Cr, 11.5% Ni) and Ni-based alloys (20% Cr, 10% Mo, 0.2% Al) were mode in a 50 kg vacuum induction melting and casting unit using commercial ceramic foam filters. Al 2 O 3 inclusions were produced by addition of Al to the oxidized metal. The ingot weight was in the order of 25 kg. Filtration efficiencies, based on chemically analysed total oxygen content or particle size distribution as determined by quantitative metallography, were evaluated. Furthermore, attempts were made to determine filter resistance and volume flow capacities of various filters.