Abstract 4831 Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMCD) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent skin, nails and mucosal membranes infections caused by Candida albicans . Several studies suggest that impairment of development in Th17 lineage and/or IL-17 signaling could be responsible for development of CMCD and seven responsible genes, CARD9 , STAT3 , IL12B , IL12RB1 , IL17RA , IL17F , and AIRE have been identified. Recently, heterozygous mutations in coiled-coil domain (CCD) and DNA-binding domain (DBD) of STAT1 are identified in approximately 40% of patients with CMCD. Signal transducer and activation of transcription 1 (STAT1) is a DNA-binding factor which regulates specific gene transcription. IFN-γ stimulation results in phosphorylation of STAT1 at Tyr701 (pSTAT1) to induce the homodimerization, a gamma-activated factor (GAF), through the conformational change and the nuclear import. The GAF binds to the gamma-activated sequence (GAS) to induce the transcriptional activities. STAT1 mutations identified in patients with CMCD are gain-of-phosphorylation, gain-of-GAF DNA binding and gain-of-GAS transcription activity in response to IFN-γ, IFN-α and IL-27. Based on the results of transient gene experiments, impairment in dephosphorylation of STAT1 has been considered to be a molecular pathogenesis underlying the increased pSTAT1. Here we report six heterozygous missense mutations in CCD and DBD of STAT1 , including two novel heterozygous STAT1 mutation, 1060C>A (L354M) and 986C>T (P329L), in two sporadic and four multiplex cases with CMCD in Japan. We investigated functional significance of these mutations by transient gene expression experiments using U3C STAT1 null fibrosarcoma cells. Similar to the previous studies, all mutant proteins showed increased pSTAT1 in response to IFN-α and IFN-γ. Increased GAF-DNA binding and GAS transcription activity were observed in mutant expressed cells. Thus, these mutations are gain-of-function mutations against GAF mediated transcription activity. We then studied dephosphorylation of STAT1 using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the patients. The PBMCs were incubated with Staurosporine, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, followed by IFN-γ stimulation and analyzed by flowcytometry and immunoblot. In both experiments, PBMCs from the patients showed increased pSTAT1 after IFN-γ stimulation. Furthermore, we observed persistent pSTAT1 after Staurosporine treatment. These findings suggest that excess pSTAT1 is caused by an impairment of dephosphorylation. The flowcytometry analysis showed no overlap in mean flow intensity of pSTAT1 between 6 patients and 11 healthy controls after Staurosporine treatment. Therefore, this method can be useful for rapid test of STAT1 function in patients with CMCD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Objectives. To compare drug classes between MED-RT and SNOMED CT. Our motivation for the comparison is to explore whether SNOMED CT classes could form the basis for drug value sets and clinical decision support, and be a potential alternative to MED-RT classes. Methods. We compare the characteristics of the two drug classification systems for mechanism of action (MOA) and chemical structure (CHEM) classes. More specifically, we compare their basic characteristics (number of classes, hierarchical organization), coverage from the perspective of drug classes (i.e., number of classes with drug members at the ingredient level), and coverage from the perspective of drugs (i.e., number of drugs with a class). We also compare the coverage of drugs in SNOMED CT and MED-RT, overall (quantitatively) and for the 200 most-prescribed drugs (178 after eliminating multi-ingredient drugs). This work is based on the following terminological resources: U.S. Edition of SNOMED CT (March 2021), MEDRT (April 2021) and RxNorm (April 2021) accessed through the RxClass API (https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/RxClassAPIs.html).


Taking the practice in a chemical factory as an example,a monitor system which employs Siemens S7-300 PLC as the data collection and control unit for the chemical rectification column was designed to collect temperature,pressure and flow data and then has them modified with PID in PLC program.The principal PC exchanges data with each station through the WinCC to achieve a centralized control.


This paper proposed a dipole antenna with multi-band for modern wireless systems application. The designed antenna consists of a quasi-symmetric dipole with two pairs of coupled strips to excite four resonant modes. Two resonant modes operate at low band for LTE 700 and GSM 850/900 while the other two resonant modes excite at high band for GSM 1800/1900 applications. Because the resonant modes are all excited by λ/2 mode, the radiation patterns have a benefit of omni-direction characteristic. The proposed design also has advantages of planar structure and ease fabrication. Details of the designing mechanism and experimental results are discussed.


Inhibitive and adsorption properties of unused meropenem drug for the corrosion of Cu in one molar HNO3 solution have been done by utilized (EIS), tafel polarization and (EFM) techniques as well as mass reduction methods of monitoring corrosion. The Effect of temperature was investigated at temperature range (25 45 0 C). The obtained results indicated that the examined drug is an excellent inhibitor in 1 M HNO3 and its efficiency equalize to 98.7% at 300 ppm. The inhibition efficiency percent (% IE) improvements with raising the drug dose while it lowering with raising the temperature of solution. The polarization data indicated that this drug play as mixed inhibitor type. The adsorption of the drug on the Cu surface follows the Temkin isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters have been calculated and discussed.


Volatile components degassing from the crust provide important information on Earth interior. Helium fluxes from the crust because of its inert property are important precursors of crustal tectonic and thermal events. Helium isotopic ratios in crustal fluid serve as tracers in resolving groundwater age in the crust and contribution of mantle-derived fluid. Here, we will describe depth profile of helium concentration in a hot-spring well in Beppu, Japan using new sampling devices. The sampling devices allow gas exchange between the headspace in the sampler volume and the dissolved gases in the water though gas permeable silicon tubing, and we collected helium gases dissolving in well water by the devices. Beppu is situated on east end of subsidence of the Beppu-Shimabara Graben in Kyushu Island, southwest Japan (Matsumoto, 1979), and is a famous area as a geothermal system. The geothermal system is located on the eastern flanks of the Tsurumi-Garandake volcanic center and spread until the coastline to the east. The geothermal activity is mostly concentrated in two areas, on the northern and southern sides of the fan deposit. These two areas are known as the Kamegawa and Beppu thermal zones, which are along with two faults, the Kamegawa and Asamigawa faults, respectively (Allis & Yusa, 1989). The sampling devices were installed every 50 m from near bottom of the well to the surface in the periods of July 13-15 and August 21-24, 2015. The collected gases were measured by a noble gas mass spectrometer (Helix SFT; GV Instrument) installed at Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo. Helium concentrations and isotope ratios (He/He) is gradually lower, as setting depth becomes shallow. The highest in the isotope ratio shows 6.79 and 7.08 Ra (Ra=1.4E-6) around the bottom, and its high ratio can be of mantle origin. The screen of the borehole ranges 278-300 m, mantle helium could enter the well with hot spring water through the screen, and could go to the surface. References Allis R.G. and Yusa Y. (1989) Fluid flow processes in the Beppu geothermal system, Japan. Geothermics, 18, 743-759. Matsumoto Y. (1979) Some problems on volcanic activities and depression structure in Kyushu, Japan. The MEMOIRS of the Geological Society of Japan, 16, 127-139.


Abstract The mechanical relaxation of twelve samples of unvulcanized cis poly-(isoprene)s, including both natural and synthetic polymers, was studied over a range of temperatures. Master curves of relaxation modulus obtained from these data were used to derive relaxation spectra according to linear viscoelastic theory. A recent theory was used to calculate mean values of quantities related to the supermolecular structure which occurs spontaneously in these materials and is responsible for their viscoelastic properties. This structure is schematized in a model consisting of a system of macromolecules which interact with each other by elastic forces and frictions corresponding to points of entanglement between chains. The analysis leads to the determination, for each sample, of the number of entanglements per molecule, the physical network density, the value of relaxation parameters, and the relationship of each of these quantities to molecular weight.


Abstract Non-monotonic logic offers a useful framework for modeling human reasoning in social settings where role conflict arises from contradictions among roles, norms, and constraints. This paper uses non-monotonic logic to specify the processes by which an individual chooses actions (based on self-concept and norms) and observers then make attributions about the individual (based on actions and norms). By linking the choice and attribution processes together with the assumption that the individual gradually internalizes attributions, we obtain a feedback loop governing change in the self-concept. Analysis of this feedback loop reveals that the self-concept may reach a stable long-run state–an "absorbing self" – only if the normative system is logically consistent.


Normal acetabular development in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) depends upon early and maintained congruent reduction. Computed tomography is an accepted method for evaluating this and attempts to quantify hip reduction, by various angular and linear measurements, have been reported. The aim of this study was to assess initial CT scans, following open reduction in the older child with DDH, with comparison of outcome to evaluate prognostic value. Method: Thirty consecutive patients underwent open reduction for DDH, with a mean age of 25.9 months at the time of operation. Acetabular morphology and the position of the femoral head were evaluated on the initial CT scan, taken on the first postoperative day, and AP pelvic radiograph taken at the latest follow-up. Results: The acetabulae of the dislocated hips were found to be significantly more anteverted than the normal. The dislocated hips also had significantly increased lateral displacement both initially and at latest follow-up. Posterior displacement of the proximal femoral metaphysis should raise concern due to an association with the need for further surgical intervention. These results did not however correlate with outcome. In conclusion, despite the significant differences noted between DDH and normal hips they did not predict acetabular development or persistent acetabular dysplasia.


YOUTH ABOUT REALITY SHOW 86 NET.TV. (Phenomenology Study on the EBRT Racing Team Community. Natar, South Lampung) This study aims to determine the perceptions of adolescents in the EBRT Racing Team community about the reality show 86 NET.TV. This study uses a type of descriptive research with a phenomenological approach. Data collection techniques are carried out by interview, observation and documentation. Data analysis was carried out by qualitative descriptive analysis. Research result. EBRT racing team's community perception of 86 Net TV shows through a phenomenological approach can be seen that informants who are members of the EBRT racing team community consider 86 Net TV shows to only be reality shows that only display the good image of the police and according to their perceptions, the police there were 86 Net TV shows very different from the police they had met. From the results of perceptual analysis using a phenomenological approach and associated with DeVito's perception theory, giving perceptions, a person or group of people can be influenced by many things, various processes that influence perception according to DeVito's theory clearly illustrate the EBRT racing team's perception of 86 Net TV services judging from the implicit personality theory, predictions are fulfilled by their own perceptual and primitive accents.


The systems K 2 MoO 4 -AMoO 4 -Hf(MoO 4 ) 2 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb) have been studied in their subsolidus regions using X-ray powder diffraction and differential thermal analysis. Intermediate phases of composition 5: 1: 3 are formed in the systems. The crystallographic and thermal characteristics of these phases have been determined.


The type of vegetation reflects rainfall and seasonality at a national scale but many other factors influence variations in vegetation at a local scale, particularly the nature of the soil and drainage regime. The soil units outlined follow the FAO/UNESCO conventions, since they represent the most widely accepted international classification. In Belize, the soils are traditionally given local names.


Since large earthquakes can disrupt water supply networks, it is essential to gain an understanding of the expected usability of fire hydrants in post-quake firefighting activities. In this study, data about water supply networks was collected and a water outage simulation model was constructed in order to predict the likelihood that individual fire hydrants would become unusable in the wake of a large earthquake. The water outage simulation model was integrated with a previously developed urban zone damage simulation and a fire department activity simulation in order to carry out a simulation-based analysis of the 23 wards of Tokyo, after which a quantitative analysis of the relation-ship between use of fire hydrants and the number of buildings lost to fire was performed. This analysis revealed the benefits of hardening water lines against earthquakes, fire hydrant usage variations depending on locality, and the benefits of using water pressure sensors to identify usable fire hydrants.


A 59-year-old male was admitted for catheter ablation of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. He had a previous history of lower-thoracic esophageal cancer treated by chemoradiation therapy 2 years earlier. The patient had received a total dose of 61 Gy and the heart had been included in the radiation therapy (RT) field. The 12-lead ECG during sinus rhythm was within normal range (Picture 1A). The 12-lead ECG during tachycardia showed long RP tachycardia (Picture 1B). The endocardial voltage map of the right atrium (RA) by electroanatomical mapping revealed a broad low voltage area including scar tissue which was suggested by non-captured, high output pacing, mainly in the free wall of the RA (Picture 2A). The activation map during the tachycardia demonstrated a focal activation pattern with the earliest activation site in the low lateral RA (Picture 2B) where the mid-diastolic potentials during the tachycardia were recorded (Picture 3), suggesting scarrelated reentry as the mechanism of the tachycardia and suc-


Agriculture contributed the major portion of our economic value, although with the increasing population there is a requirement of highly nutritional, disease preventive and easily cultivated and prepared crops. This direct the farmers for applying conventional pesticides in exceeding amount, but with the higher amount synthetic pesticides encompass resistancy for insects after certain time, also through Biomagnifiaction pesticides causes many health problems which is responsible for asthma, kidney failure, arthritis, blood pressure (heart problems), skin disease, cancer etc. In this domain there is a requirement of a substitutional trend to control crop field insect with negligible harmful effect to non targeted organism, this promoted biopesticides application. This review paper enlightens the food and environmental safety with insect pest management through biopesticides.


MILTON'S PARADISE LOST A Commentary on The Argument By JOHN S. DIEKHOFF, Asst. Prof. of English, Queens College The author deals here with theological problems of the poem, believing that its meaning may be understood and its bearing on conduct determined without special concern for theological controversies. His concern is to determine what, according to Milton, should be the guiding principles of an individual human life. 161 pages, $2.00


2.1 Overview Accurate evaluation of a floor for vibrations cannot be accomplished if large errors are made in predicting the floor's stiffness. These errors result in inaccurate predictions of frequency and peak acceleration, factors which affect an evaluation. The current AISC/CISC Design Guide 11 provisions for effective moment of inertia of joist-girders and girders with joist seats as horizontal shear connections suggest that the effective moment of inertia is equal to 4 / ) ( g comp g eff I I I I − + = (2.1) This relationship was developed from single bay tests with K-series joists 24-30 in. on center and supported by hot-rolled girders. Refinement of Equation 2.1 is the primary purpose of the series of tests reported in this chapter. The relationship must be improved to account for recent trends in floor design. These trends include the use of larger and/or compositely constructed joists, usually with wide spacing. Joists of this type typically have seats taller than the seats associated with smaller joists at narrower spacing. One or both of these factors may be the cause of several recent unexpected problems. For example, two recently constructed floor bays, 40 ft x 40 ft and 28 ft x 40 ft, were problematic. For both floors, LH-series joists at the girder quarter points were used to span the 40 ft direction, providing only one shear connector in each half span. The floors were probably more flexible than predicted causing them to vibrate at a lower frequency. The tall seats and wide spacing of the joists used in these floors are likely causes for the problems. Identification and correction of this type of problem will be attempted using the results from several experimental tests and finite element models. The experimental testing included a total of eight 30 ft x 8 ft "footbridges" with girders spanning the 30 ft dimension and joists spanning the 8 ft dimension. Four footbridges had W14x22 girders and four had 14G joist-girders. Supported joist spacing was 30, 60, or 90 in. and supported joist type was K-series or LH-series. For seven footbridges, bolted, welded, and reinforced seat-to-girder connections, described in Section 2.2 and shown in


This article highlights the importance for the occupational therapist to develop her understanding of underlying dynamics, relevant in all types of activities. The therapeutic effect of practical activities can then be maximized, by using this understanding to facilitate patients in trying out new ways of responding to situations.


This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the use of non- monetary transactions (barter, debt offsets, etc.) in Russia since the fall of Communism. The two primary theories are the credit crunch (liquidity constraint) theory and the virtual economy theory. The former relates to the lack of access to bank credit and cash and the rise of non-monetary transactions as a survival mechanism that oils the gears of the market. The latter asserts that barter is a symptom of a system by which the value added firms (such as Gasprom) subsidize the value destroying firms (the 'white elephants'). Barter allows the two players to arbitrarily set prices so that the value added firm can avoid some of the profit taxes while the value destroying firms can stay alive.


In this paper a method is presented to identify landmines in various burial conditions through features obtained from two analytic methods, PCA and DFT. A GPR data set is processed to obtain landmine data. For this process, signal regulation, average filtering and the ground effect reduction are performed. After the landmine data is obtained, PCA and DFT are applied for extracting features of each landmine. A database is then constructed based on landmine features for different levels of moisture and types of ground, and burial depths of the landmines. Using the database, identification is performed by comparing features against the database. For the identification, a counting method is used. If the features of an input GPR data match those of a landmine stored in the database, the counting value for that landmine is increased. The landmine with the largest counting value is given as the identified landmine. Four landmines are considered buried at different depths in various ground conditions. Examples show that the proposed method is capable of landmines efficiently.


Simple Summary Gastric cancer (GC) represents the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Recent developments in PCR and metagenomics clarify that the stomach contains a powerful microbiota. Conventional treatments for GC that include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are not very effective. That's why new therapeutic strategies are needed. The intestinal microbiota is involved in oncogenesis and cancer prevention, and the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Recent studies have shown that certain bacteria may enhance the effect of some traditional antineoplastic drugs and immunotherapies. Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and deadly malignancies worldwide. Helicobacter pylori have been documented as a risk factor for GC. The development of sequencing technology has broadened the knowledge of the gastric microbiome, which is essential in maintaining homeostasis. Recent studies have demonstrated the involvement of the gastric microbiome in the development of GC. Therefore, the elucidation of the mechanism by which the gastric microbiome contributes to the development and progression of GC may improve GC's prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge about changes in gastric microbial composition in GC patients, their role in carcinogenesis, the possible therapeutic role of the gastric microbiome, and its implications for current GC therapy.


The field of computer vision endeavours to develop automatic approaches to the
interpretation of images from the real world. Over the past number of decades researchers
within this field have created systems specifically for the automatic analysis of facial
expression. The most successful of these approaches draw on the tools from behavioural
science. In this chapter we examine facial expression analysis from both a behavioural
science and a computer vision perspective. First we will provide details of the principal
approach used in behavioural science to analyze facial expressions. This will include an
overview of the evolution of facial expression analysis, where we introduce the field of facial
expression analysis with Darwin's initial findings (Darwin, 1872). We then go on to show
how his findings were confirmed nearly 100 years later by Ekman et al. (Ekman et al., 1969).
Following on from this we provide details of recent works investigating the appearance and
dynamics of facial expressions.


National culture is a unique Japanese culture emerged from the latter part of the Heian period.Japanese national culture is mostly represented as the popularity of the worship of Pure Land Buddhism,the flourishing of the plastic arts and the prosperous of the national literature.Japanese national culture centering on nobility and focusing on Japanese style culture has a profound and far-reaching effect on all posterity.


To overcome the difficulty for solving fourth order partial differential equations (PDEs) using localized methods, we introduce and extend a recent method to decompose the particular solution of such equation into particular solutions of two second-order differential equations using radial basis functions (RBFs). In this way, the localized method of approximate particular solutions (LMAPS) can be used to directly solve a fourth-order PDE without splitting it into two second-order problems. The closed-form particular solutions for polyharmonic splines RBFs augmented with polynomial basis functions for Helmholtz-type equations are the cores of the solution process. Several novel techniques are proposed to further improve the accuracy and efficiency. Four numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness of our approach. AMS subject classifications: 65Y04, 35K05


The use of a phase change material for the storage of latent heat is an ideal approach for the storage of thermal energy due to the high thermal density of storage, the isothermal nature of the storage process, and the ease with which it may be controlled. In recent years, there has been a rise in the use of latent heat storage systems for the purpose of energy conservation, solar heating systems, and waste heat recovery systems. The use of solar water heaters in practical settings has become more widespread. After providing a summary of the information that has been disseminated on the theoretical uses of water heaters, this article begins by examining the research that has been conducted on the practical applications of solar water heaters. This article includes covers methods to improve the efficiency of these systems as well as research on solar water heaters that combine phase change material with solar water collectors. This paper concludes with several suggestions for further research on phase change material-based water heaters. The completion of this review in a fruitful manner leads to a greater comprehension of the research and development of phase change material-based water heaters as well as the many methods by which these heaters might be improved.


Since 1941, when Huggins and Hodges proved the favourable effect of surgical castration and oestrogen administration on the progression of metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) (1,2), androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) became the mainstay of management of advanced PCa till now. They demonstrated for the first time the responsiveness of PCa to androgen deprivation. ADT effectively palliates the symptoms of advanced disease, significantly reduces tumor growth, but there is no conclusive evidence at present that it prolongs survival. Moreover, significant amount of data report that ADT is associated with several adverse effects. The most prominent include: loss of bone mineral density (BMD), which leads into increased fracture risk (3), induction of insulin resistance (4), unfavorable changes in serum lipid profile (5), changes in body composition (6) which can lead into increased cardiovascular morbidity (7) and changes in cognitive functions (8). The aim of ADT is to cause severe hypogonadism, and adverse effects of ADT clearly demonstrate the essential and pluripotent role of male s most important androgen – testosterone (TST).


In recent years, the performance of Thailand's tourism sector has been unstable due to a number of unfortunate situations, e.g. worldwide economic recession, natural disaster. To make this sector more sustainable, Thailand needs to attract good quality foreign tourists to revisit the country. It is very mportant for people and agencies involved to acquire the knowledge on factors and issues that matter to repeating visitors. Therefore, this study is undertaken to explore the determinants of revisit tourists' satisfaction towards Thailand's tourism services. The study uses both primary and secondary data. Questionnaire survey is conducted in Bangkok with 420 foreign tourists. To analyze data, samples are divided, according to their education levels, into 2 groups: quality and general tourists. Apart from descriptive statistics, F-test and ANOVA are used to analyze the difference in tourists' behaviors between quality and general tourists. The factors affecting foreign tourists' decision to visit Thailand are analyzed using probit model together with marginal effects. The results show that tourists' age and current country of residence can significantly influence their visit. Moreover, foreign tourists' satisfaction towards personnel and procedure relating to the country's tourism is statistically significant in explaining their visit to Thailand.


For Rayleigh fading channels, the primary code design criterion for a trellis coded modulation scheme is to maximize its effective code length (ECL). This paper concerns the design of optimal (2,1) Z/sub 2/-convolutional encoders (CE) which, when combined with the continuous phase encoder (CPE) of CPFSK scheme, reaches the upper bound of ECL of a generic trellis coded modulation scheme. We develop sufficient conditions for the optimality of such a CE and the upper bound of the complexity for the test of these sufficient conditions is also shown.


Is trade liberalization contributing to cleaner pr oduction amongst manufacturing firms? Theoretical predictions and empirical eviden ces are mixed. This study utilizes China's dual trade regime and China's WTO entry in 2001 to construct a unique micro dataset on manufacturing firms for China for the period 2000-2 007, and performs a difference-in-difference estimation strategy to dir ectly examine this issue. Specifically, normal exporters that saw tariff changes during the same period form the treatment group; while processing exporters that enjoy tariff-exempt ions both preand post-WTO entry serve as the control group. Results show that China's WTO entry contributed to a lower SO 2 emission intensity for normal exporting firms. We f urther examine the mechanism and show that the productivity channel accounted for the obs erved pattern. Specifically, more efficient normal exporters saw greater decline of SO 2 emission intensity than average normal exporters. This study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of trade on the environment, especially in developing countries. It also complem ents the literature in terms of providing China's micro evidence on the impact of trade liberalization on firm's env ironmental performance.


Observing that every k-irreducible ideal of a semiring R is a k-primary ideal, if R is an additively cancellative, yoked and commutative Noetherian semiring, we establish the primary decomposition and uniqueness of the primary decomposition of k-ideals of such semirings. Finally, the primary decomposition and uniqueness of primary decomposition proved for k-ideals is also generalised for fuzzy k-ideals of these semirings.


As part of the wider Neighbourhoods and Dementia Study, co-researchers from the Open Doors Research Group (based in Salford, UK) produced a series of three films with the title 'The Changing Face of our Neighbourhood'. These films were subsequently placed on 'YouTube' and document co-researchers' storied experiences of Salford and the industrial, economic and social changes that have occurred over the inquiry group's lifetime. Drawn directly from this autobiographical and socio-generational work, this article focuses on the experience of lead author Lesley Calvert, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2013 and has been a member of the Open Doors Research Group since 2014. Lesley grew up and worked as a district nurse for almost 40 years, remaining close to her place of birth in Salford all her life. In this article, Lesley draws upon her autobiographical narrative which she shares in the three films to describe the intersections between biography, place-making, belonging and dementia. The article concludes with the importance of democratising the research space and why academic researchers need to create opportunities for personal stories to be told, heard and acted upon.


This report presents a spreadsheet tool for evaluating life-cycle maintenance strategies for existing concrete bridge decks that have deteriorated as a result of chloride-induced corrosion. The spreadsheet tool constructs a performance curve for existing bridge decks, computes the estimated service life of common treatments for bridge decks such as patching, concrete or asphaltic overlays as well as that of a new deck with epoxy coated bars, conducts a life-cycle cost analysis for common maintenance scenarios, and determines the optimal maximum (tolerable) condition index that minimizes total life-cycle maintenance cost. The life-cycle cost analysis is probabilistic. Also, this report provides a library of alternative life-cycle treatment scenarios and offers distribution functions for estimated unit costs. Both agency and user costs are considered. A case study analysis was conducted using the tool. Findings and conclusions suggest that the least cost maintenance scenario may depend on the choice of discount rate. The most significant findings are that total life-cycle cost (user cost plus agency cost) is a function of the maximum tolerable condition Sm and that the function can be optimized to find the value of Sm that minimizes the total life-cycle cost.


The trough type solar collector is studied with an energy transfer model established base on the second law of thermodynamics. The mechanism of exergy loss,characteristics of its distribution,and the main factors influencing the exergy efficiency in photo-thermal conversion process are analyzed. Results show that the exergy loss in trough type solar collector mainly occurs during the endothermic process of the condensor and the heat tube. Exergy efficiency of the collector can be improved effectively by maintaining the vacuum of it and the turbulent flow status of the heat-transfer medium.


There is provided an apparatus for detecting a thickness or thickness variation of a flat object (5), in particular a value bill, proposed at least one first guide element (1), arranged with a plurality of side by side in a row and with respect to the first guide element (1) second guide elements (2 ), whereby the flat object (5) between the first guide element (1) on the one hand and the second guide elements (2) on the other hand portable, movable with respect to the first guide element (1) arrangement of the second guide elements (2) to at a thickness variation of between the guide elements (1, 2) passing through the flat object (5), a deflection of one or more of the second guide elements (2) relative to the first guide element (1) to cause a plurality of fixedly arranged coils (10, 11), wherein every second guide element (2) is associated with at least one coil, each with at least one star r, each with a second guide element (2) core (9) connected movably in the second guide element (2) associated coil (10, 11) is guided, wherein a deflection of a second guide element (2) a deflection of the associated coil core ( 9) causes, with an evaluation means (16, 17, 18, 19) for determining the influence of the position of the coil cores (9) relative to the coils (10, 11).


. This article is an exposition of fixed-point theorems for random groups of the triangular model and of the graph model obtained in joint works with Izeki and Nayatani [11, 12].


Hulunbeier Sand Land is one of the four main sandy areas of China.The last years,due to the natural factors and irrational human activities,especially over grazing,this sand pasture has been deteriorated and desertified severely.Consequently,not only the pasture productivity has been reduced,but also the development of livestock industry has been restricted seriously.This paper analyzed the cause of the sand land engendering and enlarging,at last brings forward the main measures about fathering Hulunbeier sand land and the method to use pasture resources reasonably.


Papua New Guinea (PNG) is Australia's closest international neighbours, with the Pacific nation just over an hour's flight from Cairns. The people of PNG are a diverse, culturally rich group of people. They have a strong sense of family and culture and are welcoming and friendly. With over 800 languages spoken in PNG it is easy to appreciate there are many different cultural backgrounds. Pidgin English is the common language although English is widely spoken.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the policy of strengthening character education in instilling character education for learning from home in the new normal era. Various problems and phenomena that occur in society, seem to be an indication that character teaching has not occurred optimally. The complexity of life is often a driving factor for the emergence of attitudes and behaviors that are not based on the characters taught in the learning process in educational units. This type of research was literature research, which is a series of research activities related to the method of collecting library data, or research where the object of research is explored through a variety of library information such as books, scientific journals, newspapers and other relevant documents. The data analysis technique used in this paper was descriptive analysis, namely describing the data obtained and describing them systematically, then given an understanding to answer the problems that have been formulated. Evaluation of policies to strengthen character education as well as the needs of students becomes the basis for formulating character education policy formulas and it is our collective responsibility from the central level (Kemdikbud), the local government level (Province / Regency / City) to the level of the Education Unit, parents, family and community and should be carried out holistically so that the policy of strengthening character education involves all parties from the concept to the operational level. Strengthening the policy of strengthening character education will run optimally if all parties involved in the implementation of education work together and collaborate with full awareness and responsibility. All stakeholders that there should put character education as the main spirit by involving the wider community in the education ecosystem, always self efficacy, innovate and familiarize method best method, found a way most appropriate learning strategies and focusing on the most important thing.


The invention relates to an angle sensor (1) for detecting a rotational angle based on a relative angular position of a physical field, comprising a first and a second sensor element (28, 51) between which the physical field is transferred, wherein the first sensor element (28) as donor element and the second sensor element (51) is designed as a receiving element or vice versa, a shaft (20) at which the first sensor element (28) is fixed, a housing (40) to which the second sensor element (51) is fixed, wherein the housing (40) comprises a receiving area (47) for receiving the shaft (20), a shaft bearing (30) with a bearing-side bearing surface (34) for supporting the shaft (20) in the receiving region (47) of the housing (40), wherein the shaft bearings (30) from a plurality of separate bearing pads (30a, 30b) is formed, each covering a part of the bearing circumference.


A method for preparing aramid fiber is provided to solve crystallinity of aramid fiber generated by impurities, orientation degree and polymerization degree, and to obtain aramid fiber having strength deviation satisfying property standards required for high-tech fields. A method for preparing aramid fiber comprises the steps of: polymerizing aromatic diamine and aromatic diacid halide in a polymerization solvent to prepare an aromatic polyamide polymer, wherein the aromatic diamine has 99.9-100% purity of para-aromatic diamine excluding meta-aromatic diamine and ortho-aromatic diamine; dissolving the aromatic polyamide polymer in a solvent to prepare a spinning dope; and spinning the spinning dope.


Mexican topotypes of Lepidorbitoides minima Douville, type species of the genus Orbitocyclina Vaughan 1929, exhibit an orbitoidiform architecture conditioned by an obliquely-overcrossed stolon system in only three stolon planes in the medium layer of the shell and arising from a single auxiliary chamberlet. This architecture is identical with the one observed in Campanian early species of the Tethyan genus Lepidorbitoides. Orbitocyclina is therefore placed in synonymy with Lepidorbitoides Silvestri, 1907. This opens the way for a transatlantic biozonation based on quantitative methods supported by evolutionary theory using nepionic acceleration as a measurable feature.


The paper considers a new industrial constructive system of residential and public buildings that meets modern requirements for protection against progressive collapse, improved space-planning, architectural and thermal protection solutions. The presence of a significant number of enterprises with technological lines for the production of structures for large-panel housing construction and their share in the market, combined with a number of shortcomings of the technical and space-planning solutions used, indicate the need to modernize these enterprises for their production to meet modern requirements. The purpose of this study was to develop an industrial constructive system of civilian buildings with increased resistance to progressive collapse, the production of which would not require expensive modernization of the construction industry enterprises. Based on the level calculation schemes, an algorithm is proposed for calculating such a system for a particular emergency impact. Numerical studies have established the correspondence of the developed constructive system to the requirements of a special limiting state under design loads and accidental effects caused by the disconnection of the vertical bearing from work.


The invention provides an adjustable overheat protection circuit in a switching power supply, aiming at solving the problems of high cost, large occupied space, difficulty in controlling protection temperature precision and inconvenience in regulating temperature range of the existing overheat protection circuit. The adjustable overheat protection circuit is used for detecting whether the temperature of a system is within the normal working range of a chip, outputting an overheat protection signal when the temperature exceeds the normal working temperature of the system, and outputting a normal temperature indicator signal when the temperature of the system returns to the normal working temperature again. The protection circuit can be integrated in a control chip, is of a reliable protection structure with a minimum circuit scale; and fine tuning can be carried out by means of variable resistance strings.


(Until his retirement last year, Jack Chapman worked for several years in the Inner London divorce court welfare section. He is still acknowledged as one of NAPO's authorities on domestic work and contributed to NAPO's evidence to the working party, whose report he now reviews.)


Ethanol leaf extract of Tithonia diversifolia was investigated for its hepato-curative activity in Trypanosoma brucei brucei  infected-rats. The phytochemical compositions of the plant extract were also evaluated. The leaf extract was administered 14 days post-infection at dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg orally once daily. Quantitative phytochemical analysis reveals high concentration of terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids and tannins. Lethal dose (LD 50 ) of the extract to be equal to or greated than 5000 mg/kg. The in-vivo parasitaemia showed significant ( p <0.05) reduction on day 3, 7 and 14 of treatment compared with day 0 of treatment. All the T. brucei brucei  infected-rats treated with diminazen aceturate and varing doses of the extract showed significant ( p <0.05) reduction in parasitaemia count compared with with the infected- rats control. The infected rats treated with 400 mg/kg b.w of the extract showed higher percentage parasitaemia suppresion rate (60%) compared with those treated with 200 mg/kg b.w of the extract (44.74%). Serum enzyme level showed significant ( p <0.05) decrease in plasma AST, ALT and ALP activity of infected and treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the leaf extract compared with the normal control rats. The histological study showed normal lobules with normal hepatocytes arranged regulating interconnecting cords around the central veins in the infected-rats treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg of theextract compared with the liver histo-architecture ofinfected rat administered distilled water which showed moderate to severe hepatitis and random widespread multi-focal areas of coagulative necrosis. The findings suggests ethno-pharmacological usefulness of the plant and necessitate futher study toisolate the active anti-trypanosomal compounds in the plant. Keywords: hepato curative, phytochemical, LD50, histological, ethno pharmacology


Assessment of disturbance data from production equipment provides valuable information for improving productivity. To implement total productive maintenance (TPM) it is necessary to assess the magnitude of different types of production losses, in order to direct activities and allocate resources in an optimal way. In many enterprises, the focus is directed towards major time losses due to break‐downs rather than minor losses in speed and time. A method for implementing data collection is to start gradually by a simple model and develop this to a combined model with computerised systems and manual recording. This gives both an exact assessment of the magnitude of the disturbance and a deeper understanding of the reason for losses. According to about 20 cases, the overall equipment effectiveness was only around 55 per cent. Further, it is quite clear that performance losses are the dominating ones. If the production process is new to the company it is hypothesised that overall equipment effectiveness will be lower than if the company is already familiar with production process.


W ednesday,November 1,2006,was "Dissolution Day" at the AAPS Annual Meeting. The day began with a symposium titled "The Current State of In Vivo–In Vitro Correlations and Relationships (IVIVC/R) in Pharmaceutical Technology." At lunchtime,the Hot Topic was "The Role of Dissolution in the 21st Century." In the evening,the AAPS In Vitro Release and Dissolution Testing Focus Group had its annual business meeting that included some facilitated discussion.


The role of β-carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in C3 plant carbon assimilation is not clear. In this study, the primary role of C3 plant β-CAs in carbon assimilation was investigated for which, a chloroplastic β-CA gene (cacp) and a cytoplasmic β-CA gene (cacyt) from a C3 tree-legume of tropics, Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) were overexpressed in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco). The cacp and cacyt β-CA isoforms from leucaena were overexpressed separately and also together in tobacco resulting in three types of transgenic tobacco plants (i) expressing cacp only (ii) expressing cacyt only and (iii) co-expressing both cacp and cacyt. These transgenic plants exhibited significantly higher activity of β-CAs as compared with wild-type plants. The percent increase in the CA activity of transgenic plants expressing leucaena cacyt or cacp was found to be ∼51 and ∼55%, respectively. The transgenic tobacco expressing both the leucaena β-CA isoforms exhibited ∼63% increase in CA activity as compared with the wild-type. However, despite notable increase in the CA activity of transgenic tobacco plants, no difference was observed in their phenotype, chlorophyll content and the overall dry weight compared with that of wild-type suggesting that C3 β-CAs are not involved in active accumulation of inorganic carbon.


FLT3-ITD–mediated leukemogenesis is associated with increased expression of oncogenic PIM serine/threonine kinases. To dissect their role in FLT3-ITD–mediated transformation, we performed bone marrow reconstitution assays. Unexpectedly, FLT3-ITD cells deficient for PIM1 failed to reconstitute lethally irradiated recipients, whereas lack of PIM2 induction did not interfere with FLT3-ITD–induced disease. PIM1-deficient bone marrow showed defects in homing and migration and displayed decreased surface CXCR4 expression and impaired CXCL12–CXCR4 signaling. Through small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown, chemical inhibition, expression of a dominant-negative mutant, and/or reexpression in knockout cells, we found PIM1 activity to be essential for proper CXCR4 surface expression and migration of cells toward a CXCL12 gradient. Purified PIM1 led to the phosphorylation of serine 339 in the CXCR4 intracellular domain in vitro, a site known to be essential for normal receptor recycling. In primary leukemic blasts, high levels of surface CXCR4 were associated with increased PIM1 expression, and this could be significantly reduced by a small molecule PIM inhibitor in some patients. Our data suggest that PIM1 activity is important for homing and migration of hematopoietic cells through modification of CXCR4. Because CXCR4 also regulates homing and maintenance of cancer stem cells, PIM1 inhibitors may exert their antitumor effects in part by interfering with interactions with the microenvironment. 1 Department of Internal Medicine III, Technical University, Munich 81739, Germany 2 Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital, Basel 4031, Switzerland 3 University of Oxford, Structural Genomics Consortium, Old Road Campus Research Centre, Oxford OX3 7DQ, England, UK 4 Centro M. Tettamanti-Clinica Pediatrica, Universita Milano-Bicocca, 20042 Monza, Italy 5 Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Freiburg 79111, Germany Dissection of PIM serine/threonine kinases in FLT3-ITD–induced leukemogenesis reveals PIM1 as regulator of CXCL12–CXCR4-mediated homing and migration R. Grundler, L. Brault, C. Gasser, A. N. Bullock, T. Dechow, S. Woetzel, V. Pogacic, A. Villa, S. Ehret, G. Berridge, A. Spoo, C. Dierks, A. Biondi, S. Knapp, J. Duyster and J. Schwaller The Journal of Experimental Medicine 323, 1957–1970, 2009 IF15,4 DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICINE PUBLICATIONS 21 DBM Facts 2|2009 Department of Biomedicine Abstract: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used in cancer treatment, imbalances nucleotide pools, thereby favoring misincorporation of uracil and 5-FU into genomic DNA. The processing of these bases by DNA repair activities was proposed to cause DNA-directed cytotoxicity, but the underlying mechanisms have not been resolved. In this study, we investigated a possible role of thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), one of four mammalian uracil DNA glycosylases (UDGs), in the cellular response to 5-FU. Using genetic and biochemical tools, we found that inactivation of TDG significantly increases resistance of both mouse and human cancer cells towards 5-FU. We show that excision of DNA-incorporated 5-FU by TDG generates persistent DNA strand breaks, delays S-phase progression, and activates DNA damage signaling, and that the repair of 5-FU–induced DNA strand breaks is more efficient in the absence of TDG. Hence, excision of 5-FU by TDG, but not by other UDGs (UNG2 and SMUG1), prevents efficient downstream processing of the repair intermediate, thereby mediating DNA-directed cytotoxicity. The status of TDG expression in a cancer is therefore likely to determine its response to 5-FU–based chemotherapy. Plos Biology 7, e10000093, 2009 IF14,1 Base Excision by Thymine DNA Glycosylase Mediates DNA-Directed Cytotoxicity of 5-Fluorouracil C. Kunz, F. Focke, Y. Saito, D. Schuermann, T. Lettieri, J. Selfridge and P. Schär Hepatology 50, 871–879, 2009 IF11,3 Abstract: Intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) development begins with the differentiation of hepatoblasts into a single continuous biliary epithelial cell (BEC) layer, called the ductal plate. During ductal plate remodeling, tubular structures arise at distinct sites of the ductal plate, forming bile ducts that dilate into the biliary tree. Alagille syndrome patients, who suffer from bile duct paucity, carry Jagged1 and Notch2 mutations, indicating that Notch2 signaling is important for IHBD development. To clarify the role of Notch2 in BEC differentiation, tubulogenesis, and BEC survival, we developed a mouse model for conditional expression of activated Notch2 in the liver. We show that expression of the intracellular domain of Notch2 (Notch2ICD) differentiates hepatoblasts into BECs, which form additional bile ducts in periportal regions and ectopic ducts in lobular regions. Additional ducts in periportal regions are maintained into adulthood and connect to the biliary tight junction network, resulting in an increased number of bile ducts per portal tract. Remarkably, Notch2ICD-expressing ductal plate remnants were not eliminated during postnatal development, implicating Notch2 signaling in BEC survival. Ectopic ducts in lobular regions did not persist into adulthood, indicating that local signals in the portal environment are important for maintaining bile ducts. Conclusion: Notch2 signaling regulates BEC differentiation, the induction of tubulogenesis during IHBD development, and BEC survival Notch2 signaling promotes biliary epithelial cell fate specification and tubulogenesis during bile duct development in mice Intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) development begins with the differentiation of hepatoblasts into a single continuous biliary epithelial cell (BEC) layer, called the ductal plate. During ductal plate remodeling, tubular structures arise at distinct sites of the ductal plate, forming bile ducts that dilate into the biliary tree. Alagille syndrome patients, who suffer from bile duct paucity, carry Jagged1 and Notch2 mutations, indicating that Notch2 signaling is important for IHBD development. To clarify the role of Notch2 in BEC differentiation, tubulogenesis, and BEC survival, we developed a mouse model for conditional expression of activated Notch2 in the liver. We show that expression of the intracellular domain of Notch2 (Notch2ICD) differentiates hepatoblasts into BECs, which form additional bile ducts in periportal regions and ectopic ducts in lobular regions. Additional ducts in periportal regions are maintained into adulthood and connect to the biliary tight junction network, resulting in an increased number of bile ducts per portal tract. Remarkably, Notch2ICD-expressing ductal plate remnants were not eliminated during postnatal development, implicating Notch2 signaling in BEC survival. Ectopic ducts in lobular regions did not persist into adulthood, indicating that local signals in the portal environment are important for maintaining bile ducts. Conclusion: Notch2 signaling regulates BEC differentiation, the induction of tubulogenesis during IHBD development, and BEC survival Notch2 signaling promotes biliary epithelial cell fate specification and tubulogenesis during bile duct development in mice J. S. Tchorz, J. Kinter, M. Müller, L. Tornillo, M. H. Heim and B. Bettler 1 Department of Biomedicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Basel, Switzerland 2 Department of Biomedicine, Division of Neurology, University of Basel, Switzerland 3 Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland 4 Institute for Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland 5 Department of Biomedicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Basel, Switzerland 1 Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland 2 Institute of Cell Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland 3 Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland 22 PUBLICATIONS DEPARTEMENT BIOMEDIZIN DBM Facts 2|2009 Departement Biomedizin Abstract: Tenascin-C (TNC) expression is known to correlate with malignancy in glioblastoma (GBM), a highly invasive and aggressive brain tumor that shows limited response to conventional therapies. In these malignant gliomas as well as in GBM cell lines, we found Notch2 protein to be strongly expressed. In a GBM tumor tissue microarray, RBPJk protein, a Notch2 cofactor for transcription, was found to be significantly coexpressed with TNC. We show that the TNC gene is transactivated by Notch2 in an RBPJkdependent manner mediated by an RBPJk binding element in the TNC promoter. The transactivation is abrogated by a Notch2 mutation, which we detected in the glioma cell line Hs683 that does not express TNC. This L1711M mutation resides in the RAM domain, the site of interaction between Notch2 and RBPJk. In addition, transfection of constructs encoding activated Notch2 or Notch1 increased endogenous TNC expression identifying TNC as a novel Notch target gene. Overexpression of a dominant negative form of the transcriptional coactivator MAML1 or knocking down RBPJk in LN319 cells led to a dramatic decrease in TNC protein levels accompanied by a significant reduction of cell migration. Because addition of purified TNC stimulated glioma cell migration, this represents a mechanism for the invasive properties of glioma cells controlled by Notch signaling and defines a novel oncogenic pathway in gliomagenesis that may be targeted for therapeutic intervention in GBM patients. Cancer Research 69, 458–465, 2009 IF7,6 1 Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Research, University Hospital,Basel, Switzerland 2 Neurosurgical Clinic, University Hospital,Basel, Switzerland 3 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital,Basel, Switzerland 4 Laboratory of Prenatal Medicine, Department of Research, University Hospital,Basel, Switzerland Friedrich Miescher Institute for


Objective To observe the effects and safety of early high-loading-dose clopidogrel in treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome.Methods 178 patients with STEMI were divided into two groups randomly.96patients were treated with clopidogrel 600 mg immediately when they came to the hospital, and then were treated with clopidogrel 75mg daily for 1 year;82 patients were treated with clopidogrel 300mg immediately when they came to the hospital,and then were treated with clopidogrel 75mg daily for 1 year.The attacks of postinfarction angina pectoris,events of heart failure and the composite of death,reinfarction or stroke were observed.Results Compared with control group, the high-loading-dose group had obvious reduction in the attacks of postinfarction angina pectoris and the composite of death, reinfarction or stroke (all p < O.05).There were no major and minor bleeding events in the two groups.Conclusion Early treatment with high-loading-dose of clopidogrel in ACS could significantly improve its prognosis,and was safe and well tolerated.

Key words:
Acute coronary syndrome;  High-loading-dose;  Clopidogrel


Image recovery is an important part of the digital image processing.And image of motion blur recovery is an important subject in one of rehabilitation.To realize the image of motion blur's recovery,the movement of the blur model and the noise of the division is an integral part.The paper first introduced how to define parameter of the motion blur,and then described the noise suppression mothers.finally makes conclusions and outlooks for image recovery technology.


In hierarchical distributed control systems for hydro power groups located over a large area, there are requirements for independent (autonomous) operation of control systems for each power group (or parts of the group), to solve local problems or in case of real-time faults over communication paths with upper levels. In this case, the control equipment for power groups may be defined as holons, and their autonomy property ensures a decentralized relationship of heter-hierarchical type. This is offering a methodology to implement alternate solutions for the control systems of power plants.


Technological innovation is an important driving force for a country's sustainable economic development and social progress, and can be achieved through R&D investment, which would lead to sustainable economic growth. This process is one of the important steps for China to realize the transformation of the economic growth mode and the development from extensive to intensive type. Since R&D investment, technological innovation, and economic growth are mutually influential and inseparable, it is particularly important to understand the interrelationship between the three. By collating data from China from 1995 to 2016, this paper established an indicator system of R&D investment, technological innovation, and economic growth as research variables. Vector autoregression model, impulse response function, and variance decomposition function were adopted. A long-term stable dynamic interrelationship among the three was revealed. The empirical analysis showed that in recent years, the growth of R&D investment, technological innovation, and economic growth stagnated or even slowly declined, which indicated that the economic development had insufficient stamina. The conversion efficiency of R&D investment was not high, and R&D investment for short-term profit was ubiquitous. The innovation ability of scientific and technological achievements was not strong, the conversion rate of scientific and technological achievements was not high, and the market integration process was relatively slow. Overall, a good circular mechanism has not been established among R&D investment, technological innovation, and economic growth. Based on this, China should improve the mutual influence and interrelationship among R&D investment, technological innovation, and economic growth. The transmission mechanism among the three should be optimized and stable economic growth promoted, for example, by increasing R&D investment, enhancing the efficiency of R&D funds, improving the incentive system for scientific and technological innovation, and promting the effective use and marketization integration of innovation achievements.


In this paper, analytical relations for magnetic ∞ux density components of helical toroidal coils (HTC) are presented. The numerical integrations resulting from these equations are done using the extended three-point Gaussian algorithm. The obtained results using numer- ical simulations coincide with the results of particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The Finite Element (FE) approach is employed to present an algorithm to study the three dimensional leakage ∞ux distribution pattern of the coil and to draw the magnetic ∞ux density lines of the HTC. The presented algorithm, due to its simplicity in analysis and ease of implementation of the non- symmetrical and three dimensional objects, is advantageous to the commercial software such as ANSYS, MAXWELL, and FLUX. Finally, using the presented algorithm, magnetic ∞ux density lines in several examples are drawn.


During his time as a POW, Frank "Foo" Fujita kept a diary of daily happenings, embellished with drawings of life in the camp. He secreted the diary in the walls of his barracks, as the practice was forbidden. That diary forms the basis of these memoirs. Fujita's memoirs are also unique in that he was one of the fewer than nine hundred Americans taken prisoner on the island of Java. The bulk of American POWs in Japanese hands surrendered in the Philippines, and most of the published POW memoirs reflect their experience. Fujita's account of the defense of Java and of the fate of the "Lost Battalion" of Texas artillerymen serves to distinguish this memoir from others. At one point while a POW in Japan, Fujita was forced to be part of the Japanese radio group broadcasting propaganda. After the war, he testified at some of the war crime trials in San Francisco, and the diary on which this book is based was used as evidence in those trials.


Abstract The railway industry is interested in studying the stress field at the interface between a railway wheel and its press fitted axle. The neutron diffraction technique provides a powerful tool for stress field investigations deep within the material. But the distance of neutron penetration is too high. For neutron diffraction strain measurements, a new method is proposed, involving drilling access holes to minimise the neutron path length within the material. The first step consists of determining the highconcentrated stress zone and of determining the influence of the drilling parameters on the stress. The second step is to perform neutron diffraction strain measurements. These measurements gave some elastic micro-strain values at the wheel/axle interface whose are of the same order of the values obtained by numerical simulation. Values are in good agreement with each other with a gap of 80 μ∊, which is near to the neutron diffraction technique sensitivity.


This chapter contains sections titled: Motivation Narrowband Burst-by-Burst Adaptive Modulation Wideband Burst-by-Burst Adaptive Modulation Wideband BbB-AQAM Video Transceivers BbB-AQAM Performance Wideband BbB-AQAM Video Performance Burst-by-burst Adaptive Joint-detection CDMA Video Transceiver Subband-Adaptive OFDM Video Transceivers Summary and Conclusions


Effective coping during athletic competition has been shown to benefit performance. This study was designed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of personality and achievement motivation on athletes' coping style. Elliot's Hierarchical Model of Approach and Avoidance Motivation (Elliot, 1999; Elliot & Church, 1997) was used as the framework to assess participants' (N=258) temperament and achievement goal tendencies. The Coping Function Questionnaire for Sport (Kowalski & Crocker, 2001) assessed coping style (i.e. problem, emotion, and avoidance). Results indicated a positive relationship between approach temperament and problem-focused coping as well as avoidance temperament and avoidance coping. Mediation analysis revealed a small indirect effect between approach temperament, mastery approach goals, and problemfocused coping. In addition, a small indirect effect existed between avoidance temperament, mastery avoidance goals, and avoidance coping. These findings illuminate the relationship between personality and coping, and suggest that Elliot's hierarchical model can help predict the coping style an athlete will likely adopt during competition.


New book,"flexible-HVDC power transmission choice " introduced based on the static AC-DC converter and high voltage DC transmission technology,is mainly refering to the latest power electronics technology in transforming the traditional line commutated converter(LCC)-based or current source converter(CSC)-based high voltage direct current(HVDC) transmission system,and doing a more comprehensive discussion on voltage source converter(VSC) based flexible DC-VSC-HVDC technology.This paper comments on the background and content review of the global free translation of the book and discusses with examples to support flexible HVDC power transmission grid development in the broad application prospects.


6 Shanmugam Somasundaram , Srikumar Chakravarthi *, Ammu 7 Radhakrishnan , Premdass Ramdas , Nagaraja Haleagrahara , Mangala 8 Kumari 3 9 10 11 Faculty of Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 12 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Perdana University Graduate School of 13 Medicine, Selangor, Malaysia 14 Departments of Pathology & Human Biology, International Medical University, Kuala 15 Lumpur, Malaysia 16 Faculty of Medicine, Health & Molecular Science, James Cook University, Townsville, 17 Australia 18 19 20 21 22 . 23 24 Aims: To assess the therapeutic effect of curcumin supplementation in modulating the expression of NFκB in the joints of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research, International Medical University, between July 2011 and May 2012. Methodology: Arthritis was induced in each group of Dark Agouti (DA) rats, by intradermal injection with collagen emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant. Treatment groups which were induced with CIA were treated with: 500 mg/kg curcumin; 1000 mg/kg curcumin; 2000 mg/kg curcumin; 25 mg/kg aspirin. Combination treatment groups which were induced with CIA were treated with: 500 mg/kg curcumin and 25 mg/kg aspirin; 1000 mg/kg curcumin and 25 mg/kg aspirin; 2000 mg/kg curcumin and 25 mg/kg aspirin from day 25 to 38. Efficacy was assessed based on ability to reduce paw oedema, histopathological changes, NF-κB expression, serum tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) and gluthathione peroxidase (GPx) levels. Results: Based on histopathological study, immunohistochemical scoring of NF-κB and ELISA analysis of TNF-α, IL-1β and GPx levels, our study found that curcumin given after arthritis in high doses, shows effects of healing and this results were comparable to positive control group, which is the arthritic group treated with 25 mg/kg aspirin. Curcumin given in combination with aspirin, showed better reduction in pathology in arthritic group compared to positive control group, especially with higher doses of curcumin. Conclusion: Curcumin was effective in reducing inflammatory changes seen in CIA joints which was proved through histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical analysis, however only at high doses.


This article examines the role of the military in processes of democratic consolidation by focusing on the case of the Greek military's extrication from power in 1974. Based on a series of elite in-depth interviews with former and current parliamentary deputies as well as retired military officers, it argues that the initial extrication of the military from power must be viewed as distinct from the issue of permanent withdrawal. Specifically, I find that attitudinal change, not simply behavioral submission to civilian control, is a fundamental condition for long-lasting civilian supremacy. That is, while behavioral support for democracy is adequate in the short term, attitudinal support is a necessary precondition for democratic consolidation in the long run. In sum, this analysis of the Greek military's extrication from power highlights the importance of achieving both behavioral and attitudinal support from the military before a newly democratized regime can be considered consolidated.


Through the analysis of all optimized objectives in coking process, blending ratio is extracted as a key variable, and a model for coking optimization control is presented. Adopting evolutionary algorithm in each layer of multiple multi-objective optimization, hierarchical multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is put forward. Based on this hierarchical structure, four optimization objectives in coking optimization model are grouped into two layers. Detailed evolutionary strategy in each layer is discussed. Simulation results indicate blending ratio computed by the model can increase production efficiency, decrease cost and energy wastage greatly. Comparison of blending ratio computed under different objective weights proves this model can satisfy the requirement of different production objectives. All these show that the model plays an important directive role in coking production structure optimization


Self-assembly of block copolymers is attractive for nanodevice fabrication because the association of different polymers by covalent bonding and the interplay between the sequences allows one to generate a variety of structures with well-defined shapes. We present a straightforward approach to generate self-organized organic semiconducting nanostructures. This approach is based on the spontaneous molecular organization of block copolymers containing one fully conjugated segment associated with a nonconjugated sequence. Such systems show high local contrast in their properties and are of interest for applications in nanoscale patterning for quantum confinement of light emission or fabrication of nanowire networks.


Introduction: The long-term risks of post-polypectomy colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality among patients with low-risk adenomas (LRAs) are unclear. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk of CRC incidence and mortality following LRAs removal. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library for studies that reported the risk of metachronous CRC incidence and mortality after colonoscopy. The primary outcome was the risk of CRC incidence and mortality in patients with LRAs. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Thirteen observational studies with 1,750,305 patients (45.4% male; follow-up: 4.5–16.5 years) were included. A meta-analysis of seven studies showed a higher CRC incidence in patients with LRAs than those without adenomas (per 10,000 person-years: 5.2 vs. 3.9; RR 1.25 [95% CI 1.05–1.49], I2 = 0%). However, the CRC-related death rate was not significantly different between the two groups (RR 1.13 [95% CI 0.75–1.69], I2 = 0%). When compared with the general population, the meta-analysis showed a significantly lower risk of CRC incidence in patients with LRAs (RR 0.59 [95% CI 0.45–0.77], I2 = 0%), and another three studies, which could not be pooled, showed a reduction in the risk of CRC-related death in the LRAs group. Conclusions: Patients with LRAs have a small but higher risk of post-polypectomy CRC incidence than patients without adenomas. The marginally higher absolute incidence seemed insufficient for more intensive surveillance colonoscopy, but the significant difference suggested different follow-up strategies between patients with LRAs and those without adenomas.


Effects of Foraging Sequence on the Ability of Lambs to Consume the Forages Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue (Alkaloids), Birdsfoot Trefoil (Tannins), and Alfalfa (Saponins)


Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 and Table 1 have been removed for copyright reasons, but may be accessed via their source listed in the References.


Malus floribunda coccinella is a landscape tree that is generally planted for its pinky flowers and small reddish fruits. The red-fleshed fruits, called crab apples, are rich in anthocyanins and are assumed as an environmental pollution material during the fruit bearing season. The aims of this research were to determine the organic acids, sugars, sugar:acid ratio, color, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of the fruit and also to identify the phenolic compounds, monomeric anthocyanins content and antioxidant activities in the peel, flesh and whole fruit. Malic acid (25.394 g kg –1 FW) was the main organic acid of the fruit. In fruits, amounts of sucrose, glucose and fructose were found to be 0.497, 0.504 and 4.334 g 100 g –1 FW, respectively. Highest total phenolic concentration and antioxidant activity values were observed in the peel among the fractions, while protocatechuic and cinnamic acids, rutin, isorhamnetin-3-glucoside, quercetin, procyanidin B1, (+)-catechin and cyanidin-3-galactoside were predominant phenolics of the peel. Highest amounts of chlorogenic acid and (-)-epicatechin were determined in the flesh. Cyanidin-3-galactoside concentration in the flesh was approximately half the amount of that in the peel.


The atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) ER-2 preflight analysis, one of the first attempts to obtain a relatively complete measurement set of the high-altitude radiation level environment, is described in this paper. The primary thrust is to characterize the atmospheric radiation and to define dose levels at high-altitude flight. A secondary thrust is to develop and validate dosimetric techniques and monitoring devices for protecting aircrews. With a few chosen routes, we can measure the experimental results and validate the AIR model predictions. Eventually, as more measurements are made, we gain more understanding about the hazardous radiation environment and acquire more confidence in the prediction models.


A cotton twill fabric was subjected to a durable-press treatment with dihydroxy dimethylol ethylene urea (Permafresh-183) of increasing severity. The mechanical properties of the fabrics and of single fibers withdrawn from the treated fabrics were evaluated and the relationships between fiber and fabric properties were analyzed. Statistically significant correlations between such important fabric properties as abrasion resistance, tear strength, tensile strength, and energy-absorbing capacity, on the one hand, and fiber mechanical properties, on the other, show conclusively that chemical treatments which alter fiber structure and properties are responsible for the modified fabric behavior. At the same time, the importance of fiber geometric arrangements in spun yarn and fabric structures, in terms of fabric properties, are pointed out. Thus, while this work has shown the functional relationships between fiber mechanical properties and fabric characteristics, careful attention must be given to fiber-fiber interactions, particularly in relation to chemical modification treatments.


In recent years, interest has been paid to the identification of the arrhythmia anatomical origin in ventricular tachycardia from available information in the patient, including ECG morphology and electrograms stored in implantable devices. In this work, we scrutinize the differences in morphology from cardiac sounds. For this purpose, we compared the spatial and temporal similarity in cardiac sounds recorded during electrical intracardiac stimulation, in terms of the so-called M-mode representation for cardiac signals. A protocol was set in 5 patients referred to electrophysiological study. Cardiac pacing was made at 400 ms from different points in the left ventricle. During stimulation, we recorded: (1) the ECG signals from 12 leads; (2) the spatial coordinates for the pacing site, by using an intracardiac navigation system; (3) the heart sounds, by using a high-fidelity recording system. After visual-supervised correction, M-mode maps represented an aligned and clearly represented the variations due to distance and substrate in a consistent view. The same signal processing was followed for the cardiac sounds, showing that the ECG-based alignment was not sufficient, and that the sound signal represents a very much lower signal to noise ratio domain.


The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical apparatuses and particularly relates to an auto-sensing medical trash bin. The auto-sensing medical trash bin comprises a box and a box cover movably connected with the box. An infrared sensor disposed on the front side of the box is connected with an automatic flip cover device arranged on the box cover, and the automatic flip cover is also connected with a solar panel arranged on the outer side of the box inside which an ultraviolet sterilizer is disposed. The auto-sensing medical trash bin is simple in structure, practical, quick and easy to use, safe and hygienic.


Evaluating performances over real data links or network is often costly, even impossible for systems in development phase. In such situation, emulation is the key to provide a low cost and demonstrative platform. The main problem is to overcome the emulation weakness which is the accuracy of the model reproducing the systems to be evaluated. Owing to its modular design and implementation, the PLATINE satellite emulation platform, presented in this paper, is able to emulate a complete DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcasting – Return Channel via Satellite) system in a realistic and flexible way. It is possible to configure the platform to simulate a transparent DVB-RCS system dimensioned around a single Hub, or to simulate a system using a regenerative satellite with an on-board switching matrix only by changing some configuration files. A DVB-RCS protocol stack is implemented, and the modulation/coding part is simulated in real time thanks to pre-calculated BER files. A DiffServ-like QoS Architecture that couples MAC and IPLayer QoS mechanisms has also been implemented. In this paper, we mainly focus on the emulation platform and the tools developed to help the performance analysis of the simulated system. I. Introduction Evaluating performances over real data links or network is often costly, even impossible for systems in development phase. Simulation and emulation both provide the opportunity to evaluate performances, at low cost, on more or less realistic systems. When simulation needs a complete modelisation of the systems from applications to physical network and operates in virtual time, emulation is more demonstrative since real applications can be deployed over the model describing transfer characteristics, delay and error behavior for instance. For these reasons, the choice was made for the IST SATIP6 [1] project to set up a satellite emulation platform (PLATINE) to demonstrate the network and application services integration on next generation satellite systems and the possibility to interoperate with terrestrial networks. As current simulation tools do not implement DVB-RCS architecture or current DVB-RCS satellite systems do not provide quality of service neither on board switching satellite, our platform is a good opportunity to test new schemes, protocols and services for next generation satellite networks. This paper first briefly sums up the main functionalities of DVB-RCS satellite systems. The second section depicts the design and the implementation of our full DVB-S/RCS emulated satellite platform. It mainly focuses on the satellite Physical and Data Link layers emulation techniques and the final QoS Architecture that was retained to provide differentiated QoS on a satellite network. The final section presents the tools developed to capture system statistics and help performance analysis.


With the theoretical analysis and lot 6 kV simulation experiment certification conducted,the paper studied the features of the transient zero-sequence current at an arc ground fault and the relationship of the transient zero-sequence current between the fault line and non-fault line.①At an arc grounding,there was a transient component of high frequency attenuation in the zero-sequence voltage and ze- ro-sequence current in each feeder line.The frequency of the transient component was mainly related to the leakage impedance of trans- former,the grounding capacitances of the power network and the capacitances between the phases.The features of the transient component basically was not influenced by the grounding pattern at the neutral point.②The zero-sequence transient current of the fault line and non-fault line would be the same in frequency,attenuation speed and other features.The high or low of the zero-sequence transient current in the non-fault line would be a direct proportion to the high or low of the grounding capacitance of the line.The zero-sequence transient current of the fault line would be the total of the zero-sequence transient current of all non fault line.The attenuation speed of the zero-se- quence transient current would be increased with the increasing of the arc resistance.③When the single phase grounding fault occurred near the max value of the phase voltage,the transient zero-sequence current would be maximum.When the single phase grounding fault occurred near zero point of the phase voltage,the transient zero-sequence current would be minimum.Based on above,the paper provided a new transient current line calculation method for the single phase ground fault base on the single-chip micro computer to meet the on line and in time calculation.The experiment date showed that the above calculation method would be effective to the arc grounding fault.


The fluorescence of sulfonated acetone–formaldehyde condensate (SAF) with a nonconventional chromophore is reported for the firsttime. The fluorescence intensity of SAF can be enhanced by the introduction of phenols to obtain sulfonated phenol–acetone–formaldehyde (SPAF) and the emission color can be changed. Both of them show aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE) properties.


The phenomenon of multipath propagation has contributed significantly towards deterioration of quality of signal received in a wireless communication system. Several techniques for multipath mitigation are in use in the current wireless communication technology standards. With the steady rise in the number of wireless devices active in the environment, the concept of beamforming has also gained popularity. In this paper, we propose a smart antenna receiver architecture based on CDMA technology comprising both Rake Receiver (for multipath mitigation) and beamforming on the basis of DOA estimation by ESPRIT algorithm. The purpose is to combine time-space diversity and spatial diversity to achieve better signal reception. The simulation results for the proposed system are presented. The results significantly substantiate our claim of achieving better bit error rate using the proposed receiver.


Aiming at optimized design issues of water level control system of boiler drum,two aspects of improvement methods are put forward that are control structure and the controller parameters optimization.Through to a plenty of study of the drum water level three impulse control scheme show that this control strategy is superior to the reference method,achieved good control performance.


Usability means that the shape of a design indicates its usage. In light of this concept, we introduced an intuitive key-less entry system using PAN (personal area network) technology. When turning a door knob for the purpose of opening a door, the PAN sends an entry data through a human body. This reduces unnecessary action as well as entry time for door opening. To confirm the efficacy of this concept, we developed a simple demonstration circuit.


This paper reports an interesting phenomenon about the flame shape of laminar jet diffusion methane flames under sub-atmospheric pressures. Experiments were conducted in a confined cabin with internal size of 3 m × 2 m × 2 m and design pressure of 45-100 kPa. The methane flame was produced by a circular burner with an inner diameter of 12 mm. The fuel mass flow rates varied in the range of 6-21 mg/s, with the jet exit Reynolds numbers of 58-202 and Froude numbers of 0.046-2.8. The dimensionless flame length and radius were analyzed to have the relations of (lF/r)(rF/r)4/3 ~ Fr1/3 and lF/d ~ Re, which were in good agreement with the experimental results. The relationship of the dimensionless flame length and Froude number as well as that between the dimensionless flame length and Reynolds number were lF/d = 20.2Fr0.322 and lF/d = 0.123Re, respectively. The flame length normalized as lF/d/Re increased with the reduction of pressure according to lF/d/Re = 0.12 0.22 p ∞ . The oxygen density decreased with the decrease of ambient pressure, and the rate of air needed for combustion was proportional to the stoichiometric requirements for combustion. As a result, the flame sheet at lower ambient pressure moved upward to obtain adequate fresh air. But this increase of flame length was very small related to the scale of the flame length.


Jan Currie is Emeritus Professor in the School of Education at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Her research interests are globalization and its impact on universities, gendered universities, pay equity and social justice issues in higher education. She is a co-author of Academic Freedom in Hong Kong; Global Practices and University Responses; and Gendered Universities in Globalized Economies: Power, Careers and Sacrifices.


The present invention is a Fischer - relates to a method and a plant for operating Tropsch synthesis, in which the crude gas containing the CO and H In this case, the hydrocarbon is separated as a liquid product (4), and Fischer - Tropsch synthesis unit (3) leaving the CO- and CO 2 Gas leaving the conversion process, in the method of the present invention, after the gas treatment CO


This paper establishes a principal-agent model to analyze the decision and constraints factors in commercial banks' compensation incentive mechanism and tests the result with the panel data of China's 16 commercial banks from 2001 to 2010.The empirical results support the hypothesis that the compensational incentive of top managers has a positive correlation with financial performance of China's commercial banks but no correlation with the stability of the performance.The ROE is one of the main factors that impact the executive pay,but compensation of top managers and the operational risk is not relevant.Governance structure of banks has positive incentive effect on the operating performance of the bank,while it does not play a big role in controlling the business risk.


In this study network structure of polyacrylamide based hydrogels prepared by radiation induced polymerization has been investigated. Polyacrylamide based hydrogels in the rod form were prepared by copolymerization of acrylamide(AAm) with hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate(HEMA) and methyl acrylamide(MAAm) in the presence of cross‐linking agent and water by gamma rays at ambient temperature. Molecular weight between cross‐links and effective cross‐link density of hydrogels were calculated from swelling as well as shear modulus data obtained from compression tests. The results have shown that simple compression analyses can be used for the determination of effective cross‐link density of hydrogels without any need to some polymer‐solvent based parameters as in the case of swelling based determinations. Diffusion of water into hydrogels was examined by analyzing water absorption kinetics and the effect of network, structure on the diffusion type and coefficient was discussed.


The 14N electric field gradient tensor in single crystalline p‐nitrotoluene has been determined at room temperature via proton–nitrogen double resonance in the rotating frame. The major principal (Z) axis of the tensor lies along the C–N bond axis. The quadrupole coupling constant (1340 kHz) and asymmetry parameter (0.408) determined from analysis of the rotation patterns are in excellent agreement with the values measured in a zero field double resonance experiment on powdered p‐nitrotoluene.


of a general disillusionment with the new capitalism. There is no formal gender analysis of the new drama, although women in these plays are often portrayed in a highly sexual and victimized fashion. Also, the use of "feminism" as a disparaging term by a male director is reported without critique. While Johnson mentions directors Eva Klemets in Lithuania, Galina Poliscuka in Latvia, and several women directors in Estonia, male artistic directors at important theatres dominate the book.


Quantum information science involves exploration of fundamental laws of quantum mechanics for information processing tasks. This thesis presents several new approaches towards scalable quantum information processing. First, we consider a hybrid approach to scalable quantum computation, based on an optically connected network of few-qubit quantum registers. Specifically, we develop a novel scheme for scalable quantum computation that is robust against various imperfections. To justify that nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond can be a promising realization of the few-qubit quantum register, we show how to isolate a few proximal nuclear spins from the rest of the environment and use them for the quantum register. We also demonstrate experimentally that the nuclear spin coherence is only weakly perturbed under optical illumination, which allows us to implement quantum logical operations that use the nuclear spins to assist the repetitive-readout of the electronic spin. Using this technique, we demonstrate more than two-fold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio. Apart from direct application to enhance the sensitivity of the NV-based nano-magnetometer, this experiment represents an important step towards the realization of robust quantum information processors using electronic and nuclear spin qubits.


Reclamation can be interpreted as an effort to land acquisition by drying the swamp, tidal areas, and so on. International In not a few countries that do the reclamation to conflict with state borders. In Indonesia too many cases of reclamation hurt some parties. Method used in this paper is a normative research methods. Data collection method in this paper the author uses the method of literature. International law has not set the reclamation significantly, but in the national law in Indonesia has been regulated in Law Number 27 of 2007 on the management of coastal areas and small islands. The importance of the rules regarding the reclamation it is expected that international law can be set significantly.


Dairying, because of its inherent risk characteristics, the institutional agencies such as MILMA, Animal Husbandry Department and Dairy Development Department are providing various assistance and incentives for supporting the dairy farmers. Impact of assistance and incentives has been studied by comparing the members( who are receiving the assistance and incentives) with the non-members using Independent samples t test. Comparisons have been made on the identified critical variables such as production, marketable surplus, gross income, cost and net income. Category wise comparisons have also been done using ANOVA test to know whether there is any significant difference in the above mentioned variables among the respondents who are classified on the basis of their cattle population. The study has also analysed the impact of dairying in the asset creation and employment generation in the families of these respondent dairy farmers.


We show that the problem of finding an optimal bundle-pricing for a single additive buyer is #P-hard, even when the distributions have support size 2 for each item and the optimal solution is guaranteed to be a simple one: the seller picks a price for the grand bundle and a price for each individual item; the buyer can purchase either the grand bundle at the given price or any bundle of items at their total individual prices. We refer to this simple and natural family of pricing schemes as discounted item-pricings. In addition to the hardness result, we show that when the distributions are i.i.d. with support size 2, a discounted item-pricing can achieve the optimal revenue obtainable by lottery-pricings and it can be found in polynomial time.


The factors that may have influence on tractor performance are several, inclusive tire load and inflation pressure. These factors were studied in field conditions (surface not disturbed), under four tire load, four inflation pressure with and without the use of the mechanical front wheel assist drive. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The tractor under evalution was submitted to a constant drawbar pull by other tractor linked with a load cell. The results showed the significant influence of load tire on the rear wheel slip and on coefficient of traction, which increased with the decreasing of the load tires. The inflation pressure influenced significantly the slip, the forward velocity and drawbar power without to show a general tendency in the behaviour. The use of mechanical front wheel assist drive showed significant advantages to the some prior parameters. The interactive effects of load tire and inflation pressure indicated that some combinations were more favourable to develop major velocity and minor slip. The characteristics concerning to engine performance (fuel consumption and speed engine) were not influenced by neither factors and/or their interactive.


In this paper, we obtain a result of coupled fixed point for F -contraction mapping satisfying a nonlinear contraction condition in the framework of complete metric space. We also demonstrate a result of existence and uniqueness for solutions of a system of nonlinear integral equations. Finally, explained examples are given to strong our findings.


BASIC and ICDS convened a roundtable on 15 March in Tallinn, Estonia to discuss the dimensions involved in NATO's deterrence and defence posture review. The current reality is that the risk of nuclear war has evaporated and Russia is a partner; yet there remain strong suspicions amongst some allies of Russia's intentions, the commitment to nuclear deterrence remains universal amongst NATO's members, and the Strategic Concept implies continued commitment to the deployment of US theatre nuclear weapons (TNWs) in Europe, though it is not explicit. What lies behind this commitment, and what is the role for these nuclear weapons? The roundtable surfaced a number of diverging perspectives on some of the inescapable contradictions involved in NATO's deterrent posture.


The research reported in this article involved tests of a model by which voting decisions can be explained and predicted. Data for the tests came from surveys conducted in five presidential elections by the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan. Predictions made in terms of the model show it to be a good basis both for predicting the division of the vote and for predicting the votes of individual voters. Extensive analyses of incorrect predictions suggest them to be in great part the sort of errors one would expect, were voters arriving at their voting decisions in the manner described by the model. The validity of the model has implications of importance for practical politics, political history, and political theory.


An unexploited rotational momentum, i.e. swirl, is present in the slipstream of propellers. Stationary vanes, called swirl recovery vanes (SRVs), have been proven to be effective in increasing the propulsive efficiency of propellers. There is however no conclusive answer in literature on the noise effect of SRVs. Additionally, as the propeller slipstream is seen to be highly periodic, it is interesting to study the unsteady effects on the SRVs. A lattice Boltzmann method is applied to generate time-dependent aerodynamic and aeroacoustic results. The noise is seen to be increased in up- and downstream direction due the SRVs. The thrust generated by the SRVs is seen to be fluctuating due to a sensitivity to the inflow angle. Shortened vanes are investigated to avoid the impingement of the propeller tip vortices, resulting in a substantial reduction in thrust and a minimal effect on the aeroacoustic performance.


The ability to deal with programs as data is a valuable feature of a programming language which can be advantageously exploited in a number of different applications, particularly in the artificial intelligence field and in the construction of programming environment tools. In this paper we describe the facilities for dealing with programs as data supplied by an extended PROLOG, called EnvProlog. Such facilities are considered from a meta-programming viewpoint and are based on the capability of the language to designate (object level) programs via structural descriptive names (i.e. program names and program structures)