Introduction. The article deals with the study of optimizing the process of using liquid nitrogen mineral fertilizers based on a carbamide-ammonia mixture, both in the serial form of CAS-32 and in the innovative CAS+S (with the addition of a mesoelement-sulfur-S), as a top dressing for winter wheat during tillering in spring. The dressing process was carried out superficially on crops with a serial rod sprayer Tuman-2 with large-drop nozzles and an innovative multi-injector unit Tuman-2M.
Aim of the Article. The article aims at justifying rational technologies with the main components of the effective application of CAS on the main types of crops.
Materials and Methods. In the course of the study, there were used a common methodology of field experience, OST and GOST standards for testing machines for fertilization. Liquid nitrogen mineral fertilizers CAS-32 and CAS+S produced by PJSC Kuibyshev- Azot and taken as objects of research were introduced by sprayers Tuman-2 and Tuman- 2M manufactured by the company Pegas-Agro LLC.
Results. The field comparative tests of innovative technologies for the use of CAS conducted by Samara State Agrarian University showed an increase in the yield of the winter wheat variety Basis to 59.9% compared with the option of dressing crops with ammonium nitrate. In addition, the use of CAS+S increases the class of wheat in protein from class III to class I, in gluten from class III to class II.
Discussion and Conclusion. In general, liquid mineral fertilizers of CAS have an advantage over ammonium nitrate, especially in dry years that is very topical in the conditions of predicted global warming. The results obtained are of great importance for the wider introduction of this innovative technology in the agro-industrial complex.


The invention relates to a solid stick containing at least 65% by weight, in relation to the total weight of the stick, of solid particles. Said solid particles comprise fibres and powders and the stick forms a physiologically acceptable medium. In particular, the stick is a make-up stick and, more specifically, an eye shadow or foundation stick, which can be easily applied and which leaves a natural-looking and homogeneous powdery deposit.


in different places in the Middle East, the Balkans, Africa and parts of the United States. Their targets were invariably local autocratic leaders, unelected governments and poorly performing economies. In most cases, protesters and activists were demonstrating against specific local sets of conditions, but underlying common tensions existed which meant that the protests which contributed to the Arab spring uprisings shared some concerns with the protesters on the streets in Greece, Italy, Spain and other parts of the world who were affected by downturns in the international markets and economies. In reality activism in different parts of the world is caused by a number of factors, but initially three might be mentioned: the economic recession, the call for transparency, and the increased capacity to socially network through technological advances. The political question for sport is to what extent does sport contribute to any age of activism? To what extent does sport contribute albeit in ever such a small way to improving capabilities for individuals, communities or nations, or to what extent can sport contribute to narrowing the gap, improving life chances, being a resource which helps to close the gaps between rich and poor? Arguments about poverty do not find a home in this book. Such reservations aside, this problematic on race, politics and sport is an extremely useful review of a body of work, the arguments are well crafted, and as a starting point for understanding some of the tensions surrounding contemporary thinking about sport, politics and race this is an intervention that needs to be read. If the purpose of the project is to activate university employees to fight for a better world or social change then this is a missed opportunity, but the book is perhaps at its best when it is talking about particular case studies or biographies where sportsmen and women have challenged the world through sport in an attempt to provide alternative ways of seeing and being, and much more could have been made of this.


The invention discloses a wastewater-tank-free reverse osmosis purified water drinking machine which comprises a raw water tank, a raw water tank fixing device, a booster pump, a reverse osmosis filter element assembly and a purified water tank, wherein the raw water tank comprises a water outlet and a wastewater reflux inlet; the raw water tank fixing device is provided with an outlet water connecting port and a wastewater connecting port; the raw water tank is arranged on the raw water tank fixing device; the water outlet is communicated with the outlet water connecting port; the wastewater reflux inlet is communicated with the wastewater connecting port; the outlet water connecting port is communicated with a raw water port of the reverse osmosis filter element assembly through the booster pump; a wastewater port of the reverse osmosis filter element assembly is communicated with the wastewater connecting port; and a purified water port of the reverse osmosis filter element assembly is communicated with a water inlet of the purified water tank. The invention greatly simplifies the structure of the reverse osmosis purified water drinking machine, so that the complete machine is more simple and reliable, and the product cost is saved; and meanwhile, the user can conveniently get tap water, and the raw water tank can be cleaned easily.


This article reflects on the contribution of several authors regarding the concept of prospective. We aim to inform the reader about the main changes this concept has experienced in order to be positioned within different administrative or organizational exercises, as well as its most relevant elements during the last 60 years (1955 – 2015). This text compiles the revision, organization, and analysis of the bibliographical material published nationally and internationally –available on databases and the search tool of the National Library System of the National University of Colombia. Finally, we present the main elements that form the concept and show that even though the concept has changed and has been complemented (since the moment it was pronounced), it has evolved to the construction of the future. We conclude that the first authors that suggested this concept were the French Gaston Berguer and Bertrand de Jouvenel, and that other theo


Ethernet networks rely on the so-called spanning tree protocol (STP) in order to prevent loops. This protocol imposes a severe penalty on the performance and scalability of Metro Ethernet networks, since it makes inefficient use of links and switches. This paper presents a new scheme that ranks all of the possible spanning trees and finds the best spanning tree not only based on shortest path selection but also based on load balancing on links and switches. Actually, we define three major criterions: load balancing over links, load balancing on switches and shortest path selection. We can weight the importance of each criterion based on our goal. Our solution is not a replacement for STP, it is actually a complement for it. In STP, the construction of spanning tree is based on switch IDs and link costs. In our approach, after finding the best spanning tree, we can force STP to select it by assigning proper values to switch IDs and link costs. In a failure, STP can immediately select another spanning tree based on its rank by changing link costs. Through some simulations on a typical network, we show effectiveness of our approach.


This article designs and implements an English translation tool based on cloud services to meet users' needs for English translation, and utilizes cloud services and server-side related technologies to implement the functions required by users, providing them with a good user experience. Through research on cloud services and related technologies, an English translation tool based on cloud services has been designed and implemented. First of all, the cloud service technology is studied, including the architecture design of cloud services, the deployment of cloud services, the design of the server, the design of the client, and the deployment of cloud services. On this basis, the system architecture design, database structure design, and client interface design of English translation tools based on cloud services are carried out. After optimizing the design of cloud services, the translation accuracy of the English translation tool reached 92.5%; the translation time was reduced to 2.9 seconds; the vividness score increased to 9.8 points. The English translation tool based on cloud services has achieved significant improvements in accuracy, time required, and liveliness. It can process the English input from users and output translation results, meeting their needs for English translation.


Health professionals have found nowadays that terminal chronic diseases are considered sources of stress that entail a process of continuous deterioration. However, most people who suffer from a terminal illness not only face up the situation, but sometimes they go through it and emerge enriched by that experience. The present study aimes to describe the protection factors that promote the resilience in terminal-chronic patients hospitalized at the Hospital General Regional No. 1 of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). A qualitative study was conducted in which in-depth interviews with a clinical approach were carried out with a sample of 213 persons. Three categories that encompass the areas of protective factors (individual, family and community) were established. It can be concluded that counseling and resilience should promote an approach based on the strengths and resources of the individual in order to reduce risk factors and stressful events.


The distinction of similar classes has always been the core issue in image classification. In this article, a new hierarchical classification process based on three-dimensional attention soft augmentation (HC-3DAA) is proposed to improve the accuracy of classifiers, especially for the accuracy between similar classes. In HC-3DAA processing, the merging matrix is first constructed based on the validation confusion matrix to measure the similarity among different classes. Specifically, the 3-D attention soft augmentation module combined with CutMix is designed for guiding the network model to focus on the key discriminative features. Then, the extracted 3-D feature differences between similar classes are inserted into the attention module for the reclassification to get higher classification accuracy. To evaluate the performance of HC-3DAA, CutMix models with different feature dimensions and the HC module are separately discussed on two widely used hyperspectral datasets. Two different classifiers 3-D convolutional neural network and ResNet are included in the comparative analysis. Besides, experimental results also demonstrate that the proposed HC-3DAA outperforms several state-of-the-art attention-based methods.


A new exposure technique called block exposure was examined in order to increase the throughput of direct writing of memory LSI devices using an electron beam. With this technique, an electron beam is projected to a block of aperture patterns in the stencil mask to change the beam shape. Frequently used LSI pattern components are defined as blocks to be reused during the exposure. Patterns that are rarely used are exposed by using a variable-shape beam. With the demagnification ratio of one percent, masks are easy to fabricate and very reliable. The patterns with a 0.13-µm minimum feature size are well projected on a single-layer resist. With block exposure, any shape can be accurately transferred irrespective of the pattern shape or size. The throughput of about ten 8-in wafers per hour is estimated for several pattern layers of a 64-Mbit dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).


To optimize the damping effect of the viscous dampers used for double-pylon cablestayed bridge,the Huai′an Bridge(a double-pylon cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 416m)was cited as an example for study.The software SAP2000 was used to establish the three-dimensional finite element model for the whole bridge of the bridge and the damping effect of 4different layout schemes of the viscous dampers(the dampers were to be respectively laid out at the locations of the pylon bearings,abutment,side pier plus abutment and side pier)was comparatively analyzed by the nonlinear dynamic time-history method.The optimal layout scheme was chosen and the parameters of the viscous dampers were analyzed.By the least square regression analysis method,the mathematical model for the parameters of the critical sections and the dampers was created and on the principle of controlling the internal forces and deformation of the sections to the minimum,the optimal design parameters were obtained through solving the extreme values of the fitting equations.The results of the study show that the scheme of installing the viscous dampers at the abutment of the bridge can result in better damping function of the dampers and will not change the stress of the auxiliary piers.The proposed optimal design method for the parameters of the dampers can be used to effectively calculate the optimal parameters of the dampers and will hence provide convenience for the design.


A novel process has been developed for fabricating ceramic dielectric structures with dimensions applicable to W-band millimetre wave dielectric resonator antennas. The ceramic dielectric structures are based on composites of SU-8 2150 photoresist and alumina (Al2O3)-alpha nanopowder. The effects of increasing the weight percentage of Al2O3 nanopowder on the photo-polymerisation of the SU-8–Al2O3 composite were systematically investigated. Cylindrical structures with thicknesses up to 500 µm have been fabricated using single casted conventional ultraviolet lithography. The relative permittivity of SU-8–Al2O3 composites at different weight percentages of Al2O3 was studied showing an increase from a relative permittivity of 4.5 to 5.66 with increasing the Al2O3 weight percentage from 0 to 35%. Also, finally, double layer manufacturing of ceramic SU-8–Al2O3 composite structures was demonstrated.


Wayne State University Law School 471 W. Palmer Avenue DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48202 Peter J. Hammer Professor of Law Office: (313) 577-0830 firstname.lastname@example.com September 1, 2014 The Honorable Stephen W. Rhodes United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Michigan 211 West Fort Street Detroit, Michigan 48226 Dear Judge Rhodes: In response to your Order Regarding the Solicitation of Applications to Serve as the Court's Expert Witness on the Issue of Feasibility (April 2, 2014), 1 submitted my name for consideration. You were generous enough to include me in the final list of candidates interviewed in open court. In my application and interview, I raised a number of methodological concerns about the types of analyses and qualifications required to make a meaningful assessment of 1) the reasonableness of the assumptions that underlie the City's cash flow forecasts and projections and 2) the feasibility of the City's Plan of Adjustment (POA). (1) I was particularly concerned that the "balance sheet framework" embedded in the City's Plan of Adjustment and within the professional expertise of municipal finance was inadequate to address the full range of questions at hand. "Creating a viable city requires much more than balancing revenue and expenses in a narrow accounting framework." (2) A broader, multidisciplinary set of expertise is required, including expertise in examining the City's interconnected social, economic and political systems. I was further concerned, given the absence of any meaningful discussion in the City's Plan of Adjustment (3) and its Disclosure Statement, (4) that issues of race and regionalism would be marginalized in the expert analysis, particularly if experts were drawn exclusively from the field of municipal finance. "A feasible Plan of Adjustment based on reasonable forecasts and projections must be assessed in light of the City's history of still unhealed racial conflict and the City's position within a fractured and segregated regional economy." (5) For example, the divisive history of racial conflict and subsequent urban neglect affects the political equation for future state revenue sharing and any discussion over possible regionalization of the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. Furthermore, the extreme segregation of race and wealth in the region has direct implications for any analysis of the labor and housing markets, which, in turn, directly affect future income and property tax revenue for the City. No defensible economic analysis can ignore these issues. I have reviewed the City's Plan of Adjustment and Disclosure Statement. I have carefully evaluated the "Expert Report of Martha E.M. Kopacz Regarding the Feasibility of the City of Detroit Plan of Adjustment." (6) With all due respect to this Court's choice of experts and with equal respect for the intelligence, sincerity and industry clearly reflected in the Expert Report, I write to state my opinion regarding the issues of the reasonableness and feasibility of the City's Plan of Adjustment. Regretfully, the fears motivating my original application have largely been realized. Methodological limitations in the Expert Report substantially undermine the integrity of the Report's conclusions. It is my opinion that a sufficient case has not yet been made in support of the City's Plan of Adjustment. Serious questions remain as to 1) the reasonableness of the assumptions underlying the City's cash flow forecasts and projections and 2) the feasibility of the City's Plan of Adjustment. Based on the current state of the record and expert analyses, I do not believe that the Court can approve the City's Plan of Adjustment. Part One of this letter examines the methodological issues needed to assess issues of reasonableness and feasibility. …


The effect of pyroquilon, an inhibitor of melanin synthesis, on the sporulation and secondary infection of Magnaporthe grisea spores was investigated. Spore formation of M. grisea was significantly inhibited on the pyroquilon-containing medium, but mycelial growth was not impaired. Moreover, although the colour of the spore suspension obtained from control medium without pyroquilon was black, the suspension prepared from spores which had grown on the pyroquilon-containing medium was red-brown. The cell walls of the spores consisted of two layers, the outer of which was highly electron-dense and saw-like in cross section, regardless of treatment. Both the outer and the inner layers of the cell walls of spores which had grown on pyroquilon-containing medium were thin compared with those of control spores. When M. grisea spores which had formed on the pyroquilon-containing medium were inoculated onto rice leaf sheaths, red brown appressoria were formed. Compared with the control, appressorial penetration and hyphal growth in the host cells were inhibited. The inhibitory effect pyroquilon exerted upon the infection behavior of M. grisea spores was dependent on the dose of the chemical.


Background:
 Venous and arterial thromboembolism (VTE/ATE) in patients with cancer are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Platinum-based chemotherapy (Platinum) has been associated with increased risk of VTE and ATE. In the last decade immunotherapy (IO) has emerged as first line treatment for many patients, alone or in combination with Platinum. Immune checkpoint inhibition can lead to a systemic proinflammatory state with some suggesting an associated procoagulant effect. A systematic review of studies on IO in advanced cancer reported incidence of 2.7% VTE and 1.1% ATE (n=20,273, Solinas et al 2020), concluding ATE/VTE is relatively rare with IO. However, emerging real world data suggest a higher incidence of thrombosis than initially reported, and how VTE/ATE incidence compares with IO as compared with Platinum remains unknown.
 Methods:
 We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with advanced solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, unresectable Stage III or Stage IV), melanoma (Stage III or Stage IV) and gastrointestinal cancers (Stage IV) during the period 2014-2020 at the Brown Cancer Center. Patients with thrombophilia, anticoagulation use, >1 malignancy, and use of regimens without IO/Platinum were excluded. Treatments included IO, Platinum (cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin) or combined IO-Platinum. VTE was defined as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or visceral vein thrombosis. ATE was defined as any arterial thromboembolic event including arterial stroke, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial thrombosis and visceral arterial thromboses. The primary outcomes of the study were cumulative incidence rates of VTE and ATE with events recorded in time from diagnosis. Cumulative incidence analyses were performed to compare rates of VTE and ATE for the different modalities of treatment (IO, IO-Platinum, Platinum).
 Results:
 A total of 357 patients were included. Clinical characteristics are presented in Table 1 - just over half were male, median age 59 yrs and predominant history of smoking. NSCLC was most represented (41%) followed by GI cancer (34%) and melanoma (25%). Treatment modalities were fairly distributed : IO (34%), IO-Platinum (30%) and Platinum (36%). Over a median follow up of 2.5 yrs, VTE occurred in 80 patients (22%), most commonly PE followed by DVT and VVT (Table 2). At median follow up, the cumulative incidence of VTE with IO was 15.1% [95% CI (9.3-24.6)] vs. IO-Platinum at 23.2% [95% CI (15.1-35.7)] and Platinum at 29.2% [95% CI (21.7-39.4)]. ATE occurred in 25 patients overall (7%) (Table 2). At median follow up, cumulative incidence of ATE with IO was 3.3% [95% CI (1.3-8.7)] vs. IO-Platinum at 7.0% [95% CI (2.5-19.4)] and Platinum at 9.9% [95% CI (5.6-17.6)]. Cumulative incidence frequencies for VTE/ATE are presented graphically according to each treatment modality (Figure).
 Conclusion:
 In this cohort of patients, increased incidence of VTE/ATE over time was seen following immunotherapy alone or combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. Immunotherapy can induce a durable response with unprecedented survival benefits and patients with advanced solid tumors are at risk for increasingly longer periods. The reasons behind increased real world incidence relative to historical adverse event reporting are likely multifactorial and further research in larger cohorts is needed.
 Figure 1 Figure 1.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


This paper describes the factors that could affect doses to the reasonably maximally exposed individual (RMEI) as a result of a hypothetical extrusive igneous event at Yucca Mountain. Based on available information, there is no evidence that most of the spent fuel in waste packages intersected by a volcanic conduit would be reduced to fine-grained material and subsequently erupted as volcanic ash. (authors)


DNS colorimetry method is used to study the effect of amylase on the degradation of starches in different conditions such as temperature,pH value and the presence of surfactants.It is found that pH value has the greatest impact on the degradation efficiency of amylase.Amylase has the highest activity at pH 6.0 and the lowest activity at pH 8.0.Temperature also has a relatively strong influence on the performance of amylase.When temperature is increased from 50 ℃ to 75 ℃,the activity of amylase becomes more sensitive to the change of pH value,and high pH has a much stronger inhibition to the performance of amylase.Surfactants inhibit the performance of amylase,the higher the concentration of a surfactant,the stronger the inhibition to the performance of amylase.


A wide range of functionalized compounds can easily be obtained by a Pd-catalyzed one-pot hydrostannylation/elimination/distannylation/radical allylation sequence. The Pd catalyst used can be involved in up to five different reaction steps.


IF a beam is laterally resting on a continuous elastic foundation then it is usually assumed in the technical literature that the intensity of lateral pressure p(u) is proportional to the deflexion v(u)


............................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................... ix TABLE OF FIGURES.............................................................................................. x ABBREVIATIONS/ ACRONYMS .............................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................... ................................... 1 1.1. Background ............................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. Corporate Social Responsibility ............................................................. 2 1.1.2. Brand Image....................................................................................... 3 1.1.3. Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Image.... ................................... 4 1.1.4. The Banking Sector in Kenya ................................................................. 5 1.1.5. Kenya Commercial Bank Limited ...................... .......................................... 6 1.2. Research problem..................................................................................... 8 1.3. Research objective................................. .......................................................... 9 1.4. Value of study .......................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVEIW ......................................................... 11 2.


In a two-stage extensive form game where followers can observe moves by leaders only with noise, pure subgame perfect Nash equilibria of the limiting game without noise may not survive arbitrarily small noise. Still, for generic games, there is always at least one subgame perfect equilibrium outcome of the game with no noise that is approximated by equilibrium outcomes of games with small noise. This, however, depends crucially on generic payoffs.


Phoroncidia piratini sp. nov. from state of Rio Grande do Sul is described and illustrated, based on males and females. The male of P. reimoseri Levi, 1964 is described and illustrated for the first time and new records are provided. Ecological data are presented for both species.


A Doctor in Galilee the Life and Struggle of a Palestinian in Israel Hatim Kanaaneh 2008 Pluto Press 320 £18.99 9780745327860

'A History of the World in 100 Objects', the series of 15-minute Radio 4 gems produced by Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, has described many beautiful objects from the cradle of civilisation, the countries round the Nile and in the ancient Middle East. The rich, turbulent history of that very special part of the world has been brought expertly to life.

The richness and turbulence continues today. To be in Jerusalem is to …


In this article, I review two recent developments in the theory of computation of general equilibria. First, following Brown, DeMarzo and Eaves (1996) several papers have developed globally convergent algorithms for the computation of general equilibria in models with incomplete asset markets. I review some of the developments in that area. Second, new developments in computational algebraic geometry lead to algorithms to compute effectively all equilibria of systems of polynomial equations. I point out some applications of these algorithms to general equilibrium theory. Computation of General Equilibria: New Developments Felix Kubler Department of Economics University of Mannheim firstname.lastname@example.com


Through model, the article compares the probability of the attack from the foreign capital. It tell us the floating exchange rate is better than the fixed exchange rate in the view of the currency impact.


"The increasing realization of the agricultural value of Canada bluegrass has resulted in a demand for information regarding its habits, uses, and culture. This paper is intended to contain an agronomic discussion of this grass, embodying a description of the methods of culture and utilization now followed, and also some suggestions resulting from experiments conducted by the Bureau of Plant Industry." -- p. 2


ABSTRACT A critical investigation into the role of Mg on the toughness and microstructure of coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) in low carbon steel has been investigated. In this research, the specimens (Mg-free and Mg-added) underwent weld thermal cycle with heat input of 54, 80, and 100 kJ cm−1 at 1350°C peak temperature using a thermal simulator. The typical inclusions characteristics were characterised by means of scanning electron microscopy and equilibrium calculations. The precipitates were characterised by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. It is revealed that the occurrence of Mg in steel mostly exists in the form of Mg-Al-O oxide inclusions, but a few in the form of solid solution state and (Nb,Ti)(C,N)+MgO precipitates when the concentration of Mg is 0.0026%. The improvement of CGHAZ toughness is obtained when the heat input is 80 and 100 kJ cm−1. The possible reasons about the effects of Mg on the toughness of CGHAZ, including Mg-Al-O inclusions, precipitates, and soluble Mg, are discussed in detail.


Student perceptions of a simulated store planning project set in a brick and mortar retail research lab were examined using the Concrete, Active, Primary-Abstract, Passive, Secondary Learning Potency Scales for Real and Simulated Situations by Bergsteiner and Avery (2014) as a framework. Quantitative seven-point Likert-type survey data (N = 30) and qualitative student reflection paper data (N = 27) were simultaneously collected and analyzed using SPSS and NVivo Qualitative Coding software. Students perceived the project's environment and most of the activities performed within it as realistic or having a real-world connection, except for the large number of individuals involved in store planning, which led to an implication for designing simulated projects: To be concrete, simulated learning activities must have three specific tangible elements: a realistic environment (mock retail store), realistic activities (folding, hanging, and displaying merchandise), and realistic outcomes/consequences related to activities performed (increased or decreased foot traffic among visitors).


More and more attention has been drawn on nano-materials in the application of molecular imaging and targeted cancer therapy. Quantum dots, due to their rich surface chemical properties and bright stable fluorescence, have been used as a new type of nano-probes and widely used in molecular, cellular and vivo biological imaging. In recent years, many inspiring achievements have been obtained in the study on quantum dots surface modification and biological imaging in cell and animals. In this article, current status and the latest developments of the study and the application are reviewed.

Key words:
Quantum dots; Biological imaging; Application


Excerpt In 1869, Nettleship (1) described macular lesions of the skin that became edematous on rubbing; these were called urticaria pigmentosa by Sangster (2). Touraine, Solente, and Renault (3), i...


Thanks to the rapid development of science, humanity has achieved remarkable success in various fields. This also applies to the synthesis of biological compounds. Over the centuries, scientists have invented many methods and drugs that are being actively used to date. Derivatives of 1,2,4-triazole can be the foundation for the manufacture of new native drugs that will compete with foreign ones. The aim of work was synthesis and confirmation the structure of 2-((4-(R-amino)-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio) acetate acids salts. Materials and methods. As starting substances we used 2-((4-(R-amino)-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetic acids, which were synthesized by previously described methods. The structure of synthesized compounds was confirmed by the complex use of modern physical-chemical methods of analysis: elemental analysis, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, HPLC-MS. Results. Salts of 2-((4-(R-amino)-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetic acids were synthesized by the interaction of the appropriate acids with organic (morpholin, methanamin, 2-hydroxyethanamin), inorganic basics (aqueous ammonia solution, sodium hydroxide) and salts (zinc sulfate, ferrum (III) chloride, magnesium sulfate, copper (II) sulfate) in alcoholic or aqueous media. Conclusions. A series of novel 2-((4-(R-amino)-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetic acids salts were synthesized. The structure of synthesized compounds is established using modern physical-chemical methods of analysis.


Backgroundvisceral pleural invasion (VPI) is an important prognostic factor in early stage lung adenocarcinoma, which can affect the TNM Classification of Tumors.PurposeTo investigate whether ultra-high-resolution computed tomography (U-HRCT) features can predict VPI of early stage pulmonary nodules contacting the interlobar pleura.Material and MethodsA total of 126 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (age, 24-77 years) confirmed by surgical pathology were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent U-HRCT scan and were divided into two groups according to pulmonary nodular type: pure (pGGN) and mixed (mGGN). Clinical features were recorded, and U-HRCT features were manually measured using PHILIPS EBW V4.5.5. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine factors that can significantly predict VPI. ResultsU-HRCT and three-dimensional orthogonal post-processing method could better display the relationship between GGNs and interlobar fissures. Among all patients, fifteen patients (12%) had VPI. None of the patients with pGGN had VPI. In the mGGN group, the solid ratio (odds ratio [OR]=1.275, 95% CI 1.1-1.478; P=0.001) and solid diameter (OR=1.139, 95% CI 1.06-2.346; P=0.046) were independent risk factors for VPI in early stage lung adenocarcinoma. For VPI diagnosis, the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity of the solid ratio and solid diameter were 0.803, 80%, and 75% and 0.807, 80%, and 80.36%, respectively.ConclusionU-HRCT can display GGNs and interlobar fissures in detail. VPI was not detected in patients with pGGN. In patients with mGGNs, a solid diameter >6mm and solid ratio >38% can be independent predictors of VPI, which may be helpful in surgical decision-making.


Owing to the global warming effect consideration, the EU has banned the use of refrigerants with Global Warming Potential (GWP) value higher than 150 in all new passenger cars starting from 1 January 2017 (EU directive 2006/40/EC [1]. The study on the replacement of high GWP refrigerant such as HFC-134a has become an important and urgent issue. Recently, a new refrigerant, HFO-1234yf has been developed with similar thermodynamic properties to HFC-134a but much lower GWP value (GWP = 4 in comparing to 1,430 of HFC-134a). It is expected as a good candidate of replacing the refrigerant HFC-134a. However, most of the heat transfer and flow performances are still not very clear up-to-date. For reducing the weight of heat exchangers, most of the vehicles air-condition systems used extruded aluminum tubes in their evaporators and condensers. The hydraulic diameter of the heat exchangers is generally very small, which called microchannel heat exchanger, to resist the high working pressure of two-phase refrigerant. This study provides an experimental investigation on two-phase flow pressure drop of refrigerants HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a in microchannel heat exchanger with hydraulic diameter of 0.5 mm. The difference of pressure drops between these refrigerants was compared and interpreted based on the fluids properties and two-phase flow patterns. It is found that for flow in annular flow region, liquid viscosity is the major controlling properties for two-phase pressure drop. Since the viscosity of liquid HFC-134a is approximately 27% higher than those of liquid HFO-1234yf, this caused the pressure drops of HFC-134a are up to 26% higher than those of HFO-1234yf. For flow in dispersed flow region, the major controlling property for pressure drop changed to vapor viscosity. Since the vapor viscosity of HFC-134a is only 6.6% higher than that of HFO-1234yf, the pressure drop of HFC-134a is only 7.8% higher than that of HFO1234yf. INTRODUCTION HFC refrigerants such as HFC-134a have high global warming potential (GWP) over 1000. Therefore, there is a need to replace these high GWP refrigerants with lowest ones. Vehicle's air conditions are the main source of greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution. Limit of GWP for mobile air condition system has already been fixed by European Union to less than 150. Now a day's most of the mobile air conditioning systems use HFC -134a as the working fluid. HFC -134a has GWP as high as 1,430. Recently another good candidate has been developed by Honeywell and DuPont, HFO-1234yf, which has GWP as low as 4. In order to replace one refrigerant with another one, several parameters have to be taken into account, such as physical properties, working pressure and two-phase heat transfer. Similarity of the properties reduces the cost of the system and let it can be easily replaced with the other. Several experiments have been done to evaluate the HFO-1234yf two-phase pressure drop in compare to the HFC-134a. Two-phase flow patterns are an important parameter in heat transfer mechanism and pressure drop [2]. Visualization experimental system was built in order to investigate and compare the pressure drops and flow regimes between HFC-134a, HFO-1234yf and HFC-410A by Padilla et al. [3] in horizontal tube with two different diameters. Experimental vides from flow regimes (slug, intermittent and annular) demonstrated that there are no significant differences between HFC-134a and HFO-1234yf flow pattern. HFO-1234yf pressure drop in 2mm diameter test section was investigated by Saitoh et al. [4] they results were well agree with pressure drops correlation but they didn't compare it with HC-134a. Lu et al. [5] studied the HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a heat transfer and pressure drop in smooth pipe with 3.9 mm diameter. Experimental pressure drops of HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a were compared at different mass fluxes and vapor qualities. Test results showed that in very low mass flus pressure drop of those two refrigerants were almost the same. But by increasing the mass flux, at low vapor quality pressure drops of HFO-1234yf is similar to HFC-134a but at higher vapor qualities, HFO-1234yf shows lower pressure drops in compare to HFC-134a. Their results were explained by the properties differences of these tow refrigerants. Anwar et al. [6] investigated the heat transfer and pressure drops of the HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a in 1.6 mm diameter under the upward flow boiling condition. They compared HFO1234yf and HFC-134a in one mass flux. Experimental shows by increasing the vapor quality, HFO-1234yf shows lower pressure drops in compare to those of HFC-13a. EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM The schematic diagram of the experimental system is shown in Figure 2. It consists of a refrigerant loop, direct heating test section, preheater water loop, sub cool water loop and relative measurements. Refrigerants loop As shown in Figure 2, a gear pump provided pumping power to move the liquid refrigerant thought the refrigerant cycle. After pump, a Coriolis flow meter measured the mass flow rate of the refrigerant. A preheater before test section has duty to convert the single phase refrigerant into two phase form. The two phase refrigerant flowed to test section and under the direct wall heating, inlet vapor quality increased by x=0.2 and left the test section. Afterwards a sub cool heat exchanger converted the two phase refrigerant into the single phase form. Single phase refrigerant flow to The 28 International Symposium on Transport Phenomena 22-24 September 2017, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka receiver and refrigerant cycle has been completed. Two RTDs were setup at the inlet and exit ports of the test section to measure the refrigerant side inlet and exit temperatures. Because of the high pressure drop at inlet and outlet of microchannel text section (Figure 1), two rows of thermocouples are set up on the wall of the test section (no heating part), where showed by T1 and T5 to measure the changes at temperature of the two phase refrigerant. A pressure transducer was setup prior to the test section to measure the refrigerant saturation pressure for properties evaluation. The pressure drop through the test section was measured by a differential pressure transducer installed between the inlet and exit port of the test section. Test section heating Test section was a parallel microchannel with 37 channel and hydraulic diameter of 0.5mm. Test section length is 670 mm (from inlet to outlet) and heating length was 600 mm. Two electrical flat heater with length of the 600 mm has been installed on the top and bottom of the test section to provide the heat flux for boiling inside the test section. Voltage and current are adjusted by a DC power supplier. Electrical power for each mass flux to provide enough heat rate to change the inlet vapor quality by x=0.2. Preheater water loop A thermostat reservoir was used to provide the heating water for the preheater. The temperature at the inlet and exit of the preheater and the flow rate of heating water were measured two RTDs and a gear type flow meter. By using the energy balance, the total heat transfer rate to the refrigerant and therefore the exit refrigerant vapor quality can be evaluated.   , , , , , , ,out w p w p p w w p in w p q m c T T   (1) Vapor quality at entrance of the test tube was calculated based on the water heat transfer to the refrigerant inside the preheater:


Improving good health services for children are very important to be realized in Indonesia. This case encourages a millennium declaration known as a Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The quality of children's healthcan be measured through infant mortality rate. This rate in East Java Province during 2014 was still above the MDGs target. The number of infant deaths at each sub-district in East Java Province has a hierarchical structure. A two-level hierarchical model was developed in this paper to analyze this hierarchical phenomenonby involving two or more levels of relationships between variables influencing the infant mortality in each sub-district and their parameters to the district characteristics. Due to the complexity of this model, a Bayesian hierarchical modeling couple with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to this problem is employed to provide a better solution. The results show that the two-level hierarchical model is much better than when all data in each district is modeled as only in one level modeling. The Cross-level interactions between sub-district and district characteristics, on the other hand, can also be found for further exploration in governance management.


The objectives of this study is to investigate the existence of the sticky cost behavior of firms listed in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and to find evidence on the effects of sticky operating expenses (SG&A expenses) on profitability of firms. For the first objective, this study finds that the sticky cost behavior does exist. For the second objective, this study finds that the stickier the operating expenses the lesser future profitability of the firms. This study concludes that sticky cost affects negatively to the performance and, therefore, firms should include flexibility in designing the cost structure of their firms. Keywords—Operating Expenses, Profitability, SG&A, Sticky Costs, Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).


A Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is a self-configuring network of mobile nodes connected by wireless links to form an arbitrary topology without the use of existing infrastructure. In this paper, we have evaluated the performance of two routing protocols Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing Protocol (DSR-Reactive Protocol) and Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector (DSDV-Proactive Protocol) based upon different Mobility Models to obtain a Stable Mobility Model for MANET Routing Protocol. For experimental purposes, we have considered four mobility model scenarios: Random Waypoint, Reference Group Point Mobility, Freeway and Manhattan models. These four Mobility Models are selected to represent the possibility of practical application in the future. Performance comparison has been conducted across the varying Node Speed with fixed Network size. Experimental results illustrate that performance of the routing protocol varies across different mobility models.


The elaboration of Citizenship Education Plans in Chilean schools has been characterized by not having a participatory nature (UNDP, 2018), which has contributed to their lack of formative meaning and being considered mere ministerial requirements. The objective of this research is to design a Participatory Diagnosis for the preparation of the Citizenship Education Plan, promoting it as a tool for reflection on the problems and challenges of the educational community and as a space for community participation. Following a participatory action research methodology, data was collected from a subsidized private school in the commune of El Bosque, Santiago. For this purpose, data from group and individual interviews were analyzed qualitatively. Results characterise knowledge, skills and citizen attitudes of the school community and identify their spaces for citizen participation within the school.


A new set-theoretic method for the exact and efficient computation of the probabilistic performance of complex systems has been developed. The core of the method is a fast algorithm for disjointing a collection of product sets which is intended for systems with more than 1000 components and 100,000 cut sets. The method is based on a divide-and-conquer approach, in which a multidimensional problem is progressively decomposed into lower-dimensional subproblems along its dimensions. The method also uses a particular pointer system that eliminates the need to store the subproblems by only requiring the storage of pointers to those problems. Examples of the algorithm and the divide-and-conquer strategy are provided, and comparisons with other significant methods are made. Statistical complexity studies show that the expected time and space complexity of other methods is O(me/sup n/), but that our method is O(nm/sup 3/ log(m)). Problems which would require days of Cray-1 computer time with present methods can now be solved in seconds. Large-scale systems that can only be approximated with other techniques can now also be evaluated exactly.


Raman and Ultraviolet spectroscopies were used to analyze the characteristic structures of both anti-tumor drug 4-thiothymine and 4-thiothymidine and to determine the structural changes under acidic,neutral and alkaline conditions in this paper. The results show that 4-thiothymine and 4-thiothymidine are protonated strongly when being titrated into either basic or acidic solution,and are deprotonated in the alkaline environments,but the protonation and deprotonation of 4-thiothymidine is weaker than that of 4-thiothymine. It indicates that the hydrogen-bonding has an important effect on interaction between the NH proton of the 4-thiothymine base and the solvent molecules.


Purpose: Since families are perceived to be active agents in the early intervention programmes of young children with disabilities, professionals ought to treat parents as equal partners and keep them informed and involved in various aspects of the intervention. This study aimed to explore the areas in which parent empowerment is currently being facilitated in the early intervention centres for children with hearing loss.


The present invention provides a method of driving the warehouse tower crane lifting device for vertical operation so as loaded to each of the cargo crane Warehouses powered. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for driving a warehouse tower crane lifting device, wherein a plurality of cylinder units are connected to each other along a vertical axis, by a hydraulic cylinder connected to the hydraulic units expand or contract to enable the crane down, thereby uniformly supply hydraulic pressure to each hydraulic cylinder units and ensure the stability of the crane during the lift.


The phenomenon of veiling of women in Muslim culture also occurred in pre-modern Korea. Sseugae, a type of veil, was worn by noble women in Korea during the Yi Dynasty to conceal their faces. In a society, strictly ruled by the Confucian philosophy and ideals, women's outdoor activities were extremely restricted. Noble ladies travelled by human-carried palanquin, colorfully draped and protected from viewing by strangers, wearing veils of different types denoting their noble statuses. In this paper I will present who among the Korean women were expected to wear what types of veils in which circumstances, how deeply the Confucianism permeated and dictated the value system and social morals of the early Korean society, further influencing the highly stratified Korean societal structure in which women in various stations were expected to behave according to their fathers' or husbands' statuses and to dress accordingly including their headdresses. The significance of this paper will be in examining how the cultural aspects of women having had to wear veils in a paternalistic, patriarchal and hierarchical society, dictated by pervasive Confucius ideological and moral standards still exist and influence the modern-day Korean society. My conclusion will show the similarities in the socio-cultural customs of dressing and veiling/unveiling of Korean women in comparison to those of the Muslim women within the cultural, political, and religious contexts in spite of their elevated status, education, and involvement in political activities in the modern-day world.


The flux and the muon charge ratio, the ratio of positive to negative atmospheric muons, carry information which controls calculations of the neutrino fluxes and the hadronic interactions of the parent particles. WILLI is a rotatable stack of scintillators detectors, which allows measurements of the charge ratio of low energy atmospheric muons, incident under different zenith and azimuth angles by observing the lifetime of the stopped positive and negative muons. The measured data of the energy and the angle dependence of the muon charge ratio (which displays a pronounced East-West effect due to the influence of the geomagnetic field) control advanced Monte Carlo simulations of the flux of atmospheric muons and neutrinos. Results of extensive CORSIKA simulations taking explicitly into account the solar modulation of the flux of primary cosmic rays, the geomagnetic field and its cut off, are compared with recent measurements of atmospheric muon flux and charge ratio for various sites of different geomagnetic coordinates.


A three-level quantum system interacting with non-equilibrium environment is investigated. The stationary state of the system is found (both for non-coherent and coherent environment) and relaxation and decoherence to the stationary state is described. The stationary state of the system will be non-equilibrium and will generate flows. We describe the dependence of the flows on the state of the environment. We also discuss application of this model to the problem of quantum photosynthesis, in particular, to the description of flows of excitons and generation of excitonic coherences.


Due to the much investment,long-term construction period,many external factors and departments,the security management of the large-and medium-sized power plant capital project is a tough task.For the project owner,the earlier the construction is,the earlier the benefit is obtained.In this case,the power plant construction always faces the problems such as tight schedule and tough work.Even within the reasonable schedule,many unforeseen incidents may influence the schedule and delay is quite normal.However,the final data of the schedule is not changed.Therefore,all measures will be taken to make the project done and this would increase the hidden danger.That how does the project owner effectively carry out the security management and how to play the core leading role,is the crucial point in relation to the security at the side and the security of civilization construction,as well as the entire construction safety.This article focuses,in the owner's position,on that how to effectively carry out the security management.It analysis and summarizes the key points,difficulties and solutions of the security management,and discusses the reasonable proposals about security management promotion.


Provided is an edible animal chew comprising a starch content of 50 to 75 wt% relative to the total weight of the chew; a humectant content of 10 to 20 wt% relative to the total weight of the chew; and a density of 1.0 g cm- or less, and preferably wherein the chew exhibits a texture profile analysis cohesiveness of 0.55 or greater.


Acommunity hospital that provides optimal cardiac patient care can also offer therapeutic hypothermia. With a passionate, committed team and a collaborative multidisciplinary approach, the community hospital can be a role model for other facilities that want to provide optimal cardiac care. The evolution of cardiac care provides a positive and encouraging example of how collaborative efforts can optimize patient outcomes even in a community hospital. During this evolution, community education leads to early recognition of signs and symptoms of heart disease, institution of bystander CPR, quick activation of the 9-1-1 EMS system, and increased availability of AED equipment. Following this, the relatively simple yet incredibly instrumental changes in CPR that came with the 2005 American Heart Association-American College of Cardiology guideline revisions arrived along with the ResQPod device. The results were inspiring. Starting in 2005, the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) patient rates within our region (Northwest Ohio) improved from six percent to approximately 45 percent. This dramatic rise in ROSC patients and subsequent increased numbers of patients surviving prehospital cardiac arrest stimulated enhanced strategic protocol developments, which led to the therapeutic hypothermia triage and treatment system. The ultimate goal of induced therapeutic hypothermia is to provide a positive neurological outcome for the post-arrest patient. Induced therapeutic hypothermia for cerebral protection following cardiac arrest found its way into mainstream resuscitation management after two landmark studies in 2002 including the European HACA trial (N Engl J Med 2002;346[8]:549) and an Australian study. (N Engl J Med 2002; 346[8]:557.) The October 2002 consensus statement by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation supported inducing therapeutic hypothermia in patients who suffered a cardiac arrest and regained spontaneous circulation. (Circulation 2003;108[1]:118.) The statement acknowledged that therapeutic hypothermia allows for the best opportunity to return to near pre-arrest neurological status, decreasing morbidity and providing patients a second chance at a life. The earlier development of a triage system in our region for prehospital ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients to be triaged to designated hospitals led to a multidisciplinary approach for cardiac patients within our community. This approach begins with the patient and others activating EMS, EMS dispatch, EMS providers, emergency department personnel, cardiologists, nurses, lab technicians, among others. With this already existing approach, it was a relatively smooth transition to create a hypothermia protocol for our cardiac arrest patients.


Lipoic acid(α-lipoic acid,α-LA) is a kind of biological factors found in yeast,spinach and meat,with the main biological activity of anti-oxidation,and is only known aqueous and lipid-compatible antioxidant.In recent years,the therapeutic effects of lipoic acid in anti-oxidation,glucose metabolism,diabetic complications,and other disease had drawn attentions and its medical value has been recognized.And progresses in the study protective effects of lipoic acid against ischemia-reperfusion injury in major organs are reviewed in the paper.


Whereas the particularity of China' s CBM geological setting,the article points out that seismic technique are needed in CBM exploration and exploitation,and it also requires the technique to be better im- proved.Based on the discussion of CBM seismic technique application situation,the concept of exploration seismic and exploitation seismic was given.In connection with examples,the article also indicates the seismic exploration philosophy and technical measures in the different stages,which has certain guiding significance for China CBM seismic technique application.


The effective swath width (ESW) and the droplet penetration rate (DPR) directly affect the spraying quality, the spraying efficiency and the control effect of pests and diseases during the crop protection unmanned aircraft system (CPUAS) application. However, the ESW and DPR are not constant with the changes of the flight speed (FS) and the flight height (FH). In order to investigate the ESW and DPR of the CPUAS P20, four levels of FS (3 m/s, 4 m/s, 5 m/s and 6 m/s) and three levels of FH (1.5 m, 2.0 m and 2.5 m) experiments were carried out according to the first industry standard of China for the CPUAS in the wheat field. The results demonstrated that the ESWs were negatively correlated with the FS and the FH. Most of the ESWs were over 2 m in the 12 treatments, in which the maximum one was 3.25 m (3 m/s, 1.5 m). The DPRs were negatively correlated with the FH under the same FS, the average value of the DPRs was 48.37%, in which the maximum one was 78.34% (4 m/s, 1.5 m) and the minimum one was 25.5% (6.0 m/s, 2.5 m). The statistical analyses showed that the FS had significant impacts on the ESWs (0.01 0.05). The impacts of both FS and FH on the DPRs were extremely significant (p-value<0.01), and the interactive impacts were significant (0.01<p-value<0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that reducing the FS could increase the ESWs, and reducing the FH could increase the DRPs at the same FS. In conclusion, the maximum spraying efficiency of P20 was 4.342 ha/h with 6 m/s FS and 1.5 m FH in case of satisfying the requirement of DPRs. This study provided scientific references for guiding the CPUAS spraying.
Keywords: crop protection unmanned aircraft system, standard, effective swath width, penetration, parameter optimization
DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201303.5439

Citation: Zhang S C, Qiu B J, Xue X Y, Sun T, Peng B. Parameters optimization of crop protection UAS based on the first industry standard of China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(3): 29–35.


Facilitated proton transfer across the water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface supported on the tips of micro- and nano-pipets by o-phenanthroline (Phen) was studied by using cyclic voltammetry. The formed micro- and nano-liquid/liquid interfaces functioned as micro- and nano-electrodes under certain experimental conditions. The dependence of the half-wave potentials on the aqueous solutions acidities was studied and the ratio of association constants between Phen and proton in the aqueous and DCE phases was calculated by the method proposed by Matsuda et al.. The standard rate constant (k(0)) and the transfer coefficient (alpha) evaluated by using nano-pipets were equal to 0.183 +/- 0.054 cm/s and 0.70 +/- 0.09, respectively.


Objective To evaluate HRCT signs in differentiating peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma with adenocarcinoma.Materials and Methods HRCT features of 54 cases with peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma and 67 cases with adenocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed.Results (1) The mean diameter of peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma was significantly larger than that of adenocarcinoma (P=0.000). (2) The occurrence of deep lobulation sign, focal necrosis and widened-base attached to thoracic wall was markedly higher in peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P=0.000, P=0.000 and P=0.005, respectively). (3) The occurrence of pleural indentation was obviously higher in peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P=0.006). (4) No significant difference in the occurrence of vacuole sign, air bronchogram, broncho-vessel convergence sign, spicule sign and spinous sign was found between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (P0.05).Conclusion HRCT can display lung cancer's signs in detail. When three or two of the following sings, i.e. the deep lobulation sign, focal necrosis and widened base attached to thoracic wall, are coexisted, the diagnostic specificity for peripheral pulmonary squamous carcinoma will be up to 90%~100%.


Background: Laparoscopy was initially utilized as a diagnostic tool for failed reduction of intussusception and then was tried as an aid to hydrostatic reduction and recently laparoscopy is used as a definitive treatment. Aim of Study: In this study we are trying to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in management of infantile intussusception. Patients and Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 58 childern suffering from intussusception, admitted to the Pediatric Surgery Unit of Tanta University Hospital from June 2017 to June 2018. Results: Our study included 58 patients with intussusception with a mean age of 10.95 months. 32 (55.2%) presented early with mild symptoms, 38 (65.5%) showed red currant jelly stool, 37 (63.8%) presented with intestinal obstruction, and 3 (5.2%) showed signs of peritonitis. Mass was subhepatic in 33 infants (56.9%). Hydrostatic reduction was attempted in stable cases (55) and 3 cases with peritonitis underwent immediate laparotomy. Of 55 cases, 39 (71%) were successfully managed using hydrostatic reduction. Laparoscopic reduction was attempted in 16 (29%) cases, 12 (75%) were completed laparoscopically and 4 (25%) cases were converted to laparotomy, one reduced manually and 3 cases had bowel resection. Operative time ranged between 30-180 with a mean of 83.95 minutes. Mean hospital stay was 1.8 days. One case had port site hernia (1.7%) and there was no recurrence detected in any case. Follow-up ranged between 1-12 months. Conclusion: Laparoscopic reduction of idiopathic intussusception is safe, feasible and provides minimally invasive approach with significantly early oral feeding and reduced hospital stay.


Due to unique chemical properties, rare earth elements (REEs) are increasingly used in versatile technological applications. They are considered emerging environmental contaminants, since they become mobile instead of being bound in rocks. At present, the information on REE effects to aquatic biota is scarce and contradictory. This study aims to explore the ecotoxicity of 11 lanthanides (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, and Lu) and yttrium (Y) to charophyte algae Nitellopsis obtusa and microcrustaceans Thamnocephalus platyurus. Median lethal concentrations (LC50) were assessed in characean cells at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 days of exposure, and 24-h LC50s were determined in shrimps. According to the EU−Directive 93/67/EEC hazard classification scheme and 24-day LC50 values generated for N. obtusa, REE effects were assigned from "harmful" to "very toxic" (Gd), while 24-h LC50s for T. platyurus were classified as "harmful" or "toxic" (based on nominal concentrations) and as "toxic" or "very toxic" (based on REE free ion concentrations calculated with CHEAQS Next software). The data obtained for algae showed correlations with the REE atomic numbers (r = −0.68, p < 0.05) and ionic radii (r = 0.65, p < 0.05) at the most extended 24-day exposure only. The analysis of the trends of concentration−response (c–r) curves obtained at increasing exposure durations (8–24 days), alongside the 24-day LC50s ranging within almost two orders of magnitude, allowed a more-toxic heavy REE group to be distinguished, and somewhat different modes REE actions to be envisioned for N. obtusa.


We report a spectroscopic ellipsometry investigation of the electronic and morphological properties of cluster-assembled nanoporous metallic gold films deposited from a low-energy supersonic cluster beam. We modeled the optical response of the medium by explicitly introducing a variable degree of porosity in the film and finite-size effects due to the cluster nanometeric size. We deduced the characteristic size of the individual clusters within the nanoporous structure and their depth-resolved arrangement. Comparison with independent data available in the literature yielded extremely good quantitative agreement with the results extracted from our model, in terms of the degree of porosity of the films and of their surface roughness. The cluster-size distribution in the films obtained by the optical model matched extremely well the one obtained by atomic-force microscopy on isolated clusters. This demonstrates that, though the clusters are in contact with one another in the porous film, they retain their crystallographic individuality when assembled in three-dimensional structures.


The unbound and bound fractions of nucleosome from HL-60 cell nuclei digested with micrococcus nuclease were separated by Hg-affinity chromatographic column. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that monomeric nucleosomes corresponding to 170bp DNA in length were found in both fractions. Southern blot and hybridization with 32P-labeled c-myc exon II probe showed that there was a stronger hybridization band corresponding to 200bp in the bound fraction DNA and a weaker one corresponding to 170bp in the unbound fraction DNA.


The invention discloses a comprehensive decoupling method for an aircraft under the action of multiple kinds of coupling. The comprehensive decoupling method for the aircraft under the action of multiple kinds of coupling is used for solving the technical problem that only one aircraft decoupling method is provided in the prior art. According to the technical scheme, the comprehensive decoupling method comprises the steps that a coupling model is established, all coupling factor evaluation indexes are defined, all coupling factor features are defined, comprehensive decoupling is conducted, all the coupling factors of the aircraft are divided and classified, a coupling degree index calculation method for measuring the influence degree of each coupling feature is provided, all the coupling factors are subdivided into weak coupling and strong coupling, under the condition that the comprehensive coupling degree is used as the main judgment basis, coupling items are ignored or equivalent processing is conducted on the coupling items, and therefore comprehensive decoupling of an aircraft integrated complete model is achieved.


Ocular refraction by streak retinoscopy performed in 10 mixed breed dogs showed that most of the animals, independently of size, had a tendency to hypermetropia, anisometropia, and astigmatism.


The preservation of historical and architectural he ritage against exceptional events such as earthquakes is one of the most important challenges in Europe. The structural analysis for the seismic risk assessment is generally based on the u se of computational methods and requires, as a prerequisite, a good knowledge of the existing structure with regard to the shape, the types of masonry, the mechanical properties, the st ate conservation and the presence of defects and damage. Semi-destructive methods are av ilable, based on sampling, but their use is to be avoided or minimized on historic structure s. A procedure is proposed in this paper, which is bas ed on the implementation of extensive non-destructive surveys accompanied by limited mini ally-destructive testing. As an application, a survey campaign recently carried out on the Ghirlandina Bell Tower in Modena, Italy, is presented. The non-destructive campaign w as based on sonic tests. Being aware of the construction phases of the tower and of its various construction materials, the procedure was aimed at identifying uniform areas and portions in which to evaluate the mechanical properties. Furthermore, the tests had the purpose of identifying possible gaps, voids, layering, defects, cracks, detachments and damage. Complete information was obtained concerning the variability of the mechanical proper ties along the height and the different structural elements. Based on signal velocity value s resulting from the non-destructive tests, some locations for semi-destructive testing were ch osen. From cores bored on masonry, samples of brick and mortar were obtained. Laborato ry tests and data processing were carried out with the aim of obtaining overall information o the mechanical properties of masonry in the tower.


Objective To predict the effect of olmesartan medoxomil on patients with mild to moderate primary hypertension and ABI.Methods A randomized trial was performed.120 patients w ith mild to moderate primary hypertension in our hospital from July to November in 2011 w ere randomly divided into olmesartan group and amlodipine group.The changes of blood pressure,heart rate,electrocardiogram,blood and urinary laboratory examination w ere observed.The 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and ABI w ere investigated.Results After 8 w eek-treatment,CBP,mean systolic blood pressure(SBP) and mean diastolic blood pressure(DBP) of 24 h,daytime and night,w ere significantly reduced(P 0.05),w hile no significant difference w as found in heart rate.The total effective rate of the tw o groups w as 85%.The antihypertensive effect of olmesartan could cover over 24 h.The trough to peak ratios for systolic and diastolic blood pressure by olmesartan w ere all more than 50%.ABI w as improved in the tw o groups.There w as no significant difference between the tw o groups(P 0.05).Conclusion Olmesartan is safe and effective for the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension,and the trough to peak ratio is satisfied.The effect of olmesartan once daily can maintain for 24 h.Using olmesartan longer can improve artheriosclerosis.


Noise levels were measured, for the first time, inside 115 randomly selected transit buses, operating on 12 sample representative routes in Metropolitan Kuwait. Simultaneously with the monitoring of noise levels, the attitudes of 679 riders concerning the annoyance and long-term health impacts of noise were also surveyed. The noise and passenger attitude data were collected over 10 months (March - December 2000). The percentile distribution, equivalent noise level, traffic noise index and noise pollution levels inside four types of transit buses are presented. Riders' perceived annoyance and awareness of the long-term health impacts of noise were also determined and are discussed. The level of service and performance deficiencies of the public transit system in Kuwait, as perceived by its passengers, are also identified. A number of recommendations end the paper.


in the measurement of social inequality as a function of the unequal distribution of wealth and incomes led to the development of the Lorenz curve1 and the Gini coefficient.2 A Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the distribution of the cumulative proportion of wealth (or income) associated with the cumulative proportion of a population. A Gini coefficient, on the other hand, is a unique numerical value which is used as an index of inequality associated with a particular Lorenz curve. Whereas a unique Gini coefficient is associated with each Lorenz curve, it is possible to generate an infinite number of Lorenz curves associated with each unique Gini coefficient. The purposes of the paper are: (1) to discuss the basic assumptions of these inequity measures as applied in school finance studies, and (2) to suggest minor modifications in conceptualization of the measures. Lorenz described the graphical method of measuring the concentration of wealth as follows:


From the 2005 the military medical care has gone though six years,its implementation of the reform for the promotion and management of military hospitals play an important role.But it is in the process of implementation of the HIS system,there are various issues,this article is analysis of the problems and propose solutions.


Sediments supplied to an estuary undergo repeated cycles of resuspension and deposition prior to permanent accumulation or transport into the sea. A review of published literature and field observations of estuarine suspended sediment in the Chesapeake Bay region, indicate that sediment is resuspended in response to fluctuating energy over a wide range of time scales. The temporal variations of resuspension, therefore, inherit a hierarchy of scales following the scales of motion.


The potential for using deep inelastic reactions to populate high-spin states in neutron-rich nuclei is studied in a series of experiments using GAMMASPHERE for gamma-ray detection and a silicon st ...


This paper presents the background and events to date of a continuing case study of a teacher adapting to social media, from the point of view of the online teacher. It describes the ongoing challenges of using now 'traditional' threaded discussion boards, and details events leading to a simultaneous design experiment conducting an instructional activity in the traditional threaded discussion and a social media platform. It further describes how this experiment has led to trialing full scale teaching in multiple units of study supported only by the social media platform. Observations and reflections are drawn from the case experience


Photoresponsive receptors allow users to modulate when and where molecular hosts can bind and release their targets. This capability was pioneered in biochemistry, trained on cations, and is only now emerging in the recognition chemistry of anions. This mini review outlines the five instances where anion receptors have been manipulated by light. Cylindrical, acyclic, and helical receptors have been integrated with azobenzenes, stiff-stilbenes, and dithienylethenes to generate modest-to-moderate changes in the binding affinities for various halides and polyatomic anions. The central design requirement involves choosing the appropriate photoswitch such that the two photostates can define two different organizations of the receptor, thus, enabling one state to bind better than the other. This challenge underscores the importance of analyzing the possible conformations, complexes, and stoichiometries that may be accessible by host and guest as a means to identify structures that will successfully elicit a switching response. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Total colonoscopy was used in the evaluation of 85 patients with colorectal cancer, either preoperatively or within six months of surgery. Synchronous lesions (six carcinomas, 22 adenomatous polyps, one villous adenoma and nine cases of severe diverticular disease) were detected in 38 (44.7%) patients. The planned surgical procedure was altered in 10 patients (11.8%) — a more extensive resection being performed in each case. In particular, five of the six cases of synchronous cancers were located in different surgical segments. Colonoscopy is a necessary prerequisite in the evaluation of patients with colorectal cancer.


The impeller and casing of dredge pump are worn by sediment in the flow. However, there are few studies about abrasion of the impeller and casing for normal pump operating conditions. This paper investigated the relationship between the wear rates on the surfaces of the impeller as well as casing and the sediment concentration, with the distribution of the wear rates for normal pump operating condition analyzed. An Eulerian-Lagrangian Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) procedure was used to simulate steady liquid-solid two-phase flow for various operating conditions. The Finnie model was then used to predict the abrasion. The results show that, the wear rate relative value of impeller and casing surface increase as the sediment concentration increases. The wear rate relative value of impeller and casing surface is larger when the pump is in low flow rate condition, and the value of casing surface is larger than that of the impeller. The wear rate relative value of pump is low when pump is in high efficiency condition. This paper shows the abrasion characteristics on the impeller and casing with sediment flow and provides reference data for predicting the abrasion conditions in the flow passage components for a dredge pump.


In the frame of a research project launched in 2006 (partly funded by Regione Veneto, a local institution in the North-East of Italy), ENEL and Nuovo Pignone are developing an innovative "zero emission" gas turbine cycle suitable for power generation. The gas turbine, a GE10-1 model, is manufactured by Nuovo Pignone and will be installed at ENEL's coal-fired Fusina power plant, near Venice. The turbine, rated for 11 MWe, is equipped with a diffusive flame combustor and is suitable for operation with 100% hydrogen as main fuel over the entire load range. Hydrogen is available at Fusina site as by-product of petrochemical plants. Natural gas will be used as start-up and back-up fuel, and NOx emission abatement will be achieved by means of steam injection. Load operation will be possible with hydrogen only, with methane or hydrogen-methane mixtures (in case of reduced availability of hydrogen) and with or without steam injection. In order to support the combustion system's design, experimental activities have been carried over a prototypical combustor, installed on a combustion test rig at ENEL's experimental facility, located in Sesta (Tuscany). The test rig has been upgraded in order to permit full-scale combustor operation. Tests have been planned with the aim of providing a complete screening of combustion system's sensitivity to minor hardware modification (three different burners and two different liners, designed for diffusive combustion, have been available) and operating conditions (sensitivity to cycle parameters and effect of steam injection). Special instrumentations have been installed for a detailed monitoring of hot parts' metal temperature, combustion-driven pressure oscillations and pollutant emissions. A water-cooled camera has been installed for direct flame visualization. The experimental campaign is still on-going and only the default combustor configuration has been tested so far. However, collected results indicate safe combustor operation in both hydrogen and methane combustion mode: metal temperatures have never exceeded warning limits and pressure pulsation have been extremely quiet. NOx emission during hydrogen operation in dry combustion mode have been proven to be roughly 3 times higher than in dry methane combustion mode. Steam injection has been proven to be effective in reducing NOx emissions down to contractual values. Additional efforts are in progress to obtain a further reduction of emission level. Finally, experimental results have been processed in order to set up a simple NOx emissions' model, accounting for NOx production in any possible operating mode.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


In randomised controlled trials, administration of lactated Ringer, HES 130/0.4, Dextran and human albumin were evaluated in 120 patients undergoing resection of the urinary bladder due to cancer. It was concluded that peri-operative haemorrhage is influenced by the chosen fluid therapy with artificial colloids affecting coagulation competence and in turn volume of lost blood (Fig. 1). Infusion of the colloids HES 130/0.4 and Dextran reduces coagulation competence and increases haemorrhage.


Author(s): Voronov, Dmitriy L.; Anderson, Erik; Cambie, Rossana; Meyer-Ilse, Julia; Gullikson, Eric M.; Yashchuk, Valeriy; Padmore, Howard; Ahn, Minseung; Chang, Chih-Hao; Heilmann, Ralf; Schattenburg, Mark | Abstract: We report on the recent progress developing diffraction gratings which can potentially provide extremely high spectral resolution of 10E5-10E6 in the EUV and soft x-ray photon energy range. Such a grating is fabricated by deposition of a soft x-ray multilayer on a substrate which is a blazed grating (echellette) with a relatively low groove density. In order to obtain an oblique cut of the multilayer, a subsequent polish is applied to the coated grating substrate. The resulting sliced structure has a short-scale periodicity which is defined by the multilayer period and the slice angle. Based on the developed technology, a number of sliced gratings made of Sc/Si and Mo/Si multilayers deposited on echellettes with different grove periods were fabricated and tested. The result of diffraction experiments performed at the ALS beam line 6.3.2 in the EUV energy range are presented and discussed. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy under contract number DE-AC02-05CH11231


Cancer is a disorder characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and reduced apoptosis. Inducing apoptosis is an efficient method of treating cancers. In this study, we investigated the effect of andrographolide on the induction of apoptosis as well as its regulatory effect on the activation of transcription factors in B16F-10 melanoma cells. Treatment of B16F-10 cells with nontoxic concentration of andrographolide showed the presence of apoptotic bodies and induced DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays also confirmed the observation. The proapoptotic genes p53, Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 were found upregulated in andrographolide-treated cells, whereas the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2 was downregulated. This study also reveals that andrographolide treatment could alter the production and expression of proinflammatory cytokines and could inhibit the activation and nuclear translocation of p65, p50, and c-Rel subunits of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and other transcription factors such as c-fos, activated transcription factor-2, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element–binding protein in B16F-10 melanoma cells. These results suggest that andrographolide induces apoptosis via inhibiting NF-κB-induced bcl-2-mediated survival signaling and modulating p53-induced caspase-3-mediated proapoptotic signaling.


To establish the HPLC fingerprints of Radix Berberidaceae from Guizhou Region.By HPLC,the analysis was carried out with DiamonsilTM C18 column(250 mm×Φ4.6 mm,5 μm),acetonitrile and water including 0.34% NaH2PO4 as mobile phase,gradient elution,flow rate was 1.0 mL/min,the detect wavelength was 220 nm,and the temperature was 25 ℃.The fingerprints of Radix Berberidaceae from Guizhou was established.The method is repeatable and can be used in quality assessment of Radix Berberidaceae from Guizhou.


Green tea represents a popular beverage worldwide due to its high polyphenol and antioxidant activity. It is commonly brewed along with vitamin C source which plays a positive role in maintaining its antioxidant potential. Orange juice can serve as an excellent medium for supplementation of green tea for the formulation of nutraceutical nectar by enriching drink with vitamin C and overcoming the astringent taste of tea. Therefore, the present study was planned to develop nutraceutical nectar by blending green tea with orange juice at 60, 50, 40 and 30% levels while orange juice and green tea served as control. The formulations were analyzed for their sensory as well as nutritional properties. Among all the samples, the highest values for ash content, ascorbic acid content, titratable acidity, and TSS were recorded for orange juice. Green tea displayed the highest values for total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH, TEAC), moisture content and pH compared to other blends. Blending green tea with an increasing concentration of orange juice resulted in a reduction in flavonoid content and antioxidant activity while ascorbic acid and ash content increased in the blends. Color and titratable acidity improved with the corresponding increase in orange juice levels. It was concluded by the overall sensory and nutritional properties that the formulation containing an equal proportion of green tea and orange juice was most acceptable. INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, consumers have become more aware of healthier eating habits, which have been paralleled by a considerable increase in the commercialization of natural and organic foods based on fruit and vegetables. Many epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of fruits and vegetables is beneficial to health and contributes to the prevention of degenerative processes, particularly lowering incidence and mortality rate of cancer and cardioand cerebrovascular diseases 1, 2, 3 .


An approximation of the binary logarithm log2 N of any positive binary number N is derived, and the design of a fast computing system based on this approximation is presented. The speed and simplicity of the system makes it a useful tool for practical real-time applications.


The device (2) has a light source (9) and a detector (8) i.e. camera, arranged at a vehicle, where the detector detects reflection image of a traveling base (4). The reflection image is produced by light beams of the light source. A computing unit (7) determines position changes of the vehicle based on successive reflection images of the traveling base. A distance measuring device determines distance between the detector and a region of the base detected by the detector, and comprises a laser light source (10). An independent claim is also included for a method for automatic position determination of a vehicle.


Over the past decade, China Mieville has established himself as a major talent in contemporary urban fantasy. Fantasy is a notoriously conservative genre. Its promise is one of giving expression to transformative potential opened up by an othering of the world, but the mainline of the tradition has actually been dedicated to capping any transgressive spirit. Dominant currents – for example, the Tolkienesque - have been quick to disinfect the fantastic of what Rosemary Jackson calls its 'existential dis-ease'. It is to Mieville's credit that he has consistently sought to champion radical experimentation in fantasy, to explore its political implications and unleash an infectious rebelliousness. In fact, he has chosen to employ the term, 'weird fiction', to describe his work, actually a cauldron of genre which also encompasses science fiction and horror. H.P. Lovecraft, the writer most often associated with weird fiction, described the dreadful affect of the weird as akin to that inspired by 'the scratching of outside shapes and entities'. The dread is that the scratching from 'outside' is already inside, infecting, running rampant, warping and deforming human life. Such deformation, in Mieville, is perhaps most explicitly rendered as 'the Smog' in his 2007 children's novel, Un Lun Dun, in which a supergenius cloud seeking to 'burn and learn' all books, to assimilate and exploit all human knowledge, invades an alternate London. For Mieville, weird fiction is an expression of the sublime as an alien, predatory, totalitarian threat. In his hands, the fantastic harbours powers which rival such dread but which do not choke off the promise of transformation by seeking closure in some redemptive status quo.

Specifically, we will argue, fiction itself is here recognised as a reality-producing and transforming agent. Mieville's urban fantasies posit narrative itself as a political tool, conjuring performative virtual spaces immanent to reality. In novels from King Rat (1998) through to Kraken (2010), wars are waged in alternate Londons and various imaginary cities between forces which struggle to subvert the distinction between truth and fiction, each in their own way. His cities are occupied by interstitial societies and kingdoms, shadowing and parodying the actual, diagramming invisible forces. We employ the concepts of 'powers of the false', 'fabulation' and 'hyperstition', from Nietzsche, Deleuze, Bergson and Land, to interrogate these fictions about the catalytic powers of fiction, fiction understood as an 'abstract machine trafficking between the virtual and the actual'.

We focus, firstly, on The City and The City (2009), which deals with a murder mystery taking place in the breaches between two (or more?) European cities simultaneously inhabiting the same territory in a curiously crosshatched manner. What fascinates us about this novel is the ambiguity in Mieville's description of the cities. Is there, in fact, something otherworldly and weird about the transposition of these places, or is it something entirely performed (collectively) by their denizens (hence the ability of the policing force of 'Breach' to move transversally between them)? Any supernatural elements are grounded in a kind of procedural banality. In other words, what is at stake in the novel appears to be a process of fiction-that-makes-itself-real, signs flattened into non-signifying triggers, namely diagrams that operate on a level beyond meaning.

Our second main example is the confluence of themes of language, city and fiction in Mieville's most recent novel, Embassytown (2011). The narrative concerns human interactions with an alien race, the Ariekei, which communicates via a form of language akin to Walter Benjamin's divine 'Language as such', in which only the actually existent can be spoken: 'We didn't speak, we were mute, we only dropped the stones we mentioned out of our mouths'. That is, until the aliens aspire to Saussurean semiosis, aping the language of man. This event cracks open their world until they move beyond signification, learning, in great crisis, of the 'truthing' resources of language, of lie and metaphor, the 'lie-that-truths'. The 'new Ariekei' recognize the productivity of fiction as the condition of new life and production of new truths beyond good and evil. John Holloway has spoken of a double movement of 'negation-and-creation' in which the world is cracked open by a prefigurative politics, involving 'the acting-out of a world that does not exist, in the hope that by acting it out, we may really breathe it into life; or rather, in the knowledge that this is the only way in which we can bring it into life'. Embassytown can be understood as a crack-fiction; in this novel, a city is broken and remade in a weird experiment with freeing language, putting it into contact with the powers of the false, breaking the habit of 'making sense' as ordinarily understood.


The design problems in the development of a spherical mobile robot are discussed in this paper. These problems include dynamics and design of the propulsion mechanism, motion planning and control problems, actuator selection and sensor placement, design and fabrication of the exo-skeleton, and other issues related to power management and computing. Each of the problems are discussed in brief and presented in relation to the spherical mobile robot currently under development at Michigan State University.


HE widespread use of sodium silicofluoride in fluoridating drinking water has made it important to determine the state of the fluoride in such water, specifically, how much is fluoride ion, how much, if any, is unchanged silicofluoride, how much is fluoride bound to other ions. If all or nearly all of the fluoride is the ion, F-, the great body of information about the biologic effects of fluorides" 2 can be brought forward as a guarantee of safety. If considerable amounts of silicofluoride remain, a question can legitimately be raised since comparatively little work has been done on the biologic effects of silicofluorides. This paper presents some experimental results permitting the conclusion that no silicofluoride as such exists in the drinking water. The calculations and interpretations, while physicochemical, are described in sufficient detail to be intelligible to those without formal training in physical chemistry. When sodium silicofluoride is added to water, there is an instantaneous and complete dissociation into sodium and silicofluoride ions. Na2SiF2Na+ + SiF6. Thereafter,3 4 the silicofluoride ions dissociate slowly to unionized, dissolved silicon tetrafluoride and fluoride ions, according to the equilibrium:


Secure masking schemes have been proven in theory to be secure countermeasures against side-channel attacks. The security framework proposed by Ishai, Sahai, and Wagner, known as the Ishai–Sahai–Wagner scheme, is one of the most acceptable secure models of the existing <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d$ </tex-math></inline-formula>th-order masking schemes, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d$ </tex-math></inline-formula> represents the masking order and plays the role of a security parameter. However, a gap may exist between scheme and design. Several analyses have determined that the glitch has been regarded as the main challenge of masking in hardware designs. A practical method of locating the precise position of leakage points (LPs) in the original hardware design is very rare. Existing research on this glitch mainly focuses on the first-order leakages; however, higher-order analysis can combine several shares to recover the secret key. In this paper, we propose a practical method, sensitive glitch location (SGL) method to locate the less order leakage in hardware design. Specifically, the SGL method can locate any-order of LP in the hardware implementation of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d$ </tex-math></inline-formula>th-order masking schemes. We conducted experiments and verified that the time complexity of SGL on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d$ </tex-math></inline-formula>th-order masking schemes is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${O(nm)}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the number of signals and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the number of shares in masking scheme. It can therefore be regarded as an efficient tool for the masking designs. In addition, we analyzed the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d$ </tex-math></inline-formula>th-order masking scheme proposed by Rivain and Prouff (2010) along with the SecMult algorithm from the Rivain–Prouff countermeasure, which has been analyzed by our SGL. The experimental results verified that a higher-order leakage may exist in certain hardware designs, even the masking scheme has been proven as a secure countermeasure. To the best of our knowledge, SGL is the first tool that can be used to locate any-order of power/electromagnetic LP in hardware designs. It thus shows the weakness in the original design file of hardware implementations. This property can help designers directly improve the real security of the designs. Moreover, SGL returns the path of the leakages, which can elucidate the original cause and propagation of the weakness.


The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method is used to study the phase space evolution on some systems made of charged particles. In this work, a bidimensional PIC model is presented to make the analysis of an electrostatic plasma that is result of an ablation laser process with an isotermic expansion. Some Cloud-In-Cell (CIC) techniques are used, the Fast Fourier Transform, Finite Difference Method and Euler-Cromer. In each iteration CIC is used to make interpolations between charge and fields; with FFT the electrostatic potential is calculated in nodes of the grid, the electric field was obtained using central finite differences, with Euler-Cromer Method the positions and velocities of superparticles are updated. Also, the high parallelism profile of this kind of algorithms (PIC) is advantageous for the implementation using Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Some results of plasma expansion are showed until 7.5 emission time; the superparticles displacement is analyzed on electrons and ions. Some acceleration was achieved.


The equations of open 2-dimensional Toda lattice (TL) correspond to Leznov-Saveliev equations (LSE) interpreted as zero-curvature Yang-Mills equations on the variety of $O(3)$-orbits on the Minkowski space when the gauge algebra is the image of $\mathfrak{sl}(2)$ under a principal embedding into a simple finite-dimensional Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}(A)$ with Cartan matrix $A$. The known integrable super versions of TL equations correspond to matrices $A$ of two different types. I interpret the super LSE of one type 1 as zero-curvature equations for the \textit{reduced} connection on the non-integrable distribution on the supervariety of $OSp(1|2)$-orbits on the $N=1$-extended Minkowski superspace; the Leznov-Saveliev method of solution is applicable only to $\mathfrak{g}(A)$ finite-dimensional and admitting a superprincipal embedding $\mathfrak{osp}(1|2)\to\mathfrak{g}(A)$. The simplest LSE1 is the super Liouville equation; it can be also interpreted in terms of the superstring action. Olshanetsky introduced LSE2 -- another type of equations of super TL. Olshanetsky's equations, as well as LSE1 with infinite-dimensional $\mathfrak{g}(A)$, can be solved by the Inverse Scattering Method. To interpret these equations remains an open problem, except for the super Liouville equation -- the only case where these two types of LSE coincide. I also review related less known and less popular mathematical constructions involved.