A television set capable of regulating resolution ratio automatically according to watching distance comprises an image signal receiving module, a distance measuring module and an image signal processing module. The image signal receiving module is used for receiving image signals input from the outside of the television set and sending the image signals to the image signal processing module. The distance measuring module is used for measuring the watching distance between a user and the television set, and sending the measured watching distance to the image signal processing module. The image signal processing module is used for processing the image signals and displaying the same on a screen of the television set. According to the watching distance between the user and the television set, the television set is capable of regulating the resolution ratio of the image signals and then displaying the same on the screen, thereby bringing convenience to the user, at different distance, to watch the television set with good visual effects.


The effects of electroplating chemistry and dielectric diffusion barrier composition on copper voiding and barrier adhesion are reported. Adhesion was quantified using the four-point bend thin film adhesion technique, and voiding in the Cu films was quantified using scanning electron microscopy. A total of 12 different film stacks were investigated, including three different Cu electroplating chemistries and four different barrier materials (SiN, N-doped SiC, O-doped SiC, and dual-layer SiC). Both plating chemistry and barrier composition have a large effect on interface adhesion and voiding in the Cu film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the segregation of Cu electroplating impurities, such as S and Cl, to the Cu/barrier interface. Secondary ion mass spectrometry was used to quantify oxygen content at the Cu/barrier interface in a subset of samples. This interface oxygen content is correlated with measured adhesion values.


We developed a design of a 980 nm laser diode with GaAs waveguide and thin asymmetric barrier layers (ABLs) placed close to both sides of the active region. The use of AlGaAsSb ABL (or alternatively three AlInAs barriers separated by GaAsP spacers of different thicknesses) for blocking electron transport and GaInP ABL for blocking hole transport suppresses parasitic recombination in the waveguide by 99%.


The invention relates to a method for charging a built in an electric motor vehicle 1 accumulator for storing electric energy for the operation of an electric drive motor of the electric motor vehicle having gather Direction of a power supply network for electric energy. For enabling both an easy loading as well as a reliable accounting of the extracted amount of energy to an aforementioned method is proposed wherein the accumulator is connected to a load connected to the power supply network, constructed as a low-voltage socket outlet 2, wherein a counter identifier of the from the power supply network via the outlet supplied electric energy measuring stationary electricity meter is transmitted to a central computer 4, wherein the vehicle location of the electric vehicle is transmitted to the central computer, wherein a assigned to the electricity meter counter location with the transmitted vehicle location of the electric motor vehicle is compared by the central computer, and wherein provided in correspondence of the counter location with the vehicle location, a charging of the accumulator initiating charge signal from the central computer to a charging of the accumulator s controlling charger 11 of the electric motor vehicle is sent.


Abstract We report on the method developed by Zibetti, Charlot & Rix (2009) to construct resolved stellar mass maps of galaxies from optical and NIR imaging. Accurate pixel-by-pixel colour information (specifically g – i and i – H) is converted into stellar mass-to-light ratios with typical accuracy of 30%, based on median likelihoods derived from a Monte Carlo library of 50,000 stellar population synthesis models that include dust and updated TP-AGB phase prescriptions. Hence, surface mass densities are computed. In a pilot study, we analyze 9 galaxies spanning a broad range of morphologies. Among the main results, we find that: i) galaxies appear much smoother in stellar mass maps than at any optical or NIR wavelength; ii) total stellar mass estimates based on unresolved photometry are biased low with respect to the integral of resolved stellar mass maps, by up to 40%, due to dust obscured regions being under-represented in global colours; iii) within a galaxy, on local scales colours correlate with surface stellar mass density; iv) the slope and tightness of this correlation reflect/depend on the morphology of the galaxy.


Vertical line arrays have been widely used in underwater target location and noise measurement, and the attitude and shape of the vertical array have a significant influence on detection accuracy. The paper presents an array shape calibration method for underwater vertical acoustic array-based measurement systems. Firstly, a standard acoustic source was used to transmit underwater acoustic signals at a certain distance from the acoustic array, and the target location based on the received data of the acoustic array was estimated concerning distance and depth to obtain the two-dimensional ambiguity function of the depth and distance of the array. Then, the ambiguity function was used to calculate the center depth and the inclination angle of the vertical acoustic array and to further obtain the shape and location information of the acoustic array. Finally, a lake experiment study was carried out. The results showed that the calibrated array shape was in good agreement with the actual location, and the sound source location estimated by using the calibrated array shape was consistent with the actual sound source location, thereby effectively reducing the impact on the measurement accuracy due to the inclination of the measurement system under the influence of water current.


Content-based retrieval (CBR) has been considered effective for searching complex multimedia data from the Internet. Since multimedia has plentiful connotations, the user-dependent content definitions always are arbitrary but insufficient for general applications. In this paper, a new attribute-dispersed model (ADM) is proposed for general multimedia storage and content-based retrieval. According to the proposed model, different attributes of the multimedia object are firstly classified as independent ones and dependent ones, the later will be stored and managed separately, and new attributes or concepts can be easily expanded dynamically in a self-description and reference list (SDRL) scheme. It is expected that the proposed model can be a rational and practical solution for the efficient and effective storage and retrieval of general multimedia information.


Wind power prediction is critical to power balance and economic operation of power system when connected to the grid. In order to improve prediction accuracy, NWP information of different positions and height are taken into consideration to predict wind power in wind farms. In this paper, similar day as the prediction day was searched as training sample at first. The key factors of multiposition NWP that affect the wind power prediction are identified by rough set theory. Then the rough set neural network prediction model is built by treating the key factors as the inputs to the model. To test the approach, the NWP data and actual wind power data from a wind farm are used for this study. The prediction results are presented and compared to the single position wind power calculation model, the single position NWP neural network model and persistence model. The results show that rough set method is a useful tool in short term multistep wind power prediction.


In the following pages, I review several new media products within the category 'wearable technology' while suggesting the potential and problems for making applications to visual research. What are these 'new media' items? What do they do and what might we expect them to accomplish? I will speculate on how researchers are afforded new 'means of addressing methodological challenges' and new opportunities to ask questions and explore problems in social research that were not considered in past years (Brown, Dilley, and Marshall 2008). I will address what these new media are adding to ways and means we see and interpret the social world.


© 2012 Hernandez-Rivera et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Multivariate Analysis in Vibrational Spectroscopy of Highly Energetic Materials and Chemical Warfare Agents Simulants


AbstractThe clustering of agents in the market is a typical problem dealt with by the new approaches to macroeconomic modeling, that describe macroscopic variables in terms of the behavior of a large collection of microeconomic entities. Clustering has a lot of economical interpretations, that are often described by Ewens' Sampling Formula (ESF). Contrary to the usual complex derivations, we suggest a finitary characterization of the ESF pointing to real economic processes, Our approach is finitary in the sense that we probabilize a system of n individuals considered as a closed system, a population, where individuals can change attributes as time moves on. The intuitive meaning of the probability is the fraction of time the system spends in the considered partition. As ESF represents an equilibrium distribution satisfying detailed balance, some properties difficult to prove are derived in a simple way. Besides the mean distribution of the cluster sizes, we study the probabilistic time behavior of clusters, in particular the mean survival as a function of the actual size and the correlation between size and age.


Shock-wave data for the high-pressure phases of a number of rocks and minerals have been reanalyzed using a revised seismic equation of state to constrain the zero-pressure properties of the high-pressure phases. The anomalously low values of dK/dP resulting from a previous analysis are thereby removed. The inferred zero-pressure densities of the high-pressure phases are reduced by an average of 4%, and the values of the zero-pressure seismic parameter Φ0 are reduced by up to 30%. bringing them into approximate agreement with the hypothesis of the molar additivity of Φ. For most of the materials considered, the derived pressure trajectories of density versus the seismic parameter Φ are consistent wth shock-wave data on such materials as MgO, Al2O3, and SiO2 (stishovite) where no zero-pressure assumptions are required. Iron-rich compounds may require further revision. It is demonstrated that in poorly constrained cases the Birch-Murnaghan equation can produce a singularity in dK/dP at high pressure. Possible crystal structures of the high-pressure phases are considered using the revised zero-pressure densities. It seems likely that olivines with less than about 10-mole % FeO content can transform to a phase significantly denser than the isochemical mixture of oxides, in contrast to olivines with higher iron content. The possibility that electron spin transitions occur in iron-rich compounds is considered, but no strong evidence has been obtained. The derived zero-pressure densities of the high-pressure phases are usually not of sufficient accuracy to distinguish between all alternative structures, but in some cases an alternative structure to that previously chosen is preferred here.


Seasonal snowpack in the Western United States (WUS) is vital for meeting summer hydrological demands, reducing the intensity and frequency of wildfires, and supporting snow-tourism economies. While the frequency and severity of snow droughts (SD) are expected to increase under continued global warming, the uncertainty from internal climate variability remains challenging to quantify. Using a 30-member large ensemble from a state-of-the-art global climate model, the Seamless System for Prediction and EArth System Research (SPEAR), and an observations-based dataset, we find WUS SD changes are already significant. By 2100, SPEAR projects SDs to be nearly 9 times more frequent under shared socioeconomic pathway 5-8.5 (SSP5-8.5) and 5 times more frequent under SSP2-4.5. By investigating the influence of the two primary drivers of SD, temperature and precipitation amount, we find the


A family of parameters to evaluate the anti-fault ability of distribution networks is put forward. The total anti-fault ability is defined as the product of the anti-fault parameter of the network structure and the anti-fault parameter restricted by the limitation of electrical devices. Faults are assumed on each feeder, each bus, each substation and each transmission line, respectively. In each case, a novel approach with the index of minimum load shielding is adopted to restore the load as much as possible. A load balancing method is also discussed. The shielded load due to the network structure and the limitation of the electrical devices are analyzed, respectively. A distribution network anti-fault ability table is used to show the influence range and extend of the various types of faults. A load shielding table ordering the influence extent in turn and a feeder-fault related table showing in which cases a certain feeder section will be shielded due to network structure or security considerations are also presented. An example is given showing that the evaluation of anti-fault ability is helpful for distribution network planning and emergency adjustments.


The epidemic of obesity is now recognized as one of the most important public health problems facing the world today.


With the constant development of food packaging industry, the traditional food packaging industry has been out of date in the new era, which requires the emergence of a new type of food packaging to replace the traditional one. As a trend of new food packaging development, green food packaging is safer, healthier and with more environmental features. Since it is a kind of new packaging material, there still exist some inadequacies in green food packaging industry. However, the trend is unchangeable, which is the requirement for the development of productive forces and the demands of the times. Using qualitative and quota methods, this paper put forward the strategies for Chinese food packing.


Remarkable improvements in the outcome for childhood haematopoietic malignancies have been made during the past few decades. However, haematopoietic malignancies are the most common pediatric malignancy, and outcome after relapse is generally poor. Recent reports suggest that at least some cases of human leukemia and cancer are arranged in a hierarchical fashion and maintained by rare "tumor-propagating cells". However, whether the malignant clone arises from such a leukemic stem cell fraction has not been clarified in most haematopoietic malignancies other than acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Establishment of an assay capable of generating of childhood haematopoietic malignancies from patient oriented blast cells will provide new insight into the haematopoietic malignancies biology and the mechanism of the development of haematopoietic malignancies in vivo. The recently described highly immunodeficient NOD/SCID/gamma null (NOG) mice provide a number of advantages. This strain, with life expectancy more than 90 weeks, is more robust than strains such as NOD/SCID and support generation of haematopoietic malignancies from transplanted human blast cells. In the present study, childhood haematopoietic malignancies cells, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL; n=7), AML (n=4), juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia(JMML; n=1), Lymphoma(n=1), and Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder(n=1), are transplanted into 2.4Gy irradiated or non-irradiated NOG mice. The transplanted mice have splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, nephromegaly and testicular enlargement and developed haematopoietic malignancies which is the same flow cytometric immunophenotype and pathological pattern of the patient from 4 weeks after intravenous injection of 5×102-1×108 blast cells. The transplanted mice can live as long as 24 weeks after transplantation with more than 95% blasts in the bone marrow. The blast cells harvested from the bone marrow and the spleen generated the haematopoietic malignancies in tertiary transplantation especially in ALL. We report here examination results of reconstituted childhood haematopoietic malignancies in NOD/SCID/gamma null mice after the transplantation of patient oriented blast cells.


Public sector organisations have changed to be online offices and services while the COVID-19 outbreak attacked. The transformations also shift not only the paradigm but also the working methods of public sectors into an online system requiring a capacity to use smart technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA). Nevertheless, the research on the issue is still rare. This paper bridging the gap by analysing a confirmatory factor of STARA competencies of public employees during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. We tested twelve items that relied on STARA competencies. The research used a survey method on 305 public servants in the Province of Special Region of Jakarta. A structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to assess the data. An SEM analysis suggests that the twelve indicators are valid and reliable in predicting STARA competencies' constructs. Our findings may be used by the subsequent researchers in examining STARA competencies.


Based on the SHPB (Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar), the dynamic mechanical properties of the granite in the borehole have been tested separately. The data shows that the impact dynamic strength increases as the precompression stress increases and can reach its maximum when the precompression stress is about 50% of the static tension strength. Meanwhile, the coupled static and dynamic strength increases as well, and it could reach about three times of the static precompression stress and one and half times of the dynamic strength respectively. Also, the failure model of the coupled static and dynamic loading is tension failure, which is the same as the static tension and conventional dynamic loading test.


Objective To study evaluates the association of methyleneletrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)-677→T mutation with preeclampsia.Methods MTHFR genotype mutation was determined by a PCR-based RFLP method in 61 cases preeclampsia and 56 cases normal pregnancy.Results The frequency of the the 677C→T MTHFR mutation(T/T genotype 11.5%)was significantly increased in pregnancy with preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy(7.1%)and the frequency of T allele(44.2%)was also signifi- cantly increased in pregnancy with preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy(17.9%).There were not dif- ferent by frequency of the 677C→T MTHFR mutation(T/T genotype)and T allele in intergroup comparisons among gestational hypertension,mild preeclampsia and severe preeclampsia(P>0.05).Conclusion 677C→ T MTHFR polymorphism is an associated risk factor for developing preeclampsia,but not associated with sort of preeclampsia.


Aims: Corona virus SARS-CoV-2, otherwise known as COVID-19 has created a pandemic resulting in social and financial crisis throughout the world. The virus has no known drugs or vaccines for preventive or therapeutic purposes. The objective of the present study was to screen phytochemicals from Cassia occidentalis L. in virtual screening (in silico) studies to evaluate their potential of binding to the main 3C-like protease of the virus and so stop its replication. Study Design: Molecular docking approach was used for virtual screening studies. Place and Duration of Study: University of Development Alternative between April and July 2020. Methodology: Molecular docking (blind) were done with the help of Autodock Vina. We have used the pdb file (6LU7) of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease or SARS-CoV-2 3CL (monomeric form) to study binding of the phytochemicals. Original Research Article Bondhon et al.; AJRID, 4(4): 8-14, 2020; Article no.AJRID.60059 9 Results: Of the nine phytochemicals studied, the C-glycosidic flavonoids, cassiaoccidentalins A-C demonstrated excellent binding affinities to the protease. The compounds bound to the active site of the protease with binding energy values of -8.2 to-8.4 kcal/mol. Conclusion: The in silico studies suggest that the compounds merit actual COVID-19 inhibitory tests and have potential for anti-COVID-19 use.


According to the comprehensive study and the preexistent information of deep drill hole and surface information,we think that the Beili anticline in Yiliang-Lowang syncline is the rational structure in prospecting for Upper Palaeozoic oil and gas.The blind rock salt deposit can be probably discovered in the Washi anticline in Weixin.And the Upper Permian coal resources can be enlarged by the further investigation.


The invention discloses a heat management control device and a heat management control method for a power assembly of a vehicle, and belongs to the technical field of automobile manufacturing. The device comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the ECU is connected with electronic fans through relays, and is also connected with a temperature measuring system. The device is also provided with six bolts and is suitable for a direct-current (DC) 12V-42V vehicle. The temperature of cooling liquid of the power assembly is kept at the temperature of between 85 and 90 DEG C, a heat management control function of the power assembly of the vehicle is realized, and the aim of constant system temperature is fulfilled; fuel oil can be saved, emission is reduced, power output and the bearing capacity of the vehicle are increased, the maintenance cost of the vehicle is reduced, and reliability and the environmental adaptability of the vehicle are improved; and the device and the method are suitable for the radiating control system management of the power assemblies of the common vehicle and an electric vehicle.


Recent workers including Stearn (1969) and Wiehler (1970) have commented on reassessment of some of the sections within Columnea sens. lat. The following notes are based on my own attempts at improving Columnea classification, and are intended as an evaluation of some of the critical characters employed in the classification. Columnea belongs to the tribe Columneeae, subfamily Gesnerioideae of the Gesneriaceae. The Columneeae comprises approximately 396 species of which about 160 belong to Columnea sens. lat., the next largest genera being Episcia Mart. and Drymonia Mart. with approximately 35 species each (Wiehler, 1970). Estimates of the size of Columnea sens. lat. vary from 100 plus (Stearn, 1969) to 200 (Willis, 1966). Since Columnea was described by Linnaeus in 1753 many new species have been discovered and described with the result that the known variation now exceeds those limits defined by Linnaeus and sometimes borders on those of Alloplectus Mart. Experimental observations on Columnea have accumulated in the past 20 years particularly from the disciplines cytology (Eberle, 1956; Fussell, 1958; Sherk, 1960), plant breeding (Sherk & Lee, 1967) and anatomy (Wiehler, 1970). A beginning has also been made on field studies of wild populations in relation to their breeding systems and patterns of variation (Morley, 1968, 1971). These data have not yet been incorporated into the classification of Columnea sens. lat. partly because more experimental work is required on larger species samples.


ABSTRACT Citizenship Education is currently interpreted as a multidimensional education, even Citizenship Education includes various disciplines related to citizenship issues. One of the actual citizenship problems is about environmental damage, because it is a problem experienced by all nations in the world. This study aimed to develop an instrument to measure students' attitudes related to students' ecological citizenship behavior as one of the outputs of Citizenship Education course in middle school. This study was using development method (R&D) which included several stages, namely preliminary research, development research, effectiveness measurement, and dissemination. The results of the expert assessment of the content and content validation test stated that the digital citizenship-based political participation instrument was assessed according to the CVI 1 (Relevant) value, while the broad-scale analysis of the questionnaire items was obtained with valid results of 26 questionnaire items with reliability value of 0.98. This study found that the instrument was relevant to measure civics learning outcomes in the form of students' ability to apply attitudes in accordance with the value of ecological citizenship.


In this paper, the on-line fuzzy most connective path problem (OFCP) without a map is originally proposed and studied by our team, based on the traditional optimal path problem in the domain of the operations research, fuzzy theory and logic and the theory of the on-line algorithms. In this model, two kinds of uncertainties, namely on-line and fuzzy, are combined to be considered at the same time. Firstly, some preliminaries concerning the competitive analysis and the most connective path problem and then the model of OFCP are established and relevant concepts are formulated. Following that, some on-line fuzzy algorithms are designed to handle the problem of OFCP and the rigorous proofs for the competitive ratio are given. Finally, conclusions are made and some possible research directions are discussed


Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a by-product from wet-milling process. The CGM tested in our study contained 58% protein, 17% remaining starch, and 25% crude fiber of which 35% was hemicellulose and 18% cellulose. After proteolytic digestion, amino acids were the main products in the supernatant. While the sediments were hydrolyzed with compound enzymes. After centrifugation, the fermentable sugars in the crude hydrolysate were determined by LCMS. This crude hydrolysate was utilized as the sole medium to produce xylanase, cellulase, and amylase by Bacillus subtilis KL-007. The results showed that the major component was xylose from the crude hydrolysate which was contained in 27.15 mg/g dry weight of sediments after 24 hours of enzyme hydrolysis. The growth rate of bacterial cultivation in the crude hydrolysate was significantly higher than in a commercial medium; MRS (p<0.05). In addition, enzyme production of xylanase, cellulase, and amylase after 24 hours of bacterial cultivation induced 0.55±0.03, 1.00±0.08, 0.26±0.02 Unit/ml (one unit was the amount of enzyme that released 1 mmol of glucose/min), respectively. Besides amino acids, CGM could be a suitable material to produce hydrolytic enzymes of dietary fiber which is an animal supplement.


© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. DESCRIPTION A 49yearold Hispanic woman with a previous medical history significant for stage I hypertension presented to the emergency department with acuteonset chest pain. She described her pain as sharp and nonexertional with radiation to the back. She denied headache, vision changes or abdominal pain. Her home medications included losartan, loratadine and vitamin D3. Her family and personal histories were negative for tobacco use, connective tissue diseases, early sudden cardiac death or vasculitis. She was mildly hypertensive and tachycardic to 140/90 mm Hg and 100 bpm on presentation. Physical examination did not reveal any skin lesions, skin discolouration or scalp tenderness. The patient received an abdominal CT aortogram, which showed a 9 mm pseudoaneurysm at the proximal common hepatic artery with irregular hepatic artery stenosis distal to the aneurysm without downstream ischaemic findings (figure 1). The renal arteries were normal. She was admitted for medical management of thoracic aortic disease and further workup for vascular aneurysmal syndromes. She received a CT angiogram of the head and neck to evaluate for further dissections, which revealed a 2 cm nonflow limiting dissection in the right common carotid artery (figure 2). Laboratory evaluation did not show elevation in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, cardiac troponin, liver associated enzymes, leucocyte count or antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) titres. Complement levels were normal. She was diagnosed with segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) and initially treated with intravenous esmolol and clevidipine drip infusion as antiimpulse therapy for thoracic aortic aneurysm with concomitant resolution of chest pain. She was subsequently transitioned to oral metoprolol succinate and losartan. She remained asymptomatic and was discharged home on hospital day 7. SAM is a rare, nonatherosclerotic, noninflammatory, degenerative vasculopathy characterised by lysis of the arterial medial layer, resulting in dissecting pseudoaneurysm, intramural haematoma and possible vessel rupture. 2 Although biopsy and histopathological diagnosis are definitive, biopsy is not advised in patients whose aneurysmal pathology does not otherwise meet criteria for surgical intervention. Fortunately, SAM can be clinically diagnosed with a constellation of laboratory studies and clinical details that differentiate it from other vascular mimics. Serum inflammatory markers, complete blood count, ANCA titres


Life history characteristics and spatial distribution of Abies fargesii population in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve was studied using the life table,age structure and survivorship curve of the Abies fargesii population in Shennongjia nature reserve to explain: 1) population growth characteristics,and 2) how can biological and environemental factors affect population distribution and dynamics? Abies fargesii is distributed mainly on certain attitude that ranges from 2000 m to 3104.5m in shennongjia nature reserve.We sampled trees in 30 plots(20m×20m),and,in each plot,we chose 5 grids(5m×5m) for shrubs,10 grids(1m×1m) for grasses,and 10 grids(1m×1m) for regeneration layer.The diameter at breast height(DBH) of each tree was recorded.We determined the life table,age structure and survivorship curve of the Abies fargesii to analyze population structure and dynamics.The age structure of the population indicates that Abies fargesii population is a developing population.The survivorship curve of Abies fargesii population generally matches a Deevey Type I,although seedlings is rare and have low survival rate due to high crown density.The spatial distribution in different growth periods are clumped or random.Populations tend to clump when interspecific competition is not severe in a wet and cold habitat in shennongjia nature reserve.Intraspecific competition also affects the clustering intensity of different growth periods.


Donald Trump's loss in conjunction with the outcome of congressional elections has left the Republican Party entirely removed from the political levers of power in Washington, D .C . - a mere four years after they had obtained unified control of government at the federal level. What are the lessons Republicans can draw from these results? How can a President who engaged in open efforts to overturn a democratic election result continue to elicit a degree of support among the party's rank-and-file that has made him the current favorite to win the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2024? Explanations are found both in the 45th President's governing record as well as in the composition of today's Republican electorate, which largely subscribes to Donald Trump's nativist populist worldview. The attitudes present among Republican voters were one of the key reasons why most Republican officials in Washington ultimately decided to at least tacitly support Trump's anti-democratic lie of a "stolen election". This may only have been a harbinger of the future threat Republicans pose to US democracy.


There is an increasingly important requirement for day and night, wide field of view imaging and tracking for both imaging and sensing applications. Applications include military, security and remote sensing. We describe the development of a proof of concept demonstrator of an adaptive coded-aperture imager operating in the mid-wave infrared to address these requirements. This consists of a coded-aperture mask, a set of optics and a 4k x 4k focal plane array (FPA). This system can produce images with a resolution better than that achieved by the detector pixel itself (i.e. superresolution) by combining multiple frames of data recorded with different coded-aperture mask patterns. This superresolution capability has been demonstrated both in the laboratory and in imaging of real-world scenes, the highest resolution achieved being ½ the FPA pixel pitch. The resolution for this configuration is currently limited by vibration and theoretically ¼ pixel pitch should be possible. Comparisons have been made between conventional and ACAI solutions to these requirements and show significant advantages in size, weight and cost for the ACAI approach.


: In most epithelia, desmosomes are important adhesion structures which have a key role in linking the intermediate filament network of one cell to its neighbor, thus forming a strong bond. These junctions are essential for retaining the integrity of organs, subject to mechanical stress, particularly the heart and skin. Desmogleins and desmocollins belong to super family of cadherin, which mediate adhesion at desmosomes. Through a series of protein interactions, desmosomal cadherin tails get associated with Cytoplasmic components of the desmosome, the sites of desmosome assemblage are employed with intermediate filaments. There are four types of desmogleins (Dsg1, Dsg2, Dsg3 and Dsg4) and three types of desmocollins (Dsc 1, Dsc 2, and Dsc 3). These types of desmosomal cadherins are involved in various defects. This review outlines the structure, function and associated diseases of cadherin superfamily. I believe that this review will assist researchers to enhance their basic knowledge regarding desmogleins, desmocollins and their major associated diseases. characterized by sparse wooly hair and cardiomypathy underlay Naxos disease (MIM 601214) [48- 49]. Mutations that cause inherited disorders are due to the involvement of three of the desmoglein isoforms.


For transmitting QAM signals, a sensor subcarrier quadrature amplitude modulated (FBMC-QAM) system using two sample filters is presented. Filtration for even post symbols and odd-numbered sub-carrier symbols is done separately in the proposed transmitter. Multicarrier transmission, which sends data over the channel in several frequency subcarriers at a lower data rate, has become popular in this situation. A potential waveform for 5G is the filter bank multicarrier system, which is an efficient multicarrier system. FBMC has a high Highest point Power Ratio (PAPR), similar to OFDM and other multicarrier systems, which necessitates the use of high-power amplification with a wide dynamic range. Precoding methods are employed to reduce PAPR at the cost of BER performance loss. A unique application of A-law and Mu-law companding methods for PAPR reduction of the FBMC-OQAM method is proposed in this work. Utilizing A-law and Mu-law companding algorithms, the paper also analyses the tradeoff between Parameter estimation and FBMC-OQAM Bit error efficiency. The PAPR of the system has decreased significantly as a result of the simulated results, but the BER has increased. Both companding strategies yielded mixed results, with Mu-law companding marginally outperforming A-law companding in terms of PAPR reduction. However, A-law companding has a higher BER than Mu-law companding.


Abstract Urban heat island–induced circulation and convection in three dimensions are investigated theoretically and numerically in the context of the response of a stably stratified uniform flow to specified low-level heating that represents an urban heat island. In a linear, theoretical part of the investigation, an analytic solution for the perturbation vertical velocity in a three-dimensional, time-dependent, hydrostatic, nonrotating, inviscid, Boussinesq airflow system is obtained. The solution reveals a typical internal gravity wave field, including low-level upward motion downwind of the heating center. Precipitation enhancement observed downwind of urban areas may be partly due to this downwind upward motion. The comparison of two- and three-dimensional flow fields indicates that the dispersion of gravity wave energy into an additional dimension results in a faster approach to a quasi-steady state and a weaker quasi-steady flow well above the concentrated heating region in three dimensions. In a n...


A sample of 234 college undergraduates were clustered into relatively homogeneous religious types based on the similarity of their religious profiles on three scales of religious commitment delineated by Hunt (1972): Literal, Antiliteral, and Mythological. Consistent with Hunt's previous notions, the Mythological commitment was a prominent one among subjects tested. However, a second contention of Hunt's that proreligious subjects of different substantive orientations might differ in terms of personality characteristics was not supported. Literally-oriented religious Believers did not differ significantly from Mythologically-oriented Believers on measures of intelligence, authoritarianism, or racial prejudice. Religious Believers as a group were found to be significantly less intelligent and more authoritarian than religious Skeptics.


On April , , forty-eight-year-old Aaron Miller departed his native Louden County, Virginia, home on horseback, accompanied by his brother Daniel, to travel westward to Ohio. Their expressed purpose was to seek out and purchase farms capable of profitable wheat production for several of the Miller brothers and their families. Over the next month and a half, Miller recorded his detailed observations about Ohio and its agriculture, farm people, and overall state of economic and material development. Certainly, whatever Thomas Jefferson had envisioned within his agrarian ideology regarding the future growth and prosperity for the young United States and its "republic of farmers" was alive, well, and commercially succeeding in Ohio by the s, major elements of which were documented by Miller.1 Even before crossing into the state, on a route that would traverse central Ohio counties primarily along the National Road and briefly into Indiana, Miller met almost daily with two, three, or five droves of Ohio cattle bound for the Baltimore and Philadelphia


The utility model discloses a slicing device, in particular to a novel slicing machine. The novel slicing machine comprises a cutting machine body in a box structure, a plurality of feeding ports in different specifications are arranged in a top cover of the cutting machine body, a rotating shaft and a drive device driving the rotating shaft to rotate are arranged in the cutting machine body, the top end of the rotating shaft is detachably provided with a cutter head capable of rotating along with the rotating shaft, and the cutter head is arranged on the rotating shaft in an inclined mode and corresponds to the feeding ports. Due to the fact that plurality of feeding ports in the different specifications are arranged in the top cover of the cutting machine body, feeding ports with different calibers can be chosen according to different sizes of foods for feeding, and design is reasonable; and due to the fact that the cutter head is installed in a detachable mode, the cutter heads with different cutting edges can be replaced according to different demands. Thus, the novel slicing machine is simple in structure, flexible to operate and practical.


One of the greatest issues project teams face today is the ossification of assumptions—the hardening of assumptions into facts without validation. This negatively impacts decision making and actions taken by the team, ultimately increasing the risk of failure. Yet, assumptions are something we use every day in our lives. So how do we identify and mitigate those that could cause our project harm? This paper will provide, through case studies, an understanding of how this ossification of assumptions can happen; a proven technique to overcome it; and the role leadership has in developing a culture to prevent it. The intention is to help project managers reduce risk impact caused by the ossification of assumptions through: 1. Learning new techniques to manage and validate assumptions. 2. Improving decision-making time and quality through assumption approaches. 3. Understanding through case studies how poor assumptions management can impact an organization's success.


Disruptive behaviors confound faculty, staff, and administrators. This article proposes a systemic model for handling disruptive behaviors. The model, in which college counselors have a leading role, uses faculty liaisons, a faculty and staff handbook faculty and staff training, and policy development to address the problem. Disruptive, disrespectful, and disorderly students have begun to stymie many faculty members and administrators in community colleges, colleges, and universities. It is often expected that by the time students reach college they will know how to behave in a classroom. However, some very promising students have even committed murder at institutions such as Harvard (Thernstrom, 1996), Simon's Rock College of Bard, and the University of Iowa (Matthews, 1993). Murder is the most dramatic of all the disruptive behaviors faced by college counselors and faculty. Fortunately, few counselors or faculty members will have the experience. Unfortunately, college instructors often experience, on a daily basis, students who are chronically late, who talk to friends during class, who eat or sleep in class, and who engage in arguments with instructors or other students (Amada, 1994). Amada (1994) also reported stalking and inappropriate erotic or romantic attachments that alarm college faculty. Instructors, using only the authority of their position, are no longer able to maintain decorum in their classrooms or a sense of personal safety. Disruptive behaviors can be characterized as rebellious or emotional in nature. Rebellious disruptive behaviors seem to be intentional, defiant, annoying, and disrespectful. The student who antagonistically questions the expertise and authority of the instructor or the student who continuously chatters in class even after having been disciplined can be characterized as exhibiting rebellious behavior. Although emotionally disruptive behaviors may also have annoying or disrespectful qualities, these behaviors seem to be unintended and to be precipitated by underlying emotional distress. Such emotional distress can be exhibited by changes in academic performance, outbursts of anger, changes in personal hygiene, excessive absences, essays or creative works that display themes of despair or rage, and clear homicidal or suicidal threats. These students may also express their distress through unintentional outbursts or corollary behaviors, such as running our of the classroom to avoid being seen when crying. Some s tudents exhibit both types of behaviors. These behaviors can be referred to as "escalating behaviors." For example, students who express a high degree of neediness and who escalate their actions to threatening or aggressive gestures can be characterized as having emotional as well as behavioral concerns. Each type of disruptive behavior requires a different set of treatment actions by the college or university and the counselor. Rebellious and escalating disruptions need to be addressed behaviorally through disciplinary action, whereas disruptive behavior precipitated by emotional distress may require consultation with counseling staff. However, regardless of the category, student who engage in disruptive behaviors may need to be dealt with behaviorally through disciplinary action, depending on the severity of their behavior. Faculties and staffs at colleges and universities require assistance from counseling professionals in dealing with disruptive students (Amada, 1994, 1995, 1997), in dealing with students who are experiencing academic or emotional problems (Allen & Trimble, 1993), and in making appropriate referrals (Allen & Trimble, 1993; Amada, 1994, 1995, 1997). The proposed intervention model is designed to assist academic and student support staff who deal with disruptive and emotional students. This model suggests more than a structured set of cognitive-behavioral recommendations as proposed by Amada (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999). …


The invention relates to application of tetrahydrocurcumin in preparing an antidepressant and a method for preparing a solid dispersion of the tetrahydrocurcumin. The invention aims to provide the application of the tetrahydrocurcumin to prepare the antidepressant. The tetrahydrocurcumin and a surfactant are mixed in certain proportion to obtain the solid dispersion of the tetrahydrocurcumin. The method for preparing the solid dispersion of the tetrahydrocurcumin comprises the following steps that: according to the weight ratio of 1:3-1:30, the tetrahydrocurcumin and the surfactant are heated until completely melted, frozen in a low-temperature environment, and taken out, dried and crushed to obtain the solid dispersion of the tetrahydrocurcumin. The tetrahydrocurcumin and the solid dispersion of the tetrahydrocurcumin are used for preparing drugs, health care products, foods or food additives of relieving mental depression. The tetrahydrocurcumin has the function of relieving mental depression, and the function of the tetrahydrocurcumin is possibly related with the influence on a monoamine neurotransmitter system; moreover, compared with fluoxetine, the tetrahydrocurcumin has the advantages of low toxicity and good curing effect.


Europium oxide and gadolinium oxide-stainless steel cermets in ranges of 5 to 30 wt. % rare earth oxide were irradiated in the MTR. Free beann bend samples of 5, 20, 25, and 30 wt. % Eu/sub 2/O/sub 3/-stainless steel cermets and 14 wt. % Gd/sub 2/O/sub 3/-stainless steel cermets were irradiated in the MTR for times ranging from 2 to 5 cycles. Little damage was noted in the irradiated Gd/sub 2/O/sub 3/-stainless steel cermets after irradiation. Damage to the irradiated Eu/sub 2/O/sub 3/-stainless steel cermets appeared to be a function of radiation time and concentrations. Metallographic samples of unirradiated and irradiated sanmples representing each test are included. (auth)


Pomegranate peel is a by-product which has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and using it as an additive to improve the meat products shelf life in active packaging has increased in the last decade. The purpose of current study is to investigate the utilization of pomegranate peel powder (PPP) in bilayer film to increase the shelf life of ostrich meat (OM) at 4±1°C. In this research, OM was placed in bilayer films with different ratios of PPP (1,3,5%) then chemical and microbial experiments alongside sensory evaluation on OM were conducted on storage days (1,3,5,7,10). The results indicated that the values of chemical properties including pH, lipid oxidation and nitrogen, microbial, and sensory evaluation after 10 days in samples containing 5% PPP were lower than other samples. However, they had an undesirable color; Thus, the samples containing 3% PPP were preferred. This film was proposed as an active packaging for storing OM.


The paper presents a general description of Doppler characteristics of the complex LEO satellite (low earth orbit) to ground terminal channel of S-PCS (satellite personal communication system). The difference between the terrestrial and satellite PCS radio channels is pointed out. It is shown that in the latter there is a nonzero (average) Doppler shift and a spread being independent of the radial speed of the satellite; this is in contrast to terrestrial situations in which the average Doppler shift is zero. It is also shown that in contrast to terrestrial situations there is no unique relation between the incoming ray angle of arrival and Doppler shift. Doppler spectrum is computed for a realistic distribution of scatterers close to the ground terminal; the spectral density is proportional to 1/ν3 if the ground terminal is stationary, where ν denotes the Doppler frequency. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The computation of light scattering by the superposition T-matrix scheme has been restricted thus far to systems made of particles that are either sparsely distributed or of near-spherical shape. In this work, we extend the range of applicability of the T-matrix method by accounting for the coupling of scattered fields between highly nonspherical particles in close vicinity. This is achieved using an alternative formulation of the translation operator for spherical vector wave functions, based on a plane-wave expansion of the particle's scattered electromagnetic field. The accuracy and versatility of the present approach is demonstrated by simulating arbitrarily oriented and densely packed spheroids, for both dielectric and metallic particles.


The aim of my thesis is to produce and characterize a new class of cell-instructive materials able to change their topographic features in a dynamic manner in order to reproduce the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. In vivo, cells are able to integrate and react to several topographic signals, which continuously change their features in time. For this reason, "light-responsive" material can be used to fabricate dynamic-switchable supports for cell culture. In detail, azobenzene-containing polymers exhibit a unique and remarkable surface mass transport phenomenon on a micrometer and sub-micrometer length scale when the film is irradiated with a focused light at a proper wavelength. The single laser beam of confocal microscope set-up enables a precise spatial and temporal control of the mass migration process by guiding the laser beam switching and position. The polarized light and the proper wavelength provokes the isomerization of the azobenzene molecules and the consequent inscription of topographic features on the azopolymer film. In this thesis, we evaluated the cell response to dynamic topographic features embossed on poly Disperse Red 1 methacrylate-containing films (pDR1m) films. A real-time photopatterning of azofilms was conducted, revealing that cells could sense dynamic topographic changes and spontaneously adapted to a new environment by remodeling their cytoskeleton and shape. Furthermore, the real-time modulation of topographies embossed on cell-populated azofilms revealed a variation of Young modulus of cells and a remodeling focal adhesions (FAs). This innovative technique allowed, for the first time, the evaluation of cell functions in response to the spatio-temporal manipulation of topographic cues and taken together, these results underline the possibility to use azobenzene-based platforms as dynamic cell-instructive materials.


The study compared the principles and functions of summative and formative assessment through documentary research. It turned out that both assessments are similar in some principles as ethical, individuality and scientific nature; differ in control, decision and accreditation, among others. In features, seem socially, judgment, orientation and others. We conclude that complement, they share some principles and functions; also together form a unique comprehensive and systematic assessment process.


Several types of systems of parallel communicating restarting automata are introduced and studied. The main result shows that, for all types of restarting automata X, centralized systems of restarting automata of type X have the same computational power as non-centralized systems of restarting automata of the same type and the same number of components. This result is proved by a direct simulation. In addition, it is shown that for one-way restarting automata without auxiliary symbols, systems of degree at least two are more powerful than the component automata themselves. Finally, a lower and an upper bound are given for the expressive power of systems of parallel communicating restarting automata.


In this paper, we present distributed generalized clustering algorithms that can handle large scale data across multiple machines in spite of straggling or unreliable machines. We propose a novel data assignment scheme that enables us to obtain global information about the entire data even when some machines fail to respond with the results of the assigned local computations. The assignment scheme leads to distributed algorithms with good approximation guarantees for a variety of clustering and dimensionality reduction problems.


Islamic Boarding School  is institute education of Islam under head a Kyai, either through formal band and also non formal with aim to study and practice teaching of I slam through study of book turn yellow by emphasizing religious moral as guidance in have my me to all day long santri . Of so much many leadership style which in telling by all is expert, but is most of and popular of style in debate and in making reference by all researcher and practitioner only four leadership style, that is: oto cracy , democratic, free-style , and situational. Kyai as leader of pesantren in guiding all santri wear approach of situational. This matter Look in interaction between Kyai and its his in educating,  teaching book, and give advice, also as consultancy place of is problem of, so that a Kyai sometime function also as a old at the same time teacher which can meet infinitely of time. Condition of like this visual that leadership of Kyai is full of responsibility, all one's ear, powerful draw and very is having an effect on. Behavioral thereby k y ai can perceive, to be followed the example of, and meant by all its follower d i rect interaction all day long.


The invention discloses a magnesium alloy anodic oxidation solution and an anodic oxidation coloring process. The solute of the magnesium alloy anodic oxidation solution consists of the following components: 10-80g/L of potassium hydroxide, 0.5-15g/L of lithium fluoride, 3-18g/L of sodium potassium tartrate tetrahydrate, 2-12g/L of EDTA, 10-25g/L of sodium carbonate, 10-20g/L of sodium nitrate, 0.5-15g/L of tartaric acid and 80-100g/L of sodium hydroxide. The anodic oxidation coloring process comprises the following steps of pretreatment, anodic oxidation, coloring, hole sealing and the like. The magnesium alloy anodic oxidation solution and the anodic oxidation coloring process are developed aiming at magnesium alloys specially and are used for magnesium alloy surface treatment, so that dense and uniform anodic oxidation film layers and coloring film layers can be obtained; and moreover, the anodic oxidation solution is stable in chemical performance, high in dispersing property, wide in temperature range and high in impurity ion interference resistance.


Results of the surgical treatment of 556 patients with different diseases of the anorectal area with the help of CO2 laser are presented. Functional results were good, the amount of postoperative complications was 1.5 times less, recurrences were half less, the time of intrahospital treatment was 1.5 day shorter, the period of ambulatory rehabilitation 3.8 days shorter.


Abstract: The properties of a new all-optical switching based on cascaded long-period fiber gratings between which an erbium-doped fiber is inserted. The threshold power for this new switching, can be decreased to 15 mW range.


Abstract : The recent U.S. military reorganization has led to the preponderance of forces being stationed in the continental United States (CONUS). The 1992 National Military Strategy (NMS) followed this reorganization. Force projection formed the centerpiece of this new strategy. Force projection requires secure air and sea ports. Most air and sea ports are in or adjacent to cities. The need to control these ports will force us to conduct MOUT during future operations. Since cities are also political, economic, and cultural centers of gravity, hostile forces will most likely concentrate their efforts in these urban areas. Recent operations in Panama City, Kuwait City and Mogadishu demonstrate this fact. It is also evident in other volatile areas around the world (i.e. Port-au-Prince and Sarejevo). If one accepts the assertion, that operations of the future will consist of more MOUT scenarios, then the military must prepare to conduct this difficult mission. This paper will concentrate on the preparedness of the fire support community.


Backlight unit, comprising: - a plurality of lamps (121) for emitting light; - optical sheets (123) across the lamps (121); - a plurality of light diffusing plates (141) for scattering light, which are positioned between the lamps (121) and the optical sheets (123), and - a plurality of light guides (130) for each mounting one of the light diffusion plates (141) over one of the lamps (121), so that from the lamps (121) emitted light is scattered over a wide angle to the optical sheets (123).


Objective To study the expression and significance of the serum levels of PC Ⅲ and C-Ⅳ in patients with HBV infection during different immune status.Methods The patients of HBV infection were divided into three groups with immune tolerance,immune clearance,immunodeficiency.Serum samples were collected from 20 cases of immune tolerance,20 cases of immune clearance,20 cases of immunodeficiency and 20 cases of normal control.Serum levels of PCⅢ and C-Ⅳ were measured by the electrochemical luminescence method.Results The serum levels of PC Ⅲ in the immune clearance and immunodeficiency group were higher than those of the normal control group(z=-5.041,-4.095,all P0.05).And the serum expression levels of PCⅢ of immune clearance group and immunodeficiency group were higher than those of immune tolerance group respectively(z=-5.356,-4.599,all P0.05).The serum levels of C-Ⅳ in immune clearance group and immunodeficiency group had significant difference with normal control group respectively(z=-3.273,-4.166,all P0.05).The serum expression levels of C-Ⅳ in immune clearance and immunodeficiency group were higher than those in immune tolerance group respectively(z=-2.570,-2.732,all P0.05).Conclusion Serum levels of PCⅢ,C-Ⅳ are closely related with the immune status in patients with chronic HBV infection.The expression levels of PCⅢ,C-Ⅳ have important clinical significance to the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis.


The present invention relates to a sphere, characterized in that it comprises at least one polymer of hyaluronate and glucomannan. The present invention is characterized in that each coupling between the hyaluronate group and glucomannan group is an ester bond, also relates to hyaluronate and polymers of glucomannan. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing the spherical and polymers, as well as the use of the spheres and the polymer, in particular to their use as filler or wettable powder. .BACKGROUND


The Pope, as the head of the Church and the head of the State, is obliged to undertake appropriate forms of criticism and counteract the improper functioning of the institutions of the Church and the State. The point is that the task of politics and the state is to strive for the common good, and one of its functions is to integrate society. In both cases, there must be undisturbed communication, and this is precisely what corruption is disturbing. In the teachings of Pope Francis, a corruption disorders a communication in a way that it creates crisis of trust and arouses suspicion among the people. It ignores the truth which is a guarantee of clarity and understanding. The corruption, that grows and continues to evolve, is transmissible and it justifies itself by creating its own doctrine. Corruption is a rejection of solidarity. Pope Francis says about halitosis and sclerosis of a spiritual heart. He says about a sin and a corruption. Corruption evokes a social paralysis, which unfortunately is paid for by the poorest. Francis claims that it is not enough to sentence corrupted people, but it is important to pray for their conversion.


Tomato plants, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. 'TVR-2' were grown in a deepwater culture system. After pinching above the 5th truss, plants were treated with different strengths of the standard nutrient solution, and yield and quality of fruits as well as changes of mineral concentration in the nutrient solution were determined during the culturing period from the middle of April to the end of July. The standard nutrient solution contained NO3-N, P, K, Ca and Mg at the concentrations of 16, 4, 8, 8 and 4 meq/l, respectively.1. Both electric conductivity (EC) and concentrations of NO3-N, P, K in a half-strength solution decreased from planting to pinching, while concentrations of Ca and Mg remained as in the initial concentration. After the nutrient solution was replaced at the time of pinching, the EC value and concentrations of NO3-N, Ca and Mg tended to increase, but K concentration showed little change. Phosphorus was occasionally consumed before adding fresh water and minarals. In the standard strength solution, all the mineral concentrations were increased except P. This tendency was pronounced in a three-halves strength solution which showed a higher fluctuation range of mineral concentrations.2. Relationships between plant age and changes of mineral concentrations in a half-strength solution were examined. Concentrations of NO3-N and Ca in the solution cultures for 70-, 105- and 125-day-old plants were decreased, unchanged and increased, respectively, after 9 days culture. Concentrations of P and K were decreased irrespective of ages. Magnesium concentration was not changed in the solution culture for 70-day-old plants and increased in the solution for 105- and 125-day-old plants.The values of minerals absorbed (n') of NO3N, Ca and Mg per unit volume of water absorbed (w') were decreased as plants aged. The n'/w' values of P and K were nearly constant irrespective of ages, and were higher than those in the initial nutrient solution.3. The three-halves strength solution resulted in significantly higher soluble solids content and higher titratable acidity in tomato fruits juice. On the other hand, fruit yield was slightly decreased, and the percentage of cracked fruits and blossom-end rot fruits was also decreased.Therefore, increasing the strength of nutrient solution after pinching would improve fruit quality with only slight decrease in fruit yield.


Obesity is one of the most serious and dangerous nutrition disorder around the world. Usually, people develop patterns of unhealthy eating that lead to increased body weight and accumulation of fat in the body. There are many reasons for that as suggested by researchers; one of the reasons is the imbalance between the energy intake from food and energy consumed in the body, which can possibly lead to increased body weight. One of the primary treatments for this serious health risk include diets, physical activity, weight-loss training and adoption of health programs that promote healthy eating. As such, reliable mechanism to prevent and control the obesity levels is vital. It led many experts and researchers who are interested in the health sector to explore more solutions that help to combat the obesity phenomenon. This paper presents a mobile health application intended to increase the awareness levels of parents and children about the obesity risks and help them to sustain balanced and healthy eating lifestyle. The proposed mobile application is an educational tool for the evaluation of interventions to prevent obesity risk levels. The application is based on the Internet-of-Things approach, which allows tracking food intake, remote capturing and constant monitoring of children data with interactive feedback displayed on the mobile application.


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) form an integral part of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) pain ladder and in 2012 over 4 500 000 prescriptions for ibuprofen were dispensed in England alone. However, several NSAIDs have now been withdrawn from the market due to concerns about cardiovascular risk. Given their widespread use, but well-documented serious side effects, what exactly are NSAIDs, when should they be used, and how can the risk to your patients be minimised?


The characteristics, application and preparation process of transparent yellow iron oxide were introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of different preparation methods and the effects of preparation condition on the product's performance were discussed. The emphasis studies to improve the quality of them are focused on the reaction and crystalline mechanism.


The oxidative addition of 5-methylene-1,3-dioxolan-2-ones (1) to a low-valent palladium complex and the subsequent decarborylation has been studied as an access to oxatrimethylenemethane palladium (OTMM-Pd) intermediates in a catalytic process. The reaction of 5,5-dimethyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (1a) with norbornene in the presence of Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 gave 3-(2-methylpropanoyl)tricyclo[220.127.116.11 2.4 ]octane (3a) via addition and isomerization


The development of the zinc-mediated tandem chain extension-acylation reaction for the synthesis of spirofused ketals was successfully accomplished. The incorporation of a methyl-substituent into the gamma-keto ester backbone, through a methyl substituted carbenoid, allowed for the synthesis of papyracillic acid B and 4-epi-papyracillic acid C. Comparison between the reported and experimental spectral data for papyracillic acid B and 4epi-papyracillic acid C permitted structural and stereochemical reassignment. Diastereoselective syntheses of beta-methyl-gamma-keto esters were achieved through the utility of an Lserine auxiliary. Preparation of a series of L-serine derived precursors were prepared and studied.


As many of you may know, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal) is a collaborative effort of five teacher educator associations representing the core content areas and educational technology. These include science education (ASTE), mathematics education (AMTE), English education (NCTE / CEE), and social studies education (NCSS / CUFA), in addition to educational technology (SITE). The sponsoring associations are listed on the opening page of the CITE Journal Web site with links to the home pages of each.


In the wake of the transition from fossil and nuclear energy systems to a renewable energy age, the question of how to politically implement effective instruments and policies is a challenge in many industrialized countries. Whereas the need for a more sustainable energy production in the context of environmental and climate change is strongly acknowledged, the support for effective policies among political actors and the public is much more limited. This observation has been extensively discussed in the literature referring to the so-called value-action gap (Bell, Gray, & Haggett, 2005; Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002), or to the concept of social acceptance, i.e., suggesting that preferences for renewable energy technologies do not necessarily imply support for specific policies and projects (Dermont, Ingold, Kammermann, & Stadelmann-Steffen, 2017; Wustenhagen, Wolsink, & Burer, 2007).
This is the starting point of this paper aiming at a better understanding of the link between pro-environmental and climate change attitudes and according behavior. More precisely, this paper focuses on citizens' support of renewable energy policies at the ballot box and departs from the assumption that citizens' voting behavior on these policy proposals is the result of multidimensional decisions. In other words, a policy proposal consists of various elements some of which an individual may support while rejecting others. Voters weight these pros and cons against each other in order to come to a "no" or "yes" decision. In a recent contribution, we have shown that the costs related to renewable energy policies are the crucial hurdle to popular support. Moreover, given that many citizens do not believe in the efficacy of and need for (environmental) policy measures there is not clear "benefit" that could compensate for these costs in individual benefit-cost considerations (Stadelmann-Steffen & Dermont, 2018). In this paper, I go a step further and ask how individual environmental and climate change attitudes affect this multidimensional decision making on renewable energy policies.
Following these considerations, I present results based on a large-scale representative survey from Switzerland. A forced-choice paired conjoint analysis (Hainmueller, Hopkins, & Yamamoto, 2014) allows to evaluate how specific aspects of policy proposals influence individual support or rejection of a whole proposal. Moreover, interactions between these policy characteristics and individual environmental and climate change attitudes are estimated to analyze what elements of these policies jeopardize the link between these attitudes and according political behavior.
Although the proposed study focuses on Switzerland and cannot necessarily be generalized to other contexts, I argue that the expected results are relevant beyond the Swiss case. Policies to promote renewable energy production and to reduce energy consumption vary between nations and across sub-national jurisdictions, but they are often based on "universal" economic models (e.g., environmental steering taxes and their effect on energy consumption) and generally consist of rather complex bundles of policy measures. Hence, knowing more about how these aspects interact with individual attitudes and behavior provides important insights on the attitude-behavior link beyond the case of Switzerland.


Extraordinary properties of high‐entropy materials motivate their application to catalysts for water electrolysis. However, the effect of each constituent on overall catalytic activity remains poorly understood. In this study, these effects were explored by using 30 multi‐metallic (10 ternary, 10 quaternary, and 10 quinary) catalysts on alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) via an empirical approach. A simple, low‐cost electrodeposition method facilitates the fast screening on the configurational entropy of mixing (ΔSmix) and electrocatalytic activity. The correlation between the ΔSmix and the AWE activity was investigated. Notably, the quinary catalysts with lower ΔSmix showed higher activity than ternary and quaternary catalysts. Moreover, among the five elements, the addition of Mo and Fe showed the highest overpotential decrease in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. The Cu‐Mo‐Ni‐Co‐Fe catalyst with ΔSmix of −1.59R exhibited bi‐functional activity for HER and OER, resulting that the AWE demonstrated low overpotential of 315 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2.


Hypermasculinity has been defined as exaggerated masculinity, including callous attitudes toward women and sex, and the perception of violence as manly and danger as exciting (D. L. Mosher & S. S. Tomkins, 1988). Hypermasculinity is correlated with sexual assault, poor relationships, and poor interpersonal coping. Criticisms of existing measures include biased or objectionable language, outdated phrasing, and forced-choice items. To address these problems, rational and empirically based procedures, including factor analysis, were used to develop the Auburn Differential Masculinity Inventory (ADMI). This 60-item inventory provides a total score plus 5 provisional scales reflecting hypermasculinity, sexual identity, dominance and aggression, conservative masculinity, and devaluation of emotion. The ADMI-60 has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Subscale development is ongoing. As such, scale scores should be interpreted cautiously.


This contribution reports the first record of intertidal reefs built by the sabellariid worm Sabellaria nanella in the lower intertidal at Monte Hermoso beach, Argentina (39°S). All previous records of S. nanella in the study area correspond to solitary individuals from shallow subtidal depths in coastal environments, while the present findings refer to well established reefs on stony rocks. Worms sort medium size sand grains to build the reefs, which contain higher amount of organic matter than the surrounding sediments. Size structure of worms shows multiple size cohorts that include recent recruits and mature adults. Many invertebrates, i.e. various annelids, arthropods, molluscs, nemerteans and nematodes, are the frequent organisms living within the reef, some of them already recorded in the area. The presence of intertidal reefs of S. nanella indicates that the species has plasticity to adapt to environments with different physical conditions (subtidal–intertidal areas).


The aim in producing this book is to bring focus to, shed light on and to discuss positive youth development, social entrepreneurship, and community development, with a specific focus on young people's opportunities to change their everyday life, life conditions and future. The book presents key concepts, theory and knowledge in relation to youth, social entrepreneurship, its significance to young people's development, as well as insight into theoretical approaches to development, social and educational inequality, and youth, social entrepreneurship in relation to local community – especially in an American context. The basis of the book is how youth social entrepreneurship may support and help young people in disadvantaged living conditions, i.e. social, financial and educational. The special contribution of the book is the fact that it subscribes to the theme of social justice and how creating opportunities for disadvantaged youth in local communities can also create development and opportunities for young people living there. Initially, the book presents an overview of existing research in the field that contributes to emphasise the importance of helping young people to create opportunities in their own lives. Kruse also points out the existence of uncertainty how to define the concept of youth social entrepreneurship, which will have an impact on both practitioners and politicians. As Kruse points out:


In this paper, a carrier-based pulse with modulation (PWM) strategy for three-phase three- level inverter is dealt with, which can keep the common mode voltage constant with minimized switching frequency. The voltage gain and the switching frequency in overall operating ranges including overmodulation are investigated and the analytic equations are presented. Finally, the leakage current reduction effect is confirmed by carrying out simulation and experiment. It will be pointed out that the leakage current cannot be perfectly eliminated because of the dead time.


Background: Tracheal suctioning (TS) is one of the most important procedures implemented formechanically ventilated patientto maintain airway patency. Recently, there are two types of suctioning system which are open and closed suctioning system. The current study was carried outto identify the effect of open versus closed tracheal suctioning system on the physiological outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: A quasi experimental design was carried out on a purposive sample of 74 patients admitted in the intensive care units at king fahad general hospital and king abdulaziz hospital. The samples were divided to closed suctioning system (group A)and open suctioning system (group B). Patient`s physiological outcomes evaluation sheet was utilized for data collectionbefore,during, immediately after TS, 5 minutes after TS, and 10 minutes after TS. Results: There were significant differences between the studied groups in relation to systolic blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, mean arterial pressure, and central venous pressure during the TS (p<0.05). Also there were significant differences between the studied groups in relation to oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and mean arterial pressure immediately after the TS (p<0.05), while 5 minutes after TS the significant was in oxygen saturation and central venous pressure (p<0.05).And in 10 minutes after TS the significant was in central venous pressure and PetCo2(p<0.05). Conclusions: The finding of the study illustrate that closed suctioning system caused fewer alteration in patient`s physiological outcomes than open suctioning system. Recommendation: the researcher recommend using of the CSS at all ICUs communities, and perform similar study to be replicated with a larger sample size.


6 2 Abstract The human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infects 15-20 million people worldwide. In some hotspots this prevalence reaches up to 35%. The infection with the virus leads in 3-5% cases of infected individuals to the HTLV-associated myelopathy/ tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and/or to the adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). In vivo the virus is mainly transmitted via cell-associated contacts, i.e. breastfeeding, sexual contacts or via contaminated blood products. Although it has been shown that many established cell lines can be infected with HTLV-1 via cocultivation with virus producing cells, an infection with free virions is not easy to achieve. In this thesis the goal was to examine, whether an overexpression of the putative HTLV-1 receptor GLUT-1 increases the infection rate by free virions. In that aim, the HTLV-1 sequences of the p19 matrix and the p24 capsid protein were cloned into a eukaryotic expression construct while adding a V5 tag, so that positive controls were gained, which can be used for a Western blot both with an HTLV-1 specific serum and a commercial monoclonal α-V5 antibody. Furthermore a monoclonal α-Tax antibody was purified from a hybridoma cell line and used for detection of the replication of HTLV-1 in cells. Purpose of the infection experiment was to examine whether GLUT-1 overexpressing cells are able to be cell-free infected. For this experiment the cell lines HOS (human osteosarcoma) and ARPE-19 (human retinal pigment epithelium) were used, which have been reported as infectable with HTLV-1. The overexpression of GLUT-1 was attained by transfection of a corresponding plasmid and detected by fluorescence microscopy and Western blot. For the infection experiment virions were produced in chronically infected MT-2 cells and in transient with a molecular clone transfected HEK-293T cells and concentrated, so that an infectious high titring suspension could be used. Using real time PCR infection of both cell lines was proved, while only cell-free infection of HOS cells has been reported so far. Here the cell-free infection of ARPE-19 cells could be demonstrated for the first time. By determining the reverse transcriptase activity in the supernatants of the infected cells, which is a marker of the release of new viral particles, we were able to show that the infection of both cell lines was non-productive within the incubation time. Based on the results of this thesis, the overexpression of GLUT-1 has no observable effect on the infection rate of HTLV-1 in HOS and ARPE-19 cells.


The high molecular weight PA6 T/6I/66 was synthesized via three steps: forming salt in aqueous solution,prepolymerization and solid-state polymerization.Chemical structure of terpolymer was characterized with FTIR.Its thermal behavior was tested by means of DSC and TG.The glass transition temperature of terpolymer was determined by DMA.Mechanical properties of terpolymer were studied.The results showed that the heat resistance of the semi-aromatic terpolyamide was much higher than that of the PA66,in addition,the polymer showed excellent tensile strength and blending strength.


Our study shows that there is a close relationship between discourse marker bushi and interrogative sentences in modern mandarin conversation. In the frame of adjacent pairs,bushi can form six different use patterns with wh-questions,yes / no questions and rhetorical questions,which indicates that the location of interrogative sentences is flexible. So it is unfair to emphasize a particular type in the discussion of their relations. In the end,the six patterns are useful in promoting one's oral mandarin ability.


Helical (Beltrami) flow with nonuniform coefficient is considered for the case of compressible fluid and a class of exact solutions is proposed. A paradox of helical flow is discussed and the compressibility is considered as a possible resolution of the paradox. Examples with different symmetries are given for the compressible helical flow and, in particular, the generalization of the ABC (Arnold-Beltrami-Childress) flow for the compressible case is proposed. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The bandwidth and stability of adaptive optics system depends on the integration time of Hartmann Shack wavefront sensor (τ s), signal sampling and processing time (τ d), and loop gain (g) The bandwidth is approximately 1/(10τ s), which is also affected by τ d and g  The system has good performance against disturbances of frequencies lower than 1/(20τ s) If τ d≥τ s, the system will be unstable The reduction of g can stabilize the system


The absolute inclusive branching fraction of D-s(+)-->phi X+ has been measured from data collected by the BES detector at a center-of-mass energy of 4.03 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 22.3 pb(-1). At this energy, direct pair production e(+)e(-)-->Ds+Ds- has been observed. We have selected D-s candidate events by reconstructing five hadronic decay modes D-s(+) -->phi pi(+), (K) over bar(0)*K+,(K) over bar(0)K(+), f(0) pi(+) and K(0)K(-)pi(+)pi(+) and have searched for inclusive phi's in the recoiling D-s(-). We observed three recoiling phi's in the 166.4 +/- 31.8 D-s candidate events, which leads to the absolute branching fraction B(D-s(+)-->phi X+) = (17.8+(+15.1)(-7.2) (+0.6)(-6.3)) % and B(D-s(+)-->phi pi(+)) = (3.6(-1.6)(-1.3)(+3.1)(+0.4)) %. [S0556-2821(97)02423-5].


Abstract:Scholars have spent considerable time grappling with the erratic sequence of events that comprise Redcrosse's regeneration or spiritual rebirth in book 1 of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. While they have recognized the ecumenical dynamics of the knight's spiritual progression, they have not accounted for the way in which his rebirth includes pitfalls and setbacks that disrupt its order. This article turns to early modern Protestant regeneration treatises—religious works that center on the topic of rebirth— to find a discourse that characterizes regeneration as an uneven process, which includes false starts and stops along the way to salvation. Reading through the lens of that discourse, we can see how Redcrosse's peripatetic pricking through Faeryland depicts a recursive rebirth punctuated by episodes of false regeneration that erroneously start and stop his spiritual growth. Ultimately, Spenser demonstrates romance's compatibility with Protestant allegory by using the circuitous narrative structure of the knight's quest to metaphorize the recursive nature of rebirth. Indeed, the haphazard movement of the knight "pricking on the plaine" deftly allegorizes the backsliding, digression, and delay associated with regeneration.


The hair bundle is both a mechano-sensory antenna and a force generator that might help the vertebrate hair cell from the inner ear to amplify its responsiveness to small stimuli. To study active hair-bundle motility, we combined calcium iontophoresis with mechanical stimulation of single hair bundles from the bullfrog's sacculus. A hair bundle could oscillate spontaneously, or be quiescent but display non-monotonic movements in response to abrupt force steps. Extracellular calcium changes or static biases to the bundle's position at rest could affect the kinetics of bundle motion and evoke transitions between the different classes of motility. The calcium-dependent location of a bundle's operating point within its nonlinear force-displacement relation controlled the type of movements observed. A unified theoretical description, in which mechanical activity stems from myosin-based adaptation and electro-mechanical feedback by Ca, could account for the fast and slow manifestations of active hair-bundle motility.


A large-scale structure formation model is presented which seems appropriate for some of the purposes of gravitational lensing. It is based on the adhesion approximation, which allows for a fast implementation of the time transfer of initial density perturbations. A simple, but analytically tractable galaxy formation scheme is applied to the model which is shown to yield the correct two-point correlation properties and the observed distance scale between galaxy clusters. Some of the lensing properties of the simulated matter distribution are investigated, and the impact of galaxy-galaxy correlations on lensing is studied using nearest-neighbor distance distributions


lic, rt and( veinis was so obvious as to preclude the possibility of error. I accordingly got two observers who kneew nothing about the experii'enllt, and repeated it before themn, noting down their observations. 'I'! ese agreed exactly with my own, and I thus became sure of my falcts. As dcyspnea is observed after poisoning by mlushrooms, both in iait,ltals anad im-eni, wve may, I thtinik, safely extencl the results we have obItained by experiments on the lowi-er animals to men, and say that in


Grapevine breeding is the most effective way to create cultivars resistant to downy mildew ( Plasmopara viticola ), and to reduce the number of fungicide applications. Four criteria, including histological and biochemical analyses, based on the level of different mechanisms of resistance to grapevine downy mildew, were tested on 42 different cultivars. Plantlets were artificially inoculated with downy mildew and the sporangia density was measured spectrophotometrically 6 d after infection. Callose synthesis in stomata and δ- and e-viniferin levels at the site of infection were recorded 48 h after inoculation. These observations have allowed the 42 cultivars to be divided into 5 groups: very resistant (VR), resistant (R), less susceptible (LS), susceptible (S) and highly susceptible (HS). All 4 criteria have to be applied to assign the resistance level closer to field conditions. This method allows to rapidly evaluate the level of resistance of seedlings to downy mildew thereby leading to a reduction in duration  of the breeding program by several years.


Impedance measurements of superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) are a powerful tool to obtain information about the TES thermal and electrical properties. We apply this technique to a 20 µm × 20 µm Ti/Au TES, suitable for application in the optical and near-infrared range, and extend the measurements up to 250 kHz in order to obtain a complete frequency response in the complex plane. From these measurements we obtain important thermal and electrical device parameters such as heat capacity C, thermal conductance G and effective thermal time constant τeff that will be compared with the corresponding values obtained from noise measurements.


This little bronze (height 4 in.) was recently found in Rome, possibly in the neighbourhood of the Tombs of the Apostles, where excavations have been going on. It obviously represents St. Peter and St. Paul standing side by side with the monogram, in its early form, behind in the space between their heads.


Doctors should offer testing for cystic fibrosis (CF) to people with a family history of CF and the partners of people who have the disease, according to recommendations issued last week by a panel convened by the National Institutes of Health. The panel also recommended that CF testing be offered to pregnant women and couples currently planning a pregnancy.

However, the panel did not advocate testing for the general population, nor did it recommend that newborn infants be screened …


Abstract : In the coming years, American product quality will continue to be severely challenged in the world marketplace. We have lost much business and many jobs to foreign suppliers. Our nation's industry has suffered excessive loss of profits due to waste of materials and resources. Although foreign suppliers at one time held a substantial price advantage, this is no longer true in many instances. We are losing markets because of quality and reliability deficiencies. For the most part, American management has not fully grasped the impact of this quality challenge. They fail to recognize that effective quality control and assurance systems contribute significantly to profits, along with a product that conforms to specifications. Certain tasks are clearly defined for American industry and the military establishment; high quality performance is essential. This paper is concluded with what is needed if we are to regain our position of leadership in the world marketplace. (Author)


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease mainly characterised by a widespread obstruction of distal pulmonary arteries [1]. Untreated, this disease rapidly leads to right heart failure, then to death [2]. Heritable PAH (hPAH) represents about 30% of PAH cases, and this category includes familial forms with or without identified mutations, and sporadic forms carrying a mutation. The first genetic abnormalities discovered in hPAH were bone morphogenetic protein receptor-2 (BMPR2) mutations. Loss of function of this receptor results in proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and selection of endothelial cell clones resistant to apoptosis [3]. Since, several other mutations have been implicated in PAH. Mutation in the T-box protein 4 (TBX4) gene lead to an autosomal-dominant disorder called "small patella syndrome" or "coxopodopatellar syndrome", characterised by patellar aplasia and abnormalities of the feet and pelvis [4]. Recently, TBX4 mutation has been reported in childhood-onset PAH [5] and, more rarely, in adults [6, 7]. A 34-year-old woman carrying a TBX4 mutation had pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension, emphysema like lesions and parenchymal lung fibrotic densification. TBX4 can be a complex cause of pulmonary hypertension in adults. http://bit.ly/2WLu0Rt


Objective: To analyze the spatial distribution and temporal trend of mortality due to penile cancer in Sergipe. Method: An ecological study with spatial analysis techniques. Secondary data on penile cancer deaths from residents of Sergipe municipalities from 2000 to 2015 were used, obtained from the Mortality Information System. The analysis of the temporal trends was performed in the Joinpoint program through Poisson regression. Spatial analyses were performed using the empirical Bayesian model, kernel estimator and Moran indexes. Results: 67 deaths due to penile cancer occurred and a rising trend in mortality rates from 0.11 (2000) to 0.64 (2015) per 100,000 men was recorded. A positive spatial autocorrelation (I=0.64; p=0.01) was observed with areas of higher risk of death in the southern region of the state. Conclusion: There was an increase in the coefficients of mortality due to penile cancer and heterogeneous geographical distribution of the risk areas. DESCRIPTORS: Penile Neoplasms; Urological Neoplasms; Mortality; Time Series Studies; Spatial Analysis. HOW TO REFERENCE THIS ARTICLE: Andrade LA, Góes JAP, Souza D de G, Kameo SY, Lima SVMA, Nunes MAP, Santos AD dos. Spatial analysis and trends of mortality due to penile cancer in Sergipe, 2000 to 2015. Cogitare enferm. [Internet]. 2020 [access "insert day, monh and year"]; 25. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/ ce.v25i0.64676. 1Nurse. Resident in Family Health. Federal University of Sergipe. Lagarto, SE, Brazil. 2Nurse. Master student in Nursing. Federal University of Sergipe. São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil. 3Nurse. Federal University of Sergipe. Lagarto, SE, Brazil. 4Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Professor at the Federal University of Sergipe. Lagarto, SE, Brazil. 5Nurse. PhD student in Health Sciences. Nursing Professor at the Federal University of Sergipe. Lagarto, SE, Brazil. 6Doctor. PhD in Medicine. Professor at the Federal University of Sergipe. São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil. 7Nurse. PhD in Health Sciences. Professor of the Nursing Graduate Course at the Federal University of Sergipe. São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Lucas Almeida Andrade1, José Augusto Passos Góes2, Danilo de Gois Souza3, Simone Yuriko Kameo4, Shirley Verônica Melo Almeida Lima5, Marco Antônio Prado Nunes6, Allan Dantas dos Santos7 dx.doi.org/10.5380/ce.v25i0.64676 Cogitare enferm. 25: e64676, 2020


Analysing situation of forest soil in Wanda Mountain showed that organic matter content of soil was different in different types of soil,the highest was in brown confer forest soil,above 30%;In dark brown forest soil,in different types of stand,soil fertility is more as the gradient is less.Organic matter and tolal N of soil were less with the gradient reducing.


Many structural analysis problems are concerned with friction contact phenomena. These problems are difficult to formulate and even more to solve because they are governed by multivalued tribological laws and some numerical resolutions can lead to unsymmetric operators. This last disadvantage becomes crucial for very large problems involving three dimensional discretization and time evolution. This paper shows how to use a simple mixed formulation together with an efficient multigrid technic when dealing with frictional contact problem. The augmented Lagrangian approach yields on non linear and non differentiable system the unknowns of which are node displacements and Lagrangian multipliers identified with contact forces. So, for multigrid framework, special restriction operators (from fine to coarse mesh) and interpolation operators (from coarse to fine mesh) are defined. The tangent matrix of the system being non symmetric, iterative methods of solving are used when dealing with the fine mesh (generalized conjugate gradient acceleration) and direct methods when dealing with the coarse mesh. Test problem is presented, feasibility is shown and efficiency is discussed. 1. AUGMENTED LAGRANGIAN AND NEWTON METHOD 1.1 Mixed contact operator by augmented Lagrangian approach For convenience, we shall restrict our attention to the bidimensional contact friction problem between a deform able elastic body and a rigid flat obstacle. For our purpose, this assumption is not too hard; the reader is referred to [1,2] for Transactions on Engineering Sciences vol 1, © 1993 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3533 228 Contact Mechanics different extensions of this approach to frictional contact problem between two bodies or to large sliding on strongly curved obstacles. We consider a single particle a (or node) of the (discretized) deformable body in the neighbourhood of the obstacle boundary. We note X its initial position, u its displacement, x=X+u its current position. Using the subdifferential of the indicator function of the positive half line (formalism of Convex Analysis [2]), the unilateral contact law can be written as a multivalued function between the signed normal contact distance d̂ (u) and the normal component of the contact force X% (la). In the same way, the tangential slip increment 8% is related to the tangential contact force X; by an inclusion (Ib) which summarizes the friction criterium and the slip rule. The graphs of these relationships are shown in figure 1. Fig. 1 Unilateral contact and friction laws. a) Xn 6 9Y( dn ) b) St e W( h ) The friction coefficient ji characterizes an iso tropic friction law by defining the section of the Coulomb's cone C(̂ ) : C(Xn)=(Xt: Kl<-^n} (̂ 0) (2) Following a previous paper based on an augmented Lagrangian approach [1], the equilibrium of a discretized elastic body in frictional contact with an obstacle can be given by the system of equations : Transactions on Engineering Sciences vol 1, © 1993 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3533 Contact Mechanics 229 Fint(u) Fext notes the internal forces minus the external ones. F(u,X) defines a continuous frictional contact operator which may be written for a single node as follows : RBy extension, we coin the term 'augmented' multipliers to specify a^ and a : (?n = ln + r dn(u) , a = A, + r 8 (u) (5) For flat contact (fixed local frame) and isotropic friction, this operator is conewise linear in 2D and raywise linear in 3D discretisation, relevant notions to study uniqueness conditions [4]. 1.2 Generalized Newton method. The algorithms usually applied to augmented Lagrangian problems in optimisation (e.g. Uzawa's scheme) are stable but very slow because they are based on an alternate treatment of the primal and dual variables. We prefer to use a simultaneous treatment of both variables by Newton's method. Firstly it is useful to resolve the system of equations (3) in two parts depending on the two variables u and X, a differentiate part G and a non differentiate one 7, (6) Fint(u) where G(x) = G(u,A,) = A rigorous and straightforward extension of Newton method to nondifferentiable but continuous equations such as (6) consists in xi+1 = xi ( Ki + Ji )-l ( G(xi) + f(xi) ), K; = 3G(xi) , J; <= 9f(xO (7) where 9f(x*) is the generalized Jacobian of 7 at x* [5]. Each region of differentiability (linearity in 2D discretisation) of the operator is identified to a global contact status composed of the local contact status of each contact node. This notion is illustrated in the next section. For a given local status (gap, stick, forward slip or backward slip), the generalized Jacobian is reduced to the single classical Jacobian matrix. Transactions on Engineering Sciences vol 1, © 1993 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3533 230 Contact Mechanics 1.3 A simple example. To illustrate the non symmetry of the tangent matrix, we present a simple example (see fig.2) which involves an elastic body discretized in two finite elements. The contact with friction may be treated by introducing two special contact elements (by anology with finite elements for the solid). In a symbolic manner, these elements are represented by two triangles containing four nodes : one belongs to deform able body, two draw the obstacle boundary in the neighbourhood of the first node, the last node with an arbitrary position in the center of the triangle contains the contact forces as its degrees of freedom. Fig.2 Elementary discretized example The table 3 shows the system to solve for the following global status : backward slip for the first contact element and forward slip for the second element.