Building on arguments of the information/decision-making and social categorisation perspective, we hypothesize that the degree of board diversity in relation to three attributes (tenure, type of director and board members international experience) has a positive effect on the firm's internationalisation. Moreover, the existence of factions within a board may lead to undesirable conflicts among directors, limiting the potential benefits of board diversity. Recognising moderating effects of board faultlines may resolve some of the inconsistent findings regarding board diversity. We test our hypotheses on 78 Spanish firms quoted on Madrid Stock Exchange from 2005 through 2010 and the results show that diversity of international experience has a positive effect, and that the presence of factions negatively affects this relationship. Our study has theoretical and practical implications to inspire the firm internationalization identifying the need for a balance within board composition taking advantage from ric...


Deep down, Professor David Bederman identified, I am convinced, with Captain Jack Aubrey. This may surprise the reader who knew David as a slightly built, mild-mannered, gentle, and bespectacled scholar, given that Jack Aubrey (played by Russell Crowe in the movie Master and Commander1) is described throughout the books that chronicle his maritime career as an enormous, blond, muscular Anglo-Saxon.2 You may not think of David Bederman as a swashbuckler3 a la Errol Flynn.4However, I first met David when we both had swords in our hands. David was a fencer in college, a member of Princeton University's fabled men's fencing team, which had captured countless Ivy League and NCAA titles.5 David fenced foil, one of the three weapons allowed in competition, an elegant, cerebral weapon whose practitioners often experience fencing as a sort of physical chess game. Lest anyone assume that fencing is for sissies, however, I note that one of our teammates of that era had been badly wounded during a fencing bout when his opponent, a Navy fencer, had a blade break in midcharge, the sharp end of which pierced our friend's protective jacket and abdomen, resulting in the kind of emergency surgery one imagines must have been commonplace in the heyday of the eighteenth-century naval empires, one of David's many areas of interest.David spent much of his multifaceted career as a noted scholar, teacher, and practitioner of maritime and admiralty law-the law of the high seas and water-borne commerce. He was also a leading expert on international law, both public and private, as well as legal history and other subjects. His real intellectual love, though, seems to have been pirates. David gave his first lecture as the K.H. Gyr Professor in Private International Law on The Pirate Code-the Chasse-Partie, or consensual rules governing crew members "on a piratical cruise."6 Now, David had no illusions about pirates himself. As he said, "Despite the romantic connotations that are continuously afforded to pirates in the popular media, let us not forget that they are criminals."7 And David knew more about pirates and piracy throughout history than most living beings, extending from his scholarship on Roman law and international law in antiquity8 through his studies of the development of maritime law in the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries,9 into his active legal representation of RMS Titanic, Inc.,10 the salvagers of the most famous shipwreck of the twentieth century, and on to his role as chairman of the board of Odyssey Marine Exploration.11Being a law-abiding man, though, David cast his professional lot with those who pursued pirates and those who pursued wealth at sea through lawful means. He is, in my imagining, more Captain Jack Aubrey than Captain Jack Sparrow.12 Jack Aubrey was a career officer in the Royal Navy of the British "Golden Age of Sail," fighting naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars.13 He was also a privateer. As David has noted, "[T]he only thing distinguishing a pirate from a privateer was a 'letter of marque and reprisal' issued to a privateer by a legitimate government, authorizing the vessel to engage in captures on the high seas and requiring that the captures be properly adjudicated before a duly-constituted prize court."14 So Jack Aubrey certainly knew how to swashbuckle with the best of them, although he was legitimate. Given my recollections of David with a sword, I think he had more than a sneaking admiration for swashbuckling.Like Captain Jack Aubrey, David was a polymath.15 David had an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and took an intellectual interest in many things. I found it fascinating that he had not majored in classics but became a leading expert on Roman law, publishing in that field and teaching a popular class on it, in which he enlightened students about small matters like the classical Western roots of our own Constitution and modern international law dating back to the first Western European empires; he related those to his twenty-first-century representation of RMS Titanic, Inc. …


The design of feeders for the controlled discharge of bulk solids from mass flow bins is very critical. It is important that hopper/feeder systems be treated as an integral unit and for efficient discharge mass flow hoppers are to be recommended. Therefore the problem demands complete understanding of the stress field distribution, discharge characteristics, channel boundary flexibility of the hopper, feeder load distribution and the compressibility of the stored bulk solid. The present paper highlights the research associated with feeder design. The effect of feeder speed, gate height, clearance between the hopper outlet and the feeder, method and rate of filling on wall pressures and feeder loads are discussed for hopper/feeder systems. Measurement of wall pressures suggests that initial pressures on hopper walls during filling are less than hydrostatic, hence initial loads on feeders are less than the theoretical predictions. The experimental flow loads on the feeders are higher than given by the radial stress field theory of Jenike. However, the flow loads based on major consolidation stress compares favourably with the measured values. Finally the methods to control feeder loads are discussed.


In this paper, we modify and extend the P2PSIP's leading draft (RELOAD) in order to both adjust its operation better with respect to the properties of wireless ad hoc networks and improve the provided security level. In terms of security, a public/private key infrastructure scheme is used along with a symmetric cryptographic mechanism. Public key cryptography is used to encrypt the communication between the peers, while symmetric cryptography is used primarily for authentication purposes. The public/private key pair of each peer is periodically refreshed to further improve the security level of the system. Two schemes are proposed: the Hierarchical RELOAD (HR), where the Bootstrap peers are central to all the operations implemented within the protocol, and the Semi-Hierarchical RELOAD (SHR) that follows the same logic with HR but also permits, for a limited time window, a more distributed operation for the protocol. We evaluate the proposed protocols in comparison to RELOAD, and the results show that HR produces considerably lower communication overhead within the peer-to-peer network than both RELOAD and SHR, with the latter's however more flexible network operation justifying the additional cost.


In the Great Basin region of western North America, records of past climate and wildfire variability are needed not only for fire use, but also for understanding the mechanisms behind the century-long expansion of pinon-juniper woodlands. The Mt. Irish area (Lincoln County, south-eastern Nevada) is a remote mountain ecosystem on the hydrographic boundary between the Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin. Non-scarred ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) and single-needle pinyons (Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frem.) were used to develop a tree-ring reconstruction of drought (mean PDSI for May–July from NV Climate Division 3) from 1396 to 2003. A hypothetical fire regime was obtained from the PDSI reconstruction and from explicitly assumed relationships between climate and wildfire occurrence. A census of fire-scarred trees was then sampled at the study area, and crossdated fire-scar records were used to generate the fire history, independently of the pre-existing pyroclimatic m...


Abstract Aim The aim of this work is to explore the influencing factors of nurses' caring behaviour during the COVID‐19 pandemic based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation as determinants of Behaviour (COM‐B) theoretical framework. Background Nurse caring behaviour is vital to reduce and speed up the healing process of COVID‐19 patients. It is important to understand the factors that influence caring behaviour among nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Research suggests that when it comes to understanding behaviour, using a theoretical framework is likely to be most effective, and the COM‐B framework is a recommended approach. Methods Semistructured interviews with 42 nurses working in 11 Chinese cities were conducted, and their verbatim statements were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The results were mapped to COM‐B framework. Results Ten key themes emerged: Capability (professional knowledge and skills, emotional intelligence, cross‐cultural care competence); opportunity (resources, organizational culture, social culture); motivation (past experience, character, role, beliefs). Conclusions Ten factors were found to influence nurses' caring behaviour. This study added two new influencing factors, social culture and past experiences, that further contributed to the understanding of nurses' care behaviours. Implications for Nursing Management Nurses' caring behaviour is influenced not only by themselves but also by institutions and society, so interventions aiming to improve their caring behaviour should consider these elements. The negative impact of the pandemic on capability factors that influence nurses' caring behaviour should be counteracted as soon as possible.


Let $L(X)$ be the line graph of graph $X$. Let $X^{\prime\prime}$ be the Kronecker product of $X$ by $K_2$. In this paper, we see that $L(X^{\prime\prime})$ is a double cover of $L(X)$. We define the symmetric edge graph of $X$, denoted as $\gamma(X)$ which is also a double cover of $L(X)$. We study various properties of $\gamma(X)$ in relation to $X$ and the relationship amongst the three double covers of $L(X)$ that are $L(X^{\prime\prime}),\gamma(X)$ and $L(X)^{\prime\prime}$. With the help of these double covers, we show that for any integer $k\geq 5$, there exist two equienergetic graphs of order $2k$ that are not cospectral.


A pair of primers was designed and synthesized according to the published sequences data of the gH gene of a vaccine duck plague virus (DPV) strain.Using these primers,an expected 2500bp DNA fragment comprising the complete gH gene open reading frame(ORF) of DPV AV1221 strain(named DPV-AV1221) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR).The DNA product was purified and linked into pMD18-T vector,and the positive recombinant plasmids were designated pMD-gH.After sequencing,the gH gene ORF was analyzed and compared with those in other DPV strains using DNAMAN software.It revealed that the gH ORF of DPV-AV1221 was 2505bp in size and encoded 834 amino acids.Compared with other two DPV strains,the gH ORF of DPV-AV1221 has the homology 99.7%,99.8% in nucleic acids level and 99.4%,99.5% in amino acids level.


A highly integrated electric drivetrain module with 157 kW peak power is presented, which incorporates novel technologies in the field of electric machines, power electronics and transmissions: 1. High-speed electric machine with six phases and injection mould polymer-bonded magnets; 2. High-ratio dual-speed transmission with double planetary gear set (Ravigneaux gear set); 3. Gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics with winding reconfiguration feature.The combination of these components in one single housing makes the drive module flexible to integrate and to combine with conventional or alternative propulsion technologies, thus allowing various hybrid and electric drivetrain topologies. All technologies are selected in accordance with mass production potential and can therefore have a high impact on the automotive market in the future. Currently, the drive module is under development; the first models will be assembled in winter 2019. The integration into a demonstrator vehicle in 2020 will prove the potential of many new technologies and the suitability for the automotive market.


For a long time, the Ius Aedificandi has been closely related to the right to private property, under the concept that his legal status is clear from the available power that derives from the property right. The intention of this legal monography, is to analyze the perspective of the property right from the urban law, identifying how much the Ius Aedificandi actually remains like an owner's right, arising from the provision that grants the right to the owner of private land and how urban planning rules can change private property concepts, transforming, limiting or conditioning it, depending on urban planning permissions and other figures established by law. It also aims to demonstrate the changes in the conception and realization of the private property right and the Ius Aedificandi, with the entry of urban planning regulations, provisions that starts interfering not only in the legal nature and application of the two legal concepts, but also the connectedness between property rights and the Ius Aedificandi, generating questions about the true source of existence of the right to build.


The chief executive officers for state-level governing or coordinating boards for community colleges hold a variety of titles, including chancellor, vice-chancellor, president, state director, and executive director. Whatever their titles or their degrees of governing responsibility, holders of this position play an important role in the total development and operations of a state's community colleges. As more direct (or even indirect) authority is provided to coordinating or governing boards, more, major decision-making actions are thrust upon state directors. They are often in the forefront of activity involving local community colleges with the state higher education commissions or boards and other state agencies, including state budget officials, public construction officials, members of governors' staffs, and key legislative leaders and their staffs (Charles, 1978, pp. viii-ix). Each morning, the contents of a state director's briefcase and calendar reveal the need for discussions, decisions, and actions on instructional program requests, new facilities, financial support for personnel, and collective bargaining. Contacts must be made with state or national legislative officials, and meetings must be held with other state higher education officials about state and national regulations. Contacts by phone or in person with presidents of local community colleges must be handled, and meetings must be conducted with officials of state business, industrial, and labor organizations. At least a few of the decisions reached each day will affect the state's community colleges.


Ninety five Hanwoo steers averaging 226kg of body weight were used to investigate the effect of dietary type on feed efficiency, carcass characteristics and economical analysis in Hanwoo feeding over 22 months. Treatments were composed of commercial formula feed (formula feed), TMR and Fermented-TMR...


( ( ( (P < 0.05) and concentrations of 23 volatile compounds of 14 distillate fractions and 15 finished Piscos. Artificial 0.05) and concentrations of 23 volatile compounds of 14 distillate fractions and 15 finished Piscos. Artificial 0.05) and concentrations of 23 volatile compounds of 14 distillate fractions and 15 finished Piscos. Artificial 0.05) and concentrations of 23 volatile compounds of 14 distillate fractions and 15 finished Piscos. Artificial 0.05) and concentrations of 23 volatile compounds of 14 distillate fractions and 15 finished Piscos. Artificial fruit attribute, characteristic of the head fraction (FR1) can be tracked with esters. Linalool, main odor attribute of fruit attribute, characteristic of the head fraction (FR1) can be tracked with esters. Linalool, main odor attribute of fruit attribute, characteristic of the head fraction (FR1) can be tracked with esters. Linalool, main odor attribute of fruit attribute, characteristic of the head fraction (FR1) can be tracked with esters. Linalool, main odor attribute of fruit attribute, characteristic of the head fraction (FR1) can be tracked with esters. Linalool, main odor attribute of the 1st part of the heart (FR2) can be tracked with linalool molecule. The 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked the 1st part of the heart (FR2) can be tracked with linalool molecule. The 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked the 1st part of the heart (FR2) can be tracked with linalool molecule. The 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked the 1st part of the heart (FR2) can be tracked with linalool molecule. The 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked the 1st part of the heart (FR2) can be tracked with linalool molecule. The 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked with octanoic acid, decanoic acid, furfural and ethyl lactate, accounting for tails attribute. In blended and aged with octanoic acid, decanoic acid, furfural and ethyl lactate, accounting for tails attribute. In blended and aged with octanoic acid, decanoic acid, furfural and ethyl lactate, accounting for tails attribute. In blended and aged with octanoic acid, decanoic acid, furfural and ethyl lactate, accounting for tails attribute. In blended and aged with octanoic acid, decanoic acid, furfural and ethyl lactate, accounting for tails attribute. In blended and aged finished products, chemical markers accounting for the effects of distillate fractions were similar but not identical finished products, chemical markers accounting for the effects of distillate fractions were similar but not identical finished products, chemical markers accounting for the effects of distillate fractions were similar but not identical finished products, chemical markers accounting for the effects of distillate fractions were similar but not identical finished products, chemical markers accounting for the effects of distillate fractions were similar but not identical to the markers from samples obtained from the purely distilled samples. Chemical markers for FR1 are ethyl to the markers from samples obtained from the purely distilled samples. Chemical markers for FR1 are ethyl to the markers from samples obtained from the purely distilled samples. Chemical markers for FR1 are ethyl to the markers from samples obtained from the purely distilled samples. Chemical markers for FR1 are ethyl to the markers from samples obtained from the purely distilled samples. Chemical markers for FR1 are ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate. Differentiation between FR1 and FR2 is less evident than in the purely hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate. Differentiation between FR1 and FR2 is less evident than in the purely hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate. Differentiation between FR1 and FR2 is less evident than in the purely hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate. Differentiation between FR1 and FR2 is less evident than in the purely hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate. Differentiation between FR1 and FR2 is less evident than in the purely distilled samples due to the linalool and artificial fruit attribute correlation. Chemical markers for FR2, therefore, distilled samples due to the linalool and artificial fruit attribute correlation. Chemical markers for FR2, therefore, distilled samples due to the linalool and artificial fruit attribute correlation. Chemical markers for FR2, therefore, distilled samples due to the linalool and artificial fruit attribute correlation. Chemical markers for FR2, therefore, distilled samples due to the linalool and artificial fruit attribute correlation. Chemical markers for FR2, therefore, include linalool and esters ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. The blending of the 2nd part of include linalool and esters ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. The blending of the 2nd part of include linalool and esters ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. The blending of the 2nd part of include linalool and esters ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. The blending of the 2nd part of include linalool and esters ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. The blending of the 2nd part of the heart (FR3) can be tracked with 2-phenylethanol, ethyl lactate, and decanoic acid. Oak aging was tracked with the heart (FR3) can be tracked with 2-phenylethanol, ethyl lactate, and decanoic acid. Oak aging was tracked with the heart (FR3) can be tracked with 2-phenylethanol, ethyl lactate, and decanoic acid. Oak aging was tracked with the heart (FR3) can be tracked with 2-phenylethanol, ethyl lactate, and decanoic acid. Oak aging was tracked with the heart (FR3) can be tracked with 2-phenylethanol, ethyl lactate, and decanoic acid. Oak aging was tracked with eugenol and whisky lactones, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furfural accounted for added caramel. eugenol and whisky lactones, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furfural accounted for added caramel. eugenol and whisky lactones, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furfural accounted for added caramel. eugenol and whisky lactones, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furfural accounted for added caramel. eugenol and whisky lactones, while 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furfural accounted for added caramel.


ABSTRACT Many adult Americans fail to meet nutrient requirements.  The objective of this study was to examine 24-hour dietary recall data from NHANES 2003–2006 to test the hypothesis that white potatoes (not sweet potatoes) contributed important nutrients within energy needs to adults' diets.  Potato content of survey foods was determined using US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recipe databases (Standard Reference [SR]-Link files).  SR codes were linked to USDA food composition data to determine nutrient content.  Daily nutrient intakes among consumers of potatoes (including french fries [FF]), and consumers of FF alone, were determined by applying the composition database to respondent's recall data.  Sample weighted data were analyzed; t -tests assessed differences between age-sex groups.  Approximately 35% of adults consumed potatoes; 12% consumed FF.  Intakes were lowest in adults aged 51+ y ( P 75% MUFA+PUFA); > 15% dietary fiber, > 13% vitamin B 6 and potassium; > 5% thiamin, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium and copper; and 10% vitamin C for all age-sex groups and > 5% vitamin K and iron for most groups; FF provided > 5% vitamin E and folate intakes for all.  These cross-sectional data showed that potatoes and FF, in amounts consumed by adults, contributed important nutrients in line with dietary recommendations.


ARPA project is a strategic project with generous objectives regarding the care of the elderly people facing mental health disorders. The goal of the project is the development of competences with professionals in the field of social work related to support for the elderly people who face mental health issues in such a manner that they would be able to face age related challenges but also the severe problems brought about by such an illness. The project aims a double perspective: dissemination of good practices in Europe on care and accompaniment for the elderly with mental health issues and reduction of social breakdown situations through actions of reintegration in the social life. We wanted to conduct a social enquiry among our students as part of the project to see their perception towards the elderly people, their level of knowledge in terms of mental disorders and palliative interventions when they face such situations. This is a questionnaire-based quality study


Stock price forecasting has always been a very challenging topic and a hot gampit in the wealth management and its applications. Timely and accurate forecasts can not only provide individuals with excellent investment opportunities, but also help the country's macroeconomic regulation and control. In order to achieve accurate predictions, people have tried various methods, among which machine learning methods have made breakthroughs. In this article, we propose a BP neural network model optimized based on the Sparrow Search Algorithm (SSA), and we use it to forecast the stock market. The experimental results show that the SSA-BP neural network model effectively overcomes the problem that the BPNN and the PSO-BPNN are easy to fall into the local optimum. The accuracy is better than BPNN, PSO-BPNN and LSTM model.


When NCTC clone 929 (strain L) cells were grown either continuously or at intervals in toxic human serum, they became resistant to the toxic substance or substances. The resistance developed to toxic human serum was passed from one cell generation to another; i.e., it was heritable. The resistance to toxic human serum, developed in strain L cells, was associated with a decrease in their ability to adsorb toxic substances from the serum. This suggests that there is a decrease in the number of loci in the resistant cells where toxic substances can be bound. The resistant cells differed from the sensitive cells in their morphological appearance, the increased frequency of minute chromosomes, and the increased adhesion to glass surfaces. The cells which developed a resistance to a particular toxic serum also resisted the toxic effects of some other sera, but not of all.


In recent years, with increasing international communication and cooperation, the consensus of toponymic information among different countries has become increasingly important. A large number of English geographical names are in urgent need of translation into Chinese, but there are few studies on machine translation of geographical names at present. Therefore, this paper proposes a method of automatically translating English geographical names into Chinese. First, the lexical structure of the geographic names is analyzed to divide the whole name into two parts, the special name and the general name, in an approach based on the statistical template model that implements pointwise mutual information and a directed acyclic graph data structure on the extracted names from different categories of a geographical name corpus. Second, the two parts of the geographic names are translated. The general name can be directly translated via methods of free translation. For the transliteration of the special name, the phonetic symbols are generated based on the cyclic neural network, and then, the syllables are divided based on the minimum entropy and converted into Chinese characters. Finally, the two parts of Chinese characters are combined, and criteria are prepared to evaluate the translation reliability according to the translation process to realize automatic quality inspection and screening of geographical names. As the experimental results show, the method is effective in the translation process of English geographic names into Chinese. This method can be easily extended to other languages such as Arabic.


Copyright © Korean Carbon Society http://carbonlett.org Abstract Milled carbon fiber (mCF) was prepared by a ball milling process, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractograms were obtained by a 2θ continuous scanning analysis to study mCF crystallinity as a function of milling time. The raw material for the mCF was polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber (T700). As the milling time increased, the mean particle size of the mCF consistently decreased, reaching 1.826 μm at a milling time of 18 h. The XRD analysis showed that, as the milling time increased, the fraction of the crystalline carbon decreased, while the fraction of the amorphous carbon increased. The (002) peak became asymmetric before and after milling as the left side of the peak showed an increasingly gentle slope. For analysis, the asymmetric (002) peak was deconvoluted into two peaks, less-developed crystalline carbon (LDCC) and more-developed crystalline carbon. In both peaks, Lc decreased and d002 increased, but no significant change was observed after 6 h of milling time. In addition, the fraction of LDCC increased. As the milling continued, the mCF became more amorphous, possibly due to damage to the crystal lattices by the milling.


Objective:To explore the effect of different causes of disease to the preterm infant early time movement and intelligence growth.Methods:148 premature infants were divided into three groups,according to different cause of disease,mark of natural premature delivery forms 47 examples,medicine source premature delivery 56 examples and preterm premature rupture of the membranes(PPROM)delivery forms 45,each group,correct full-term gestational aged new born did neonatal behavioral neurological assessment(NBNA),do the CDCC babies and infants intelligence growth test and comparison after six months.Results:NBNA grading were regular when greater than 35 marks.Being compared with each other,the natural premature delivery group,medicine source nature premature delivery group and PPROM group were no significant difference(P0.05).Correct the CDCC 6-month padding age testing.Be regular with PDI and the MDI testing above 85 marks.Natural premature delivery forms PDI,MDI regular rate are best than medicine source premature delivery forms and PPROM,there was significant difference between natural premature delivery forms and medicine source premature delivery(P0.05),there was no significant difference between natural premature delivery forms and PPROM(P0.05).Conclusion:Preterm infant prognosis is relevant to the delivery cause.In the field of early phase motion and intelligence growth,natural premature delivery group is better than medicine source premature delivery group and PPROM.


Archaeologists define the Proto-Elamite phenomenon by the appearance of ProtoElamite writing, the first form of local writing in Iran on tablets in many cases together with specific types of other management tools and pottery, over a vast geographical territory across the Iranian plateau. Different explanations have been offered to account for this spread and the shift from a Mesopotamian-oriented culture during the earlier period (Late Uruk) to a predominantly Iranian-oriented culture during the late fourth and early third millennium BCE. However, up to now, most of these explanations have been concentrated on the recovered material culture from Fars in the southern part of the plateau and Khuzestan in the southwest. New discoveries from sites on the northern fringes of the plateau depict a fresh and more complete picture of this enigmatic phenomenon. The new excavations and surveys conducted in the settlements that contain the material culture of this horizon have significantly added to our knowledge about the formation and spreading processes of this horizon. Cultural material recently recovered from these sites have extended the Proto-Elamite territory even further, have changed our understanding of the relationships among them and the potential ways this cultural horizon was shaped and diffused. In this paper, we present some of the newly discovered evidence from these sites including but not limited to: Sofalin, Shoghali, Ozbaki, Gholi Darvish and compare them with our older understanding of the presence of this cultural horizon in the center and northern parts of the Iranian plateau.


This study defined the preliminary designs of flight software for the Space Shuttle Orbiter for three two-phase fluid research experiments: (1) liquid reorientation - to study the motion of liquid in tanks subjected to small accelerations; (2) pool boiling - to study low-gravity boiling from horizontal cylinders; and (3) flow boiling - to study low-gravity forced flow boiling heat transfer and flow phenomena in a heated horizontal tube. The study consisted of eight major tasks: reassessment of the existing experiment designs, assessment of the Spacelab facility approach, assessment of the individual carry-on approach, selection of the preferred approach, preliminary design of flight hardware, safety analysis, preparation of a development plan, estimates of detailed design, fabrication and ground testing costs. The most cost effective design approach for the experiments is individual carry-ons in the Orbiter middeck. The experiments were designed to fit into one or two middeck lockers. Development schedules for the detailed design, fabrication and ground testing ranged from 15 1/2 to 18 months. Minimum costs (in 1981 dollars) ranged from $463K for the liquid reorientation experiment to $998K for the pool boiling experiment.


During the core‐collapse of a massive star, the spherical accretion shock which stalls at about 150km above the surface of the newly formed neutron star is hydrodynamically unstable. A perturbative approach has allowed us to disentangle the effects of neutrino‐driven convection from those of the advective‐acoustic instability. The large scale, l = 1 asymmetry appearing a few hundred millisecond after core bounce cannot be explained by negative‐entropy gradients due to neutrino heating in the gain region. This asymmetry is a natural consequence of the advective‐acoustic cycle, occurring between the shock and the region of deceleration associated with neutrino cooling above the neutrinosphere. A detailed stability analysis of the flow has proven the instability of the advective‐acoustic cycle in the simplified set up studied numerically by Blondin & Mezzacappa (2006, 2007). Our analysis also suggests that the purely acoustic cycle is stable.


TPS3110Background: Immunotherapy is an effective approach for the treatment of solid tumors. In addition to reversing tumor-induced immune suppression, immune activating antibodies are being explor...


Hexagonal tungsten bronzes (h-MxWO3) are an emergent class of pseudocapacitive energy storage material: a metastable phase arranged in a hexagonal crystal structure that enhances the oxide's rapid intercalation mechanism with impressive capacitances of over 200 F/g and excellent cyclability figures reported. A symmetrical pseudocapacitive device composed of h-MxWO3 electrodes negates the need for expensive and problematic rare minerals such as cobalt and lithium instead using low-cost tungsten whilst offering more efficient high-rate energy storage than commercial lithium-ion batteries.
 Hexagonal tungsten bronze has shown some promising capacitances in literature in conventional electrode configurations, i.e. composite structures with binder support materials which increase electrode mass impacting specific capacitance. If the bronze was instead grown directly upon a current-collecting substrate, this would negate the need for additional electrode components, with the entire electrode mass participating in storing charge. The present work explores this concept of a novel binder-free electrode design where the nanostructured tungsten-bronze (active material) is grown directly upon a tungsten-based substrate (current collector). This simple design offers potentially higher specific capacitances than conventionally fabricated electrodes.
 Nanostructured W/h-MxWO3 electrodes were fabricated in a twostep process. Firstly, tungsten foil was oxidised in hot nitric acid, forming a seed layer of monoclinic-WO3. A second step saw the hexagonal bronze deposited upon substrates through a hydrothermal dehydration reaction of sodium tungstate (Na2WO4) where the effect of the directing agent (NaCl, Na2SO4, (NH4)2SO4& Rb2SO4) on the deposited nanostructure was investigated. To assess the benefit of the acid pretreatment step, vis-à-vis a pristine untreated tungsten foil, the hydrothermal reaction was completed upon both a pristine tungsten foil and an acid treated foil. The nanostructured surface deposited from the hydrothermal reaction was characterised by SEM, and the crystal phase identified by XRD. The electrochemical behaviour was analysed using a Biologic SP-300 potentiostat in a 3-electrode cell: as-synthesised foils employed as working electrode; Pt Wire as counter electrode; a saturated calomel electrode (SCE) as reference; and 0.5M H2SO4 as electrolyte. The performance of devices fabricated from two symmetrical as-synthesised electrodes was also characterised using both the potentiostat and a NEWARE battery cycling test system in a two-electrode cell configuration.
 XRD analysis confirmed that hexagonal-tungsten bronzes were successfully deposited upon substrates irrespective of the substrate pretreatment. The acid pretreatment generally resulted in larger masses of bronze being deposited upon the substrate, but this did not necessarily translate to superior electrochemical performance. The choice of directing agent present in hydrothermal synthesis drastically altered the nature of the deposited layer as may be seen in the provided figure of as-synthesised electrodes (figure b-d). Sodium directed samples formed powder-like deposits (figure b), ammonium sulphate produced larger colloidal bronze layers (figure c) and rubidium sulphate developed glossy smooth sheets (figure d). Additionally, the ratio of tungstate ions (WO4
 2-) to directing agent cations (M+) was identified as being critical to obtaining the hexagonal phase. The mechanical stability of the deposited bronze proved problematic, with the layer prone to delamination and disintegration from a variety of mechanisms. A bespoke electrode holder, device testing apparatus and handling procedure was therefore developed to enable repeatable electrode characterization.
 The cyclic voltammetry response of the hydrothermally deposited layers was typical of an intercalation system, though an initial pseudocapacitive behaviour deteriorated to a battery-like response at sweeprates above 20 mV/s. Galvanostatic charge-discharge testing displayed a significant pseudocapacitive response over limited potential windows; moving beyond these limits produced steep non-linear curves indicating a departure from pseudocapacitive charge transfer processes. The charging at current densities above 1 A/g occurred over rapid time scales showing the electrodes' suitability for high power applications. Preliminary 3-electrode capacitance results are encouraging with specific capacitances of over 100 Fg-1 by dry mass. The tunnelated M+ ion in the bronze is found to greatly influence the electrochemical performance of the electrode.
 This work reports the first example of hexagonal tungsten bronze being successfully grown directly on tungsten substrates for application as energy storage electrodes. The binder free electrodes were found to deliver promising performance characteristics in both 3-electrode analysis and in a two-electrode symmetrical device. The performance so far is hampered by the mechanical fragility of the electrode structures, while scale-up of the manufacturing process may prove challenging. The observed mechanism of deposition of hexagonal tungsten bronze from solution to substrate is of interest for future work, as is the significance of tunnelated M+ cations to the hexagonal bronze (h-MxWO3) structure, stability, and electrode performance (figure a).

 Figure 1


Based on the narration of the concept and role of fitness club membership advisors and by the methods of literature study and expert interview,the article discusses the professional quality of fitness club membership advisors and membership management.It analyzes the existing problems and puts forward some suggestions.


Objectives • Collaborate with industry, universities and other government agencies involved with the United States Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) • Establish a standardized test procedure for single cell polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells • Conduct round-robin tests using the "standardized test protocol" • Identify and correct issues regarding the procedure • Expand the protocol to include longevity and durability testing


The authors show that a numerical calculation to account for the structure of amorphous metallic materials needs a careful definition of the parameters used: radial distribution function, density, mean energy per atom. As far as such parameters are considered to be characteristic of the amorphous structure, they establish a reproducible model does exist, obtained by relaxation, in a Lennard-Jones potential, of different hard-sphere packings.


Objective:To explore the effect of nursing intervention for premature rupture of membranes(PROM) in expectant treatment.Methods:62 cases of PROM were randomly divided into observation and control groups.The patients in control group were given conventional nursing care,gynecological nursing and such additional nursing interventions as psychological care,rest and diet care,health education,observation of the condition of patients,drug care,first aid coordination were applied to the patients based on conventional nursing care in observation group,and compare the difference of postpartum women and neonates.Results:The rate of infection reduced,extended weeks of gestation,reduce postpartum hemorrhage,neonatal birth weight increased,neonatal Apgar improve,RDS and death low in observation group,and there was a significant difference(P0.05)with control group.Conclusions:For premature rupture of membranes,given nursing intervention in expectant treatment,can ensure that maternal and infant safe,and extend weeks of gestation,improve infant prognosis,and the death rate of infant reduce.


The Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic transition (~541 Ma) was a turning point in Earth's history resulting in great biological changes between the microbial Precambrian life and the Ediacaran biotic revolution with the occupation of the sedimentary substrate, the dawn of biomineralization and the appearance of the earliest multicellular organisms. In parallel, this period is marked by a large plate reorganization leading to the assembly of Gondwana and by major climatic changes (extreme glacial events). Due in part to a poor paleomagnetic database for the different cratons in the Ediacarian-Cambrian times, the global paleogeography at that time still remains controversial. In this study we present a new paleomagnetic pole (Q= 6) for the Monteiro dike swarms in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil). They are fine-grained hornblende dolerite dated by U-Pb on zircon at ~538 Ma. Rock magnetic data indicate that magnetite and pyrrhotite are the main remanence carriers. Positive baked-contact tests support the primary remanence obtained for these dikes (19 sites). A positive reversal test (classified C) was also obtained from the 14 sites with normal polarity and the 5 sites with reversed polarity, indicating that the secular variations was eliminated with our sampling. Our new key pole is not consistent with the classical Apparent Polar Wander Path of the West Gondwana which consists of a long track from a southern polar position at ~590 Ma to an equatorial position at ~520 Ma. The Monteiro paleomagnetic pole suggest instead rapid and small oscillations of the APW, or wobbles, after 560 Ma. These rapid oscillations may be related to inertial readjustments in response to true polar wander (TPW) of the spin axis. TPW events have been suggested from 615 to 590 and then from 575 to 565 Ma in previous works. These TPWs are supposedly caused by changes in the inertia tensor of the Earth due to internal mass redistribution, related to rapid changes in subduction velocity. Possible links between these events and life evolution will also be discussed.


In the last decade space agencies and industries have focused their attention on proposing and developing a new class of large space structures (LSS). LSS have potentially broad applications in space including low-stiffness precision shaped antennas for mobile communications satellites, narrow-band broadcast services and remote sensing, low-stiffness planar structures for large solar arrays. A lightweight design responding to the low gravity environment and live loads due to gravity gradients, extreme thermal variations, and solar wind create new and challenging problems in dynamic analysis of LSS. Since LSS will be designed for minimum weight and be quite flexible a significant problem will also arise on developing the capability to suppress and control flexible modes of vibration, some of which are closely packed with their frequencies that in turn could be very close to the ones of the attitude controller. On account of this it is necessary to have a very accurate model of the LSS. In the present work a hybrid FEM-continuous formulation, based on the classical modal reduction of a LSS under gravity and gravity gradient forces, will be presented. Analyses will be also performed to evaluate the effects of modal truncation on the robustness of attitude control laws.


TOTO developed "Cefiontect Technology: the technology of preventing the dirt suitable for the toilet bowl etc.", and "HYDOROTECT Technology: the technology of preventing the dirt adapting the photocatalyst reaction." By using such technology, the number of times of cleaning is reduced,, detergent is cut down, and it can reduce the water consumption for cleaning. Furthermore, the air can also be purified. Here, the outline and effect of each technology are reported. Moreover, TOTO offers an impressive line-up of water-saving and power-saving type equipment. Great water saving can be performed by combining water-saving type equipment. Simultaneously, discharge of carbon dioxide is greatly reducible. Here, the environmental-preservation effect and economical effect of using a water-saving instrument in a residence are reported.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, Hubei Province in December 2019, with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012 are all infectious diseases caused by coronavirus. According to the knowledge of infectious diseases such as SARS and MERS, many patients and health care workers suffered from depression and anxiety during and after the epidemic. In particular, post-epidemic survivors were more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Similar conditions could be occurred during and after COVID-19. Therefore, it is also an important task to reduce the prevalence of PTSD after COVID-19 as much as possible and to relieve the tension of infected patients, first-line medical staff, quarantine personnel and so on. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of emotional diseases. Understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of PTSD by theory of traditional Chinese medicine and looking for effective methods to treat PTSD will be helpful to treat PTSD of survivors after COVID-19. It is found that Sini Powder has potential value in the treatment of PTSD by the summary and comparison of the research on traditional Chinese medicine related to the treatment of PTSD. We hope to overcome this epidemic psychologically and spiritually. Therefore, it is considered that Sini Powder can be used as the first choice for relieving emotional diseases of related patients during COVID-19 and treating PTSD of survivors after COVID-19.


Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool for measuring the topography and mechanical properties in nano-scale. The topography of the sample can be achieved by contact mode scanning, while the mechanical properties can be investigated with the help of force curve. However the force curve characterizes the mechanical properties of the sample at a certain point. In many cases, it is important to get the elasticity distribution of the entire surface, which means a huge amount of points need to be selected for measuring force curves. It is obvious that this operation is very time-consuming. As generally known, AFM force curve represents the relationship between the piezo scanner displacement in z-axis and the deflection of the cantilever. Thus the topography images consisted of the vertical displacements of the scanner and the deflection images can be combined to investigate some features of the force curve. The deflection set-point is set to be a time-varying value for increasing the range of scanning data. It is assumed that the elasticity is continuous in a small neighborhood of a scanning point, then a Kalman filter is utilized for conducting data fusion in the neighborhood and estimating the elasticity of the sample.


Characteristics of modes of the planar waveguide with thin walls, which are made from nonlinear media, are studied. The effect of the conversion of a mode from one set to another is considered. This effect may occur if parameters of the waveguide or transmitted power are varied. It is shown that the effect of the guided or leaky modes «disappearance» can arise when the field amplitudes increase, i.e., high powers launched into such a structure can suppress the modal propagation.


Trajectory planning in airborne networks is a primary application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communication. The literature contains algorithms focusing on collision avoidance, intelligent task assignment and path planning among UAVs. Cooperative schemes exist in which the UAVs communicate with each other to reach a consensus on how each vehicle will take up one trajectory at a time efficiently based on its capability. In the last decade, much research is being done to use UAVs to track contamination in the environment, detect fires and even volcanic eruptions. As the plumes are constantly varying in space and time, there have to be efficient guidance algorithms for the UAVs in order to keep track of the shape of the plume. In this paper, we survey the literature to explore the currently available trajectory planning algorithms and also the few available plume tracking algorithms. We then formulate the Plume wrapping problem and propose a cooperative trajectory planning approach for a group of UAVs, through which the UAVs communicate their position estimates and planned trajectories to update each others trajectory to efficiently wrap around a plume region so that the contamination in the region can be studied.


Quasi-Z-source cascaded H-bridge (qZS-CHB) inverters are arising as an innovation in the field of the electrical conversion for PV applications. This type of converters inherit the advantages of multilevel inverters and single-stage configuration. In this context, this paper proposes a novel symmetrical boost modulation strategy for qZS CHB multilevel inverters to increase the performance in terms of voltage stresses and power quality. The novelty lies in the adoption of a different concept to generate the shoot-through states compared to the traditional methods. Simulation analysis in a grid connected application to evaluate the benefits of this boost method is performed in the MATLAB/PLECS co-simulation platform.


Abstract Background: Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene polymorphisms are usually associated with plasma triglyceride levels. We evaluated the relationship of the APOA5 −1131T>C and c.56C>G polymorphisms [single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)] with serum lipids, dyslipidemia [low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)/high triglyceride] and the risk for metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Turkish Adult Risk Factor study. Methods: We genotyped SNPs using the Taqman allelic discrimination assays in 1564 Turkish adults (51.4% female, mean age 54.1±11.6 years). MS and dyslipidemia were defined using the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program. Results: For both SNPs, rare allele carriers had significantly higher fasting triglyceride levels in both genders, except the c.56G allele in men. The −1131C allele was associated with lower HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in women. In relation to dyslipidemia, the c.56C>G and haplotype 1 had significant gender-genotype interactions (p<0.05). Otherwise, both SNPs were significantly associated with dyslipidemia after adjustment for risk factors in women. After similar adjustment, non-carriers of the haplotype 1 (odds ratio=4.1, p=0.003) increased the MS risk in women. However, no significant associations emerged between SNPs and HDL-C, dyslipidemia or MS in a similar analysis in men. Conclusions: Excess risk for low HDL-C, dyslipidemia and MS is associated with the rare alleles of the APOA5 SNPs and non-carriers of common haplotype in women. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:778–84.


Many past studies have found age-related maturation EEG changes in the early stages of childhood. Matousek and Petersen (1973) conducted the first major research of age-related EEG changes. The results indicated that δ and θ activity were dominant until the age of four years and gradually decreased with age, while α and β activity increased throughout childhood. Matthis, Scheffner, Benninger, Lipinski, and Stolzis (1980) also found, with increasing age, slow wave activity appeared to be replaced by faster frequencies. According to their findings and suggestions, changes in EEG frequency can be used as an index of the neural maturation of a child's brain. Among factors that might exert influence on the brain's aging, physical activity has been found to have an effect on brains several cognitive and emotional functions of adults. In studying the effects of physical activity on preschool children's cognitive and emotional development, Shih (2004) found that δ activity was significantly negatively correlated with physical activity (r=-.693) in preschool children. However, past studies related to the brain's EEG development of the different sexes were inconsistent. With an attempt to clarify the relationships among physical activity, sex differences and children's brain EEG development, the current study intended to examine whether sex differences moderated the relationship between basic motor ability and EEG frequency in preschoolers. Sixteen boys and fifteen girls, between the age of sixty and sixty-six months, participated in this study. Each of them was assessed by the Basic Motor Ability Tests-Revised (Armheim & Sinclair, 1978) to determine their basic motor ability. The EEG was recorded during an eyes-closed resting condition at six electrode sites (i.e., F3, F4, Cz, Pz, O1, O2). The cleaned EEG was fast Fourier transformed to provide estimates for absolute power in the six frequency bands (i.e., δ, 0.5-3.5Hz; θ, 4-7Hz; α-1, 7.5-9Hz; α-2, 9.5-12.5Hz; β-1, 13-19Hz; β-2, 20-30Hz). A sex differences × motor ability Multivariate Test was employed on each of the six electrodes for the six frequency bands. The results revealed that there was no significant interactive effect between sex differences and basic motor ability at six electrode sites in the six frequency bands. Also, there were no significant main effects in sex differences and basic motor ability.


The concept of persistent identification is increasingly important for research data management. At the beginnings it was only considered as a persistent naming mechanism for research datasets, which is achieved by providing an abstraction for addresses of research datasets. However, recent developments in research data management have led persistent identification to move towards a concept which realizes a virtual global research data network. The base for this is the ability of persistent identifiers of holding semantic information about the identified dataset itself. Hence, community-specific representations of research datasets are mapped into globally common data structures provided by persistent identifiers. This ultimately enables a standardized data exchange between diverse scientific fields. Therefore, for the immense amount of research datasets, a robust and performant global resolution system is essential. However, for persistent identifiers the number of resolution systems is in comparison to the count of DNS resolvers extremely small. For the Handle System for instance, which is the most established persistent identifier system, there are currently only five globally distributed resolvers available. The fundamental idea of this work is therefore to enable persistent identifier resolution over DNS traffic. On the one side, this leads to a faster resolution of persistent identifiers. On the other side, this approach transforms the DNS system to a data dissemination system.


The flutters of cutting-tools in mechanical processes are investigated in this paper. The flutters are typically self-excited oscillations and could be described by the well-known van der Pol equations. The analytical solutions of the van der Pol equations obtained by the averaging method show the mechanism of the self-oscillations. A new strategy of linear feedback is developed to control the flutters. The control strategy could be realized by a delayed linear function. The analytical solutions of the van der Pol equations with delayed linear feedback showthat the flutters could be effectively reduced. Numerical simulations confirm the theoretical predictions.


AbstractI t has been common practice to use mould withdrawal unidirectional solidification to produce single crystal castings. To grow single crystals successfully, it is important to control several solidification parameters, such as the morphology of the solidification front (solid/liquid interface), thermal gradient, and growth rate during solidification. It is the aim of this study to develop a solidification model that can predict such solidification parameters for various design and operating conditions. The solidification phenomena in the process modelled are basically controlled by two heat transfer mechanisms: conduction and radiation. A set of heat transfer equations and boundary conditions were employed to describe mathematically the heat transfer phenomena. Then the finite difference method was used numerically to solve these equations for specified boundary conditions to obtain the temperature distribution and temperature variation in the casting. The solidification parameters can subsequentl...


Three levels of irrigation, dry, normal, and wet regimes, with and without 0.9 kg of supplemental nitrogen were applied during late spring to bearing pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. 'Beurre 'd'Anjou' trees commencing in 1979. In each of the 3 years tested, the percentage of trees affected with alfalfa greening and cork spot was greatest for the high level of irrigation. In 1979, alfalfa greening was associated with the high levels of leaf nitrogen and with the trees receiving supplemental nitrogen in the wet block. Fruits harvested from the wet block in 1979 were larger and firmer than fruit from the dry block, but the latter were higher in soluble solids.


Higher education institutions are leveraging the attributes of digital devices to enhance student's learning. The capability of digital devices to present visual images is the subject of this article, specifically the potential for visual organizers (VOs) to support students in an undergraduate marketing research course. Students reported that VOs helped them to understand the course requirements and supported them to organize their study program. VOs were positively associated with student's course participation, collaboration, and knowledge construction. We argued that VOs have the potential to enhance the student learning experience. Lecturers should therefore consider incorporation of VOs when redesigning their courses.


The article examines the current constitutional and legal problems of the formation and implementation of the control activities of ombudsman in the modern world. It is proved that the history of development, the causes, the processes of institutionalization and constitution of Ombudsman services in the modern world, the permanent transformation of their functions and the differentiation of their specialization are evidence of the improvement of the classical system of separation of powers.

Following the legal traditions of democratic countries, the Institute of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights was introduced in Ukraine. Today, it has become an important way of ensuring human rights. The introduction of the Institute of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights fully meets the current trends in the modern democratic world and is a reflection on those systemic challenges and complex problems that exist in the field of human rights protection.

The article argues that the social tension and insecurity of certain segments of the population, in particular children, pensioners, persons with disabilities, servicemen, migrants, internally displaced persons, ethnic minorities, persons belonging to the LGBTI community, entrepreneurs, patients and other categories of the community , demonstrates the need to improve national mechanisms and forms of human rights protection, including strengthening the oversight functions of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

It is argued that the functional isolation, independence and organizational diversity of control bodies, primarily ombudsman, is evidence of the formation of control power, the conceptual idea of which is the existence of a system of organizational, regulatory, institutional measures to ensure control over public authority. It is concluded that fundamental constitutional values, among which, first of all, human rights and the authority responsible to him are the functional and teleological dominant activity of the Ombudsman, the feasibility of creating and the practice of functioning of which, in fact, is due to the solution of these interrelated tasks.

According to the author, in order to improve the Ombudsman Institute in Ukraine, it is advisable to continue the constitutional and project work on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, which provide for the possibility of introducing specialized parliamentary ombudsmen (on issues of the child, servicemen, equal opportunities, national minorities, etc.) the scope of their control activities.


Objective: To provide references for clinical pharmacists to participate in chemotherapy therapy for patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: Roles of pharmacists in FOLFOX4 or mFOLFOX6 treatment were analyzed with respect to medical order audition, medicine preparation and proper usage, pharmaceutical care, pharmaceutical intervention and patient follow-up. Results and conclusion: As a member of the medical team, clinical pharmacists play an important role in ensuring safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of patient's pharmaceutical therapy.


Sociology generally appraises various social and economic aspects of human life. One of the current issues of human life is known as aging. Various results of the development of science and technology have contributed to increasing life line/further aging. Though aging is appraised in some parts of the world, it is a challenge for other parts. Many aging people in such parts are deprived of sufficient income, health care facilities, housing, nursing and the like in their old age. Almost all the countries in Asian context are growing old. Some like Japan and South Korea are in a better position, whereas many in south and west Asia are not in an easy situation. It is worth mentioning that many people in their old age are not productive, but are only a happy resource for their children. Under such circumstances aging is continuing in an uncontrolled way. So, it is the social scientists who must predict and appraise the scenario appearing. In addition, it is the governments that must plan for such a new category of emerging people. Aging people as merely consuming people, have their own particular needs and habits. Their needs also usually increase followed by their aging. Therefore, governments need to allocate special budget to such people out of their annual GNP. If such a mechanism is not put into effect, aging people's lives will not continue in a satisfactory manner. The process of creating social categories based on age is known as age grading and aging, and varies from culture to culture, and from one historical period to another. One of our objectives in this paper is to find out the connotation of such changes in Asia. Though population aging or graying is due to increased longevity, and declining birth rare, and more prevalent in industrial world, yet it is entering the developing Asia too.


In the UK, road transportation accounts for approximately 30% of all energy consumed, additionally vehicles are a major source of airborne emissions. Electric vehicles are a transportation technology that has the potential to address some of the energy and pollution issues within the UK and globally. However, there are some drawbacks related to pure electric vehicles, for example, limited driving range, excessive battery volume and battery charging times. Hybrid electric vehicles can address the driving range problem while having fuel and emission levels lower than for conventional combustion engined vehicles, specifically when in urban driving. Brushless permanent magnet generators having a secondary source of excitation are an interesting topology for implementation in series hybrid electric vehicles. Because of their duel excitation, these machines are referred to as hybrid permanent magnet (HPM). This paper reports on the control of HPM generators to maintain constant power output during vehicle load transients. Dynamic model of the system with the proposed controller scheme has been evaluated and verified via Matlab/Simulink©. Traction system DC-link voltage regulation via three operating scenarios has been investigated.


Donald E. Ingber: Important new theories in science often ignite heated debates. If they do not, they are probably of little significance. Thus a strong argument in support of the importance of the tensegrity model of cell and tissue architecture first proposed almost 20 years ago ([23][1], [24][2


As energy markets are becoming more decentralised, energy trading platforms are emerging as significant tools to facilitate the coordination of energy consumption and generation, encouraging the use of renewable energy. Focusing on a set of three different European countries, we disentangle the effectiveness of both economic and non-economic incentives in fostering energy trade via trading platforms. We use an incentivized survey experiment to collect data about consumers' and prosumers' willingness to participate in an energy trading platform. We find that the monetary incentive is not necessarily the main reason why people would choose to trade their energy, but other dimensions, such as environmental concerns, independence from the national grid, and having used the technology previously, play an important role.


The study was conducted using 21 Romanian Black Spotted fattening steers to determine the effects of sorghum grains on health and fatty acid profile of Longissimus dorsi muscle. The animals were assigned uniformly to 3 groups of 7 steers each, which received different treatments: control (C) received a compound feed without sorghum grains, experimental group (E1) received 15% sorghum grains in the compound feed, while next experimental group (E2) received 25% sorghum grains in the compound feed. To determine the biochemical parameters, blood samples were collected from animals at the end of experimental period. The laboratory analyses conducted on samples of Longissimus dorsi muscle collected from the 3 experimental groups, showed changes in the fatty acid composition. The proportion of saturated fatty acids (SFA) decreased in favour of the unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) with 1.04% in group E2, while the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids increased from 53.00% in the control group to 54.19% in group E2.


In England in 1848, the culture of secrecy that protected the identity of reviewers for major periodicals, such as the Quarterly Review, collided with a culture of anonymity that protected the reputation of women writers. This article discusses Elizabeth Rigby's anonymous Quarterly review of Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë under the male pseudonym of Currer Bell, and examines the critical impact of that encounter between 1848 and 1896.


The possibilities and risks of innovative development of the labour market are investigated due to the technologization of society and the flexibilization of the labour market. It is proved that the innovative development of the labor market implies the need taking into account the demographic, economic, social and institutional preconditions, the realization of which stimulates or disincentive the increase of the innovative content of employment. It is substantiated that opportunities of innovative development of the labor market (on the basis of generation and introduction of innovations, strengthening of innovation activity of enterprises) can be realized only on the basis of mobilization of demographic, economic, social and institutional factors of development. It is proved that in order to realize the possibilities of innovative development of the labor market, it is necessary to increase the level of readiness of society and the population for the perception of innovations. The main directions of minimization of negative consequences were elaborated taking into account the influence of demographic, economic, social and institutional factors on the strengthening the innovative character of employment.


Nursing science is focusing increasingly on family health care. Especially during the launching stage of family the grown-up sons daughters, and middlescent parents daughters have experienced a lot of change. The purpose of this study is to investigate the family health during the launching stage of the family by utilizing the family health assessment tool based on Roy's adaptation model. The Roy adaptation model was used as it is the best practice-based framework for Family Health Nursing Care. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The structure of the questionnaire was developed from the Family Health Assessment Tool by S.O. Jang(1996). The sample of 276 subjects was a convenient sample and data was obtained from November 14, 1996 to December 4, 1996. In order to analyze the collected data, this study utilized frequency, percentile, average, ANOVA, Cronbach's, and factor analysis. The results from this research are summarized as follows : 1. The degree of family health is average ranged in middle. 2. The significant difference between general characteristics and family health was only revealed with the major decision making person in the family. This research thus suggests the following : 1. The legal system is needed in order to check the family members' health state regularly. 2. With family nursing care, it has to identify who is the major decision maker in that family. 3. There is a need to redefine the family health assessment tool. 4. Further research will attempt to investigate family health in each family's developmental stage.


With comparative method, this paper scientifically analyzed the process and common regular of passenger transport system evolution, studied the differences of various countries. It is pointed that the technical and economic characteristics of transport modes and passenger transport demand characteristics and their changes are basic factors influencing passenger transport system evolution, national condition is an essential factor forming the discriminations. Analysis results indicate that when choosing reasonable passenger transport system mode, one country must not only grasp passenger transport system common regular, but also must put more attention to its national condition. 7 tabs, 7 refs.


Patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are al an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study sought to assess the prevalence of MetS, and its association with CVD in older hypertensive subjects in Taiwan. We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 3,472 hypertensive patients age 55-80 years (1,763 men, 1,709 women), from 38 sites across Taiwan from November 2005-December 2006. MetS was defined using the modified criteria of the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Pane III, and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). CVD included a diagnosis of angina pectoris (AP), myocardial infarction (MI) congestive heart failure (CHF), and stroke. The prevalence of MetS based on the modified NCEP criteria was 73.13% (68.29% in men, 78.12% in women). Use of the revised IDF definition significantly decreased the prevalence to 54.67% (46.63% in men, 62.96% in women). Subjects with MetS defined by IDF, or both criteria, had significantly higher odds ratios (ORs) of AP, CHF and all CVD. ORs of AP, MI, stroke, CHF, and all CVD were all significantly increased in subjects with MetS based on NCEP criteria. Those patients who met the NCEP, but not the IDF criteria, had a significantly elevated OR for Ml. In contrast, those who met the IDF, but not the NCEP criteria did not have a significantly elevated OR for any CVD. MetS is highly prevalent in hypertensive patients 55-80 years of age in Taiwan, particularly women. Patients with MetS defined by either criteria have significantly higher ORs for CHF, AP and all CVD than those without MetS. Accordingly, NCEP criteria seems to be more suitable than IDF criteria for estimating cardiovascular risks in this Taiwanese population.


Extract of ginger has been prepared using dimethyl formamide (DMF) as a solvent. The major component of ginger which is obtained in extract also is gingerol, having –OH functionality as a structural part. The extract in solution form in DMF has been added into epoxy-amine system as well as in epoxy-Melamine formaldehyde (MF) system. With addition of the extract, corrosion resistance has been increases as compared to the plain epoxy system. It is observed as epoxy-MF system gives better anticorrosive properties as compared to the epoxy-amine system. The reasoning for the same is that in epoxy-amine system the gingerol remains as a physical constituent to improve the anticorrosive performance. Whereas, in case of epoxy-MF system, the –OH functionality of gingerol interacts with MF resin and hence while curing the gingerol becomes the chemically intact in resin backbone system. This chemical interactional in epoxy-MF system is additional benefit for it over epoxy-amine system. It affects the coating performance significantly hence epoxy-MF system shows better anticorrosive performance over epoxy-amine system.


An analysis is presented for the flow separation process in hydrodynamic chromatography along with comparisons to experimental data. The flow separation model is based on calculations for the convected Brownian motion of colloidal particles in a capillary tube in the presence of a force field. The results indicate the role of the relevant experimental parameters in the separation process.


Background:  The aims of the present study were to demonstrate the reliability of HbA1c measurements during two time periods and to compare these measurements with HbA1c distribution in the general US population.


Color properties of printing inks are highly dependant on crystal structure,particle size and size distribution of pigments.In this paper,the waterborne pigment blue 15∶3 inks with particle size 72.0 nm,120.9 nm and 187.5 nm respectively were prepared by phase separation method.The effects of particle sizes on color performance of inks and behaviors in pad dyeing were investigated.Results showed that the smaller the particle sizes were,the higher the transmittance and the purer the color were.The dyeings padded with the smaller pigment featured higher K/S value and color saturation,as well as better fastness to rubbing and brushing.The crystal structure of pigment was β type,color did not change along with the change of the particle size.


Abstract In extracorporeal life support (ECLS), there are two main types of oxygenators in clinical use for neonates: polymethylpentene (PMP) hollow fiber and polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber. A retrospective study was performed on neonates (n = 44) who had undergone ECLS for noncardiac indications from 2009 to 2015. Between the two groups (PMP n = 21, PP n = 23), the PP oxygenators failed 91% of the time, whereas the PMP oxygenators failed 43% of the time (p < 0.05). Analysis suggests PMP oxygenators are less prone to failure than PP oxygenators, and they require fewer number of oxygenator changes during a neonatal ECLS.


A three dimensional finite element model to simulate solidification of large steel ingot with heat,flow and solute transfer coupled calculation was developed.The results such as solid fraction,shrinkage pipes and segregation were verified by experimental and numerical studies.The distribution of porosity and segregation in a 13.1tflat ingot was predicted and the relationship between flakiness ratio and slenderness ratio,and ingot internal defects such as soundness and homogeneity were also revealed.More obvious improvement of porosity and segregation in Q235 steel ingot than that in 70 CrMn ingot was observed.It is inferred that the commonly used mould should be designed and optimized under high alloyed steels solidification condition.The accompanied appearance of porosity and segregation should be carefully considered in the numerical model predicting these solidification defects.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms of failure of magnets used for denture retention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Magnets were retrieved from dentures that had failed after 4 to 18 months of clinical use. The magnets were sectioned and the failure modes were evaluated using optical or scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTS
The magnetic retention system investigated consists of a neodymium-iron-boron magnet sandwiched in a stainless steel keeper, capped with a titanium dome, and sealed with epoxy resin. The diffusion of moisture through the epoxy seal and the breakdown of the encapsulating material led to corrosion of the magnet. In both cases, a loss in retention occurred as the corrosion products weakened the overall magnetic attraction.

CONCLUSION
The failure of magnets may occur by either breakdown of the epoxy seal or breakdown of the encapsulating material. Both problems need to be addressed to prolong the life span of these magnets.


Nutrition and reproductive performance of sows are intimately interrela ted with each other.And each stage during reproductive cycle is closely interrel ated with another,nutrition at one stage may influence on performance of sows of the stage,then on next stage and the whole reproductive cycle.Therefore,phase f eeding like in growing pigs should be implemented to feeding reproductive sows.R ecent research advances in nutrition and feeding management of replacement gilts ,gestating,lactating,and dry sows were reviewed in this article.


The correct information on RTD can help in system design and evaluation. The RTD corresponding to the velocity profile is known only for certain cases, where the velocity profile depends on one coordinate only. In this research, a general procedure for derivation of RTD corresponding to a known velocity profile is introduced. The RTD of laminar flows in different ducts as elliptic, equilateral triangular, moon-shaped and rectangular ducts are derived. Also, it is shown that the final RTD for laminar flow in any duct, can be estimated using relation E(θ) = K θmin/θn that is similar to laminar flow in the pipe, with their own dimensionless minimum time, , where is defined as the required time for traveling the duct with the maximum velocity in unit of the space-time. The values of K and n is calculated to meet the condition of . Besides, the values of for different cross-sections are studied. The results show that the RTD of elliptic ducts is precisely similar to the pipe flow. In the case of other shape ducts, the proposed model shows a suitable estimate of the numerical values. The previously published experimental data and precise analytical solutions agree with the proposed model with an acceptable consistency, except for very little time say θmin < θ < 0.7.


Much work has been done in multiscale topology optimization for maximum sti ff ness or minimum compliance design. Such approaches date back to the original homogenization-based work by Bendsøe and Kikuchi from 1988, which lately has been revived due to advances in manufacturing methods like additive manufacturing. Orthotropic microstructures locally oriented in principal stress directions provide for highly e ffi cient sti ff ness optimal designs, whereas for the pure sti ff ness objective, porous isotropic microstructures are sub-optimal and hence not useful. It has, however, been postulated and exemplified that isotropic microstructures (infill) may enhance structural buckling stability but this has yet to be directly proven and optimized. In this work, we optimize buckling stability of multiscale structures with isotropic porous infill. To do this, we establish local density dependent Willam-Warnke yield surfaces based on buckling estimates from Bloch-Floquet-based cell analysis to predict local instability of the homogenized materials. These local buckling-based stress constraints are combined with a global buckling criterion to obtain topology optimized designs that take both local and global buckling stability into account. De-homogenized structures with small and large cell sizes confirm validity of the approach and demonstrate huge structural gains as well as time savings compared to standard singlescale approaches.


Measuring and improving performance is an essential component of any high‐risk industry, including intensive care medicine. We undertook this systematic review to describe the current state of quality improvement efforts in pediatric intensive care medicine.


This paper derives an elastic Green's theorem wave separation method for on-shore data in displacement space. Applying the algorithm presented in this paper only once, both the reference waves (including the direct wave and the surface wave) and the ghosts can be effectively removed. The method is tested on a layered elastic earth model. The results indicate its effectiveness for reducing the ground roll and ghosts at the same time, and without harming the up-going reflections, in preparation for on-shore processing.


Hoechst basic chemicals says it will not have its methanol plant at Clear Lake, TX back onstream before the new year; however, the company adds it has been able to meet all of its obligations to customers. The unit, a joint venture with Valero, was damaged by an explosion on December 3. US Gulf Coast methanol spot prices have risen to 50 cts/gal fob in the wake of the outage, which came at the end of a bad year for methanol producers in general and Hoechst in particular. December posting prices rose 3 cts/gal, to 54 cts-57 cts/gal fob.


After irradiation of rats an excretion of previously administered radiorubidium from several organs was observed to be similar to the one for radiopotassium described in the literature. No loss of radiorubidium was found in the parotid gland at the second day after irradiation agreeing with other reports that this gland has a considerable relative radioresistance. Radiorubidium was accumulated heavily in the parotid gland by the third day after irradiation showing, therefore, a behavior different from other organs previously investigated. (auth)


INTRODUCTION: Diverticular disease of the colon is a very common condition, present in most of the elderly population. However, the occurrence of rectal diverticula is extremely unusual. It is typically an incidental finding at colonoscopy. OBJECTIVE: Describe epidemiological, clinical, surgical and endoscopic characteristics of a case series of rectal diverticula in Brazil. METHODS: Four patients with rectal diverticula were analyzed in terms of symptomatology, associated conditions and colonoscopy findings. Endoscopic findings were discussed individually. RESULTS: The prevalence of rectal diverticula at our endoscopy unit was 0.15% of all colonoscopies, affecting 0.74% of patients with colonic diverticulosis. The endoscopic analysis showed the diverticulum ostium with mean size of 2.3 cm, depth of 2.8 cm and anal margin distance of 6.8 cm. Colonoscopy also demonstrated simple rectal diverticulum in all patients. Diverticula were located in the anterior, right lateral and posterior walls of the rectum. One patient developed diverticulitis as complication and underwent to diverticulectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Rectal diverticulum is an incidental finding at colonoscopy and associated with diverticulosis. Its rarity and specific colonoscopic characteristics make it a unique entity. Asymptomatic in most cases, it rarely needs intervention. Surgery is reserved for complicated cases.


Electron Multiplication Charge Couple Device (EMCCD) has an outstanding performance in the low-light imaging field for its high sensitivity, high quantum efficiency, and low noise characteristics. Generally we obtain clear low-light images by increasing the multiplication gain of EMCCD. However, with the gain improved the noise will increase rapidly at the same moment, which makes a big influence on EMCCD imaging quality. At present the noise parameter estimation algorithms of EMCCD mainly have maximum likelihood estimation method and expectation maximization estimation method, etc. These algorithms are complicated and the requirement for initial value is high which make them more difficult to achieve. On the other hand, the moment estimation method applied in this paper has a lower complexity and a wider application. So in this paper we have made a study of the particularity and complexity of EMCCD noise distribution model and then established a suitable noise distribution model for image processing. We calculated the EMCCD noise parameter estimation by using the moment estimation method, and obtained a higher accuracy of noise parameter estimates. Then we used the wavelet semi-soft threshold algorithm into EMCCD image noise filtering processing while the image was added the mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise generated by the simulation of moment estimation. At the end, the simulation results show that the algorithm we used can filter out noise effectively, restore clear images, and can retain details and edge information of image at the same time.


This study explores the art and design education mode in high vocational colleges within the theoretical framework of tacit knowledge. I propose that by understanding the tacit knowledge theory and principles behind the acquisition of art and design education as a cumulative developmental, the art and design expertise can be greatly enhanced by the introduction of three educational modes: First, apprenticeship mode which advocates students to learn from masters, seniors and peers; Second, situational teaching which utilizes trial or simulation of design sites; Third, analogical reasoning which infers from art and design examples.


This article has two inter-related arguments: first, that in terms of its themes and approaches William of Malmesbury's Deeds of the Kings of the English bears comparison with David Hume's History of England; second, that in twelfth-century England the notion of a civilizing process, including the idea of socio-economic stages of development, was at least as prevalent as in 'early modern' England


Recent research has shown that bifacial PV modules with a glass/glass packaging are prone to different PID mechanisms occurring simultaneously on the front and the rear side of the solar cell. With this in mind, researchers investigating the impact of PID on each side of the bifacial solar cell separately apply PID stress to one side of bifacial PV modules according to stress method (b) as described in the IEC TS 62804‐1, that is, contacting the surface with a conductive electrode. Yet, in this paper, we show that such practice of PID testing might result in an unintended development of an electric field between the environmental chamber and the nonstressed side of the solar cell. Through our experimental study, we reveal that this electric field results in unintended bifacial PID stress of bifacial solar cells, which goes along with misleading interpretations of the evolving PID mechanisms and susceptibility of bifacial PV modules. Next to the methodology concerns, we discuss three possible solutions to prevent such unintended PID mechanisms from occurring.


Cercariae of Schistosomatium douthitti Price, 1931 have been found in two lakes of Manitoba, in which cases of schistosome dermatitis occurred. One adult female Schistosomatium douthitti was recove...


In recent years, realization of a haptic system is desired strongly in the fields of medical treatment and expert's skill acquisition. The bandwidth of force sensing and friction compensation are very important problems for reproduction of vivid force sensation. In this paper, an environment quarrier is proposed for bilateral teleoperation instead of force sensors. The environment quarrier is a novel force sensing method which consists of a twin robot system. Two same types of robots are required and they are controlled in the same position, velocity and acceleration by bilateral acceleration control based on a disturbance observer. One robot is in contact motion and the other is unconstrained. The purity of external force is obtained by subtracting the disturbance torque in the unconstrained robot from the constrained one. The environment quarrier can observe the external force with high bandwidth and friction compensation. In order to implement the environment quarrier to a bilateral control system, four robots are required. In this paper, the idea of multilateral control is introduced for attainment of simultaneity. Furthermore, this paper shows that the controller design of the multilateral control in the modal space. The experimental results showed the viability of the proposed method.


Even in the twenty-first century, gender bias and other forms of discrimination in the workplace have been a concern. Women, persons of color, and other minorities sometimes have trouble getting a callback from recruiters or finding employment. By providing opportunities for them, diversity and inclusion contribute to the advancement of many social groupings. A diverse workforce also boosts the company's productivity and performance significantly, and improves the economy. At an organizational level, we can undoubtedly eradicate these biases even though doing so on a personal level is challenging. Block chain is a young technology that holds the potential to solve this problem. Block chain is a decentralized, immutable database that makes it easier to track assets and record transactions in a corporate network. This shared ledger eliminates the duplication of effort that is typical of conventional corporate networks by simply recording transactions once. Because all network paiticipants must agree that the data is accurate, block chain offers higher security. It is possible to create a block chain-based employment platform where each candidate has their own unique identity, eliminating the possibility of biases and allowing candidates to be evaluated only on their qualifications, and this is what this study seeks to do, despite the wide adoption of block-chain today very few researches are investigating its potential impact on the hiring industry, a gap this paper seeks to fill. In this study we practically designed a block chain based hiring platform that is discreet and deliberately skewed it to hinder hiring based on gender and other discriminatory factors, we went ahead to conduct an altcorrespondence testing of the platform with recruiters using the block-chain based platform and a react based hiring platform. Our methodology allowed us access to the internal decision processes which most researchers are not aware of, and we could see how the type of underlying technology (In this case blockchain)platform influenced the decision of the recruiters.


The large parameter variations in heavy-duty trucks make it very difficult to find appropriate settings for fixed structure speed controllers. Satisfying the design specifications with experience-based trial-and-error methods for the control design is very time-consuming. This paper discusses the use of experimental frequency domain methods for the tuning of speed controllers. The focus is on the cruise control, but the method is also applicable to other speed controllers. Experimental results are given to validate the approach.


Hot-pressing wood, especially as in the production of wood composites, generates significant "native" (woodbased) formaldehyde that remains in the composite panel, even in the absence of adhesive. The level of native formaldehyde relates directly to the time and temperature of the hot-pressing. This native formaldehyde dissipates in a relatively short time and is not part of the long-term formaldehyde emission issue commonly associated with hydrolysis of urea-formaldehyde bonds. We show that the common desiccator/chromotropic acid method used in our study distinctly measures formaldehyde and not other similar compounds. Furthermore, the use of no adhesive or one type of no-added formaldehyde (NAF) adhesive in making particleboard produced significant native formaldehyde levels. Properly formulated adhesives can suppress the native formaldehyde emissions leading to soy-based adhesives that provide low formaldehyde emission levels in both the short and long timescales. This work highlights an important, but often overlooked, aspect that should be considered for production quality control programs: the importance of standardizing the time and conditions employed immediately after pressing but prior to the onset of emissions testing. Implementing this change should improve reliability between process monitoring and large-chamber correlations.


This chapter looks at Part 6 of the Equality Act 2010, which sets out what is unlawful conduct in relation to education. Chapter 1 of Part 6 deals with schools; Chapter 2 with further and higher education; and Chapter 3 with general qualifications bodies. At the time of writing, there is no statutory code of practice in relation to either pre-16 education or further and higher education. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced non-statutory guidance, referred to as technical guidance, however, for schools and for further and higher education. There has been relatively little case law in the education field though what there has been has either been brought in the First-tier Tribunal (where disability discrimination cases in schools must be brought) or has tended to focus on race and religious discrimination and been litigated by way of judicial review.


The goal of this study is to improve the accuracy of relative humidity (RH) measurements from Vaisala radiosondes, especially in the upper troposphere (UT), by correcting measurement error that results from slow time-response of the RH sensor at cold temperatures. Accurate water vapor profiles are important for such applications as input to radiative transfer algorithms, calibration, or evaluation of remote-sensor water vapor retrievals, initializing numerical models, and improving parameterizations of cloud processes. Inaccurate measurement of water vapor profiles has been shown by Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program studies to be the primary limitation to improving clear-sky radiative transfer models (e.g., Clough et al. 1999). Although water vapor concentrations are much less in the UT than at lower levels, atmospheric cooling rates in the UT due to water vapor exceed those in the mid troposphere due to the very strong contribution by the wave number range 250 cm to 350 cm (Clough et al. 1992). RH measurements from Vaisala RS80-H radiosondes are heavily relied upon by ARM to characterize the water vapor profile in the UT, because other means such as Raman Lidar or Differential Absorption Lidar have accuracy and/or vertical resolution limitations in the UT (see Turner et al. 2000).


Possibility of quantitative determination of photorefraction in Mg doped LiNbO3 (LN:Mg) by the Z-scan method at the GW/m2 intensity level is demonstrated. For the first time, twenty times smaller damage sensitivity (n*e) is measured for stoichiometric LN:Mg than for congruent one. In the case of congruent and stoichiometric LN:Mg crystals n*e = -1.2•10-13 m2/W and .n*e = 6.6•10-15 m2/W, and for the nonlinear absorption coefficients β = 2.1•103 cm/GW and β = 1.7•103 cm/GW respectively, are measured.


Twenty-two combinations of forward and windscreen nozzles for windscreen rain clearance were flight tested in a Javelin aircraft. Tests were made at Singapore in rain intensities up to 7 inches per hour and speeds up to 565 knots. A preliminary assessment of the results is made showing which of the clearance nozzles were most useful. The leading edges of the aircraft were protected from rain erosion by an experimental coating of polyurethane.


The importance of the metalworking sector in Peru is reflected in the high demand for machinery, equipment and structures in various economic sectors such as industry, construction, mining, transportation, among others. This makes it a generator of large productive links and employment. Today, the struggle to follow a quality standard that guarantees the production of these goods persists, as well as the effort to improve the customer's perception of the service offered. This study proposes an integrated model to increase the service level of a metalworking company through the use of Lean Service and Inventory Management tools. The results show a 10.13% increase in the service level, thanks to the implementation of engineering concepts such as 5s, Kaizen and Inventory Management.