An important parameter of Josephson junctions (JJs) is the product of normal state resistance (R n) and critical current (I c) for designing superconductor analogue devices or digital circuits. Determination of R n and I c from voltage–current (U–I) characteristic curves often faces difficulties; in particular I c is considerably reduced by intrinsic thermal or extrinsic electrical noises. Here, we propose a standard measurement method of R n and intrinsic critical current (I ci) for high-T c superconductor (HTS) grain boundary JJs operated in liquid nitrogen and low-T c superconductor (LTS) multilayer superconductor/normal-conductor/superconductor (SNS) JJs in liquid helium. The applicable condition of this method is that both HTS and LTS JJs have U–I curves compatible with resistively-shunted junction (RSJ) model. Both R n and I ci values are extracted by combining a geometric mean criterion to select a data set and a least-squares fitting method with the RSJ model, eliminating two distortion effects on U–I curves: noise-rounding and self-heating. The combined method ensures relative standard uncertainty values of 1.9% for R n and 8% for I ci or better, when the users follow the standard protocol. It is demonstrated that the combined method is valid for d-wave HTS JJs near 77 K, regardless of peculiarities such as 0–π junction transition in d-wave superconductors at lower temperatures, and s-wave LTS SNS JJs with a wide range of junction parameters. This work is the first step to facilitate standardization for superconductor electronics with JJs.


DOI: 10.21276/sjet.2018.6.12.4 Abstract: Despite the lack of appropriate electronic payment systems and poor internet access, more and more African entrepreneurs are entering the e-commerce sector. However, its development remains dependent on greater than before access to the internet by the population. Several experts predict that Africa will experience the same type of technological increase in commerce as in mobile phones. With a rapidly expanding population, the emergence of a large middle class and an increasing number of Internet users, the evolution of virtual commerce seems to be well on the continent. However, the lack of customer confidence in the payment system, the logistical challenge or the risks of fraudulent transactions are likely to constitute obstacles to the development of this new digital economy. Nevertheless, even if e-commerce in Africa represents only 2% of the global market, growth prospects remain promising in a continent where everything remains to be done and built. Ivory Coast is one of the most connected countries in Africa and has the second fastest mobile connection in the continent. With a population of almost 25 million, and 6.3 million internet users, the penetration rate in the country was 26.3 % in 2017. Furthermore, 5.6% of households had a computer, and 13.5% of them had internet access at home. The strongest sector of the market is the mobile sector, as fixed internet and broadband are still underdeveloped. The Ivory Coast"s growing Internet market and good telecommunications infrastructure prepared the country for the development of their e-commerce market, which is expected to grow significantly in the next few years. Although, traditional trade is still strong among Ivorian shoppers, the increasing development of technology in the country and a growing middle class are creating a shift towards online shopping. The country has become more attractive to companies based both inside and outside the continent.


The Piquiri River hydrographic basin includes a drainage area of 31,000 km 2 . Headwaters are located in the Sao Joao Mountains, flowing 485 km until the Parana River. The most important tributaries of the right margin are the rivers Goioere, Tricolor and Cantu, while in the left margin the rivers Sapucai and Melissa stand out. Six samplings were done between October 2002 and September 2003, in three sampling sites (Campina, Apertado and Altonia) along the Piquiri River. Fish species were collected using gill nets with simple meshes and trammel nets, in addition to longlines. Considering the entire period, 1,667 individuals were collected, belonging to 62 species distributed among 21 families and 5 orders. A total of 25 species are new registers for this basin, while 6 were still not formally described, indicating that new species will be captured in future surveys.


Corporate healthcare is a sun rise and rapidly growing industry in India. As a nascent industry, attracting and retaining talent is closely linked to the other HR processes and HR professionals have a great challenge ahead in this fast growing industry, where the demand is already outstripping the available talent. : : : ' = *+H*/ ; @. / 1 / ' ! '' ; '! ; ' $ ! / # $ ; ' $ $ 3 . 1 $ ' ; '# $ "


Based on the survey data of 300 households in Fujian province, the system of farmers' choice of forestland management mode was constructed by using the framework of sustainable livelihood analysis, and the impact of livelihood capital on farmers' choice of forestland management mode was analyzed by using binary logistic model. The research shows that the factors of livelihood capital have different impact on the choice of forestland management mode. On this basis, the author puts forward some countermeasures to encourage farmers to improve their livelihood capital capacity, develop scale management and reduce their dependence on forestland income.


In order to quantify how much variability is affected by the diurnal cycle (DC), two variance‐partitioning schemes were applied on two rainfall datasets that cover the Intra Americas Seas (IAS) domain at a 3‐hourly resolution during 21 years. The datasets are the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) 3B42, and a simulation from the Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM) model. From TRMM, the results show that the variance attributable to the DC is large because it shapes the variability of transients. Such diurnal effects shape transients similarly during all seasons, but their effects produce different patterns over continental and oceanic regions. Over continental regions, the total variance attributable to the DC is much larger than that attributable to the mean seasonal cycle and to interannual variability. But over oceanic regions, the latter two types of partitions can be larger than that of the DC. Although the analysed model simulation captures the broad features of the observed variance partitions, it overestimates the importance of the typical diurnal march, it underestimates how the DC tends to suppresses transient variability during nighttime over land, and it underestimates how it tends to increase it otherwise. As shown by the results, the variance‐partitioning approach of this study might complement previous approaches because rather than focusing on diurnal amplitudes and phases, it focuses on diurnal effects. Therefore, this approach could be useful to diagnose DC‐related issues from a relatively new perspective, issues such as the evaluation of systematic errors, or the evaluation of how the DC affects transients under different large‐scale conditions or slow‐varying forcings.


This review discusses the need for and importance of knowledge integration and dissemination in coaching science. It is argued that researchers are not paying enough attention to knowledge integration and dissemination. Scientists can better conduct coaching research of high impact by carrying out practitioner needs assessments, relating findings of a specific study to a larger take home message so that the value of science is better seen when debriefing participants, educating future coaching science researchers as to how to write for practical audiences, considering practitioner characteristics and context constraints when designing studies, considering practical outlets for research when designing studies, and realizing that dissemination is not easy—it takes considerable time and repeated efforts to occur. Finally, dissemination and translational science models are offered as tools to assist those who are interested in conducting and disseminating research aimed at making a practical difference in spo...


Portuguese infinitives are especially relevant for a discussion about control because, unlike in most other languages, they may display overt morphological marking for person and number agreement. Section1 provides evidence that non-inflected infinitives display interpretive properties of obligatory control


Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is an imaging modality that probes the diffusion characteristics of a sample via the application of magnetic field gradient pulses. When the duration of the diffusion-encoding gradient pulses is small compared to the delay between the pulses (the narrow pulse assumption), the concept of the probed diffusion time is easy to define. However, when the narrow pulse assumption is not satisfied, the concept of the diffusion time is less straightforward. If the iamging voxel can be spatially divided into different Gaussian diffusion compartments with inter-compartment exchange governed by linear kinetics, then the dMRI signal can be approximated using the macroscopic Karger model, which is a system of coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs), under the assumption that the duration of the diffusion-encoding gradient pulses is short compared to the diffusion time (the narrow pulse assumption). Recently, a new macroscopic model of the dMRI signal, without the narrow pulse restriction, was derived from the Bloch-Torrey partial differential equation (PDE). When restricted to narrow pulses, this new homogenized model has the same form as the Karger model. Using the FPK formulation, we discuss the concept of the diffusion time for the Karger model and propose a definition of the diffusion time that is physically and mathematically sensible


Although there are a wide variety of applications that require wind speed time series (WSTS), this paper emphases on WSTS to be used into wind turbine simulation for controllers tuning. These simulations involve several WSTS to perform a proper assessment. These WSTS must assure specific wind speed variations such as wind gusts and include some rare events such as extreme wind situations. The architecture proposed to generate this WSTS is based on autoregressive models with specific post-processing. The methodology used is entirely described by precise notation as well as it is parametrised using data gathered from a weather station. Also, specific parameters of this methodology are adjusted using features extracted from Extreme Operation Gust (EOG). Two different cases are performed and assessment; the first case is fed by weather data with high wind speed and significant variability. The second case, on the opposite, use moderate wind speed as a data source. Through final assessment, it shows that this methodology generates representative WSTS with realistic variations of wind speed.


Purpose Preventing sexual assault is a national priority within the United States considering there are approximately 3 21 500 survivors (aged 12 and older) of sexual assault per year. Previous work suggests that one promising measure for early intervention to mitigate the negative sequelae associated with sexual assault is routine screenings by healthcare providers for sexual assault history. Although the potential benefits of disclosing a sexual assault incident to a provider are well understood, much of the previous work in this area has been conducted with clinic-based samples of sexual assault survivors who encounter fewer barriers to accessing necessary healthcare. Less is known about whether sexual assault survivors from a population-based sample disclose sexual assault incidents to providers. In this study, we explore the prevalence of disclosure to healthcare providers and potential barriers to disclosure in a non-clinic sample. Methods A large sample of participants, ages 18–25, is currently being recruited for a survey study via sponsored advertisements appearing on Instagram and Facebook. Eligible participants complete online measures about their demographics, healthcare utilisation, and sexual violence history. Participants are asked about their history of sexual violence victimisation since the age of 16 and whether they have talked to a healthcare provider about the incident. Those who have not talked to a provider are asked to report reasons for not talking to a provider. Significance By highlighting barriers that prevent sexual assault survivors from talking about their victimisation experiences with a healthcare professional, this study can inform treatment and prevention efforts to attenuate the high healthcare costs associated with sexual assault.


The ECHR judgment in  «Beauty Solomon vs Spain»  case introduces for the first time in the frame of the European Convention of Human Rights the notion «multiple discrimination». In previous judgments like the one of  «Munoz Diaz vs Spain»  it might have done it also, but the Court missed the opportunity. The «multiple discrimination » is a slippery concept that needs to be precised on the content on the juridical implications. This judgment, nevertheless it is very brief as for the justifications. This paper introduces us to this issue and offers some keys on the way forward.


In critical studies, Hume's relationship with Copernicus has rarely been examined and little space has been given to an analysis of the function that Hume assigns to the problem of moral feeling, moral beauty, and taste and to Milton's poetry. The purpose of the following pages will be precisely to investigate this relationship. The thesis that will emerge will be that the judgment on Copernicus is not pronounced only from a purely logical point of view but is also based on elements of Hume's moral and aesthetic theory of sentiment, taste and beauty.


Changes in the microbial community and quality of black-gill bighead croaker meatballs with added chitosan at levels of 0,0.05%,0.15%,0.25%,0.35% and 0.5% as an excellent biological food preservative were investigated during storage at 0 ℃ in a vacuum packaging environment.It wad found that adding chitosan at 0.5% could markedly extend the shelf life of black-gill bighead croaker meatballs,and inhibit microbial growth,revealing a significant(P 0.05) inhibitory effect against the dominant microbes including Enterobacteriaceae,Pseudomonads,Micrococcaceae and Staphylococcus.No obvious antimicrobial effect was observed when chitosan was added at a level of less than 0.5%;meanwhile,both the pH and total volatile basic nitrogen of black-gill bighead croaker meatballs showed a notable decrease,the harness was remarkably elevated,and little change in the springiness was observed.


With close to one million members, the Church of the Nazarites ("ibandla lamaNazaretha") is one of the most popular indigenous religious communities in South Africa. Founded in 1910 by Isaiah Shembe, it offers South Africans - particularly disadvantaged black women and girls - a way to remake and reconnect to ancient sacred traditions disrupted by colonialism and apartheid. Ethnomusicologist Carol Muller explores the everyday lives of Nazarite women through their religious songs and dances, dream narratives and fertility rituals, which come to life both musically and visually on CD-ROM. Against the backdrop of South Africa's turbulent history, Muller shows how Shembe's ideas of female ritual purity developed as a response to a regime and culture that pushed all things associated with women, cultural expression and Africanness to the margins. Carol Muller also includes details of her own journey, as a young, white South African woman, to the "other" side of a divided society.


• Register so the State Department can better assist you in an emergency: Register your travel plans with the State Department through a free online service at https://travelregistration.state.gov. This will help us contact you if there is a family emergency in the U.S., or if there is a crisis where you are traveling. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts will not be released to others without your express authorization.


Objectives –  To evaluate the postoperative fate of chronic, hard‐to‐treat and partly suicidal cervicogenic headache (CEH) patients (n = 32), diagnosed according to the CHISG criteria and treated with a decompression/stabilization operation in the cervical spine: the Smith/Robinson operation.


Economic formation is decided by technological mode of production. According to changes and developments of social means of production and ways of labor, there were four kinds of basic technology modes of production early or late, including physical, farmland, capital and intellect mode of production. Corresponding with these four modes, we created and developed four basic economic formations, including collecting-fishing and hunting economy, agriculture economy, industry economy and knowledge economy. At the same time, for the difference of economy, society, science and technology, population and labor, the main technological mode of production of countries and the nations formation of countries is different. Diversity of nation's formation and the constitution of nation's formation are essential for the system of world economy.


In the paper we submit the modification of kinetic Smoluchowski equation for binary aggregation applying to systems with chemical reactions of first and second orders in which the main product is insoluble. The goal of this work is to create theoretical foundation and engineering procedures for calculating the chemical apparatuses in the conditions of joint course of chemical reactions and processes of aggregation of insoluble dispersed phases which are formed in working zones of the reactor. Keywords—Binary aggregation, Clusters, Chemical reactions, Insoluble phases.


This paper designed a condition-based monitoring and optimal maintenance system for distribution switches based on multi-condition indicators fusion.This system was made up of condition-based monitoring terminals,personal digital assistant(PDA) on handhold,comprehensive test system on site,condition-based maintenance assistant decision software system,etc.The distribution switches condition indicators were obtained and analyzed by means of patrol and examine,routine test and diagnostic test,etc.Considering the accounting information of distribution switches,collecting data of condition-based monitoring terminals,defects of switches,fault characteristics and probability,the operation performance of distribution switches was comprehensively evaluated,which provided the basis for the formulation and arrangement maintenance strategy of distribution switches.The designed system was based on the promulgated standards and regulations from state grid corporation of China,with the features of good practicability and expansibility.


Swanbank Power Station as promised." In a visit to the Bundamba plant, Bligh said commissioning of the microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and advanced oxidation units had undergone a stringent commissioning process. "Consistent with the high level of treatment provided, the plant has floor-to-ceiling specialist piping equipment, chemical storage tanks, transmission and storage systems, databanks, and a control room where the entire process is continuously monitored," she said. Bligh later presented the first bottle of water produced from the plant to the Queensland state parliament. The Thiess/Black & Veatch joint venture achieved ambitious targets in delivering the Bundamba plant in such a short period of time. What might have been a logistical challenge was instead a meticulously planned, managed, and executed project. One accomplishment included completing one of the largest movements in southeast Queensland with the delivery and installation of two clarified tanks measuring more than 12 m in length and 8.3 m in width and weighing more than 20 metric tons each. Those working on the Bundamba plant excavated more than 103,000 m3 of earth and replaced it with engineering fill. They also poured 18,000 m3 of concrete, connected 90 km of electrical cables, used 3,900 metric tons of reinforcement steel, and transported and installed six control and switch rooms. Black & Veatch made use of its global technology experts and industry specialists on the consultancy and strategic stages of the Bundamba project. "As part of our integrated global workforce deployed on this project, we have some 60 professionals representing about 20 nationalities. These professionals are located on site in Bundamba and at Black & Veatch's global design and resource centers in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States," said Ralph Eberts, managing director for Black & Veatch's water business in the Asia Pacific region. "Our global approach to local project execution is a key part of getting this advanced technology project delivered on time." For more information, visit www.bv.com. industry news


Case: We report a unique anatomical case of an anomalous course of the posterior tibial artery found on dissection during the posterolateral approach to the ankle. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been documented. Conclusion: The vascular bundle consistent with that of the posterior tibial artery and vein was encountered in the far lateral aspect of the deep posterior compartment, which suggests physicians should proceed with caution when performing the posterolateral approach to the ankle so as to avoid iatrogenic injury of this named anatomic structure.


A case is presented of false aneurysm formationo f the common carotid artery occurring in a young soldier 8 months after his original injury, and immediately preceded by a severe hemiplegia. The relative frequency of such aneurysms is given, and also an account of the frequency of neurological complications from carotid arterial injuries. A possible explanation is given of the timing of events in this particular case, and the problem of follow‐up is discussed.


This review of recent books addressing Dickinson as one part of a larger project suggests that Dickinson studies are having an influence on scholars who are dealing broadly with theories of literature, the lyric, or American canonicity. The essay reviews books by Nina Baym, Thomas Foster, Diana Fuss, Adam Sweeting, Helen Vendler, and Leslie Wheeler.


h s r n ~ ~ r . Optimal escape theory predict^ that prey permit closer a p p d by predators when fleeing is more costly. but does not predict other aspects of escape such as distance fled or the likelihood of returning to the iniha site in the presence or absence of a resource such as food. Because a l i d preparing to feed may lose the feedingopportunity. optimal escape theory predicts that the lizard should allow a predator to approach doser before fleeingwhen a stationary food source is present than in its absence. In addition. we predicted that when a predator was nearby. l i d would flee a shorter distance and return more often when food was present than h t . We presented adult males of the omnivorous Balearic l i d , Pudanis lilfmdi, with a tethered piece of pear or a pebble of similar size and shape. One of us approached a lizard in a s t a d a d d manner. stopping and remaining still when the l i d fled. The other investigator recorded escape and return behaviors. Lizards in the presence of food permitted closer approach before fleeing, fled a substantially shorter distance, m d were far more likely to return to the site of stimulus presentation tlran when a pebble was presented. These findings suggest that prey may alter several aspec* of escape behavior to reduce msts due to lust opportunities. and present a likelihood that interspecific variahon exists in the combination of aspects of antipredatory behaviur that are modified.


One species of ant-decapitatingfly, Apocephalus (Apocephalus) meekerjensenae n. sp. from Costa Rica, and two species of bee-killing flies, Melaloncha ( Udamochiras) stoneorum n. sp. and M. (Melaloncha) eminara n. sp. from Bolivia, are described.


16.1 Introduction

There are two aspects that have to be dealt with when using a plane-parallel plate inserted in a converging or diverging beam. First, there are the aberrations, and second there is a relocation of the image. This relocation is a simple longitudinal shift if the plate is perpendicular to the optical axis. If the plate is tilted, as is the case with most beam splitters, there is a longitudinal and a lateral displacement, which is not too easy to assess because they interact. We shall address both cases. It should also be clear that most prisms behave like thick plane-parallel plates. This is indicated in Fig. 16.2 with a number of examples. The "unfolding" of the prism into an equivalent plane parallel plate is called the tunnel diagram. The first two examples are equivalent to plane-parallel plates inserted perpendicularly to the optical axis. The third one, the Dove prism, corresponds to a tilted plate, which of course introduces astigmatism and coma as will be pointed out further down in the text.

For several reasons, such as cost and absorption, prisms are not much used in the infrared spectrum. However, wedges, which are thin prisms with a small apex angle, are employed in this region as beam-steering elements. The deviation of a ray exiting such a wedge is I´=(n−1)I±, where n is the index of refraction, and I± is the wedge angle. Details are shown in Fig. 16.1.

A pair of counter-rotating wedges, known as Risley prisms, is used as a linear-scanning device.


Automating the branch offices of America's banks increasingly means more than just replacing teller and platform systems installed in year past. In fact, bank managers are now taking steps their peers in the insurance and mutual fund industries took years ago when they had products and services to offer a populace that was moving in droves away from the cities and into the suburbs. While banks allocated their resources to bringing the physical bank to the customer, insurance and mutual fund companies invested in technology that enabled them to interact with their customers without requiring them to visit an office. Technology now is appearing at several banks that reduces demand on tellers and customer service personnel and is even enabling some banks to close traditional branches and replace them with a new breed of automated teller and other "customer-friendly" machines. The trend signals a shift in banking from offering customers the convenience of having a bank branch around the corner to a greater emphasis on delivering customer service efficiently. But don't look for machines to replace people altogether in the near future. While some banks are experimenting with all-automated branches, most are introducing more services to their ATMs and reducing the number of teller positions to encourage more use of the technology. Branch pruning. "We have closed and automated seven branches within the past five years," says Joseph Boutin, president and chief executive officer at The Howard Bank, N.A., in Burlington, Vt. "Our objective is to close and automate three to five more within the next few years." Most of the bank locations that have been closed now house Diebold ATMs on the original branch site or in a more convenient location nearby. Boutin says that the bank has been able to drop those branches without a significant loss in deposits. In fact, he says, deposits continue to grow at the industry average. "We've clearly seen that technology can enhance customer service through 24-hour banking, and the customer is not at a disadvantage," says Boutin. "But it requires customers to interface with a technology that is still relatively new, particularly in a conservative and rural state such as Vermont." Standard ATMs are hardly new, but used in conjunction with other technologies, they can reduce the cost of operating a branch, while maintaining personal contact with customers. Furthermore, as banks gain the ability to sell other financial services, ATMs are likely to become more important as product marketing tools. Future requirements. Key Corp., for example, is in the midst of rolling out the Branchbanker platform automation system from Ampersand Corp. in its 685 branches in nine northeastern and northwestern states. But the $20 billion bank holding company based in Albany, N.Y., anticipates needing a better way to offer product information to the public in the future. It's considering customer service machines that consist of an ATM, a telephone link to a bank customer service representative, and a laser printer. The units are made by Personal Financial Assistant (PFA), Inc., Charlotte, N.C. The system is housed in a five-foot by five-foot modular unit that can be placed in bank branches or remote public locations. Customers can review bank offerings on the screen and discuss them in more detail with a bank representative, whose live image also appears on the screen. "We were introduced to the PFA as a possible solution to providing trained sales support for things like insurance products and brokerage services when the laws allow us to deliver that information in that fashion," says Robert Tucker, general manager of information resources and technical operations at Key Services Corp., the bank's operations subsidiary. "We're looking at alternative ways of delivering some of that sales support whether it be through the branch automation terminals or a device such as FPA's," he explains. …


In this paper,the finite element method of a new variational principle has been given.Theory basis for the new variational principle is least work consumption principle.Its merit is that problems of elasticity,plasticity and creep theory may be integrated into the new variational principle.


In Germany, multiple lanes of porous asphalt (PA) road surfaces should be constructed with a longitudinal hot joint construction over the full pavement width according to the 'Technical Instruction for Porous Asphalt Surfacing'. In this way, longitudinal cold joints are avoided and the transverse drainage is not impeded. Therefore, the construction of PA always requires the closure of all lanes in one direction of traffic. However, such measures are only possible in exceptional cases with heavily loaded road sections on motorways with 6–8 lanes. In this research, different variants of joint construction methods for PA were realised in practice. The performance of each variant was investigated with respect to the tensile strength, the tensile strain at break, the permeability and the resistance against ravelling of the joint. After comparing the different construction methods for longitudinal joints, three of them proved to be able to ensure both the structural durability and the water permeability in the joint area.


exist for cholinesterase assay, but each has drawbacks (1, 2). This paper presents an improved version of Garry and Routh's modification (3) of Ellman's method, as well as variations of this method for the assay of " true " cholinesterase in red cells and for the determination of the dibucaine number. The basic reactions are: Milwaukee, Wis. 53233), 2.0 mg/mI in 0.2 molar potassium phosphate buffer, pH 8.0. This solution is stable 1 week at 2-8#{176}C. Enzyme inhibitor. Quinidine sulfate, 0.03 g/ 100 ml, in water. Red cell cholinesterase inhibitor. Caffeine, 2 g/ 100 ml, in water. mg/ml in 0.2 molar potassium phosphate buffer at pH 8.0. This solution is stable for one week, stored frozen. Color reagent. DTNB3 Prepare buffer-color-substrate reagent by adding 1.0 ml of substrate to 5.0 ml of color reagent. Into each of two test tubes, labeled " Unknown " and " Blank, " pipet 0.6 ml of the combined buffer-color-substrate reagent. Incubate the tubes at 37#{176}C and add 100 Ml of a 10-fold dilution of unhemolyzed serum to the Unknown tube. Alternatively, 10 Mlof undiluted serum may be used. After a 10-mm incubation, the enzyme reaction is inhibited by adding 10 ml of quinidine sulfate. The Unknown tube is read in a 19-mm cuvet at 450 nm against the Blank set for 0 absorbance. Units are read from the standard curve. This report describes both an improved version of Garry and Routh's color-imetric assay for serum pseudocholinesterase [CLIN. CHEM. 11, 91 (1965)] and a variation of this method for use in measuring cholinesterase in red cells. These procedures require either 0.1 ml of serum (diluted 10-fold) cr 0.1 ml of packed, heparinized erythrocytes (diluted 100.fold). The reaction involves the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine to acetic acid and thiocholine, and the quantitation of the thiocholine with 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid. In the procedure, the sample of diluted serum or cells is added to the combined buffer-color-substrate reagent at 37#{176}C. After incubation for 10 mm, quinidine sulfate is added to retard the reaction and the color is read at 450 nm. Blanks are required with each red cell sample, but not for sera. The results correlate well with those obtained by Michel's standard pH assay, Kalow's benzoylchol me uv-rate reaction, Caraway's colorimetric procedure, and ElIman's colorimetric rate reaction. A method for determination of dibucaine-inhibited serum pseudocholinesterase is also described.


MXPXs B-Movie DVD (2004) is a combination of live concert footage from a 3-nights in late 2003 at El Corazon in Seattle and a documentary ...


In present work, free vibration analysis of laminated sandwich plates is carried out under thermal loading. C-0 finite element based higher-order zigzag theory is used during analysis. Third-order variation of in-plane displacement field is assumed while for transverse displacement field, quadratic variation is used for core region and is taken constant for the face layers. Present model is free from any kind of penalty requirements. Also, the proposed model satisfies transverse shear stress continuity condition at interface and same is zero at top and bottom faces. Present results are compared with those available in literature. New results for sandwich plates are proposed in the present work which will serve as benchmark for future studies.


Intrathecal morphine (ITM) has proven to be excellent in reducing postoperative pain. However, its use is associated with the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). In this study, ...


Abstract 2,6(1H,3H)‐Oxazolo[5.4‐d]pyrimidinedione and 2,6(1H,3H)‐thiazolo[5.4‐d]‐pyrimidinedione are xanthine analogs related to oxazolo [5.4‐d]pyrimidine and thiazolo [5.4‐d] pyrimidine in the same way that xanthine, 2,6(1H, 3H)‐7‐imidazo‐[4.5‐d]pyrimidinedione, is related to purine, 7‐imidazo[4.5‐d]pyrimidine. (The numbering employed for xanthine derivatives has been retained in naming the analogs.) In the analogs, the 7‐imidazo ring of xanthine is replaced by an oxazole or thiazole ring. By substitution of hydrogens with methyl groups at positions 1 and 3 (as in theophylline or caffeine), or at position 1 only (as in theobromine), compounds analogous to the xanthines have been prepared. Related compounds substituted at position 8, are also described.


ABSTRACT Much conflict archaeology is undertaken by or with the involvement of community groups and individual volunteers. The strengths and weaknesses of this approach are considered in the light of three initiatives underway in East Yorkshire, which include both relicts of modern warfare and more historic conflicts. The paper argues for ethically informed and sensitive narratives to be derived from conflict archaeology projects of all periods and not just modern conflicts. Community-led archaeological initiatives are seen as posing a challenge to achieving this by overly functionalist approaches to interpreting and communicating the remains of conflict archaeology. The paper concludes that the involvement of community groups and volunteers in conflict archaeology in general, in the construction of narratives and the process of memorialisation is essential. Narratives need to be less functionalist and more social to be more sensitive and informative. In achieving this conflict archaeological projects will meet societal needs, deliver better academic outcomes and in a local authority context meet the requirements of paymasters and politicians.


Development of a carcinoma in the pancreas of a young man who had five years previously undergone intensive radiotherapy and subsequent chemotherapy for treatment of a lymphoma suggests that induction of the second neoplasm occurred as the result of the therapy of the first. While definitive proof of causality is lacking, a review of recent literature strongly suggests that the association noted in the patient described is more than serendipitous. Increased usage of high‐dose radiotherapy, particularly in conjunction with chemotherapy, may be directly related, and it is imperative that such an association be kept in mind when such patients are seen in follow‐up.


Grassland ecosystem in China is one of the extremely important parts of the world's grassland ecosystem.Ecological stoichiometry may help to understand different result levels of elements cycling and balance in living matter to expound China's grassland ecosystems running mechanism,which is an important part of the study of grassland ecosystem in China.To enhance the understanding of Chinese grassland ecological stoichiometry,the recent studies on the stoichiometry of grassland was reviewed here.Most studies were conducted in Inner Mongolia and Tibetan Plateau.According to the plant growth season(phenological phase),interannual succession,the variation of space and the response of global change,the internal mechanism of plant C,N and P elements,nutritional diffusion and adjustment,and driving factors were revealed.Finally the existing problems of the grassland ecological stoichiometry in China and the prospect of research contents in the future were put forward.


Let $\mathcal{A}$ be a finite subset of $\mathbb{N}$ including $0$ and $f_\mathcal{A}(n)$ be the number of ways to write $n=\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\epsilon_i2^i$, where $\epsilon_i\in\mathcal{A}$. We consider asymptotics of the summatory function $s_\mathcal{A}(r,m)$ of $f_\mathcal{A}(n)$ from $m2^r$ to $m2^{r+1}-1$ and show that $s_{\mathcal{A}}(r,m)\approx c(\mathcal{A},m)\left|\mathcal{A}\right|^r$ for some $c(\mathcal{A},m)\in\mathbb{Q}$.


Most of intradural epidermoid cyst arise as slowly growing extraaxial lesions but purely intracerebral epidermoid cysts are rare. A 39-year-old female presented with a headache during several months. Brain computed tomography (CT) scan showed a mass lesion in the both frontal lobe with heterogenous density approximately 5×5cm in size. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass of heterogenous signal intensity on T1, T2-weighted image and faint enhancement with gadolinium (Gd). Through the both interhemispheric approach, mass was removed subtotally except the calcified portion tightly attached to the corpus callosum. The patient discharged without neurological deficit. The authors report a case of epidermoid cyst in the corpus callosum and discuss the pathogenesis of the intraparenchymal epidermoid cyst.


We consider a singular elliptic perturbation of a Hammerstein in- tegral equation with singular nonlinear term at the origin. The compactness of the solutions to the perturbed problem and, hence, the existence of a posi- tive solution for the integral equation are proved. Moreover, these results are applied to nonlinear singular homogeneous Dirichlet problems.


The use of fluidised bed reactors for surface alloying is reviewed. Research at Deakin has includes the use of chemical vapour deposition to form chromium rich layers on ferrous substrates, including stainless and tool steel grades. These layers can be modified to carbide or nitride if required by the end application. The deposition of aluminium and silicon has also been successfully achieved.


A numerical analysis is performed to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and the static height stability of high-lift configurations for a two-dimensional wing in ground effect. Fowler flap, plain flap, and slat are taken into consideration in this study. The analysis shows that both suction and pressure effects of high-lift configuration are affected by ground effect; Fowler flap can increase the lift for wing in ground effect by increasing camber and chord, but performs better with higher ground clearance; lift of plain-flap configuration increases with decrease in the ground clearance, though the suction effect is weakened; there should not be slot for flap based on static height stability, plain flap is an appropriate choice; the static height stability can be improved by slat and impaired by flap; slat can prevent the stall though wing is apt to stall in ground effect. Based on the results and analysis of this study, performances of aerodynamics and stall for a WIG craft can be improved by deploying high-lift configuration wing.


Introducing a new method, we give sharp estimates of the Hermitian Toeplitz determinants of third order for the class S of functions univalent in the unit disc. The new approach is also illustrated on some subclasses of the class S.


The charge pumping in image sensors with MOST switches is simulated experimentally and discussed. It is found that photodiode potential is changed with no illumination, that photoelectric characteristics are degraded, and that a storage mode operation cannot be achieved. A desirable treatment available to diminish this effect is proposed.


Abstract By establishing an effective experimental platform, the acoustic emission signals during the corrosion process of metal were collected. The characteristics of the signals were consistent with the analysis. This indicates that the corrosion process of metal can produce acoustic emission signals, and acoustic emission technique can be used for monitoring metal corrosion and evaluating the damage of corrosion.


It is generally believed that water droplets on (super)hydrophilic surfaces is spread and strongly pin to the surface. The surface chemistry that achieves the paradoxical surface properties of being statically very hydrophilic, but exhibiting outstanding water sliding properties, has not yet established. Here, a facile approach to prepare such unusual surfaces based on a combination of a sol–gel process using an organosilane containing polyethylene glycol units and tetraethoxysilane, and subsequent alkali‐treatment is reported. The resulting sol–gel thin films are smooth, transparent, hydrophilic (static contact angle (CA) (θS) of ≈37°) and show a liquid‐like nature with both low CA hysteresis (≈4°) and sliding angle (α) for 10 µL water droplets (≈10°). Surprisingly, after alkali‐treatment for sufficient time, the surface becomes very hydrophilic (θS of ≈14°) while improving its dynamic wetting behaviors (CA hysteresis of ≈3° and α for 10 µL water droplet of ≈4°), such that even a mere 0.5 µL water drop can slide down smoothly without pinning and/or tailing.


Abstract Born's approximation is used to determine the mean value of the turbulent radar cross section (RCS) of an inhomogeneous cylindrical random medium at oblique incidence. The mean medium is taken into account by a renormalization procedure. Then, only the diffraction due to the fluctuating part of the permittivity has to be considered. The fluctuations are approximated by means of the turbulence spectrum given by Kolgomorov's theory. Furthermore, Maxwell's equations are solved in terms of fields rather than potentials. This leads us to a significant reduction of the linear system size which simplifies numerical calculations. It turns out that the fields which propagate in the mean medium are noticeably modified by that medium. Thus, the renormalization has a considerable effect on the assessment of the turbulent RCS of the wake. The influence of the direction of incidence on the RCS levels is also analysed. Finally, numerical results are given in order to compare calculations with experiment.


Environmental pollution from solid waste landfilling is a serious risk for groundwater and downstream surface water, especially when landfilling is carried out unengineered, with no protective layer underneath the waste deposits. Most research in Ghana and in other developing countries on unengineered landfills depend almost exclusively on hydrochemical and geochemical analysis, which is not necessarily representative of the entire dumpsite catchment area. For this reason, integrated and cost effective geophysical methods, namely DC electrical resistivity, full waveform time-domain induced polarization and ground based magnetic measurements were employed to map and characterize four dumpsites in the Kumasi Metropolis, the seconds most populated city in Ghana. The results of one site, namely the decommissioned Ohwim waste dumpsite, are presented. The magnetic surveys helped in the mapping of the lateral extent of the waste deposit. The DC /full wave induced polarization tomography on the other hand mapped the vertical extent of the dumpsite and characterized the hosting geology. Furthermore, some regions were identified, where a pollution plume is likely to be present.


The identification of calcareous soils, through unique spectral responses of the vegetation to the chemical nature of calcareous soils, can improve the accuracy of delineating the boundaries of soil mapping units over conventional field techniques. The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the use of the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS) in the identification and delineation of calcareous soils in the western Sandhills of Nebraska. Based upon statistical differences found in separating the spectral curves below 1.3 microns, calcareous and non-calcareous soils may be identified by differences in species of vegetation. Additional work is needed to identify biogeochemical differences between the two soils.


In the present work, UV-B Solar Irradiance measurements (280-315 nm) has been taken at the Technical University of the North in the city of Ibarra Ecuador. The data corresponding to the period from April 11 to October 31, 2017 has been statistically analyzed. The results found, so far, show that the daily UV-B radiation reaches similar values during the measurement period, with an average of 43 kJ / m2. The solar irradiance has an average daily value with its highest between 12h00 and 13h00 with an approximate average of 2.07 W / m2. This information, allow us to estimate the attenuation in radiation due to clouds. There are some semi-glacial days in which the measured values exceed the average measurement obtained during clear days. It is assumed that there is a reinforcement of the radiation due to the presence of clouds in semi-glacial days. The measured UV-B radiation values are so high at the mentioned hours that have a direct effect on human health and are related to a possible depletion of the ozone layer in equatorial latitudes, this can be also linked to climate change factors.


Today, Twitter in addition has become a way of life also has become one of the sources of data in a very large number that can be accessed by anyone and anytime as long as it is connected to the internet. Data twitter is now widely used for various purposes, e.g. for the purposes of the survey. As we know that today many organizations, both government and non-government have been utilizing Twitter as a data source. In this study, developed an application to analyze data or tweets twitter committed by the Libyan people, where most of the tweets are written in letters and Arabic. The results of the analysis are expected to be topics of conversation among the Libyan people on Twitter.Development is done by utilizing Carrot2 Framework, where the stages of analysis and design are done by using the object-oriented approach utilizing UML. In addition, the application also utilizes several open libraries, such as Apache Lucene is useful for the process of indexing and retrieval and also Twitter4J tweets, a useful library API to access tweets from Twitter.The resulting application is then tested with multiple queries, and the results of these tests can then be calculated degree of accuracy in the system generate topics of conversation.  With 10 queries, system generates 197 topics, which 185 topics are relevant while the 12 topics considered irrelevant. So the accuracy of the system can be calculated and the results obtained 93.91. It can be concluded that the accuracy of the system in generating relevant topics is 93.91%.


There is a great demand for low-rent housing in the United States, yet many of the families that can avail themselves of the low-rent public housing are refusing to do so. In many cities there are lists of families waiting to get into public housing projects where there are vacancies. The causes of this paradoxical situation are investigated. A brief history of low-rent public housing is given beginning with the Housing Act of 1937. Salient features of the Act and its amendments which followed are outlined because of the effect they had on the character of the housing program. The nature and principles of operation were given. Statistical data was furnished to document the extent of the problem. The disfunctional nature of several program policies were explained. Hypotheses were generated from these and were tested. Thesis supervisor: John R. Myer Associate Professor of Architecture


Provided is a flameproof explosion-proof diesel engine, comprising a diesel engine body, a flameproof shell, a water pump, a heat exchanger, a radiator and a water tank. The diesel engine body, the water pump and the heat exchanger are provided inside the flameproof shell. The radiator and the water tank are provided outside the flameproof shell. The flameproof shell is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet. An air inlet pipe of the diesel engine body is connected with the air inlet of the flameproof shell. An air outlet pipe of the diesel engine body is connected with the air outlet of the flameproof shell. The diesel engine body is connected with the water pump via a driving mechanism. The water tank, the water pump, the heat exchanger and the radiator are connected one by one via a pipeline. A cooling circulation system is therefore constituted. The flameproof explosion-proof diesel engine of the invention has comprehensive explosion protection and high security.


The embodiment of Vorsprung durch Technik. Inspired by the most successful Le Mans racing car of all time, the Audi R8 not only bears the same name, but also uses the same technology.


Abstract We show that for every ergodic ℤd-action T, there is a mixing ℤd-action S which is orbit equivalent to T via an orbit equivalence that is a weak a-equivalence for all a ≥ 1 and a strong b-equivalence for all b ∈ (0, 1). If T has positive entropy, then S can be taken to have completely positive entropy. If the dimension d is greater than one, the orbit equivalence may be taken to be bounded and a strong b-equivalence for all b > 0.


The diffusivity of oxygen interstitials (Di) and of oxygen vacancies (Dv) in fluorite-structured CeO2 was studied by means of classical molecular dynamic simulation techniques. Simulations were performed on cells that were either oxygen abundant or oxygen deficient at temperatures 1500 ≤ T / K ≤ 2000 for defect site fractions 0.18% ≤ ni/v ≤ 9.1%. In general, we found that at a given temperature T and defect site fraction ni/v the vacancy diffusivity Dv was higher than the interstitial diffusivity Di. Isothermal values of Di and Dv were constant at low defect site fractions (ni/v < 0.91%), but the behaviour diverged at higher ni/v: whereas Dv decreased at higher nv, Di increased at higher ni. The analysis also yielded, as a function of ni/v, activation enthalpies (ΔHmig) and entropies (ΔSmig) of vacancy migration and of interstitial migration. A constant value of Δ H mig , v ≈ 0.6 eV was found for low nv, with increases in Δ H mig , v observed for nv > 0.91%. For low ni a constant value of Δ H mig , i ≈ 1.4 eV was found, with a surprising decrease in Δ H mig , i for ni > 0.91%. The effect of dopants on the behaviour of the defect diffusivities was also studied. Doping with Gd3+ had a detrimental effect on vacancy diffusion, with a slight decrease in Dv and an increase in Δ H mig , v being observed. Donor doping with Nb5+, in contrast, was beneficial, resulting in higher Di and a decrease in Δ H mig , i . We suggest that the migration mechanism of oxygen interstitials in CeO2, non-collinear interstitialcy, is responsible for the lower defect diffusivity and higher migration barrier.


In 2003, India Meteorological Department (IMD) introduced several new models for the long-range forecast of the southwest monsoon rainfall. With this, it has become possible to issue the long-range forecasts in two stages. On 16 April, IMD issued the forecast for the 2003 southwest monsoon rainfall for the country as a whole, giving its users an extra lead time of about 40 days. On 9 July, IMD issued a forecast update and additional forecasts for three broad homogeneous regions of India. It also gave a five-category probabilistic forecast. In view of its importance for agriculture, for the first time, IMD also issued a forecast for July rainfall. The development of the new models is discussed in this article. The forecasts issued operationally in 2003 using these new models have proved to be accurate.


Resumen en: Colloidal bimetallic Au/Pd nanoparticles are synthesized by the simultaneous reduction technique from their corresponding metallic salts in presence of ...


Growing long-term cost of managing an onsite medical imaging archive has been a subject which the health care industry struggles with. Based on the current trend, it is estimated that over 1 billion diagnostic imaging procedures will be performed in the United States during year 2014, generating about 100 Petabytes of data. The high volume of medical images is leading to scalability and maintenance issues with healthcare providers' onsite picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and network. Cloud computing promises lower cost, high scalability, availability and disaster recoverability which can be a natural solution some of the problems we faced for long-term medical image archive. A prototype system was implemented to study such as solution on one of the industry leading cloud computing platform, Microsoft Windows Azure. It includes a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) server which handles standard store/query/retrieve requests; a DICOM image indexer that parses the metadata and store them in a SQL Azure database; and a web UI for searching and viewing archived images based on patient and image attributes. The comprehensive tools and functionality of Windows Azure made it an ideal platform to develop and deploy this kind of service oriented applications.


Qualitative studies are tools used in understanding and describing the world of human experience. Since we maintain our humanity throughout the research process, it is largely impossible to escape the subjective experience, even for the most seasoned of researchers. As we proceed through the research process, our humanness informs us and often directs us through such subtleties as intuition or 'aha' moments. Speaking about the world of human experience requires an extensive commitment in terms of time and dedication to process; however, this world is often dismissed as 'subjective' and regarded with suspicion. This paper acknowledges that small qualitative studies are not generalizable in the traditional sense, yet have redeeming qualities that set them above that requirement. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. This article is available in The Qualitative Report: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol4/iss3/9 Qualitative Research and the Generalizability Question: Standing Firm with Proteus by Margaret Myers, RN, BA, BscN, EdD (Cand). The Qualitative Report, Volume 4, Numbers 3/4, March, 2000 (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/myers.html)


A total of 22 optically selected high-redshift QSOs were obseved at 5 GHz with the VLA. The measured radio properties of low-redshift optically selected quasars indicate that radio emission should have been detected from 5-10 objects in this sample of high-redshift QSOs, but only one QSO was found to have a radio flux above the 5 sigma limit of roughly 0.2 mJy. Possible explanations of this finding are considered.


We give a variety of uniqueness results for minimal ellipsoids circumscribing and maximal ellipsoids inscribed into a convex body. Uniqueness follows from a convexity or concavity criterion on the func- tion used to measure the size of the ellipsoid. Simple examples with non-unique minimal or maximal ellipsoids conclude this article. MSC 2000: 52A27, 52A20


It has been stated that developing a drug that can attack mutated RAS proteins is 'the Holy Grail' of cancer therapeutics. Through a series of unexpected findings, the authors discovered that the irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor 1/2/4 inhibitor neratinib (HKI-272, Nerlynx®) was not only an inhibitor of those receptor tyrosine kinases, but could additionally cause receptor internalisation and degradation. To the author's surprise, the negative control receptors c-MET and c-KIT were also degraded after neratinib exposure, albeit with a slower time-course. This appeared to be attributable to neratinib attacking receptor tyrosine kinases localised in quaternary structures. It was reasoned that neratinib had the potential to downregulate the expression of other plasma membrane localised signalling proteins, particularly RAS. In a variety of tumour types, neratinib could reduce the expression of wild type (Kirsten) and mutant (Neuroblastoma) RAS (K-RAS/N-RAS, respectively). It was subsequently demonstrated that mutant Gα proteins in uveal melanoma could also have their expression reduced by neratinib. Neratinib was shown to be an inhibitor of sterile 20 serine/threonine kinases. Acting as an inhibitor of sterile 20 serine/threonine kinases, combined with RAS inhibition, neratinib enhanced the phosphorylation and degradation of the Hippo pathway effectors yes-associated protein and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif. In malignancies expressing a mutant K-RAS, yes-associated protein and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif are localised in the nucleus where they cooperate with mutant K-RAS signalling to promote growth, invasion, and chemotherapy resistance. Thus, whilst neratinib is not a direct inhibitor of mutant RAS signalling, the Holy Grail, it nonetheless represents, as did the beacon atop Castle Anthrax, at least something 'Grail-shaped'.


Measurements made on polycrystalline solar cells show that short circuit currents (I/sub SC/) do not bear expected relationship with minority carrier diffusion lengths (L) measured by a surface photovoltage type of technique. Several possible explanations for this discrepancy have been investigated. These include inhomogeneity effects due to grain boundaries, light level effects associated with defects, and non-uniformities in the bulk along the direction of light propagation. An alternative method, based on IR induced current, has been developed for measurement of L. 8 refs.


An in situ observation of the structure transition of GeO2 has been made under 3.0 GPa at various temperatures with a diamond-anvil pressure cell. The time-resolved energy-dispersive (ED) diffraction experiment was undertaken using synchrotron X-radiation. A profile analysis of ED spectra observed every 15 min elucidates the transition process from the α-quartz form (P3221, Z = 3) to the rutile form (P42/mmm, Z = 2). The time-resolved measurement of their diffraction intensity ratio reveals the change of the mass fraction of the transformed product with time, which provides the transition rate. A transition curve showed three stages at low temperature; firstly a long inductance period after initiation of heat supply, secondly a rapid initiation of transition and finally a marked deceleration of growth. At high temperatures the inductance period of the transition was not observable. The transition is extremely sluggish. An apparent activation energy was calculated by the Avrami–Erofeev equation for the solid-solid transition and found to be 57.4 kJ mol−1.


Influence of Family on Native American Students Lisa J. Fox Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Native American* postsecondary education students encounter several barriers to academic persistence including cultural assimilation issues, limited access to career information services, and an individual sense of duty and responsibility to remain tied to traditional spiritual values and beliefs systems, joined with family pressure to stay home. While the presence of Native American students in postsecondary education has increased, the number of students persisting through to graduation remains alarmingly low. Much of the research on Native American academic persistence has focused on acculturation and assimilation issues, leaving the influence of family largely unexplored. To help enrich this aspect of Native American academic persistence research, this study analyzed semi-structured qualitative interviews of 25 Native American postsecondary students. Themes resulting from the hermeneutic analysis of transcribed texts that describe the influence of family on persistence were (a) transportation challenges, (b) financial challenges, (c) experiences of familiarity while at college, (d) pressure to succeed academically, (e) pressure to navigate two worlds—school and family, and (f) academic endurance. * Author's note: Terminology for identifying indigenous individuals and groups differs across cultures and regions. There is currently no consensus with regard to appropriate terminology used in reference to American Indians and Native Americans. For the purpose of this study, the term Native American will be used throughout. Terminology used by cited authors was retained.


A CMOS doubly balanced mixer circuit is implemented with a source follower input and a cross coupled mixing quad. The circuit employs an all N-channel configuration and is suitable for high frequency applications. As a down-converter with an RF input of 2.0 GHz and a IF output of 200 MHz, the mixer demonstrates 9 dB of conversion loss with a corresponding input referred third order intercept of 0 dBm. As an up-converter with an IF input frequency of 400 MHz and an RF output of 2.4 GHz, the mixer demonstrates 14 dB of conversion loss.


The di-site phase transfer catalyzed radical polymerization of butyl methacrylate with the phase transfer catalyst N,N′-diheptyl-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,2-ethanediammonium dibromide (DHTMEDADB) was carried out in an aqueous-organic biphase system at 60 ± 1°C under nitrogeneous atmosphere at fixed pH and ionic strength. A suitable kinetic scheme has been proposed and its significance was discussed. The polymers obtained were investigated and characterized (FTIR, 1H-NMR and XRD studies).


In many socio-economic surveys, the variable of interest is sensitive or stigmatizing. Examples include tax evasion, criminal conviction, alcohol expenses, induced abortion, drug abuse, etc. In such situations, the technique of randomized response is very useful as it does not require the respondent to reveal his/her true value. The issue of privacy protection is important in this context and a few researchers have studied this problem for surveys on dichotomous populations, where the objective is to estimate the proportion of persons bearing the sensitive trait. There is a considerable literature on various randomized response techniques. However, not much is known as yet about the extent of privacy protection when the variable under study is quantitative in nature. In this article we study the issue of privacy protection when the randomized response technique is used for a quantitative variable which could be either discrete or continuous. We propose a measure of privacy for each case. Taking cognizance of a conict between protection of privacy and enhancing estimation eciency, we discuss how, given a stipulated level of our privacy measure, the parameters of the randomization device can be determined so as to maximize the eciency of estimation. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate our results.


Present situation about seal of powered support is introduced in this paper.Essential factor of seal designing is analyzed.In accordance with the rustiness and failure of the cylinders of powered, the paper introduces a new point of view that replace the seal to renew the function of the cylinder.


Abstract Psychology and developmental psychology alike are dominated by a core assumption concerning the nature of representation, an assumption that representation has the nature of an encoding. I argue that this assumption is false and offer an alternative model of representation based on the pragmatics of action. Encodingism yields multitudinous and multifarious problems, problems which I have addressed in detail elsewhere. One of the central problems of encodingism, however, is that it creates a class of fatal problems collectively called "the frame problems." I argue that the frame problems originate in the inherent requirement that encoding representations carry explicit content—if the content were not explicit, then the encoding would not encode anything and would not be a representation at all. These problems—and others, such that encodings cannot emerge, and, therefore, render development impossible—visit themselves on theories that are constructed within an encodingist set of presuppositions. Conversely, the interactive alternative model of representation that I offer has its own powerful consequences for development—the issues at stake are not trivial.


(51) Int. Cl. ..................................................... B32B 27/36 (52) U.S. Cl. ........................... 428/328; 428/331; 428/412 (57) ABSTRACT A resin composition comprises a thermoplastic resin, and an oxidized compound having a hydrophobic group and a polar group on the surface thereof. The resin composition of the present invention has high rigidity, dimensional stability, transparency and impact strength by dispersing the oxidized compound having the hydrophobic group and the polar group on the surface thereof in the thermoplastic resin, and is thus preferably applied to various molded products and parts of a vehicle.


A 53-year-old woman presented with acute urinary retention despite a suprapubic catheter being in place. She had undergone a transperitoneal laparoscopic Burch colposuspension for stress urinary incontinence 21 days previously. The operation was uneventful, and a 10-French Cystofix (B. Braun Melsungen, Melsungen, Germany) suprapubic catheter had been inserted by trocar under laparoscopic visualisation. Voiding trials were started on post-operative day 3, and spontaneous voiding occurred on post-operative day 7. However, because of persistent high post-voiding residual volumes, the catheter was left in place when the patient was discharged on post-operative day 12. Two days after discharge (day 14), she developed acute urinary retention with only small amounts of urine draining through the catheter. Ultrasonography showed a full bladder (about 400 mL of urine) and the catheter in place. Urinalysis was normal. After flushing and irrigating of the catheter, good function seemed to be restored. Four days later (day 18), retention again developed but resolved with catheter irrigation. On post-operative day 21, the same situation recurred. Although there was no difficulty in flushing the catheter, only one-third of the irrigating fluid was recovered. Cystoscopic examination was performed and revealed the catheter penetrating the bladder dome with the curly, free end lying inside the bladder. The catheter was not kinked or knotted, the side holes were not occluded, nor was there any intravesical blood clot. However, as the distending fluid was drained through the catheter, there was progressive plugging of the proximal seven side holes by bladder mucosa, occluding the catheter lumen (Fig. 1A–D). Flow could not be re-established even by manually moving the catheter up and down at the abdominal insertion site. Repeated flushing of the catheter pushed the bladder mucosa out of the proximal to the distal holes one by one, leaving suction marks on the freed mucosa (Fig. 1E and F). On the next attempt at drainage via the suprapubic catheter, the plugging recurred, so we removed the suprapubic catheter. The patient subsequently performed intermittent self-catheterisation until post-operative day 37, by which time she had only low post-voiding residual volumes.


Background: There is strong evidence that heavy alcohol consumption (>50g per day) is a risk factor for several disease, including cancer. However, the oncogenic role of light alcohol drinking (<12,5g per day) is still controversial. The purpose of this review is to assess whether the intake of a single daily dose of alcohol could determine an increased risk of malignancy onset. Methods: A systemic PubMed research of meta-analysis studies, using the keywords "light alcohol drinking", "light alcohol consumption" and "cancer", was done. We established a period of 15 years, in order to select the most recent evidences; exclusively meta-analysis that specified levels of alcohol intake were included in the review. Studies focused on biochemical, molecular and genetic aspects, as well as duplicate articles were excluded. Results: We included in this review 29 large meta-analysis; light alcohol drinking was not associated with an increased risk of occurrence of most cancers, with the exception of breast, prostate cancer and, with less evidence, melanoma. Furthermore, a protective role of alcohol assumption on the development of bladder, kidney ovarian cancer and Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), has been described.Conclusions: We found that light alcohol drinking do not determine a higher risk for the insurgence of several malignancies, except for a light increase in the incidence of melanoma, breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.


A novel vehicle stability control method integrated direct yaw moment control (DYC) with active front steering (AFS) is presented in this paper. By the phase plane of sideslip angle and sideslip angular velocity, vehicle stable region is determined. When the vehicle is outside the stable region, DYC controller is firstly used to produce proper direct yaw moment, which can make the vehicle back to the stable region. Then AFS controller of sliding mode variable structure is constructed and used to control the front steering angle of the actual vehicle, so that the sideslip angle and yaw rate of the actual vehicle model can track those of the reference vehicle model. Computer simulations are carried out on a 2-DOF nonlinear vehicle model to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed method. And the simulation results show that the influence of the proposed method on enhancing vehicle stability is significant. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i6.2609


Procedures for the correction or repair of damage to the nervous system can be daunting, and, in some centres, imaging for such cases may be performed only by more specialist radiographers. Here, a calm and methodical approach, combined with good communication with the surgical team, is the best technique to adopt. This chapter covers a selection of neurological procedures for remediation of injury to the spine, covering anterior plating of the cervical spine and pedicle screws and the fixation of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Each procedure includes images that demonstrate the position of the C-arm, patient, and surgical equipment, with accompanying radiographs demonstrating the resulting images.


Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs) initiate and maintain the continuous supply of sperms in mammals.Because Non-human primates have very similar spermatogenesis process and other biological characteristics compared with human,studying SSCs in these animals had important theoretical and comparative medicine value.Here we review SSCs' biological characteristic,characterization method,cryopreservation,transplantation and germ cell depletion model in non-human primates.


Due to the reasons of less rainfall,serious soil erosion and increasing industrial and agricultural water consumption,the water resources is getting in short supply in Ningxia region of the Yellow River basin.In order to fully understand the Yellow River runoff changes within the territory of Ningxia in the Yellow River valley,and reasonably schedule and manage water resources to achieve intensive and economic use,we explored the applicability of SWAT model in this valley.Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient(Ens) and linear correlation coefficient(R2) were used as evaluation indexes to evaluate the applicability of the model in this valley.When SWAT model was built,through changing land use and land cover types,studied the change of runoff to the paddy fields,irrigated land,dry land,forest land,shrub land and grassland,the area was increased by 5%,10%,15% and 20% respectively and decreased by 5%,10%,15% and 20% respectively.The results show that a) the area of grassland and shrub land are increased and the runoff increased.b) The area of paddy fields,irrigated land,dry land and forest area are increased and the runoff decreased.


Helicobacter pylori is genetically diverse and certain strains are more virulent and cause more severe diseases than others and such diversity is reflected on the clinical outcome. The cytotoxin-associated gene (cagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) gene are 2 putative markers that were associated with peptic ulcer disease. The basis for the epidemiological association between the cagA and vacA genes is not known. In this review, the molecular characteristics of these markers, and its role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer are discussed.


The electric drivetrain consists of the battery, power converter and electric motor providing mechanical output for traction. Certain torque-speed operating points can be mapped to potential high-efficiency regions in the drive cycle to enhance efficiency of PMSM drives. These operating points can be optimized for maximum efficiency in the entire drive cycle using suitable control techniques. These control techniques achieve their control objective by optimally selecting system control variables to enhance system efficiency of PMSM (Permanent magnet synchronous motor) drives. This paper gives an overview of recent methods to enhance efficiency of the drivetrain in literature and their suitability considering various factors. This paper presents a critical and constructive analysis of the existing published literature of efficiency improvement strategies of PMSM drives for electric vehicles.


Location-Based Services are becoming increasingly Web-based, as a result of the availability of networked mobile devices and mobile Internet access. The "Location and the Web (LocWeb)" workshop targets the capabilities and constraints of Web-based location-based services, which can be implemented as browser-based applications, or as native applications using Web services. The focus of this CHI workshop is on developing approaches to handle the complexity of location-based services, specifically looking at location abstractions, location sharing, context-relevant information, privacy issues, and interface design. The goal of this workshop is to serve as a starting point for better understanding how the Web has to change to embrace location as a first-level concept, and how these changes are reflected in applications and user interfaces to transform the Web into a platform for location-based services.


A 3-year-old girl presented in status epilepticus. At the time of presentation, she had no notable past medical history and was well until 1 day prior to admission when she awoke with an elevated temperature (39.4 °C). At that time, she also had rhinorrhea and cough. Throughout the day, her parents noted decreased energy and physical activity. In the evening of the first day of her illness, the patient's father found her unresponsive and noted generalized muscle rigidity with both arms extended. She was taken to an outside hospital where examination noted decerebrate posturing, rotatory nystagmus, and urinary incontinence. Initial evaluation with brain CT showed bilateral thalamic hypodensities. Cerebrospinal fluid was reportedly normal. For initial stabilization, she was intubated, treated with intravenous phenytoin and ceftriaxone, and transferred to a tertiary care center where she was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Initial evaluation showed a comatose child with decerebrate posturing after stimulation. Deep tendon reflexes were brisk in all extremities, and plantar response was extensor bilaterally. EEG obtained on admission showed numerous electrographic seizures without clinical correlate occurring independently from bilateral posterior regions. The background electrographic activity was slow and disorganized. Gadolinium-enhanced brain MRI obtained on admission was most notable for diffuse hyperintense T2 signal and marked swelling in the thalami bilaterally (Fig. 2.1). There was also hyperintense T2 signal in the cortex of the frontal, posterior parietal, and occipital lobes. Additional hyperintense T2 signal was seen within the brainstem involving the midbrain and the pons. There was no enhancement of the lesions. The diffusion-weighted images delineated small foci of restricted


Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes were studied on five major tree species occurring in two forest regions over 1,200 km apart, the Adirondack Mountains, New York and the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina. The trees were Acer saccharum, A. rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Tsuga canadensis. Comparison of species composition and ordinations using quantitative frequency and cover measurements for thefive major tree species showed that very few species were host specific, but that most communities of lichens, of bryophytes, and of both combined, were specific to particular tree species. Climate and plant geography proved important to host specificity of these cryptogamic communities. Many more species of lichens than bryophytes occurred as epiphytes; crustose lichens were particularly important in the Adirondacks. Higher diversity oflichen epiphytes, particularlyfoliose, in the Southern Appalachians influenced differences in host specificity between the two regions. Comparisons are made with previous epiphyte studies in Eastern North America. Renewed interest in cryptogamic epiphytes, both bryophytes and lichens, is evidenced by much recent research, especially in North America. In part, this has been a result of the wide recognition of the susceptibility of these epiphytes to air pollution and the recognition of the importance of baseline studies in unpolluted regions. Theoretical questions, however, involving the relationship of these epiphytes to their host trees (phorophytes) and to climatic and microclimatic gradients are also of current interest, and new analytical methods can be of use in answering these questions. The question of the specificity of bryophyte and lichen epiphytes, or of epiphyte communities, to particular trees has been studied in many types of forest since Barkman's (1958) epic work. Slack (1976) and Studlar (1982a) have provided more recent reviews for bryophytic epiphytes, as have Brodo (1973), Hale (1983), and Jesberger and Sheard (1973) for lichens. Some other important recent studies largely dealing with bryophytic epiphytes are those of Gerdol (1982), Kenkel and Bradfield (1981), Palmer (1986), Piippo (1982), Studlar (1982b), and Trynoski and Glime (1982). Other recent studies dealing largely with lichen epiphytes are those of Alstrup (1982), Bates and Brown (1981), Dey (1978), Esseen (1981), James et al. (1977), Jones (1980), LaFlamme-Levesque et al. (1983), Pederson (1980), Rose (1976). The earlier papers of Hale (1955) and Culberson (1955a,b) on corticolous epiphytes of southern and northern Wisconsin are relevant to the present study, both because they treat both lichens and bryophytes as does this study and because they compare regions with similar phorophytes and epiphyte species. A paper of Delzenne-van Haluwyn et al. (1979) compares cryptogamic communities including both bryophytes and lichens for two related regions in Europe. Almost all of the other papers cited above as well as most earlier ones include only bryophytes 0007-2745/90/257-274$1.95/0 This content downloaded from 126.96.36.199 on Tue, 15 Nov 2016 03:54:56 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 258 THE BRYOLOGIST [VOL. 93 or only lichens, and very few of the latter include crustose lichens. The question we wanted to answer concerned the relative importance for the lichen and bryophyte epiphytes of the phorophyte versus the forest or forest region. In order to do this we studied two forest regions which were geographically distant and differed in climate, but which contained both tree species and epiphyte species in common. In the Adirondacks and the Southern Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains, over 1,200 km apart, we found similar trees and epiphytes. The major tree species studied--Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Tsuga canadensis-are common in the forests of both regions. A large majority of the common epiphytesmosses, hepatics, and lichens--found in one region are also found in the other. The Southern Appalachians have a higher diversity of both vascular plants and of cryptogams than the Adirondacks for both present climatic reasons and because of their geological history (see, for example, Anderson 1971 and Sharp 1939). Lichens and bryophytes are related ecologically in that they form communities on trees. Therefore the study was set up to obtain quantitative data on both bryophytes and lichens on the same species of trees. It was important also to include crustose lichens, as the relationship of crustose to foliose and fruticose lichen epiphytes and to the trees on which they occur had been so little studied in North America. In addition, the diversity of epiphytic crustose lichens is high in both forest regions. Human activities have had drastic effects on the epiphyte flora in many parts of Europe and North America, as has been well documented for both lichens and bryophytes by many studies. (See for example LeBlanc et al. 1972; Sigal & Nash 1983; Stringer & Stringer 1974.) Baseline studies of relatively undisturbed forests are therefore important. All of the Adirondack forests studied have been preserved, publicly or privately, since the late nineteenth century, most of them under "forever wild" legislation. The Southern Blue Ridge forests are largely state owned and also relatively undisturbed by human use or air pollution. Our objectives in this study were to: 1) Obtain better data than were previously available on epiphytic bryophytes and lichens, including crustose lichens, for five dominant tree species in largely undisturbed forests in the Adirondacks and the Southern Blue Ridge; 2) determine from these data whether individual species of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes show host specificity on these dominant tree species in these forests; 3) determine whether communities or co-occurring groups of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes show host specificity on these trees in these forests; 4) compare directly species richness of lichen and bryophyte epiphytes on these r es in the two regions using the same species of trees; and 5) compare similarities and differences in the epiphyte-phorophyte relationships in these two fl ristically similar but climatically different and geographically separated regions.


An innovative hydro electric scheme has been commissioned using water from a 19th Century Nidderdale lead mine by an award-winning conservationist to ...


In this paper, a multi-objective design optimization for a three-element airfoil consisted of a slat, a main wing, and a flap was carried out. The objective functions were defined as the maximization of lift coefficient at landing (Cl8) and near stall (Cl20)conditions simultaneously. Genetic Algorithm (GA) was used as an optimizer. Although it has advantage of global exploration, its computational cost is expensive. To reduce the computational cost, the kriging model which was constructed based on several sample designs was introduced. The solution space was explored based on the maximization of Expected Improvement (EI) value corresponding to objective functions on the kriging model to consider the predicted value by kriging model and its uncertainty. The improvement of the model and the exploration of the optimum can be advanced at the same time by maximizing EI value. In this study, 90 sample points are evaluated using the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes simulation (RANS) for the construction of the kriging model. Through the present exploration process, several designs were obtained with better performance than the baseline setting in each objective function. Functional Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) which is one of the data mining techniques showing the effect of each design variable on the objectives is applied. Main-effects of the design variables are calculated to recognize which design variable has the effect on the objective functions. This result suggests that the gap and the deflection of the flap have a remarkable effect on each objective function and the gap of the slat has an effect on Cl20.


The data on diagnosis and treatment of the patients with postreanimation laryngotracheal stenoses of different etiology for the period from 2002 till 2008 years are reviewed. The purpose of the research was to make the diagnosis and treatment of the patients with postreanimation laryngotracheal stenoses more effective. 120 patients with postreanimation laryngotracheal stenoses were explored, among them 73 men and 47 women at the age of 15–77 years old. Postintubation, posttracheostomy and artificial lung ventilation alterations in the larynx and trachea detected endoscopically are described. The development of laryngotracheal stenoses depends on the duration of intubation and artificial lung ventilation. Effective endosurgical methods are proposed to avoid multistage surgical rehabilitation for recovery of the respiration function in 46% patients with laryngotracheal stenoses.


Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization. It results from interruption of blood flow caused by in situ thrombus (blood clot) formation or embolization. Along with other mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of stroke,


Reform of literacy education at the secondary school level has been cited as a need to effect change in secondary students' literacy achievement (Applebee, 1984; Boyer, 1983; Greenlaw & Moore, 1982). Recent studies and reports challenge traditional conceptualizations of reading as proficiency in grammar word attack and literal comprehension. They argue that constrained writing tasks such as check marks and one-word or limited responses may serve teacher accountability but not students' text production or writing ability. The consensus among researchers studying literacy and representing several disciplines, including cognitive psychology, sociolinguistics, educational anthropology, and social psychology is succinctly summarized by Robinson (in press). He states:


In this paper, Lp bounds for the m‐th order commutators of the parabolic Littlewood‐Paley operator are obtained, provided that the kernel Ω belongs to L(log+L)m + 1/2(Sn − 1) or \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$B_q^{0,m-1/2}(S^{n-1})$\end{document} (certain block spaces) for center q > 1,\documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$1 < p <\infty , m\in \mathbb {N}$\end{document}. © 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim


The paper deals with the new procedure of calibration of machine tools or robots by redundant measurements. The usage of laser tracker cannot provide sufficient accuracy of calibration within large workspaces. It is based on redundant measurements. The laser tracker measures the position of multiple reflectors firmly attached in the workspace. This enables to increase the accuracy of measurements several times.


Presented herein is a model for a laser diode exhibiting not only electrical and radiant characteristics, but also the thermal characteristics of droop and crosstalk. Also presented is the model's implementation in SPICE simulation. A behavioral level laser diode model is developed using the SPICE ideal diode, a resistive/capacitive network, and SPICE's ability to accept mathematical relationships to describe simulation schematic components. Modeled were various electrical and thermal dynamic effects that occur during DC and transient operation. The resistive/capacitive network models the thermal resistance and capacitance within the laser diode. The instantaneous input power devoted to heating is separate from the power converted to radiant energy with a relational feedback loop. Equations are used to derive a `droop' current that arises from the heating. The effect of droop then is implemented by the subtraction of the `droop' current from the input driving current to yield an `effective' driving current into the modeled laser diode. The model's parameters are adjusted to achieve a performance match to electrical and radiant energy empirical data. The radiant energy is expressed accurately in magnitude and in units of mA rather than mW. Two parallel laser diode intensity control systems, each containing a laser diode model, are simulated. The two laser diodes were also connected in such a fashion as to model crosstalk between the two lasers. The model provided expected results over a wide range of bias and transient excitations from a step current to low and high duty cycle input pulses representing gray levels.


On New Year's Eve 1801 Sarah Holroyd sister of John Baker Holroyd (Lord Sheffield) wrote to his eldest daughter, Maria, "I can hardly at times believe Louisa and you are not really my own. . . ." Linked with her fantasy of mother/ daughter was the fantasy of a young "companion:" from 1788 on, she was chaperoning Harriot Clinton, daughter of General Sir Henry Clinton at every opportunity——right down to Harriot's marriage with General Harry Chester in 1799. Her craving for "some young friend" was a pattern thirty years later in Lady Louisa Stuart's view of "Lou" Clinton, who had been exiled from her family by her mother Louisa Holroyd. (And SHE had been exiled—thrown out of the family--because of the hostile sentiments of her father.) The pressures of life for women in these families—with the resulting exile or obsession--drew their fire from the tight cordon of life's roles that were allowed for them.


Based on the study of the experience of foreign countries in organizing the distribution of organic products, the main sales channels for organic products are systematized. Possible sales channels
for organic products in the domestic market of the Republic of Belarus are proposed taking into account foreign experience.


Internet only Banks in Korea have acquired more than seven million customer base, but most of the accounts are not active. As financial products tend to be similar, customer affect plays more crucial role than service features in continuance intention. The purpose of this research is to study about the impact of positive and negative affect on the continuance intention. The result indicated that positive affect is positively related to continuance intention, and negative affect is negatively related to continuance intention. Also expectation confirmation is positively related to positive affect. The results imply Internet only Banks need to focus on customer's positive affect and expectation confirmation to improve continuance intention.


In a long history of inventing different methods for assessing software quality huge number of software metrics has been proposed. In this paper we will first give a brief overview of different approaches to measure software and all processes connected to software development. Particular attention further will be paid on metrics in agent technology and multiagent systems (MAS) that are based on "classical metrics" but introduce novel specific techniques in line with agent paradigm. In spite the fact that there is a number of metrics developed for software agents and MASs it is a little bit strange that in higher ICT education we do not have appropriate topics devoted to these very specific metrics. Such drawback should be resolved in some acceptable way. In this paper we try to propose some adequate ways and possibilities of improving current situation in ICT higher-education in agent paradigm and suggest several slight changes in existing curricula.


The delimitation of maritime boundaries is one of the major areas of ocean law where disputes between countries occur with frequency and where the development of governing principles of law remains difficult. At the Law of the Sea Conference, delimitation of the continental shelf and economic zones between states with opposite or adjacent coasts was one of the last issues to be resolved. Major judicial and arbitral decisions, such as the North Sea Continental Shelf cases before the International Court of Justice and the Anglo-French Continental Shelf arbitration, have gone some way to developing a body of relevant law to assist states in the solution of their maritime boundary problems. These decisions have clarified some of the relevant factors that states should take into account, but major boundary problems remain. On the Aegean Sea, Greece and Turkey have still not reached any solution; relations between Canada and the United States have been severely strained by their slow progress on maritime boundary issues; Libya and Tunisia have referred their continental shelf dispute to the International Court of Justice.


Mirrors: Science and Knowlegde Society, pod red. Francesca Coniglionego(numer specjalny ,,Axiomathes. An International Journal in Ontologyand Cognitive Systems'' 19, 2009, nr 4, ss. 351-523)


We propose an automated photogrammetric system using visible light communication. Our system can be applied to the measurement of a variety of distances using a light as a reference point. In addition, the matching of same lights in different viewpoints can be automatically done by using unique blinking patterns. A light area is extracted based on a rule of the lighting patterns without a pre-known threshold. Experimental results show that our system can provide enough accuracy for photogrammetry.


There has been a nationwide growth in small-scale extrusion-expelling (E-E) facilities. In order to compete in a highly competitive market, these E-E operations must look for ways to add value to the resulting products (oil and meal (flour)). One potential use for E-E produced partially defatted soy flour (PDSF) is in the production of texturized soy proteins (TSP). The objectives of this study were to 1) produce and characterize PDSF with a wide range of residual oil (RO) contents and protein dispersability indexes (PDI) using both whole and dehulled soybeans, and 2) determine the influence of RO and PDI on the texturization of PDSF via twin-screw extrusion. RO and PDI ranges in PDSF were 4.73-12.65% and 12.45-69.10, respectively. E-E conditions significantly influenced enzyme (lipase, lipoxygenase (1-3), and trypsin inhibitor) activities, and protein solubility curves of PDSF. For objective 2, ten PDSF were texturized using a Leistritz-18 (Leistritz Corp., Allendale, NJ) twin-screw extruder. Extrusion parameters for texturization were optimized using the median (RO and PDI) PDSF. The influence of RO and PDI on texturization was analyzed using response surface methodology with texture profile analysis (TP A), water holding capacity (WHC) and bulk density (BD) as dependent variables and PDI and RO as independent variables. A TSP-extended ground beef system was evaluated by TP A and a trained sensory panel. In general, lower RO and higher PDI flours exhibited better texturization and extrudate qualities. However, textural, functional and sensory properties of all TSP from E-E produced PDSF were comparable to commercially produced TSP.


The electrical breakedown property of contacts made from Cu-Cr alloys with different RE contents under low vacuum condition was studied.The dielectric strength of the contact materials was measured to obtain the relationship between voltage and the distance from cathode to anode.The result showed that the electric breakdown property and hardness of Cu-Cr contact materials containing RE both increase obviously because of the RE addition which can also shorten the blowout distance.It was revealed that the contact material containing 0.2% RE outperforms that containing 0.06% RE in electrical breakdown property.