The North-Eastern states are among the most backward in the country in terms of development indices. The Tenth Five Year Plan, envisages bringing about a paradigm shift in development planning in the country, by focusing attention on the regions such as North-East that have largely been by-passed in the planning process in the last several years. Given the importance of agriculture sector in the economy, the strategies and programmes for the development of agriculture and its allied sectors should take the centrestage of planning for the welfare and well-being of the masses. The Working Group on Agricultural Development in Eastern and North-Eastern India constituted by the Planning Commission for the formulation of the Tenth Five Year Plan has categorically emphasised; "Looking at the predominance of agriculture as the source of livelihood in the region, a breakthrough in the human development graph of the region can be achieved only by addressing the key issues of the agriculture and allied sectors" (Government of India, 2001). In view of the available empirical evidence regarding the high potential of livestock in rural transformation and employment (Sharma and Jacob, 1997) it is essential that this sector receives greater focus in the coming years. The predominant livestock species in the region is the bovines, comprising 11.48 million cattle, 0.8 million buffaloes and 0.27 million mithuns. The dairy animals primarily comprise low producing cattle, with average productivity of 1.34 litres/day in the region as against the all-India average daily milk yield of 2.77 litres (Government of India, 2004). The Government of India, through the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, has been supplementing the State Government's effort for livestock development. During the Ninth Plan, cattle breed improvement programmes like Extension of Frozen Semen Technology, National Bull Production Programme, Progeny Testing, and Integrated Dairy Development have been implemented. Crossbreeding of indigenous cattle with exotic germplasm is an important component of dairy development strategy in India. The crossbreeding policy of


The cyclic voltammogram of endosulphan recorded in various supporting electrolytes in aqueous methanolic medium at hanging mercury drop electrode, revealed a single cathodic peak at -1 .25 V versus Ag/ AgCI . The electrochemical behaviour of endosulphan after nitration at micro level has been studied at glassy carbon electrode. The nitro derivative also revealed a sharp cathodic signal at -0.9 V versus Ag/ AgCl. The electrode reaction is found to be irreversible and diffusion controlled. Cathodic peak appeared to be analytically useful. IPC Code:AOIN 31/00, GOIN 27/00


Aquatic gastropods are important integral components of the macroinvertebrate community in freshwater ecosystems and play critical roles in freshwater ecosystems by contributing to biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and water quality. However, the variation of aquatic gastropods' community structure under the combined effects of warming and nutrient enrichment remains largely unknown. To investigate this question, we performed an outdoor mesocosm experiment examining the interaction of warming (a 4.5 °C increase in mean temperature above ambient conditions) and nutrient enrichment (phosphorus addition) on the aquatic gastropods' community and dominant population (Bellamya aeruginosa). We analyzed the changes in community dynamics (abundance and biomass), size structure, and stoichiometric traits (only B. aeruginosa). Results showed that phosphorus enrichment alone had a positive effect on the total abundance and biomass of gastropods, as well as the abundance and biomass of B. aeruginosa. Warming alone only produced a positive effect on total abundance. However, the combined effects of warming and phosphorus enrichment negatively affected the biomass and abundance of the whole gastropod community and the dominant gastropod population. The body mass of B. aeruginosa increased because of warming, whereas the body mass of the gastropod community negatively responded to warming. Phosphorus enrichment alone had no remarkable effects on body mass. The combined effects of warming and phosphorus enrichment negatively affected the whole community's body mass but had no substantial effect on the body mass of B. aeruginosa. For body stoichiometric traits, warming or phosphorus enrichment alone produced positive effects on the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of B. aeruginosa. The combined effects caused adverse effects on the contents of the two elements. The effect of warming alone only decreased the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus. Results suggested that the response levels in size structure between the gastropod community and the dominant population differed remarkably. Composition species shift was the main cause of the decrease in aquatic gastropods' community size structure. The shift in species composition at the whole gastropod community level caused by warming and phosphorus enrichment may result in more complex and unpredicted consequences through cascade effects on the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems.


Operator extension theory model for δ-perturbation supported by curve of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on the sphere is described. The sequence of operators with regular potentials converging to the model operator in norm resolvent sense is constructed.


This paper presents a power management concept for solar energy harvesting power management using an on-chip switched-capacitor (SC) DC-DC converter for biomedical implantable applications. This design eliminates potential reversion losses caused by the switching scheme. It also mitigates the bottom plate loss by employing the charge recycling technique. Moreover, instead of using a single step clock pulse, the two-step adiabatic charge sharing clock helps reduce the energy drawn from the PV cell by 65%. Furthermore, with the help of clock disabler scheme, the power dissipation has been further reduced by disabling the entire start-up charge pump once the desired reference output voltage was reached. However, due to additional circuitry for the clock disabler, there is a tradeoff between power efficiency and power dissipation. The proposed system was implemented and fabricated in a standard 0.18-µm TSMC RF CMOS technology. The proposed converter has achieved a maximum efficiency of 73%.


The pigmentation of terrestrial invertebrates has been shown to function in the optimization of solar warming, yet pigmented aquatic invertebrates have never been examined for the ability to utilize solar illumination in a similar manner. The degree of carotenoid pigmentation in calanoid copepods is easily quantified, and comparisons between populations suggest that variation in copepod pigmentation is related to variation in water temperature, with the most darkly pigmented copepods occurring in the coldest lakes. Darkly pigmented copepods show significantly higher metabolic rates in the light than in the dark, whereas lightly pigmented copepods do not. The metabolic experiments provide evidence that dark coloration is adaptive to cold-water copepods because it facilitates significant internal warming of tissues by sunlight. This hypothesis may be used to explain the pigmentation of many other cold-water invertebrates. There is a well-documented general increase in pigmentation of animals with increasing elevation and latitude (1, 2). One of several possible adaptive advantages of this pigmentation is that light absorption by the pigments may cause significant internal warming, which in turn may increase an animal's metabolic rate. This warming effect has been demonstrated in small Alpine and Arctic terrestrial insects (3, 4). Although some early limnologists (1) suggested that dark coloration is adaptive to high-elevation zooplankton because it facilitates significant solar warming, the hypothesis has never been directly tested for a pigmented aquatic invertebrate. Calanoid copepods are highly variable in pigmentation. They are common in the zooplankton of high-elevation lakes and ponds, where they seem to reach their darkest pigmentation. The pigments of Colorado calanoids are probably the common carotenoids astaxanthin or astaxanthin esters and their carotenoproteins (5, 6). Intensity of pigmentation was quantified as the optical absorbance of a 95% ethanol extract at the wavelength of maximal absorption (474 nm), divided by the dry weight of the organism in mg. This measure of relative carotenoid pigmentation allows quantitative comparisons between populations. Summer water temperature varies inversely with elevation; and, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, water temperature is a good predictor of the intensity of pigmentation of calanoid copepod field populations (see Fig. 2). The highest and coldest lakes have the most darkly pigmented copepods. The inverse relationship between water temperature and copepod pigmentation suggests that pigments may increase metabolic rates through solar warming. To test this hypothesis, I measured the metabolic rates of pigmented and unpigmented copepods in the light and in the dark. METHODS Respiration rates were measured on a Gilson differential respirometer. Experiments were run for 3 hr; the flasks were not shaken. Copepods were anesthetized to eliminate any metabolic rate differences created by their possible activity differences in light and dark. For this purpose, chloroform-saturated water was drawn off the top of a 1:5 (vol/vol) mixture of anhydrous chloroform and distilled water mixed approximately 1 hr before-use and added-to copepods in a beaker of filtered lake water. The anesthetized animals were then pipetted into respirometer flasks. Effectiveness of the anesthesia was determined by preliminary experiments that demonstrated the minimal amount of anesthetic necessary to cause cessation of swimming and filtering movements of the copepods at 12'C for 3 hr. This concentration was judged effective only if, after 3 hr, copepods responded to gentle prodding or revived when placed in fresh lake water. Species dosages are given in the legend of Fig. 1. Experimental flasks contained 20 adult copepods in 5 ml of filtered lake water with anesthetic, and control flasks contained 5 ml of filtered lake water with anesthetic but no animals. Four control flasks were used in each run. Half of all experimental and control flasks in any one run were exposed to the respirometer lights and half were shielded with aluminum foil. Light intensity at the bottom of a flask, measured with a selenium cell photometer, was 41.1 mW/cm2. Temperature of an illuminated flask after 1 hr under experimental conditions was 12.010C. Temperature of a darkened flask was 12.000C. Three populations of Colorado calanoid copepods were studied. Animals were acclimated for 1 day at 120C in filtered water in the laboratory before their metabolic rates were measured. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The two darkly pigmented calanoid species showed a significant light-facilitated metabolic increase. The lightly pigmented calanoids did not show any significant metabolic differences in response to illumination (Fig. 1). A light-facilitated metabolic increase could be explained by the maintenance of a temperature difference between the interior of the copepod and the external environment. A darkly pigmented copepod absorbs much of the light striking its body and the light is converted to heat. This heat may be utilized bya close spatial coupling of the pigments to areas of active metabolism. Lightabsorption in the body interior would create a temperature gradient between the interior and exterior of the copepod. The dark-red carotenoid pigments of Diaptomus leptopus in these experiments were distributed throughout the body interior; the black appearance of D. shoshone was caused * Present address: Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.


Rear-end collisions and distraction are major concerns in automotive transportation. This study investigated the conspicuity of current rear automobile lighting (red brake and red tail lamps) compared to a proposed arrangement (red brake lamps with yellow tail lamps) in a task where participants only had time to perform one saccade and fixation (200ms) to identify the presence or absence of brake lamps across 60 static traffic scenes projected on a screen. The hypothesis that separating brake and tail lamps by color alone would result in greater conspicuity as evidenced by fewer errors and faster RT was supported. Conspicuity of vehicle brake lamps will be improved in the situations tested by implementing the proposed yellow tail-lamp coloring on vehicles


Eight platinum(II) biphenyl complexes containing 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives were synthesized and their physical and photophysical properties were examined. X-ray crystal structures were obtained for five of the complexes with two different motifs giving rise to two different circular dichroism spectra. Structures obtained by density functional theory were in agreement with the parameters obtained by x-ray diffraction. Electron density of the HOMO is located on the metal center and the biphenyl ligand; for the LUMO it is located primarily on the phenanthroline ligand. The results for time dependent density functional theory calculations are in agreement with a MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) low energy electronic transition assignment. The optical, emission and reduction potentials correlated with Hammett Sigma functions giving rise to excellent free-energy correlations for the series of complexes.


The kinetic constants (k) and activation energy (Ea) for the formation (k1, Ea1) and reversion (k-1, Ea-1) of the Schiff base complex and for the Amadori rearrangement (k2, Ea2) of the Maillard reaction were determined in a phenylalanine−glucose system to elucidate its early-stage mechanism. The k-1 and k2 were 103 times greater than the k1, indicating the Schiff base formation, but not the Amadori rearrangement, was the rate-limiting step of the reaction. The Ea2 (8.01 × 104 kcal/mol) was slightly greater than the Ea1 (6.52 × 104 kcal/mol) and the Ea-1 (7.49 × 104 kcal/mol), revealing that the Amadori rearrangement was more sensitive to temperature changes and was more favorable at higher temperatures. These suggested that the chemical nature of the reactants, determined by their structures and pH condition, is more important to control the reaction. These results were also supported by the pH and temperature profiles of the Amadori compound formation. Keywords: Maillard reaction; kinetics; Amadori compo...


2-methylsulflnylbenzoate) has been modifled with the groups R = H, Bn, BnCl and BnMe [2] and studied in difierent solvents as well as in polydimethylsiloxane. The analysis is performed by cw-pump-probe technique as a function of temperature and exposure. Our results reveal a selective adjustability of the thermal stability in the compounds, while the photosensitivity and the characteristic absorption spectra remain unchanged. We discuss the impact of sulfoxide compounds with the desired features in view of application in molecular photonic devices.


The three puzzles here considered are shown to have a common structure. And in each, an agent is thrust into a cleverly contrived deliberatively unstable situation. The paper advocates a resolutely Pyrrhonian abandonment of the futile reasoning in which the agent is trapped and advocates an alternative strategy for escape


Stimulation with diverse agents activates the NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) transcription factor, affecting inflammatory and immune responses, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and tumourigenesis. Determining how NF-κB elicits such distinct responses is essential to understanding NF-κB function in diseased tissues. Recent developments illustrating that post-translational modification of NF-κB subunits influences their nuclear role are discussed. These observations suggest that diagnosis and new therapies based on reprogramming NF-κB activity could be more efficient than total NF-κB inhibition. NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) is a pleiotrophic transcription factor NF-κB is a sequence-specific transcription factor activated by a bewildering array of stimuli including biological agents such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide and inflammatory cytokines, phorbol esters and cytotoxic stimuli such as chemotherapeutic drugs, UV light and ionizing radiation [1]. There are five members of the mammalian NF-κB family, RelA(p65), RelB, c-Rel, p105/p50 and p100/p52, all of which contain homologous N-terminal RHDs (Rel homology domains). NF-κB functions as a homoor heterodimer of these subunits, with the RHD mediating dimerization, DNA binding, nuclear localization and interaction with the inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB) proteins. Generally, NF-κB is found in the cytoplasm of resting cells, anchored to IκB. The ratelimiting step of NF-κB activation therefore involves its release from IκB, allowing NF-κB to translocate to the nucleus. NF-κB is activated in response to hundreds of different stimuli and in turn regulates hundreds of diverse target genes. But how is specificity of NF-κB function achieved? Understanding the complexity of the NF-κB response, and the mechanisms that modify it, is critical if we are to comprehend and ultimately exploit the different roles NF-κB plays in normal tissue and diseases such as cancer. In particular, the ability of anti-cancer therapies (daunorubicin, etoposide, ionizing radiation), tumour initiators (UV, phorbol esters), tumour suppressor proteins (ARF and p53) and oncogenes (Ras and Bcr-Abl) to regulate NF-κB raises the question of how the diverse effects of these stimuli are integrated into a specific transcriptional response. Some are known to trigger an anti-apoptotic or oncogenic NF-κB, whereas others activate an NF-κB that helps to induce apoptosis, consistent with a tumour-suppressor function [2].


Anchored in stakeholder theory, the study aimed at examining the extent of voluntary human capital disclosures in annual reports of top 20 Bangladeshi and Indian listed companies. In addition to qualitative content analysis of the annual reports for the year 2010–2011, this study also conducted a series of in-depth interviews with a range of stakeholders of the companies of both the countries to understand their views on voluntary HC disclosures in corporate annual reports. It was found that the level of voluntary HC disclosures was very low in case of the companies of both the countries. Moreover, it was observed that HC disclosures of companies mostly composed of positive information. From the views of stakeholders, it was evident that stakeholders unanimously recognized the necessity of credible HC disclosures in corporate annual reports. The HC disclosure index framed in this study may be useful in developing a South Asian model of corporate HC disclosures. This study contributes to the existing literature on HC disclosures where there has been a distinct lack of engagement-based research works.


Free space optics communication has remarkable importance and became an alternative to RF communication. But on the darker side, the performance of FSO degrades due to atmospheric turbulence and misalignment. In this paper we review, the technique by which we can reduce the multipath fading due to turbulent atmosphere. After analysis, the result shows that we can achieve good result up to 1.5 km under clear weather condition with SISO Binary polarization shift keying modulation technique.


Tonic pupil is usually an idiopathic condition. In some cases, the cause of the ciliary ganglion lesion leading to tonic pupils is obvious. Rarely ischemia causes a lesion of the ciliary ganglion or the short ciliary nerves due to the good blood supply of the ciliary ganglion. Only two cases of tonic pupils in the course of giant cell arteritis are mentioned in the literature. Five cases are demonstrated here. Tonic pupils may also occur when an oclusion of the internal carotid artery resolves. In another case, tonic pupils were associated with choroidal ischemia of unknown origin


Part 1 Body sodium in context - distribution, functions and regulation: introduction - some problems in context distribution and concentration of sodium basic principles oedema sodium in brain and CSF functions of sodium sodium transport - Na-K ATPase isoforms. Part 2 Renal sodium regulation: introduction segmental distribution of sodium reabsorption endocrine aspects of renal sodium regulation glomerular filtration proximal reabsorption loop of Henle regulation of ADH release distal nephron immaturity of renal function conclusion. Part 3 Enteric sodium uptake: introduction enteric sodium transport enteric sodium regulation enteric responses to changes in sodium balance diarrhoea oral rehydration sodium sequestration - "third space" iatrogenic disturbances conclusion. Part 4 Behavioural regulation of sodium intake: general issues experimental approaches early studies of salt appetite studies in sodium-depleted sheep neural aspects taste humoral aspects salt appetite and hypertension biological role of salt appetite Na, K and the sodium transport hypothesis of salt appetite conclusion. Part 5 Physiological basis of nutritional requirements for sodium: introduction subjectivity, science and sodium intake sodium requirement and normality - an elusive relationship attitudes, beliefs and prejudice definition of requirement - factorial, empirical - and pitfalls comparative aspects of sodium requirement rats cats dogs conclusion. Part 6 Comparative aspects of salt and hypertension: introduction what matters about hypertension? nutrition and blood pressure - influences other than sodium calcium sodium and possible mechanisms of hypertension effects of hyertension on fluids and electrolytes pregnancy hypertension salt and human hypertension comparative aspects of hypertension conclusion - salt and hypertension - whose decision?. Part 7 Endocrine effects on normal and abnormal sodium excretion: introduction adrenal steroids renin-angiotensin system (RAS) ANP MSH Kallikrein-Kinin system. Part 8 Clinical aspects of extracellular volume and sodium concentration: introduction hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic dehydration volume excess oedema cardiac oedema chronic obstructive pulmonary disease sodium concentration hypernatraemia and hyponatraemia hypernatraemia hyponatraemia volume depletion hypovolaemia and shock blood corticosteroids renal dysfunction. Part 9 Interactions between sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium: introduction cellular interactions renal interactions physiological and clinical implications conclusion. Part 10 Clinical disturbances of sodium transport: introduction cystic fibrosis disorders of muscle excitation Down's syndrome - Alzheimer's disease papillary necrosis polycystic kidney disease gastric cancer haemolytic anaemia Bartter's syndrome. Part 11 Drugs affecting sodium transport and sodium balance. (Part Contents).


On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be in the path of a solar eclipse, which occurs when the sunlight reaching Earth is blocked by the Moon. These phenomena occur somewhere on Earth about once every 18 months, but for the first time since June 1918, a total solar eclipse will be visible from coast to coast in the United States.


This dissertation assesses the Swedish and the United Kingdom (UK) legislative frameworks for cross-border copyright clearance of orphan works in mass-digitisation schemes. By reviewing relevant co ...


Introduction: The recently introduced Compressed Sensing (CS) theory illustrates that a small number of random linear measurements can be sufficient to reconstruct sparse or compressible signals [1,2,3]. Since the number of measurements necessary for perfect reconstruction using the CS theory can be drastically smaller than the number of measurements required by the Nyquist sampling theory, CS has the potential to significantly accelerate data acquisition in MRI [4-10]. Although the initial CS theory was based on completely random sampling, it was later suggested that such random sampling may not always be necessary [11]. More specifically, recent results indicate that CS methods can yield exact recovery if the sparsity basis and the measurement basis obey the uniform uncertainty principle and are incoherent [11]. This pertains to MRI since complete random sampling is difficult to achieve with existing hardware. Earlier work in CS for MRI explored strategies for randomizing measurements for spirals [4] and 3DFT trajectories [5]. Recently, reconstructions from CS MRI data acquired on regular radial trajectories were demonstrated [7-10]. While the CS reconstruction of undersampled regular radial data resulted in significant reduction of streaking artifacts, compared to filtered backprojection or regridding, we demonstrate here that further improvements are possible by randomly perturbing the radial trajectories.


In this research, a nanocomposite of copper-based MOF and nickel ferrite has been synthesized, using layer by layer method. The obtained NiFe2O4@HKUST-1 was characterized by XRD, FTIR and FESEM. The results showed that the nanocomposite has a core-shell structure in which NiFe2O4 is the core and HKUST-1 acts as the shell.


The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of diglossia in the three main languages, Bauan Fijian, Shudh Hindi and English, of Fiji. The discussion focuses on situating the languages both historically and socially in a multilingual context. The linguistic complexity of the country is also described and discussed in relation to the three languages. In this paper Bauan Fijian is that variety of the Fijian language,1 as opposed to the other Fijian dialects, which has been standardised. Shudh Hindi is the name given to the standard Hindi language in Fiji, which follows the syntax and grammar of Hindi, one of the national languages of India. This is contrasted with Fiji Hindi, which is considered to be a koine of the Indian languages in Fiji. English as implemented into schools by the colonial British administration is discussed with its sub-standard variety, Fiji English. The paper is divided into several parts. Background and historical relevance with a lead to the present sociolinguistic environment are discussed. The H and L varieties of the three languages are outlined and an analysis provided as to how the languages function within the framework of diglossia.


Routability optimization has become a major concern in the physical design cycle of VLSI circuits. Due to the recent advances in VLSI technology, interconnect has become a dominant factor of the overall performance of a circuit. In order to optimize interconnect cost, we need a good congestion estimation method to predict routability in the early stages of the design cycle. Many congestion models have been proposed but there's still a lot of room for improvement. Some existing models [6] are dependent on parameters that are related to the actual congestion of the circuits. Besides, routers will perform rip-up and re-route operations to prevent overflow but most models do not consider this case. The outcome is that the existing models will usually under-estimate the routability. In this paper, we propose a new congestion model to solve the above problems. The estimation process is divided into three steps: preliminary estimation, detailed estimation and congestion redistribution. We have compared our new model and some existing models with the actual congestion measures obtained by global routing some placement results with a publicly available maze router [2]. Results show that our model has significant improvement in prediction accuracy over the existing models.


Abstract
Milk is an excellent source of both major and minor components needed to meet the nutritional requirements of the human body. The current study was conducted to evaluate the bacteriological and physicochemical quality of cow milk collected from various locations in Birnin Kebbi.  A total of twenty-four (24) milk samples (six from each location) were purchased. All samples were subjected to bacteriological analysis using total plate count, and physicochemical composition analysis, which included PH, moisture content, fat content, protein content, and mineral determination (calcium, sodium, and potassium). The mean range for Total Plate Count is 1.83x106-3.42x106 CFU/ML. Furthermore, bacteria isolated and identified from milk samples include Streptococcus spp, Shigella spp, Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus aureus, and Proteus spp. The physicochemical analysis results indicated that the mean range is PH (4.87±0.04-5.52±0.05) Moisture content (82.22±0.60-87.50±2.16), Fat content (0.56±0.02-1.84±0.01), Protein content (11.27±4.4-12.55±4.99), Calcium (173.83±4.43-475.67±22.24), Sodium (11.83±4.26- 111±12.44) and Potassium (131±9.12-596±6.16) respectively. The study's findings highlight the poor bacteriological quality of milk, as evidenced by a higher Total Plate Count. Moreover, the presence of pathogenic microbes in milk, such as Bacillus spp, Shigella spp, and Escherichia coli, is likely to pose a serious public health risk. As a result, it is recommended that proper hygiene practices be implemented, as well as the incorporation of effective monitoring throughout the production to delivery chain.


Objective To study the anti-ageing and antioxidation of polyphends of vitis amurensis Rupr(PVAR).Methods Forty senile male Wistar rats (20 months) were divided into 4 goups according rats′ weights:senile negtive control group(A), fed with basic forage;two senile PVAR groups(B and C),fed with basic forage inchuding 200 and 400 mg·kg~ -1 ·d~ -1 PVAR;senile positive control(D), fed with basic forage inchuding 200 mg·kg~ -1 ·d~ -1 melissic powder.After fed continuously for 8 weeks,the MDA contents in RBC-membrane, plasma and liver,sulfhydryl content in RBC-membrane, sialic acid content,activity of Na~+-K~+-ATPasc, fluidity of RBC-membrane,and activity of plasma GSH-Px in rats were detected.Results Compared with group A,the contents of MDA in groups B,C,and D decreased significantly(P0.05,P0.01);sulfhydryl contents in RBC-membrane and activities of plasma GSH-Px in group C and D increased significantly(P0.05).There were no significant differences of various indexes between group B,C and group D (P0.05).Conclusion PVAR has anti-ageing and antioxidation on senile rats.


This article is on the practicability of applying social and economic parameters for cost-benefit analysis in developing countries. The practical problems of estimating parameters are illustrated with various calculations of the discount rate for Nepal. The range of results, even on the basis of various simplifying assumptions, turns out to be so wide that little trust could be placed in any one of them. One implication is that detailed research into parameters is of dubious value in project appraisals. It is suggested that much time and effort could be saved, with little fear of reduced quality, by using standardised sets of parameters, partially worked out for groups of economies and used as general guidelines. This would allow the reed business of project analysis to be left to informed judgement on the ground.


A simple two-dimensional shear deformable finite beam element is developed in order to examine the effect of the high order interpolation on the modes of deformation of the beam cross section using the ANCF finite element. The new element allows for effect of warping that cannot be captured using previously introduced ANCF beam elements, and relaxes the assumption of planar cross section. The displacement field of the new element is assumed to be cubic in the axial direction and quadratic in the transverse direction. Using this displacement field, new shape functions are formulated and include the quadratic of the transverse direction instead of the linear expression. The displacement gradient and transverse strain component obtained using the new higher order element are introduced. Numerical example is presented in order to compare the results obtained using the new finite element and the results obtained using previously developed ANCF finite element. The results reveal that the cross section remains as a curve surface not a planar one.


Objective:To provide fundamental information for control of a plague vector flea,Monopsyllus anisus.Methods:Early third instar larvae and newly emerged adults of M.anisus were treated with acetone or acetone dilution of fenoxycarb with microdosis spot-out method with acetone spot as control.The regression equation,LD50 and 95% confidence limit were calculated with probability analysis method.Results:The duration of the third instar of fenoxycarb treated M.anisus larvae was prolonged.The LD50s of the early third instar larvae and newly emerged adults of M.anisus were 138.771 and 245.584μg per larva or adult respectively.Conclusion:Fenoxycarb has toxic effect to early third instar larvae and newly emerged adults of M.anisus.


The internal force information of curved beam members is important evidence for the stress state evaluation and design verification of long‐span space structure during construction. Many structural analysis methods for curved beams have been proposed, but most are used to handle the complex geometric shapes. For stress state evaluation of long‐span steel‐concrete composite (SCC) ring beam, this article presents a method that employs a sectional strain distribution model (SSDM) and a fiber model to estimate the internal force distribution depending on the long‐gauge strain. The SSDM of the ring beam used in the article is based on a mechanical model of two‐dimensional (2‐D) plane bending deformation and a three‐dimensional (3‐D) solid finite element model of curved beam members. The application range of the SSDM is defined by the divided different stress areas of ring beam based on the 3‐D solid finite element model. Combined with the established SSDM and the different stress areas, the axial force and bending moment along the span are then identified separately based on the fiber model. In consideration of field monitoring, the influence of different sensor layout on the establishment of SSDM and the result of internal force identification is discussed. The results of the numerical studies show that the proposed methodology can identify the internal force distribution accurately. Internal force of long‐span ring beam from Jiangsu Grand Theater during construction is also identified through the proposed method by using the strain monitoring data.


In this essay I offer an interpretative reading of the first chapter in the two canonical works, the Zhuang-zi and the Lao-zi, and argue that there is an inner connection between the first chapters of the two books. My presupposition is that what Zhuang-zi has argued in "Xiao Yao You" is the theme of the relativity of the position of the human world, which is in accord with the mystery of Dao presented at the beginning of the Lao-zi. Therefore, there are two opposite directions running in the Daoist philosophy in Lao-zi and Zhuang-zi: the first one is from this world (worlds) to Dao; the second one is from Dao to the worlds. While the first emphasizes the relativity of the point of views of the worldly beings, the second shows the mystery of Dao. This can be seen as a hermeneutical circle.


A new type of olefinic cyclization was observed in the reaction of geraniol (1) with thallium(III) perchlorate to give three new carbocyclic products (2a), (2b), and (3).


High pressure behavior of the compound Bi12SiO20 is investigated using in situ Raman spectroscopic and synchrotron-based angle dispersive x-ray diffraction techniques. Results indicate that the compound remains stable in the ambient pressure cubic structure up to 26 GPa. From the structural studies, bulk modulus B0, and its pressure derivative B′ of Bi12SiO20 are evaluated to be 36 GPa and 16.7 GPa, respectively. Mode Gruneissen parameters of various Raman active modes of Bi12SiO20 are also reported. The stability of Bi12SiO20 at high pressure is discussed in the light of the pressure-induced amorphization reported in bismuth-orthosilicate (Bi4Si3O12) and -orthogermanate. Comparison of the observed phonon behavior with that reported for Bi4Si3O12 reveals that two of the Raman modes in Bi4Si3O12 have negative pressure dependencies clearly indicating dynamic instability while Bi12SiO20 does not show any signatures of zone-center instabilities.


—This paper presents an optimized design of SDTSPC logic (stacked diode transistor based TSPC) using FinFET transistors for 1-bit full adder. The analysis was performed for average power consumption, leakage power, propagation delay and power delay product (PDP) for different supply voltages, loads and temperatures. Comparing the proposed FinFET-based full adder design with MOSFET-based SDTSPC full adder, we achieved a 95.75% improvement in leakage power consumption. The proposed scheme is also compared with several previous designs and based on different simulations, the proposed FinFET-based full adder exhibits excellent performance. The proposed high-efficiency full adder cell operates at low voltages (0.4 V) even with large capacitors.


Health insurance both voluntary and government sponsored is of relatively recent origin in the Maldives. In September 2011, the President announced an initiative to achieve universal health insurance for all Maldivians from January 2012. An internal analysis of the available resource base for this universal scheme being undertaken by the Government of Maldives (GoM) suggested that the possible revenue sources for the universal scheme would include earmarked payroll taxes on formal sector employers, the existing spending on Madhana (the GoM's current scheme for civil servants, senior citizens, voluntary enrollees and other groups) which would be subsumed under the new scheme, some replacement of the supply side spending and additional government subsidies to be met from new taxes being introduced. All of these, take together, would still be inadequate to meet the costs of a Madhana-style health insurance scheme for every citizen in the country. Continued effort will be required to ensure better targeted subsidies. The country could start with a minimum, essential benefit package which fits in the government's fiscal space. A phased approach needs to be considered, starting with basic service coverage and gradually adding benefits as administrative systems and targeting improve. Considering a legal framework to mandatorily bring in the formal sector employees (possibly along with their family members) under the proposed universal scheme would provide a group which contributes to the scheme's costs, and also brings a large, healthy pool into the scheme, without adverse selection.


Spoligotyping is a valuable genotyping tool to study the genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). The aim of this study was to analyse different spoligotype patterns of M. tb strains isolated from patients with tuberculosis from different parts of India.


Five novel organic-molybdenum phosphates with [(PO4)4Mo6(superscript V)O15](superscript 12-) cluster, Na•(H4TETA)3•(H3O)5•Zn[(HPO4)2(PO4)2Mo6O15]2} (2), (H2 en)7•(H3O)4•{Cu[(HPO4)2(PO4)2Mo6O15]2}•H2O (3), (H3DETA)2•(H3O)3•{Co0.5[(HPO4)2(PO4)2Mo6O15]}H2O (4), [Co(H3TETA)]2 {Co0.5[(HPO4)(PO4)3Mo6O15]}•3.5H2O (5) and (H3DETA)•(H3O)4•{Co1.5[(HPO4)2(PO4)2Mo6O15]}•0.5H2O (6), have been synthesized. The relationship between their pr6perties and structures was studied by using FTIR, NIR FI-Raman, UV-Vis DRS and fluorescence etc. In these compounds, every two [(PO4)4Mo6O15] clusters are coordinated by a metal atom to form a {M[(PO4)4Mo6O15]2} dimer. In compound 2, 3 and 4, {M[(PO4)4Mo6O15]2} dimers are hydrogenbonded by the organic molecules and water molecules to form a three-dimensional expended framework, respectively. In compound 5 and 6, {Co[(PO4)4Mo6O15]2} dimers are coordinated by [Co(H3TETA)] groups and [CoO4] tetrahedra to form a network, respectively. These characteristic vibrational frequencies of the molybdenum phosphates are related to the structure of these compounds. Three characteristic bands in UV-Vis DRS spectra of these compounds have to be attributed to the absorptions of O(subscript d)→Mo, O(subscript μ)→Mo and O→M charge transfer, respectively. These compounds exhibit strong fluorescence emission bands at about 410nm when excited by 240nm, which are caused by O(subscript μ)→Mo charge transfer.


This paper presents an assessment of existing and new probabilistic methods for liquefaction potential evaluation. Emphasis is placed on comparison of probabilities of liquefaction calculated with two different approaches, logistic regression and Bayesian mapping. Logistic regression is a well-established statistical procedure, whereas Bayesian mapping is a relatively new application of the Bayes' theorem to the evaluation of soil liquefaction. In the present study, simplified procedures for soil liquefaction evaluation, including the Seed–Idriss, Robertson–Wride, and Andrus–Stokoe methods, based on the standard penetration test, cone penetration test, and shear wave velocity measurement, respectively, are used as the basis for developing Bayesian mapping functions. The present study shows that the Bayesian mapping approach is preferred over the logistic regression approach for estimating the site-specific probability of liquefaction, although both methods yield comparable probabilities. The paper also co...


A dosimetry test under pseudo-practical conditions was carried out for a period of 1 year for the purpose of comparing the performances of glass and film dosimeters under Japanese climatic conditions. The results definitely proved the glass dosimeter to be far more reliable than the film dosimeter.


We experienced a rare case of femoral hernia of the phlegmonous appendix. An 83-year-old female was admitted to the hospital because of a tumor in the inguinal region and lower abdominal pain. Ultrasonography revealed a luminal organ in the sac, which started from the abdominal cavity. It was diagnosed as Richter's hernia and an operation was performed. Operative findings showed the femoral hernia of the phlegmonous appendix. Following appendectomy at the same wound, the cecum was replaced into the peritoneal cavity, and a high ligation of the sac and the anatomic repair were accomplished. The diagnosis of the content in the hernia sac is difficult to make prior to surgery, but ultrasonography is helpful. It is important to entertain the appendix as a probable content of the hernia, if some luminal organ is comfirmed. In terms of cosmetic aspect and les surgical intervension, it is advantagous to deal with the appendix through the same wound for the hernia, if possible.


A field investigation was conducted to study cold acclimation in the Pitjandjara, a desert tribe of Australian aborigines. Oxygen consumption and rectal and skin temperatures were taken every half ...


Damage to the Pekarangan road to Titigalar in Baturiti Village along the 2.10 kilometers in the form of damage to the surface layer of asphalt (holes, collapsed, grain removal and pavement peeling). Damage occurred due to lack of drainage channels, weather, subgrade conditions and increased traffic volume. In expediting community activities, saving travel time and alternative paths for the Mengwitani-Singaraja road congestion, the improvement of the road must be carried out immediately. Design drawings are needed to get the cost of road improvement. This study aims to identify the condition of the road surface, plan the design of road drawings, calculate the cost of road repairs, get savings in the value of travel time between before and plan for road improvement and get people's perception of road improvement. Data collection methods are observation, interview, documentation, questionnaire and library study. The analysis method consists of quantitative descriptive analysis, SKBI-18.104.22.1687 component analysis, autocad, unit price analysis and travel time analysis. The results of the research are the condition of the road surface is heavily damaged, the design plan of the image is wear-resistant laston (AC-WC) as thick as 4 cm, intermediate laston layer (AC-BC) as thick as 6 cm, class A aggregate as thick as 15 cm and class B aggregate as thick as 25 cm. The amount of the fee is Rp. 7,784,038,000.00. The amount of savings in travel time is 4.05 minutes or 243 seconds. The community's perception of road improvement is that all agree.


Hyperfine interaction, proton spin relaxation and dynamic proton spin polarization were determined for the radical cation salts of fluoranthene: (FA)+ 2;PF− 6, and (FA)+ 2:SbF6 −, by observation of...


This paper presents the results of experimental, analytical and numerical studies concerning the flexural strengthening of RC beams using externally bonded High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCCs) like Slurry Infiltrated Fibre CONcrete (SIFCON) and Slurry Infiltrated Mat CONcrete (SIMCON). A total of ten reinforced concrete beams were cast and tested in the laboratory over an effective span of 3000 mm. Eight beams were strengthened with bonded SIFCON and SIMCON laminates at the bottom under virgin condition and tested until failure; the remaining two beams were used as control specimen. Static responses of all the beams were evaluated in terms of strength, stiffness, ductility ratio, energy absorption capacity factor, compositeness between laminate and concrete, and the associated failure modes. Comparisons were made between experimental, analytical and numerical results of SIFCON and SIMCON. The results show that the strengthened beams exhibit increased flexural strength, enhanced flexural stiffness, and composite action until failure.


The data on the effect of metal salts and protein modifying agents on the enzyme produced by B. licheniformis under solide state fermentation (SSF) process are reported and compared with those of the enzymes from other B. licheniformis and Bacillus strains. The bacterial α-amylase produced under SSF technique was not purified or characterized earlier


The physical responses of the human body to frequencies below approximately 50 cps can be described by analyzing the body as a lumped parameter system. Recent refinements of measurement techniques allow more precise determination of this mechanical model and of many of its parameters, its resonances and mechanical impedances. This model is useful in studying the dynamics of the body exposed to various types of dynamic loads: whole body vibration, transient acceleration, blast exposure, respirator excitation, and rapid decompression. The response of the thorax‐abdomen system is discussed in detail. These studies are valuable as guides in future experimentation, in the interpretation of various types of biological effects, and in developing and understanding protective measures. The limits of linearity of the various components of the system and data on tissue strength are still unknown. The various effects limiting voluntary human tolerance to vibrations and their connection with the body's physical respon...


In Humanity, Ai Weiwei tells us that because no artist can be self-contained, he feels that refugees are part of him and that he is part of them. He invites us to enter into a circuit of mutuality ...


An experiment involving three sowing methods and four integrated nutrient management practices was undertaken at Rajeev Gandhi South Campus, Banaras Hindu University in factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of sowing methods and integrated nutrients management practices on performance of pearl millet under agri-horti system. The sowing methods and integrated nutrient management practices significantly (P=0.05) influenced performance of pearl millet. Adoption of ridge and furrow sowing method recorded higher growth [plant height (147.7 cm), dry weight (72.7 g), and number of tillers plant-1 (2.0)], yield attributes [effective tillers hill-1 (1.77), panicle length (17.9 cm), grains panicle-1 (1508.3), grains weight panicle-1 (13.9), and test weight (9.23 g)], yields [ grain yield (1412 kg ha-1 ), and stover yield (3972 kg ha-1 )], and economics [net returns (Rs. 36371 ha-1 ), and B:C ratio (1.79) than broadcasting and raised bed. Application of 50% recommended dose of fertilizer + 50% poultry manure resulted higher growth [plant height (151.9 cm), dry weight (79.7 g), and number of tillers plant-1 (2.22)], yield attributes[effective tillers hill-1 (2.0), panicle length (18.8 cm), grains panicle-1 (1615.6), grains weight panicle-1 (14.5), and test weight (9.76 g)], yields [ grain yield (1552 kg ha-1 ), and stover yield (4360 kg ha-1 )] and economics [net returns (Rs. 38227 ha-1 ), and B:C ratio (1.77) than remaining integrated nutrient management practices. The combination of ridge and furrow and 50% recommended dose of fertilizer + 50% poultry manure was adjudged to be better for pearl millet performance.


Dynastor darius (Fabr.) (Figure 1) is a large crepuscular butterfly found from Guatemala south into Brasil (Blandin, 1976; Blandin and Descimon, 1977). The larva is known to feed on various bromeliads. In the interests of amplifying the scattered and fragmentary descriptions of the immature stages by previous workers, and commenting upon certain discrepancies between their findings and our own, we here present data on twelve individuals of Dynastor darius reared on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama in 1978. On 21 June we captured a female of Dynastor darius, and over the period 23-25 June obtained twelve eggs (Figure 2). These were spherical, 2.2 mm in diameter, and cream colored with a pattern of anastomosing striae oriented from pole to pole. The first instars emerged eleven days after oviposition and we presented them with leaves of a variety of monocot species: Musaparadisiaca (Musaceae), Heliconia sp. (Heliconiaceae), Monstera sp. (Araceae), Cocos nucifera (Palmae), Zingiber sp. (Zingiberaceae), Philodendron tripartirum Araceae), Ananas comosus (Bromeliaceae), and an unidentified grass (Gramineae). The larvae ate only the pineapple (Ananas comosus).


As for the technology of producing groundwood-containing papers under alkaline conditions, the main attention now as in the past is focused on interfering substances from groundwood pulp. The terminology "acid to alkaline" itself indicates that chemistry is a primary issue. In general, due to the accumulation tendency of organic anionic trash toward pH increase in the papermaking system, these substances have more detrimental effects on runnability and paper property at alkaline than acid pH. A knowledge of organic anionic trash in paper and papermaking system is of great interest for the paper industry. But current techniques for the determination of fatty and resin acids in pulp and paper matrices are time-consuming and not so precise as are ex-


Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytoalexine found in medicinal plants. We found that resveratrol, at doses of 2.5 and 10 mg/kg, significantly reduced the tumor volume (42%), tumor weight (44%) and metastasis to the lung (56%) in mice bearing highly metastatic Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumors, but not at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg. Resveratrol did not affect the number of CD4, CD8 and natural killer (NK)1.1. T cells in the spleen. Therefore, the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on tumor growth and lung metastasis could not be explained by natural killer or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activation. In addition, resveratrol inhibited DNA synthesis most strongly in LLC cells; its 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 6.8 mmol/L. Resveratrol at 100 mmol/L increased apoptosis to 20.6 6 1.35% from 12.1 6 0.36% (P , 0.05) in LLC cells, and decreased the S phase population to 22.1 6 1.03% and 29.2 6 0.27% from 35.2 6 1.72% (P , 0.05) at concentrations of 50 and 100 mmol/L, respectively. Resveratrol inhibited tumor-induced neovascularization at doses of 2.5 and 10 mg/kg in an in vivo model. Moreover, resveratrol significantly inhibited the formation of capillary-like tube formation from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) at concentrations of 10–100 mmol/L; the degree of the inhibition of capillary-like tube formation by resveratrol was 45.5% at 10 mmol/L, 50.2% at 50 mmol/L and 52.6% at 100 mmol/L. Resveratrol inhibited the binding of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to HUVEC at concentrations of 10–100 mmol/L, but not at concentrations of 1 and 5 mmol/L. The degree of inhibition of VEGF binding to HUVEC by resveratrol was 16.9% at 10 mmol/L, 53.2% at 50 mmol/L and 47.8% at 100 mmol/L. We suggest that the antitumor and antimetastatic activities of resveratrol might be due to the inhibition of DNA synthesis in LLC cells and the inhibition of LLC-induced neovascularization and tube formation (angiogensis) of HUVEC by resveratrol J. Nutr. 131:


Discourses of religion in the classroom practice : Religious Education in upper secondary school at vocational and academic preparatory programs.


Abstract: This article discusses the results of a research study investigating the possible relationship between life-style risk factors, e.g., weight, dietary patterns, stress, activity and smoking in the development of diseases. The author concludes that there is a need for individuals to improve weight, dietary patterns, reduce stress and increase recreational activity to reduce life-style risk. Key Words: Life-Style Risk Model, Afro-American Population, Weight & Dietary Patterns, Stress Reduction, Recreational Activity Large epidemiological studies, such as the Framingham Study, provide evidence for a link between biological characteristics and lifestyle patterns in the pathogenesis of disease. Findings of world wide research, especially the United States/Japan program, has advanced knowledge of the causes of heart disease, stroke, types of cancer and diabetes indicating that individual lifestyle is associated with these diseases. A major health problem in Japan is high blood pressure, stroke and cancer of the stomach from excessive use of salt, salted pickled foods and low intake of protective fruits and vegetables (Weisburger, 1998). In the western world, heart disease and cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, rectum, pancreas, ovaries and endometrium are related to nutritional tradition of foods too high in total fat, fried or broiled meats, and diets low in fiber, and vegetables and fruits. Cooked meats have toxic chemicals which are causative agents in heart disease and nutritionally linked cancers. With the western world diet, the use of alcohol and tobacco involve a high risk of heart attacks and cancer which accounts for 35% of medical care costs (Weisburger, 1998). Personal habits also play critical roles in the choice and development of chronic serious diseases and injuries from violence and accidents. Of the ten leading causes of death in the United States, seven could be substantially reduced if persons at risk improved their lifestyles surrounding six habits: diet, smoking, inactivity, alcohol use, stress management and blood pressure control. Diseases causing deaths today are different from those at the turn of the Century. In the early 1900s, morbidity and mortality were due primarily to infectious diseases, such as smallpox, poliomyelitis, diphtheria and yellow fever (Kumate, 1997). Today, the primary cause of morbidity and mortality are lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, which are chronic diseases and the primary infectious disease is HIV/AIDS. Because modern day treatment of heart disease is associated with treating high blood cholesterol, catastrophic cardiovascular events have been reduced. However, a similar scenario does not exist for the incidence of strokes in which blacks still have a 38% greater risk of occurrence. Likewise, modern lifestyles combined with megacity urbanization have resulted in the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases, some of which were controlled in the early turn of the 1900s (Kumate, 1997). Identifying and treating signs and symptoms proved effective for infectious diseases but is less effective with chronic diseases (Superko, 1997). In areas of inquiry, problems with lifestyle can be dealt with by first assuming an underlying theoretical structure, a model. A representation of a lifestyle risk model is presented in Figure 1. A model is a simplified representation of a process intended to enhance the ability to understand, predict and possibly control the phenomenon of interest. The purpose of constructing and testing theoretical models is to investigate concepts (or variables) of the multivariate world that have the strongest impact. Early lifestyle factors associated with adult chronic diseases have been presented in pathways models. These models have been least contributory in understanding the association between biological factors such as genetic predisposition and lifestyle or social risks experiences across the lifespan (Power & Hertzman, 1997). …


A new set of local performance indices has recently been introduced within a mathematical framework specifically designed to promote a local–global analysis of water networks. Successively, some local indices were also set up and implemented on WaterNetGen to better exploit their potential. In this paper, after a very brief overview of tools and main notations, Santarém's (Portugal) water distribution network (WDN) is examined, applying to it the mentioned set of local indices, as a new real case study. The paper also focuses on the Hypotesis required to assess these indices in a pressure driven analysis (PDA) approach, analyzing and discussing the results obtained from such a simulation.


Land and water resources are central focus to agriculture and are linked to environmental challenges like erosion, soil degradation, water pollution, climate change adaptation, destruction of ecosystems and habitat destruction among others. The major driver of these challenges is the use of inappropriate tillage pratices. This study investigated the environmental impact of tillage methods on crop yield and also model the impact associated with tillage methods on crop yield in the guinea savanna ecological zone, Kwara State, Nigeria. Traditional heap (T), Plough/Harrow (PH), Plough/Harrow/Ridge (PHR) and No-till tillage (NT) methods commonly used in the study area were applied to experimental plots at Unilorin Teaching and Research Farm (UTRF) and National Center for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Idofian. Using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), each treatment had three replicates making 12 experimental plots at each location for 2015 and 2016 planting season. Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate the impact of the tillage methods on crop yield in watersheds over two planting seasons. The result findings reveal that crop yield (kg/ha) parameters had PH yield > NT yield (P (0.015) ˂ 0.05) > T yield (P (0.04) ˂ 0.05) and > PHR yield (P (0.046) ˂ 0.05) for UTRF and NCAM sites in 2015 while in 2016, PH yield > T yield (P (0.026) ˂ 0.05) > PHR yield (P (0.046) ˂ 0.05) and no statistical difference between PH and NT at both locations. Also, in the UTRF site, plant height, number of leaves, leave length and leave width explained 59.3% and 43.3% in 2015 and 2016 of the variance in the yield of maize respectively, while in NCAM site, these variables explained 54.7% and 1.1% in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The study concludes that the different tillage methods impact on the crop yield, however, Plough/Harrow had comparatively favorable effect on the soil environment, contribution to surface runoff and crop yield. It is therefore recommended that PH should be adopted for a sustainable environment.


The rill erosion equation in the current Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model is based on the coupled detachment and transport processes concept proposed by Foster and Meyer in 1972. The first-order detachment-transport coupling states that the rill detachment rate, D r , is proportional to the difference between transport capacity, T c , and sediment load, q s : D r = a (T c - q s ), where a is a rate control constant. A field experiment was designed to examine the validity of this model. Flow channels, 0.2 m wide, with clear water introduced at the upslope end were used in the study. Sediment delivery from different channel lengths and inflow rates was measured. Data were collected for three soils: Russell silt loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludalf), Saybrook silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Typic Argiudoll), and Sharpsburg silty clay (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll). Results showed that rill detachment and transport are not coupled processes. In the upper reach of a channel, q s is limited by a soil-dependent detachment rate. For longer channels, transport capacity controls the sediment delivery. Experimental data supported the Meyer and Wischmeier model concept, in which detachment and transport processes are separated and sediment delivery is limited to the lesser of the two. A slight modification to the Meyer and Wischmeier concept is the inclusion of an overshoot situation (i.e., q s > T c ) when the sediment regime is shifted from a detachment-dominated to a transport-dominated condition. Additional work is required to expand the database to develop a validated rill detachment and transport model.


August 20 marked the twentieth anniversary of the death of Albert Gordon Austin, sometime Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne. Austin was an inspiring teacher, the author of a number of pioneering books on education in colonial Australia, and the man who was most responsible for his Faculty's reputation, in the 1960s and 1970s, for being at the forefront of scholarship in the field of educational history.


In order to characterize the information propagation accurately on online social network, we propose an optimized SEIR information diffusion model. Firstly, the model considers the emotional factor of every node, which is a dynamic parameter in propagation process. The model defines five possible states: susceptible, exposed, removed, positive and negative infected. Every node attached to a specific emotion value, the dynamic interaction among these emotion values is produced in the diffusion process. We analyse the new mechanism of information dissemination and establish the mean-field equations. As we all know, the information dissemination is affected by user's emotion, user's degree and other factors. By simulating information diffusion process on real social Weibo, we analyse the density of users and the effect of some factors in the diffusion process. Simulation results agree well with the theoretical analysis, and it shows that the optimized model fits the characteristics of online social networks.


This Research Work in Progress Paper presents the comparison of the student achievement gap in online courses and traditional face-to-face courses among engineering and computer science students. The hypothesis of the work is: Online courses in Engineering and Computer Science College do not increase the achievement gap among the underserved groups compared to face-to-face courses. The analyses include the data for about 4800 students which used to evaluate the student performance in about 150,000 courses. The results indicates that there is no sign of the gender gap and low enrolment of underserved populations in online and hybrid courses compared to face-to-face courses. In fact, the data shows that the achievement gap among most underserved populations was reduced in online and hybrid courses compared to face-to-face courses for the college of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University, Sacramento between 2005 and 2017.


Coordinates rotation is widely used in science and engineering. It has applications on astronomy, image processing, robotics, power electronics, etc. This paper presents an efficient algorithm to calculate a rotation transform using digital devices. The method is based on the rational trigonometry. Unlike conventional trigonometry which is based on the concepts of angle and distance, the rational trigonometry is based on the concepts of spread and quadrature. In is also presented an analysis of the number of operation that can be saved using a standard math library in a typical situation.


Due to coal wall spalling is also one of the sources of flying gangue, and the displacement of coal wall can qualitatively reflect the degree of wall caving, so this paper use flying gangue in steeply dipping seam as the object of study, based on distinct element method (DEM). By using numerical simulation, the derivative mechanism for flying gangue under the different mining height in steeply dipping seam were systematically studied. The results show that the severity of wall caving has an increasing trend along with mining height increases, and the extent of injury of flying gangue caused by wall caving also has an increasing trend.


A new correlation for CO/sub 2/ minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) is proposed and tested. The correlation is based on experimental evidence that extraction of hydrocarbons from a crude oil depends most strongly on the size of the hydrocarbon molecules. Thus, an oil rich in hydrocarbons that are efficiently extracted should show a lower MMP than a heavier oil. The only crude-oil data needed for use of the correlation are a carbon-number distribution, which can be obtained easily by chromatography. The density of CO/sub 2/ at the MMP is correlated against a weighted-composition parameter. The MMP of any oil at a given temperature is estimated as the pressure required to yield that CO/sub 2/ density. The effects of contaminants in CO/sub 2/ can be estimated easily by calculating the pressure required to give a mixture density equal to that required for pure CO/sub 2/. Correlation accuracy was tested comparing predicted and measured MMP's for 35 oils. The proposed correlation produces MMP estimates accurate to within about 10% for most oils. Comparison of correlation predictions with those of other commonly used correlations indicates that the proposed correlation is significantly more accurate, particularly for recombined oils.


: Anthelmintic drugs are primarily used to treat parasitic infections. More than 1.5 billion individuals, or 24% of the world's population, were estimated to be infected by soil-transmitted helminths. Pharmaceuticals are essential for preserving human health and fostering happiness. However, it is vital to determine the drug's safety, efficacy


In this study, the Mongolian college students were selected as the subjects, and the internal discourse of the Mongolian college students in Chinese reading was discussed. This paper chooses the Chinese text style as the expository and prose. The study found that the Mongolian bilinguals were not significantly different in reading the expository and prose, but the processing of the expository was faster than the prose. The conclusion is that the expository is clear and easy to understand for Mongolian bilinguals. The prose for Mongolian bilinguals is more difficult to grasp the article center when reading. Therefore, the reading level of Chinese prose is lower than expository.


Hemostatic prophylaxis (HP) is recommended for patients with bleeding disorders (PWBD) before invasive procedures. However, evidence‐based guidelines are needed to determine optimal HP strategies.


Wavelet neural network is used in the direct thrust control system of linear motor in this paper, as wavelet theory has the characteristic of the time frequency location characteristic, the strong approximation and fault-tolerant capability. The observation of flux linkage is improved by accurate identification of primary resistance, and the direct thrust control performance of linear motor is further improved. This paper used wavelet neural network to realize the identification signal of resistance. The simulation results show that the identification system has good effect in primary resistance identification. The direct thrust control system based on resistance identification can efficiently improve the control system performances of linear motor, and offer a novel design opinion for improving the low-speed performances of linear motor.


The aim of this paper is to analyse the Tijs value as a solution concept for cost allocation problems. Given a cost game c, we define its dual τ -value as τ (c∗), if the dual game c∗ is quasi-balanced. Then we show that the dual τ -value coincides, for a wide class of cost games, with the alternate cost avoided (ACA) allocation proposed in the 1930's by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It turns out that the center of the imputation set, the egalitarian nonseparable contribution and the ACA allocation are collinear.


The main part of cholesterol esters is concentrated in the lysosomes of the liver. We have found changes in the ratio of cholesterol esters and free cholesterol in the homogenate liver. These data indicate a dysfunction of the lysosomes in the liver of mice that received CCl 4.


This study aims to determine the accountability of village financial management that includes planning implementation administration reporting accountability of financial management of village finances in Jombang regency. The research method used qualitative descriptive by compiling the financial management of Sumbermulyo village in conformity with the Local Head of Government Regulation Number 33 of 2015 on Management of Village Finance.  With data collection techniques through interviews and direct observation of the object of research.  Determination of observation area is done by considering the small amount of village fund acceptance or allocation of village fund. The results of this study indicate that based on Regent Regulation No. 33 of 2015 on the management of Village Finance outline management of Village Finance has reached accountability.  In addition village counseling is still needed from the local government to intensively assist the village to realize accountability of village financial management.


Object detection on grocery store shelves has become essential in retail industries to ensure planogram compliance: arranging products in a specific layout to maximize sales and improve customer experience. Neural networks have been widely employed for this task, achieving excellent performances. However, standard datasets may not be adequate for this task as they are often region-specific or too generic, making it difficult to distinguish between different products. To address this issue, we propose using synthetic images to create a more diverse and comprehensive dataset. Our results show that synthetic images can successfully train a detection system resilient to challenging scenarios (e.g., occlusions and variations in lighting conditions).


Host Sven Johann speaks with Dave Thomas, ACM Distinguished Member, entrepreneur, and researcher, about the tradeoffs and constraints facing developers as they work with legacy systems.


Acoustic limitations on propagation of low‐frequency complex communication sounds make the amplitude modulation (AM) rate an important auditory feature for both aquatic larval (tadpole) and partly terrestrial (adult) bullfrogs. Phase‐locked responses to AM signals were recorded from neurons in the auditory midbrain during metamorphic and postmetamorphic development. The best modulation frequency (BMF) and maximal significant AM rate are significantly negatively correlated with the developmental stage. Pre‐ and early prometamorphic tadpoles show phase locking to higher AM rates than postmetamorphic animals. Late prometamorphic (deaf period) tadpoles show a substantial reduction in auditory sensitivity, lower BMFs, reduced bandwidths of modulation transfer functions (MTF), and loss of significant phase locking. By the onset of the metamorphic climax, there is a recovery of auditory sensitivity and phase‐locked responding, with late climax tadpoles showing auditory sensitivity similar to that of postmetamorp...


In an attempt to improve the quality of educational research, the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences has provided funding for 65 randomized controlled trials of educational interventions. We argue that this research methodology is more effective in providing guidance to extremely troubled schools about how to make some progress than guidance to schools trying to move from making some progress to becoming high-performance organizations. We also argue that the conventional view of medical research—discoveries made in specialized laboratories that are then tested using randomized control trials—is an inaccurate description of the sources of advances in medical practice. Moreover, this conventional view of the sources of advances in medical practice leads to incorrect inferences about how to improve educational research. We illustrate this argument using evidence from the history of medical research on the treatment of cystic fibrosis.


Economic growth was higher than expected in 2000. While in 1999 the upturn of Czech economy was driven mainly by exports, in 2000 domestic demand have taken over the role of main pro-growth factor. Czech industry showed great progress in 2000: rapid growth was accompanied by ongoing restructuring. Growth of labour productivity in industry outpaced increase of real wages almost four times, which helped Czech exporters to compete on demanding foreign markets even under strong exchange rate of CZK. Rapid growth of labour productivity and construction also prevented Czech economy from cost-inflationary pressures.


The present invention holds a sensor substrate including a sensor part for collecting information about a module and a power receiving coil for supplying power to the sensor part, on a holding member; moves the holding member forward to deliver the sensor substrate to the module; supplies power to a power transmitting coil provided at a base of the holding member to form a magnetic field, and causes the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil to resonate in the magnetic field to supply power from the power transmitting coil to the power receiving coil; and acquires data about the module by the sensor part.


Canada's Aboriginal peoples have experienced extensive conflict with the law and the criminal justice system historically and in contemporary times. Government‐sponsored initiatives designed to reduce the disproportionate involvement of Aboriginal peoples at all stages of the criminal justice system from arrest to incarceration have been largely ineffective. This paper focuses on the emergence of alternative justice programs and forums in Aboriginal communities which incorporate elements of traditional cultural practice. These developments are occurring against a larger political backdrop of the constitutional recognition of an inherent right to Aboriginal self‐government, the assertion of control by Aboriginal bands and communities over all aspects of community life, and the revitalization of Aboriginal communities and cultures. These initiatives, premised on a restorative model of justice, address the needs of victims, offenders and the community in a holistic framework. Such a framework which is design...


This article analyses some of the features of the arbitration provisions included in the tax treaties concluded by the US. The purpose of the article is to analyse these arbitration provisions in the light of the recommendations of the OECD and the UN Model Tax Conventions. The differences emphasized between the arbitration provisions included in the tax treaties concluded by the US and Article 25(5) of the Model Tax Conventions may be of interest to countries considering different options for designing arbitration provisions in their tax treaties.


PURPOSE: A promotion sales product catalogue service system and method is provided to offer the catalogues for the promotion sales products, e.g. for inducing customers to subscribe for an insurance service so that it makes it easy producing the catalogue and prevent an exposure of the promotion sales product price in a conventional method. CONSTITUTION: The method comprises steps of a management server checking if a connection signal is transmitted from a terminal(S410), the server checking the sort of the connection from the terminal(S420), the server determining an unlimited log-in in the case that the ID and password, input from the terminal, are registered, and determining a limited log-in in the case that the ID and password are not registered(S430), the server offering a catalogue production, a catalogue transmission or a product delivery menu to the terminal in the case that the accessed user is the unlimited log-in user(S440,S450,S460), and the server offering a catalogue transmission or a purchase request input menu for the limited log-in user.


ABSTRACT During metal injection moulding (MIM) processing, titanium tends to react with carbon from the polymeric binder. Thus, carbides, which can effect embrittlement, might be formed if the carbon solubility of the alloy is exceeded. Especially in β-titanium alloys, this is a critical issue, because β-phase stabilising elements like V, Mo and Nb decrease the carbon solubility of the Ti-matrix. This study summarises studies with different approaches to limit carbide precipitation in a Ti–22wt-%Nb alloy processed by MIM. Adding Zr led to a significant reduction in the amount and size of carbides due to an increase in the lattice constant. Furthermore, boron was added supporting a finer distribution of the carbides. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy investigations reveal the role of the elemental additions and analyse the structure of the different carbides formed. Combinations with heat treatments led to significant reduction in the amount of carbides.


Progressive ischemic stroke is a severe cerebrovascular disease,its incidence of related factors and extracranial internal carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque and stenosis degree,blood pressure,diabetes, high blood lipids,fever and infection,biochemistry and cell factor,OCSP type and CT type is closely related; treatment including thrombolysis,anticoagulation,antiplatelet therapy,treatment with free radical scavengers,opioid receptor antagonist treatment,reasonable adjustment,hypogl ycemic,blood pressure,cooling in the treatment of cerebral of edema and surgical treatment.


Analysis of linguistic and iconic signs in advertisements: A semiotic approach
The advertising discourse aims by various means to convince the audience by an argumentative discursive. It does not simply list the qualities of the product, but creates new values and needs and guides perceptions and tastes in a highly competitive environment. The brand anchored its visual identity in the memory of the receiver through linguistic and iconic signs. Useful advertising exploits the common concerns of consumers, including ageing, the vicissitudes of time, the desire to remain young, etc. Advertisers do not put a product on the market to be sold, but rather seek to resurrect a latent energy, invisible stereotypical images. The main objective of the marketer is to appeal to the unconscious, psychological and cognitive specificities, and lifestyles according to the target's expectations. The brand image and its advertising slogans play a crucial role in the consumer's behavior and attitude towards products and change buying habits. The sender goes beyond the exploitation of socio-cultural data, creating a new culture or even trying to give another identity to the society. The advertising spot does not only focus on the object itself, but also seek to getting rid of the utilitarian side of the product, but to give him an iconic and aesthetic dimension. Brands take advantage of the consumer trend by targeting the unconscious of the receiver through his social status to positively influence purchasing behavior.


The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) will observe the optical emission from the prime targets of the gamma-ray instruments onboard the ESA mission INTEGRAL with the support of the JEM-X monitor in the X-ray domain. This capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature and the physics of the sources over a board wavelength range. The main scientific objectives are: (1) to monitor the optical emission from the sources observed by the gamma- and X-ray instruments, measuring the time and intensity structure of the optical emission for comparison with variability at high energies, and (2) to provide the brightness and position of the optical counterpart of any gamma- or X-ray transient taking place within its field of view. The OMC is based on a refractive optics with an aperture of 50 mm focused onto a large format CCD (1024×2048 pixels) working in frame transfer mode (1024×1024 pixels imaging area). With a field of view of 5°×5° it will be able to monitor sources down to V=19 magnitudes...


Pampamys emmonsae gen. el sp. nov., from the Cerro Azul Formation (Late Miocene, La Pampa province), is described. It is related to the extant Clyomys, Euryzygomatomys and Thrichomys . Dental morphology indicates that these genera represent a natural group, of which Pampamys emmonsae gen. et sp. nov. is the most primitive representative. This clade would have undergone an important radiation during the Late Miocene in central and western Argentina.


Cultural heritage tourism, as a typical integration of culture and tourism, has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Although some scholars have already explored the influencing mechanism of tourists' behavioral intention in cultural heritage destinations, there remains a lack of research on how the social responsibility of cultural heritage tourism destinations affects tourist citizenship behavior. Exploring the formation mechanism of tourist citizenship behavior at cultural heritage sites from the perspective of destination social responsibility, this study intends to provide a theoretical reference for realizing the high-quality development of cultural heritage tourism. In this study, a chain mediation model based on destination reputation and destination identification is constructed to clarify the influencing mechanism of destination social responsibility on tourist citizenship behavior. The structural equation model and bootstrapping methods are applied to conduct empirical tests on 573 valid samples who have experienced cultural heritage tourism. The results show that: (a) the social responsibility of cultural heritage destinations positively affects the tourist citizenship behavior; (b) the destination reputation plays a mediating role between destination social responsibility and tourist advocacy behavior; (c) the destination identification plays a mediating role between destination social responsibility and tourist feedback behavior and tourist advocacy behavior; (d) the destination reputation and destination identification jointly play a chain mediation role between destination social responsibility and tourist citizenship behavior. These research results not only clarify the internal mechanism between the social responsibility of cultural heritage sites and tourist citizenship behavior, but also presented certain significance for practically guiding the destination managers to promote the sustainable development of cultural heritage tourism.


Objective: Many medical biosensors have been widely developed for use in clinical diagnosis as point-of-care testing. However, most of them still suffer from inaccurate results, caused by the lack of biosensor stability under variable pH of biofluid samples; such as urine. Hence, the instability of pH variations is one of the key challenges for electrochemical biosensors. In this study, the development of gold nanoparticles-Prussian blue (AuNPs-PB) based screen-printed electrodes were investigated for their performance, in terms of electrochemical stability within various pH solutions.Material and Methods: The AuNPs-PB modified screen-printed gold electrode (SPAuE) was developed and optimized using an electrode-position technique and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. As compared to PB modified SPAuE, the signal response of cyclic voltammograms at AuNPs-PB modified SPAuE was examined in a phosphate buffer solution with different pH values. The electrochemical stability of the modified SPAuE was considered on the invariability of the PB redox current in different pH solutions.Results: The result revealed that stable current signals of PB in different pH solutions of the AuNPs-PB modified SPAuE showed good electrochemical stability, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of oxidation and reduction peak currents being 1.0% and 1.1%, respectively. The signal stability results exhibited over two and five times when compared to those of the PB modified SPAuE (without gold nanoparticles), which were 2.4% and 5.6% RSD, respectively.Conclusion: The AuNPs-PB modified SPAuE provides a potentially alternative tool for the enhancement of electrochemical stability for use in medical biosensor applications.


The present study numerically predicts emissions (NOx & CO) characteristics issued from swirl burner using different computational schemes adopted in ANSYS 17.2. Various turbulence models were tested and compared in a structured grid having an average skewness of 0.04. RSM model shows the best results in predicting the central toroidal recirculation zone for such severe swirling flow (S>0.6). Three different schemes of combustion modeling were also tested and compared. Flamelet PDF model was preferred among other combustion models for its potential to consider non-equilibrium chemistry, where its choice was recommended form many studies in the literature. A radiation heat transfer analysis was carried out using P1 radiation model to account radiation effects in estimating NOx and CO concentrations. The effect of varying swirl ratio, excess air, diluting fuel with N2 and CO2, oxidizer preheating, and oxidizer composition on emissions (NOx and CO) reduction strategy concluded that increasing the swirl number, excess air factor, and (N2 and CO2) mixing ratios have a considerable influence on NOx and CO emissions reduction. While increasing the preheating temperature, and the oxidizer Oxygen concentration leads to an increase the NOx and CO emissions. Hence, a considerable reduction in NOx and CO formation was apparently observed by lowering the peak flame temperature less than 1800 K. These predicted outcomes are in agreement with measurements data published in the literature.


The invention discloses a moving coil type loudspeaker. The moving coil type loudspeaker sequentially comprises a front cover, a vibration system and a magnetic circuit system from top to bottom; the vibration system comprises a vibration diaphragm, a centring disk and a voice coil, which are combined together from top to bottom; the vibration diaphragm comprises a vibration diaphragm body part with a folding ring and a vibration diaphragm reinforcing part, wherein the vibration diaphragm reinforcing part comprises a first conductive material layer; the centring disk comprises a second conductive material layer; the magnetic circuit system comprises a central washer, a centre magnet and a magnetic conduction yoke, which are combined together from top to bottom; the front cover comprises a third conductive material layer; the first conductive material layer and the second conductive material layer are used as movable polar plates; the third conductive material layer is used as a first fixed polar plate; the central washer, the centre magnet and the magnetic conduction yoke are used as second fixed polar plates; and thus, a capacitor structure used for detecting vibration displacement is formed. By means of the capacitor structure provided by the invention, the vibration displacement of the moving coil type loudspeaker can be monitored.


One of Beauvoir 's novel,"She Came to Stay",is explicated in three levels,commonsense discourse level,philosophically deductive level,and heuristic level of human nature.It embedded complex human affection into the main body of existentialism philosophy—others dualism which is in the scope of being described phenomenological.It explores the relationship of"the three-formed sonata" in which illusion of harmonious ideals is expressed.The Three heroines are exhausted in the contradiction between what they stifle to for their subjectivity and the harmonious relationship constructed with others.Because of this,in manipulating others subjectivity,their subjectivity gets lost in various degree.Elicitation of awareness about others lets them reflect and deconstruct the perspective of intellectuals shared lies.Francoise and Elizabeth as the spiritual symbols of women-intellectuals emancipate at half the way.Due to sex-oriented evil recycle unconsciously internalized extinct,they accordingly get lost in the creative activities.


Portunus trituberculatus Zoea larvas were exposed to four different heavy metals in a series of acute toxicity.Tests were carried out at Xinghai High-class Fry Selection and Rearing Research Institute of Putuo District,Zhoushan Zhejiang in April 2007.The result showed that the drug tolerance of Portunus trituberculatus larvas to the four heavy metal ions all lowered obviously as the experimental time extended.The four heavy metal ions' toxicity measurements to Portunus trituberculatus larvas of different periods were Hg2+,Cu2+,Zn2+ and Cr6+ in turn.The safe concentration sampling of Cu2+,Hg2+,Zn2+ and Cr6+ was 0.015 6 mg/L,0.002 5 mg/L,0.068 6 mg/L and 0.523 mg/L respectively.


In this paper we shall consider the Navier-Stokes equations in the half plane with Euler-type initial conditions, i.e. initial conditions which have a non-zero tangential component at the boundary. Under analyticity assumptions for the data, we shall prove that the solution exists for a small time independent of the viscosity. The solution is constructed through a composite asymptotic expansion involving the solutions of the Euler and Prandtl equations, plus an error term. The norm of the error goes to zero with the square root of the viscosity. The Prandtl solution contains a singular term, which influences the regularity of the error. The error term is written as the sum of a first order Euler correction, a first order Prandtl correction, and a further error term. The use of an analytic setting is mainly due to the Prandtl equation.


Objective The purpose of the present study was to assess the success rates,and safety of the transradial approach(TRA) for diagnostic coronary angiography.Methods A series of 568 consecutive patients were divided into TRA group(268 patients) and transfemoral approach(TFA) group(300 patients).We compared the two groups regarding to success rate,vascular complications,contrast volume,procedural time,and fluoroscopy time.Results: We did not find difference in success rates,vascular complications,contrast volume,fluoroscopy time and procedural time(p0.05).Conclusion The TRA is a safe alternative as TFA catheterization by considering with success rate,and safety for diagnostic coronary angiography.


High-performance computing (HPC) is currently moving from the petaflops scale (1015 FLOPS) towards exascale (1018 FLOPS) computing.The leap up to exascale computing will not only be a milestone in the history of computer science, but will also bring the prospect of transformative progress in many areas, including energy, life sciences, materials chemistry and national security. Because of the vital roles played by supercomputers in science, engineering and national security, the global race to develop the first exascale supercomputer is intensifying. Since 2013, China Tianhe-2 has ranked as the fastest computer in the world. Questions now arise as to the demands and challenges to be faced in the path towards development of exascale computing capabilities, and with regard to China's prospects of continuing to have the world's leading supercomputer in the future. In an interview with NSR, Professor Zuoning Chen, senior engineer of the National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, gives her insights into the most important issues in this field, including the technical challenges when designing and implementing exascale computers, fault tolerance issues, processor architectures, interconnect bandwidths, emerging technologies for the mitigation of memory problems and the challenges facing and advantages for China.


Practical-scale air-suspended vehicle is driven by hybrid linear motor (LM) and levitated by air-suspension. The vehicle is driven by single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM) in flat and gentle slope sections of the guideay, and driven by linear synchronous motor (LSM) in steep slope section. This paper presents propulsion control of air-suspended hybrid LM vehicle based on decoupled control of thrust and normal forces in SLIM and LSM sections. Experimental results show that the vehicle can be controlled stably on 10% steep slope with relaxation curve and can be controlled smoothly between SLIM and LSM sections on the slope by switching from SLIM to LSM mode or from LSM to SLIM mode.


In contrast to the school of textual research, ZHANG Xue-cheng argues that the way to achieve Dao can't be confined in textual research since what it can achieve is merely Dao in the Three Dynasties rather than Dao as a whole. Then he advocates "to be a sage by learning from common people": man can achieve Dao by exploring the traces of yin and yang in the daily lives of common people, overcoming the limitation of the subject and composing historical works. This way to achieve Dao, however, also seems to be a little narrow. It remains a problem how we can inherit Chinese tradition that everyone can achieve Dao in our knowledge-dominant age.


The deep drilling campaign in the Niger Delta has demonstrated the need for a detailed geopressure and trap integrity (drilling margin) analysis as an integral and required step in prospect appraisal. Pre-drill pore pressure prediction from 3-D seismic data was carried out in the Greater Ughelli depobelt, Niger Delta basin to predict subsurface pressure regimes and further applied in the determination of hydrocarbon column height, reservoir continuity, fault seal and trap integrity. Results revealed that geopressured sedimentary formations are common within the more prolific deeper hydrocarbon reserves in the Niger Delta basin. The depth to top of mild geopressure ( 0.60 psi/ft) ranges from about 10 000 ftss to over 30 000 ftss. The distribution of geopressures shows a well defined trend with depth to top of geopressures increasing towards the central part of the basin. This variation in the depth of top of geopressures in the area is believed to be related to faulting and shale diapirism, with top of geopressures becoming shallow with shale diapirism and deep with sedimentation. Post-depositional faulting is believed to have controlled the configuration of the geopressure surface and has played later roles in modifying the present day depth to top of geopressures. In general, geopressure in this area is often associated with simple rollover structures bounded by growth faults, especially at the hanging walls, while hydrostatic pressures were observed in areas with k-faults and collapsed crested structures.


This thesis describes the design model for predicting visit of web domains by feed-forward neural networks. The first section describes the basic characteristics of web mining and fundamental knowledge of the feed-forward neural networks. Another part includes a description of the preprocessing. For learning of the neural network is used time series visit of web domains upce.cz, which is adjusted using the learning needs of technical analysis indicators. The last part is the learning of neural network and the subsequent analysis of the results.


Vernon Lee has recently received renewed attention for her theory of physiological empathy, which held that artworks were pleasing insofar as they provoked feelings of bodily movement. While most studies of Lee take this to be a primarily visual theory, I argue that Lee's aim was to understand how language mediates corporeal experience. Lee's unusual views about the physiological origin of metaphor and the promise of quantitative literary analysis formed the basis for a method of empathic close reading that was simultaneously somatic and systematic. I show that this type of reading was a significant target for the anti-affective rhetoric of the New Criticism. As such, Lee's "critical empathy" suggests a provocative alternative to inherited practices of close reading.


After having covered the "ultimate" boundary crossing and having established the God-centeredness and focus on nearness and vision of the Sufi hereafter, this chapter focusus on discussions of the first boundary crossing: Adam's banishment from Paradise. It shows the importance of the idea of the loss of primordial Paradise in Sufi eschatology. Firstly, it shows why Adam 'had' to be banished in the thought of the commentators: how do they interpret it to fit within God's larger (eschatological) plan with humankind, and how do they deal with questions of predestination and theodicy related to it? Secondly, it shows what these authors exactly held to be 'lost' by the banishment: what constitutes the yearning to Paradise during this-worldly life? What do Sufis hope to regain? Is it indeed the typical Sufi-eschatological themes of nearness to and vision of God?


In this first of two articles, Bill Mongelluzzo of IHS JOC reports on APM's automated Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam.