I. INTRODUCTION In April 1998, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a consumer alert pertaining to the increasing problem of online auction fraud. The consumer alert notified prospective online auction users that fraud was becoming more prevalent as the number of online auction participants burgeoned. The FTC, in the consumer alert, suggested tips that the consumer should consider when bidding in an online auction. Since this consumer alert, the online auction industry's awareness of fraud has grown considerably. While the FTC has had limited success in policing the auctions and bringing prosecutions of fraudulent merchants, little has been done to address whether or not the provider of the online auction site should be held accountable for providing the arena in which the fraudulent practices occur. Part II of this Note examines the online auction industry and the fraud that is becoming all too commonplace. Statistical evidence clearly indicates that online auction fraud is continuing to grow. Part II then identifies a variety of different fraudulent practices that frequently occur in connection with online auctions. While not an exhaustive list of all the different possibilities of fraud, there is a representative group of practices that will clearly indicate the creativity associated with online auction fraud. Faced with the prospect of online auctions becoming a breeding ground for the unscrupulous and ill willed, Part III of this Note is a detailed analysis of the various efforts to stop online auction fraud. The online auction houses themselves, as well as consumer protection groups, and the FTC have undertaken efforts to curb fraudulent use of the online auction sites. Part IV undertakes a comparative study between online auction fraud and the abuse of the pay-per-call industry in the early 1990s. FTC officials warn that the near demise of the 900-number industry due to fraudulent use could be a foreshadowing of the fate of online auctions if the FTC does not promptly address the fraud occurring online. In Part V, this Note ultimately concludes that the existing efforts of online auction industry self-regulation do not provide adequate recourse against the online auction houses for fraudulent practices occurring on their Web sites. The only effective method to stop the increase of online auction fraud is for the FTC to promulgate guidelines and standards that would put the industry on notice that its members will be held responsible for future acts of online auction fraud committed through the use of their Web site. II. COMPLAINTS OF ONLINE AUCTION FRAUD INCREASE AS THE PERPETRATORS BECOME MORE CREATIVE A. Statistical Evidence of the Increase in Online Auction Fraud Nothing evinces the urgency of curtailing the spread of online auction fraud more than the increase in complaints over the past three years. Both the FTC and the Internet Fraud Watch (IFW), operated by the National Consumers League (NCL), serve as reporting agencies for consumer complaints pertaining to fraud. According to Lisa Hone, staff attorney for the FTC, using Internet-based auctions to defraud people is "`a new type of crime.'"(1) "Hone said that in the first half of 1998, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection received about [three hundred] complaints involving online auction fraud."(2) In the first half of 1999, the FTC's Bureau recorded about six thousand complaints.(3) This represents a two thousand percent increase in just one year's time. According to Susan Grant, director of the IFW project, the number of reports alleging auction fraud are increasing at its offices as well.(4) Consumer complaints to the IFW regarding online auctions increased 600% from 1997 to 1998.(5) In 1997, constituting 26% of the total frauds reported, auctions were the number one Internet fraud complaint.(6) While online auctions maintained the number one ranking in 1998, the percentage of reports pertaining to auctions increased to an alarming 68%. …


Seagrass are marine flowering plants that complete their life cycle submerged in water. They are ecologically and economically important as habitat and food source for the majority of marine biological species. Growth and reproduction in seagrass is affected by environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity, tidal current and nutrients. Following the current global warming trend, ocean temperatures in Tanzania are predicted to increase by 2-4oC from current levels of 27-28oC. Changes in climate are thus likely to affect the reproduction and survival of seagrass in this region. Investigating factors affecting seagrass growth can assist to predict impacts of climate variability and change such as increase in temperature in the marine environment. In the present study Halophila ovalis (R. Brown) Hooker was studied as an indicator of the influence of temperature on growth. Samples were collected from Kunduchi beach, Dar es Salaam and grown in the laboratory under variable temperatures of 22-23, 25-26, 27-28, 30-31 and 33-34oC, for 30 days. The length of new and mature leaves was measured at two days intervals; leaf number, leaf weight, rhizome length and rhizome weight were determined at the end of the experiments. Results suggest 25-26oC to be the optimum temperature for growth of Halophila ovalis. Lowest growth rates were observed at temperatures of 22-23 and 30-31oC, while samples grown at 33-34oC survived only for four days. From these results the anticipated temperature increase of 2-4.5 oC will lead to change in seagrass distribution, abundance and possibly disappearance of higher temperature intolerant species.


The influence of ultraviolet radiation and a strong electric field on the current-voltage characteristic of resistive structures based on polymorphic films of gallium oxide is studied. Both types of Ga2O3 films were obtained by the method of chloride vapor-phase epitaxy on smooth and structured sapphire substrates with orientation (0001). In the same process α-Ga2O3 films were deposited on smooth substrates, and gallium oxide films, with regular structures perpendicular to the substrate, containing alternating regions of the
α- and ε-phases were deposited on patterned substrate.
It's was observed, that radiation with λ = 254 nm and strong electric transfer structures from a state with low resistance to a state with high resistance. The response time to UV radiation is 5 seconds, and the recovery time less than 1 s.


This article analyses influence on inside resistance in the signal source on circuit in 3 ways: monopole amplifying circuit, multilevel amplifier circuit, and negative feedback amplifier. It points out much more higher about impedance being input multilevel amplifier , much more lower about impedance being output multilevel amplifier ; It also indicates the smaller the better on inside resistance in the series connection negative feedback signal source , the bigger the better on inside resistance in the parallel connection negative feedback signal source .


Neurodiversity (the idea that autism is a natural part of human diversity) is a concept that is only just beginning to be explored in music therapy research. The idea of neurodiversity can be viewed as an important part of the emerging discourse around diversity and social justice in British music therapy, with a potentially radical influence on both music therapy practice and the way in which autistic clients and colleagues are viewed. This article, written from the 'insider perspective' of an autistic Music Therapist, explores the origins of the concept of neurodiversity, the emerging strand of music therapy research concerning neurodiversity, the re-framing of autistic characteristics such as stimming within the concept of autistic culture, and the potential influence on music therapy practice and discourse of a wider paradigm shift towards the neurodiversity paradigm. These topics are considered within a social justice context, situating autistic / neurodivergent people as a minoritized identity within society and examining the potential influence of power dynamics, unconscious bias and privilege within the therapeutic relationship. The characteristics of a neurodiversity-affirmative style of music therapy are considered, and a need is identified for more music therapy research in order to elucidate this way of working.


Let X be a K3 surface with a polarization H of the degree H 2 = 2rs, r, s ≥ 1, and the isotropic Mukai vector v = (r, H, s) is primitive. The moduli space of sheaves over X with the isotropic Mukai vector (r, H, s) is again a K3 surface, Y. In [11] the second author gave necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of Picard lattice N (X) of X when Y is isomorphic to X (some important particular cases were also considered in [2], [3] and [10]). Here we show that these conditions imply existence of an isomorphism between Y and X which is a composition of some universal geometric isomorphisms between moduli of sheaves over X, and geometric Tyurin's isomorphsim between moduli of sheaves over X and X itself. It follows that for a general K3 surface X with ρ(X) = rk N (X) ≤ 2 and Y ∼ = X, there exists an isomorphism Y ∼ = X which is a composition of the geometric universal and the Tyurin's isomorphisms. This generalizes our recent results [4] and [5] to a general case.


Hormaomycin is a structurally unusual morphogenic and antibiotic peptide biosynthesized by a bacterial nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). Bioinformatic analysis suggested that parts of the NRPS adenylation (A) domains had recombined during evolution, resulting in a major switch of substrate specificity. This feature inspired us to create A domains with altered substrates based on the putative recombination points. Following characterization of all native hormaomycin A domains, engineered versions were constructed and characterized. Three of the enzymes displayed an almost identical specificity profile to that of native domains recognizing the same substrates. The data support the evolutionary hypothesis regarding the emergence of the hormaomycin pathway and suggest new strategies in NRPS engineering.


This 20-year follow-up study examined the physical, psychological, and social outcomes, and social supports of 49 survivors of an original sample of 418 rural adults who were aged 65 years and older in 1976. The majority of adults lived alone but received regular assistance. Families, especially adult children, were their primary social supports. Very few formal supports were used. Psychological well-being among the very-old was good as expressed through life satisfaction and morale, despite multiple health problems and moderate levels of dependence on others for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Both the cross-sectional and the longitudinal data from this study support the need to rethink issues of social support, independence, and family relationships in very-old age.


This research aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between employee motivation and learning and development programs at one of Indonesia's biggest FMCG companies, PT Danone Indonesia. Guided by McClelland's Theory of Motivation, three independent variables were analyzed relative to learning and development: the need for achievement, the need for power, and the need for affiliation. The research used quantitative method through a survey to gather data from 105 participants working at PT Danone Indonesia who, at the time of the study, had recently joined a series of learning and development programs. Data was analyzed using multiple regressions analysis. Findings show that employees are motivated to undergo learning and development because they want to fulfill two motivational needs: the need for power, and the need for achievement, the former being the highest motivator. On the other hand, the need for affiliation was not a strong motivator to encourage them to learn and develop. Results also show that the interest for learning and development could be explained by 42% of the variables. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


This paper investigates the links between uncertainty in a firm's home market and below-cost dumping in foreign markets. The form that uncertainty takes is shown to determine the likelihood and expected magnitude of dumping. A number of forms of uncertainty are indicated to impart a pro-dumping bias to firms' output decisions. A consequence is that risk-neutral firms may plan to sell some output abroad even though firms know with certainty that exports can never cover marginal cost.


Aim of study: Furniture used indoors; threatens the life safety of users by being knocked over for many reasons such as design, production, user errors, earthquakes, etc. This study was carried out to determine the effects of the variables related to the foots used in the furniture and the horizontal forces on the overturning of furniture.
Area of study: This study was carried out in Safranbolu Şefik Yılmaz Dizdar Vocational School Interior Design Department test laboratory.
Material and methods: For the experiments, a leg model, which is widely used in the market, was determined and a multi-purpose cabinet was prepared. Loads were applied to this cabinet with the mechanism established within the scope of TS 9215 and TS EN 14073-2 standards. The effects of the obtained results on overturning were evaluated by analysis of variance and Duncan multiple comparison test.
Main results: It has been observed that the variables such as the position, diameter, height of the foot used in the furniture and the height of the force causing the overturning are effective at various rates in the safe use of the furniture. It has been calculated that the effect of force application heights on overturning is 50.82% at most and foot positions 12.4% at most.
Highlights: The results obtained can be used to increase indoors safety by making it more difficult for overturning of the furniture.


The invention relates to a signal detecting device and a signal detecting method. The signal detecting device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a near-field light generating section that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and generates near-field light near an interface with the semiconductor substrate; a light source that outputs light having wavelength corresponding to photon energy about a half as large as band-gap energy of a material of the semiconductor substrate; and a current detecting unit that detects a photocurrent generated in the semiconductor substrate when the near-field light is generated.


Root cause analysis techniques are an excellent choice for identifying the root causes of cost deviation in Iraqi construction projects. Many root cause analysis tools, such as the Fishbone diagram (FD), Pareto diagram (PD), and 5-Why analysis, have started to emerge from the literature as standard guidelines for identifying root causes. This study identified eighteen causes of cost deviation in construction projects, which they classified into three major groups (planning causes, designing causes, and execution causes). Pareto study indicates that twelve causes out of eighteen represent the most significant causes of cost deviation. After that, these eleven causes were filtered by 5-Why analysis, which concluded that insufficient project information and the implementation method is not appropriate with the project type are root causes for the planning group, while unclear owner requirements and changes in design are root causes for the designing causes group, Finally, changes in orders is a root cause for execution group.


This paper describes the motivation for, and techniques used in modelling marine terminal operations. It describes, in general terms, several essential steps in the validation of both the assumptions made in preparing the model and the results produced for the various cases simulated. The paper also discusses the results which Exxon has obtained using marine terminal simulation, and how simulation has been used as a planning tool to make recommendations regarding the cost effects of: increasing the number of cargo types handled at a terminal; converting dedicated storage to swing storage; and implementing ship-to-ship cargo transfer operations.


Summary The results of the study of geoactive and geopathnic zones distribution, which are fixed on the surface of the planet are analyzed. The experimental investigations have been conducted with a frequency-resonance method of photos-images processing using. The presence of the five main types of geoactive zones, each of which is characterized by its wave packet of electromagnetic radiation, has been established. It is noted the correlation between the types of human diseases and the negative radiation of geoactive zones. The received results of experimental investigations allow us to state that having studied the laws, with which the geoactive (geopathic) zones are placed on the planet, a person gets a real opportunity to protect themselves and their children from their harmful effects.


Reinforcement Learning (RL) is learning through direct experimentation. It does not assume the existence of a teacher that provides examples upon which learning of a task takes place. Instead, in RL experience is the only teacher. With historical roots on the study of conditioned reflexes, RL soon attracted the interest of Engineers and Computer Scientists because of its theoretical relevance and potential applications in fields as diverse as Operational Research and Robotics. Computationally, RL is intended to operate in a learning environment composed by two subjects: the learner and a dynamic process. At successive time steps, the learner makes an observation of the process state, selects an action and applies it back to the process. The goal of the learner is to find out an action policy that controls the behavior of this dynamic process, guided by signals (reinforcements) that indicate how well it is performing the required task. These signals are usually associated to some dramatic condition — e.g., accomplishment of a subtask (reward) or complete failure (punishment), and the learner's goal is to optimize its behavior based on some performance measure (a function of the received reinforcements). The crucial point is that in order to do that, the learner must evaluate the conditions (associations between observed states and chosen actions) that lead to rewards or punishments. In other words, it must learn how to assign credit to past actions and states by correctly estimating costs associated to these events. Starting from basic concepts, this tutorial presents the many flavors of RL algorithms, develops the corresponding mathematical tools, assess their practical limitations and discusses alternatives that have been proposed for applying RL to realistic tasks, such as those involving large state spaces or partial observability. It relies on examples and diagrams to illustrate the main points, and provides many references to the specialized literature and to Internet sites where relevant demos and additional information can be obtained.


The high quality ZAO thin films were produced by DC reaction magnetron sputtering technology. The XRD, electrical and optical properties of ZAO thin films were particularly investigated. The results show that ZAO films are polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure,and Al2O3 crystal phase are not found. At the same time,the high quality ZAO films with the minimum resistivity of 4.5x×10-4Ω·㎝, the transmittance in visible region above 80% and the reflectivity in IR region above 70% are gained.


Granulomata.-Apart from an accident, such as was described resulting from necrosis of the thyroid cartilage, syphilis and tuberculosis per se are not specifically conducive to prolapse of the mucous membrane of the ventricle or to the development of growths within the ventricle. A well developed gumma limited to the ventricular band may cause confusion in the differentiation of the parts and in the diagnosis. In tuberculosis of the larynx, a thickened infiltrated ventricular band beneath an intact resisting epithelium, but demarcated by a less resisting line of ulceration along the upper surface of the band, owing to the matting of the parts, might in the mirror be suggestive of a tuberculoma projecting from the mouth of the ventricle, the upper lip of which is suggested by the line of ulceration. Photographs illustrative of this condition when demonstrated made clear a point difficult to describe in bare text. Lipomatosis.-Lastly an enlargement or tumefaction of the ventricular band, which at first might be attributed to one or other of theconditions referred to but due to a morbid change observed by the author some years ago, and hitherto, so far as he knows, not described. Post mortem and under the microscope the swelling was found to be due to a remarkable and circumscribed proliferation of fat cells amounting to a lipomatosis or fatty degeneration of the ventricular band. The condition is rare, but it is as well to bear in mind the possibility of this condition in cases presenting undue enlargement of the ventricular band without any adequate evidence of disease to account for it. In conclusion prolapse of the ventricle of the larynx is not a traditional theory, it is an entity, and the tumours of the ventricle with which it has been confused are relatively rare.


Hemophilia is a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by intrinsic coagulation pathway deficiencies of Factor VIII (hemophilia A) or Factor IX (hemophilia B). Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor that negatively regulates thrombin generation within the extrinsic pathway of coagulation. In hemophilia patients the extrinsic pathway remains intact and thus augmentation of this pathway may circumvent the clotting deficiency in hemophilia. PF-06741086, a monoclonal antibody that binds to and neutralizes the inhibitory activity of TFPI is being developed as a potential treatment for bleeding disorders including hemophilia A and hemophilia B with and without inhibitors. Currently, treatment of inhibitor patients is managed by bypass treatments, such as recombinant Factor VIIa (rFVIIa). The effect of PF-06741086 on thrombin generation in the presence of increasing concentrations of rFVIIa (0.0002 to 20 µg/mL) was studied in severe hemophilia A plasma. A dose-dependent increase in thrombin generation was observed over vehicle control with the addition of rFVIIa to the hemophilia plasma. Addition of a fixed concentration of PF-06741086 (16 µg/mL) in combination with rFVIIa resulted in an increase in thrombin generation including higher peak thrombin and shortening of lag time compared to rFVIIa alone. The TGA profiles with the combination of PF-06741086 and rFVIIa at 0.2, 2, and 20 µg/mL were similar suggesting a saturation of mechanism at these concentrations. The combination of PF-06741086 and rFVIIa restored thrombin generation to normal plasma levels at all rFVIIa concentrations examined. The TFPI inhibitory activity of PF-06741086 on thrombin generation in the presence and absence of rFVIIa was further studied in additional hemophilia A plasmas, including hemophilia A plasmas with inhibitors and hemophilia B plasma. All donors had less than 1% coagulation factor activity. A rFVIIa concentration of 2 µg/mL was selected because it corresponded to plasma levels that could be observed following dosing of FVIIa and because the thrombin generation response in hemophilia plasma was similar with FVIIa added to hemophilia A plasma at 0.2, 2 and 20 µg/mL. The concentration of PF-06741086 was 16 µg/mL in these studies. The effect of PF-06741086 on thrombin generation was also measured in non-hemophilic plasma which would have the full complement of coagulation factors. The addition of PF-06741086 alone or in combination with rFVIIa to hemophilia A and B plasma resulted in an increase in thrombin generation including higher peak thrombin concentration and shortening of lag time compared to addition of rFVIIa alone. In hemophilic plasma samples with inhibitors (3 - 1261 Bethesda Units), PF-06741086 alone also restored thrombin generation. A minimal additive effect in peak thrombin generation was observed with the combination of PF-06741086 (16 µg/mL) and 2 µg/mL rFVIII. The midpoint peak thrombin levels achieved with PF-06741086 alone or in combination with rFVIIa were similar to those observed in non-hemophilic plasma and did not exceed the level observed in non-hemophilic plasma dosed with PF-06741086. To summarize, use of rFVIIa in combination with PF-06741086 results in increased thrombin generation in hemophilia A, hemophilia B and inhibitor plasmas without inducing excessive coagulation. Disclosures Rakhe:Pfizer: Employment. Hett:Pfizer: Employment. Murphy:Pfizer: Employment. Pittman:Pfizer: Employment.


Mercury ions can be enriched along the food chain and even low concentrations of mercury ions can seriously affect human health and the environment. Therefore, rapid, sensitive, and highly selective detection of mercury ions is of great significance. In this work, we synthesized Fe3O4@SiO2@Au three-layer core/shell nanoparticles, and then modified 4-MPy (4-mercaptopyridine) to form a SERS sensor. Mercury ions in water can be easily captured by 4-MPy which were used as the reporter molecules, and the concentration of mercury ions can be evaluated based on the spectral changes (intensification and reduction of peaks) from 4-MPy. After the mercury ion was combined with the pyridine ring, the peak intensity at 1093 cm−1 increased with the concentration of mercury ion in the range of 10 ppm–1 ppb, while the Raman intensity ratio I (416 cm−1)/I (436 cm−1) decreased with the increase of mercury ion concentration. This magnetically separatable and recyclable SERS sensor demonstrates good stability, accuracy, and anti-interference ability and shows the potential to detect actual samples. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the probe is applicable for Hg2+ imaging in macrophage cells.


INTRODUCTION Scrapie is an infectious disease of sheep that affects the central nervous system and is always fatal. Upon necropsy, infected animals will have holes or vacuoles in the tissue of the brain. The disease is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Relatively recent evidence that ties a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans with eating meat from BSE-infected cattle has resulted in increased emphasis on scrapie eradication.


Abstract The cerite supergroup is established and includes the cerite group (silicates) and merrillite group (phosphates). Cerite-group minerals are cerite-(Ce), ferricerite-(La), aluminocerite-(Ce) and taipingite-(Ce). The merrillite group is subdivided into two subgroups: merrillite (merrillite, ferromerrillite, keplerite and matyhite) and whitlockite (whitlockite, strontiowhitlockite, wopmayite and hedegaardite). Cerite-(La) has been renamed ferricerite-(La). The new nomenclature has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification.


Study Design. Ceramic anterior lumbar interbody arthrodesis was performed using an in vivo sheep model. Observations of fusion status and the load-sharing of spinal instrumentation were studied at sequential intervals for 1 year after surgery. Objectives. To elucidate the healing process of spinal arthrodesis performed with a bioactive ceramic spacer and the change in load-sharing of anterior spinal instrumentation. Summary of Background Data. With the improved development of spinal instrumentation, anterior spinal arthrodesis has become a standard spinal reconstruction technique; however, the mechanistic basis underlying the healing process is not well documented. Moreover, it remains unclear how load-distribution through the fusion mass and spinal instrumentation change throughout the healing process. Methods. Using 24 sheep, a two-level anterior lumbar interbody fusion (L2–L3, L4–L5) was performed using a smooth surface and a porous surface-modified bioactive ceramic, with each segment instrumented using a one-rod anterior spinal instrumentation system. Four animals each were killed at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 52 weeks after surgery. Postmortem analysis included quantification of anterior rod strain under multidirectional flexibility testing and radiographic and histologic analyses of the arthrodesed segments. Results. From 0 to 8 weeks after surgery, the bending strain of the rod gradually decreased despite no obvious bone formation. From 8 to 24 weeks after surgery, the rod strain markedly decreased with the development of bridging trabeculated bone formation between vertebral bodies. After 24 weeks after surgery, minimal changes were observed in rod strain; however, the fusion mass volumetrically increased with corresponding facet joint atrophy. The porous surface-modification of ceramic did not influence the histologic healing process, despite the improvement of interface osseous union rate. Conclusions. In anterior spinal arthrodesis, spinal instrumentation is mainly exposed to bending stress, with decreased load-sharing with corresponding development of the spinal fusion. Continuous bone remodeling of the anterior fusion mass results in concurrent decreases in spinal instrumentation and posterior spinal element load-transmission. The principal healing mechanism of ceramic anterior interbody spinal fusion is not an osseous union between the ceramic and vertebral body, but bridging bone formation around the ceramic, which directly connects the vertebral bodies above and below the disc.


Pachygyria is a neuronal migration disorder characterized by thick convulsions on cerebral cortex and brain has few gyri. It leads to mental retardation. It is also known as Macrogyria. It is considered as a rare disease. The disease involves mutations in a number of genes. Mainly the symptoms are seizures and delayed development. MRI and CT scan are used for diagnosis. It can be treated by anti epileptic medication and various therapies like speech therapy and occupational therapy. G therapy is effective for the treatment. So far, there is no specific drug treatment.


Interaction between Co2(CO)8 and TiO2, NaY zeolite, or dehydroxylated alumina resulted in the formation of a surface cobalt cluster carbonyl whose structure is probably [Co6(CO)16−n(Ls)n](Ls : the surface O2− or OH group). On the alumina the cluster was observed only at the limited Co loadings. On zeolite the formation of [Co(CO)4]− and [Co6(CO)15]2− were also presumed.


Through the analysis of water quality data for multi-years in stem river and tributary rivers in TGP reservoir area,the water quality variation before and after impoundment of TGP is analyzed.The analysis result demonstrate that the water quality indexes in the reservoir area after impoundment of 135 m and 156 m level has no obvious change.The dissolved oxygen in the reservoir decreases somewhat,the content of suspended material in normal year and dry year decreases in large scale,and the pollution materials have close relation with suspended materials,such as TP,CODMn,heavy metals etc.,decrease correspondently.The water quality of the stem Yangtze river and upstream tributary rivers,such as the Wujiang river,the Jialing river in the reservoir area,is not influenced by impoundment;and the water environment of the downstream tributary rivers in the reservoir area,such as the Xiaojiang river,the Daling river,become complicated for reservoir backwater.


Abstract This article assesses the African American dancer and intellectual Katherine Dunham's vision and legacy for a performative history of the Black Atlantic by examining two of her early choreographic works, L'Agya and Little Black Sambo. From little-known archival materials and her published writings, I reconstruct the genesis of these works in her fieldwork in the French Caribbean as well as in the phantasm of the Plantation. Through the emotional relationships between Africa, "Africa," and African diasporic expressive life that emerge, I excavate a hidden history for the modern subject as formed through not only the displacements generated by colonialism and slavery, but also unexpected new regimes of pleasure that were their historical consequences. The resulting imaginative and kinetic expressions that conflate colonial and postcolonial temporalities enable me to posit the limits and possibilities of "trans(post)colonial collaborations" within Dunham's repertoire as well as for the horizon of the present.


In the first episode of the new PBS series Mercy Street, nurse Anne Hastings is seen applying a plaster cast to a wounded soldier's bare legs before a captivated audience of surgeons and hospital workers. This action seems trivial today, even unquestionable, but as the show progressed and more scenes portrayed this seemingly insignificant concept of touch, of intimacy between a female nurse and her male patients, its true magnitude became apparent. [excerpt]


In this paper eigenstructure assignment via proportional-plus-derivative feedback is investigated for a class of second-order descriptor linear systems. Under certain conditions, simple, general and complete parametric solutions of both finite closed-loop eigenvector matrices and feedback gain matrices are derived. The parametric approach utilizes directly original system data, involves manipulations only on n-dimensional matrices, and reveals all the design degrees of freedom which can be further utilized to achieve certain additional system specifications. A numerical example shows the e?ect of the proposed approach.


We have previously designed correlation filters that detect multiple views of an object while remaining specific to the object. We now present a method of modifying the filters to reject clutter, which is defined as additive structured noise. The clutter is rejected by adding to the filters components that are designed to force the contribution of the clutter in the output correlation to be zero. The additional clutter-rejection components are orthogonal to the object harmonics and do not affect the detection process. In the specific example of rotation-invariant detection, the resulting filter has two salient features: it recognizes the object regardless of its rotation or intensity and rejects the clutter regardless of its rotation or intensity.


An IC wafer fab model has been developed to predict the cost per good device produced by a wafer stepper that will allow comparisons to be made between various IC devices and various wafer lithography equipment capabilities. The model provides the versatility and flexibility to be tailored to any particular IC production environment, and to any particular optical wafer stepper capability. It is noted that the technical advances made in the areas of i-line and deep-UV reduction stepper lithography have led to a truly production-worthy lithography process. These advances have responded to some of the key challenges for optical microlithography, and have increased the productivity and utilization of the steppers. Advances in the area of reduction optics, i-line illumination, excimer lasers, alignment and in-situ metrology have all had a significant impact on the technical performance of the stepper, as well as its productivity and utilization.<<ETX>>


The Einstein-Maxwell equations for stationary axisymmetric exterior fields are shown to be the integrability conditions of a set of linear eigenvalue equations for pseudopotentials. The prolongation structure in the spirit of Wahlquist and Estabrook (1975)) of the Einstein-Maxwell equations contains the SU(2,1) Lie algebra. A new mapping of known solutions to other solutions has been found.


First,the paper analyses the important roles of information service i n s cientific research manage-ment.The author believes that,according to the fu nctions of inform ation,we should decide,adjust,evaluate o ur scientific res earch activities.Then the paper discusses how to obtain a nd make a good use of the information.It also presents a strategic thinking of str engthening inform ation work in scie ntific research management.


Summary In this work we implement a method to invert a Q profile from zero offset VSP in a heavy oil reservoir. The method is published in the literature and is based in the spectral ratio technique. We attempt to solve the problem using damped least squares. The inversion results agree with results obtained from the traditional trace to trace comparison method. Both methods are consistent with a nonphysical but apparent negative attenuation area in the shallow part, at depths between 70 and 90 m that could be related to a constructive scattering area associated to shale and siltstone cycles. The heavy oil reservoir shows a shallow area between depth 120 and 140 m with lower values of Q up to 20, and a deeper area from 140 to 160 m with values around 50.


Based on the working mechanism of GaN components and monolithic microwave integrated power amplifiers, a four-stage and four-channel power amplifier design scheme has been realized by simulation in the paper. The physical structure of the GaN HEMT is proposed. Then DC and RF characteristics of the device are simulated in Silvaco. The S-parameters are extracted to design a power amplifier circuit in ADS according to the structure and electric performance of the HEMT. The results show that the output power of the amplifier circuit can reach 5.6W and the power gain is 21dB at 35GHz under CW condition. The PAE of the whole circuit is about 20%. Therefore, this power amplifier can be applied to Ka-band.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] High school students often enter our classrooms with misconceptions about density. While many students may have studied the concept in middle school, they lack the understanding on which to build more advanced concepts, such as the particulate nature of matter. This lack of understanding poses problems for students' learning about Pascal's principle in physics, equilibrium and reaction rates in chemistry, diffusion in biology, convection currents in geology, and many other concepts. This article, along with a companion article (p. 28), describes an inquiry-based approach to investigating density while engaging students in the scientific practices called for by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013). Confronting misconceptions Students often believe that heavy objects sink and light objects float. While mass does affect floating, volume also plays a role, and we want students to recognize the importance of both. We draw out students' misconceptions by holding up a piece of Styrofoam and a rock of similar size and ask: "Why do you think these objects might sink or float?" Importantly, we avoid asking: "Which object will float?" because we want to elicit student thinking. As students respond, we are careful to accept all answers and ask for clarification. For example, if a student says, "The rock has greater density, so it will sink," we ask what they mean by density. We encourage more responses by asking, "How else could you explain your predictions?" and look around the room expectantly to encourage responses (Herman 2008). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] After we place the rock and the Styrofoam into an aquarium filled with water, the students are excited to see that their prediction was right. However, we focus on the need to explain why by asking, "What reason would you give for what you observed?" Students typically sum up their thinking with: "The more mass something has, the more likely it is to sink." We write this on the board and hold up two new objects: a paper clip and a (heavier) bouncy ball (one that floats). This time we ask, "Based upon your conclusion written on the board, what will happen when I put these two objects in water?" Now students are visibly frustrated. We ask: "Why are you dissatisfied with the conclusion on the board?" Students say they don't believe the reasoning will work this time, and then we ask, "How should it be modified?" Students struggle to answer this question. This dissatisfaction is necessary before they can truly change their thinking (Duit and Treagust 2003; Posner et al. 1982). Before we continue the discussion, we place the paper clip and bouncy ball in the water so students can confirm that the prediction based on their previous conclusion is indeed problematic, because the lighter paper clip sinks and the heavier bouncy ball floats. To alleviate students' cognitive dissonance and advance the conceptual change we are seeking, we ask, "If mass alone cannot predict floating and sinking, how else did the paperclip and bouncy ball differ?" As students make several suggestions (e.g., type of material), we use wait time to encourage more responses (Rowe 1986). If no student mentions the comparative amount of space each object occupies, we ask, "How might the amount of space something takes up affect the floating or sinking?" After discussion, students accept that both mass and volume seem to affect an object's ability to float. Then, we turn to further investigation. Collecting data To provide a variety of data for students to collect, we ask them to bring in various objects from home to determine their mass and volume, stipulating that the object must fit inside our largest graduated cylinder. We also have on hand in class various objects students can try, such as corks, marbles, wood samples, golf balls, and so on. Before having students break into pairs to collect data, we investigate how to use displacement to measure volume. …


Abstract Reinforced soil walls performed well during major earthquakes even if designed for no or relatively less seismic intensity. This unexpected conservatism may be attributed to the analyses of reinforced soil walls using various methods considering bond resistance due to only axial pullout of the reinforcement and the assumption of independence of destabilizing force to the provision of reinforcement. The failure surface in a reinforced soil wall, almost always intersects the reinforcement layers obliquely thus subjecting the reinforcement to oblique force by the sliding wedge of the backfill. The reinforcement deforms transversely under the action of oblique force or displacement. The soil beneath the reinforcement mobilizes additional normal stresses resulting in additional bond resistance and a decrease in the net destabilizing force significantly. This paper deals with the kinematics of reinforced soil wall subjected to oblique force/displacement using the horizontal slices method. Parametric studies quantify the effects of different parameters on the newly defined factors of safety against pullout failure of the reinforced soil wall considering the increase in bond resistance and the mobilized transverse force due to transverse pull or displacement.


A Single European Market - Fewer barriers, more opportunities - that is Europe's promise to its citizens. According to the European Commission, the single market is all about bringing down barriers and simplifying existing rules to enable everyone in the EU to have direct access to 25 countries and 450 million people. The internet brings the accomplishment of this promise closer than ever into the reach of Europe's consumers. The internet is principally borderless, it connects consumers and businesses across Europe, it decreases transaction costs and the costs for delivery, and it facilitates the comparison of a wide range of services throughout Europe. Thanks to the internet, consumers can shop for the most attractive services and goods within Europe without ever having to leave their room. Yet, when surfing for attractive services throughout Europe, consumers also have the frustrating experience that the internet is not as borderless as they thought. Notwithstanding the principally borderless character of the internet, they find that some e-commerce businesses have actually re-introduced territorial barriers through technology. Strategies range from the plain refusal of access for residents or citizens from other member states to the application of different prices and conditions. The goal of this briefing paper for the European Parliament is to give a first overview of the motives of e-commerce businesses to engage in territorial differentiation, to examine the existing legal situation within Europe and whether there is a need for reforms. Of particular interest in this context is the recently adopted Article 20 of the Services Directive. This is the most relevant existing European provision when it comes to dealing with cases of service providers who refuse consumers access to their services because of the consumer's nationality or residence.


In the past years, the typical high Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6 has been extensively studied by many authors. And electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies of rare-earth (Re3+) ions in high-Tc oxide superconductors have attracted much interest because they can provide valuable information on spin-lattice relaxation, exchange interactions and the ground state properties of Re3+ ions, which are further employed as sensitive probes of spin dynamics in high-Tc superconductor. The EPR anisotropic g factors of Dy3+ in YBa2Cu3O6 crystal has been measured by M.R. Gafurov et al., and there is no theoretical explanations related to the crystal structural data. In this paper, parameters g factors for Dy3+ in YBa2Cu3O6 are theoretically studied from the perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 4f9 ion in tetragonal symmetry. In these formulas, the contributions to the EPR parameters from the second-order perturbation terms and the admixtures of various excited states are taken into account. The related crystal-field parameters are determined from the superposition model and crystal structural data. The theoretical results show reasonable agreement with the experimental values.


Atherosclerosis, presenting as macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus, produces approximately 80% of all diabetic mortality, whether the patient has Type I insulin‐dependent diabetes (IDDM) or Type II non‐insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).' Specifically, 75% of this atherosclerotic macrovascular mortality flows as the outcome of coronary atherosclerosis, which is increased approximately two‐fold in men and four‐fold in women with diabetes as compared with otherwise matched populations with entirely normal carbohydrate tolerance.2,3 The remaining 25% of this atherosclerotic mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus is the result either of accelerated cerebrovascular or of peripheral vascular complications of diabetes, both of which are increased four‐fold and five‐fold, respectively, in patients with diabetes mellitus, regardless of type. Furthermore, atherosclerosis is the principal cause of hospitalizations for patients with diabetes mellitus. Admissions for this complication account for approximately 77% of total hospitalizations for diabetes owing to complications. Aside from mortality data alone, atherosclerosis is obviously a leading cause of diabetic disability, since it produces patients who are chronic cardiovascular, peripheral or cerebrovascular cripples, perhaps for many years before their ultimate demise. Small blood vessel or microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus, while formerly thought to be the end‐stage in the unfolding of the diabetic process, do not appear to have the potential for mortality as do the atherosclerotic large blood vessel complications. On the other hand, microvascular complications are an important cause of diabetic disability since small blood vessel disease in the eye, as diabetic retinopathy, is now the leading cause of adult blindness in the United States, and small vessel disease in the kidney, as diabetic nephropathy, now exceeds hypertension as the leading cause of chronic renal failure and dialysis in the United States.


In this paper, we consider curriculum mining as an application of process mining in the domain of education. The basic objective of the curriculum...


Indonesia became the sixth largest internet user country in 2014, and the country with the highest growth of internet users in 2016. At the end of 2018, internet users in Indonesia are categorized as heavy internet users, with more than 5GB data consumption per month only for internet connections via mobile devices. The question "what is the fast internet to use for?", Which was submitted by one of the Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information, should be an afterthought. UINSA Surabaya research states that internet use in Indonesia tends to be unproductive. This study aims to describe the behavior of internet access by user groups more specifically from previous research, namely the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) young workforce in the border region. By applying Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT), in addition to discussing user profiles of research subjects, the research also focuses on behavioral analysis with research objects in the form of number of accounts, duration of access, access time, access devices and access needs. The study found that on average a user has 5.10 accounts on the internet for various purposes, most users access the internet for 2 to 4 hours per day (37.34%), most choose to access the internet at 20.0100.0 (28.46%), generally accessing the internet using smartphones/cellular phones (68.86%), and dominant access is for entertainment/gaming purposes (33.88%).


In this article we described the influence of a local fires of 2003, 2005 on oak forests of a ridge the Shaitan-tau from 2006 for 2011.


My focus is the theme of preparing for death in Measure for Measure and Hamlet. These two plays, while veering apart generically, come within three years of each other in composition and share a preoccupation with the idea of death. For the hero of Hamlet the experience of death is tragic, since it is an unavoidable consequence of Hamlet's doing a deed that simultaneously ennobles him and sets the world aright. Like certain of Shakespeare's other comedies and romances. Measure for Measure is constructed on a comic curve that prevents real death from happening and produces its sense of an enlarged human potential for goodness by sustaining the illusion of death till the end, when, by a surprising reversal, life and happiness are reasserted. In both, progression toward death defines in the principal characters the values they ultimately esteem. When the characters accept the fact of death - theirs or that of an intimate - the plays reach their finale. In examining the preparation for death theme in these representative plays from Shakespeare's period of great tragedies and bitter comedies and, for comparison, in the earlier episode of Clarence's death in Richard III, my concern will be to show how Shakespeare follows and departs from the orthodox pattern of salvation richly outlined in The Book of Homilies and in the Christian tradition of ars moriendi} An important part of the characters' preparation lies in their expression of fear at the imminence of death, which takes the primary form of nightmares or similarly soul-shaking visions of the state beyond the grave. Quite under-standably, when a character faces the prospect of the grave, his deepest fears and hopes come to the forefront. According to both Stoic and Christian attitudes, how one faces death tells most truly how one has lived. Montaigne asserts, "To philosophie, is to leame how to die."^ In "An Exhortation against the feare of Death," one of the earliest sermons in The Book of Homilies, we are told that be three causes wherefore men commonly feare death.


Abstract The paper presents the results of a recent petrographic study that analyzed over 100 Iron II clay figurines found in and around the City of David, Jerusalem. The study was essentially the first archaeometrical analysis of the production mode of domestic cultic objects in the southern Levant. The paper also discusses the differences in production modes between household and temple cultic assemblages and assesses their importance in interpreting Iron Age cultic practices. These differences may help to discount several current theories regarding religious rituals and the production and distribution of cultic objects during the Iron Age.


Abstract A crossover trial was conducted to compare hand rub and hand scrub-brush methods for reducing bacterial loads when using propan-1-ol-60% according to European regulations. Both methods significantly reduced the bacterial load immediately after antisepsis, but only the hand rub method achieved significant bacterial load reduction 3 hours after the procedure.


Background:  There are circumstances when a colonoscopy should be repeated after a short interval following the first endoscopic procedure which has not completely fulfilled its objective.


An evaluation method is presented which is applied to the delayed-field time-of-flight (DF TOF) experiment, which allows the determination of the electric field profiles in amorphous-silicon-based devices. It is called differential delayed field (DDF) method. The field profiles at the p/i junction of differently prepared pin-structures were determined. A linearly decreasing phosphorus (P) doping layer was incorporated into the i-layer starting at the p/i junction. The data show that an increased width of a P-profile reduces the carrier injection and hence the electric field strength. The space charge field of a Schottky/a-Si:H contact is studied in dependence of the applied DC bias voltage.<<ETX>>


1. Single smooth muscle cells were obtained by collagenase digestion of longitudinal muscle of rabbit jejunum. Membrane potential or current under voltage clamp was recorded by patch‐clamp technique in the whole‐cell recording mode at 22‐25 degrees C. 2. At a membrane potential of ‐50 mV small hyperpolarizing current pulses produced electrotonic potentials which asymptotically approached a steady‐state size and did not 'sag'. Stronger hyperpolarization resulted in a 'sag' of the electrotonic potential. Under voltage clamp an inward current, i, was activated in the range ‐60 to ‐110 mV. 3. This current had an equilibrium potential of ‐24.5 +/‐ 3.5 mV which was shifted negatively by reducing the sodium concentration, and positively by raising the potassium concentration of the bathing solution. 4. This current was blocked by caesium (1 mM) but less affected by barium ions up to 10 mM. 5. The time course of i upon stepping into its activation range was accelerated by increasing negativity and following an initial short delay could be described by a single exponential with a time constant in the range 60 s(‐60 mV) to 1 s(‐130 mV). 6. It is concluded that these jejunal cells possess a current to which sodium and potassium ions make a contribution which is responsible for the inward rectification they show upon hyperpolarization. This current is activated in a range which would allow it to contribute to the slow potential changes shown by longitudinal jejunal muscle.


VIEWS OF THE MICROSCOPIC WORLD.* An American handbook of microscopy is too much wanted to be received in any other than a kindly spirit. Prof. Brocklesby's "Views of the Microscopic World," Dr. King's " Microscopist's Companion " and Dr. Wythe's "Microscopist," have been unavailable for years; and Dr. Richardson's recent work is interesting exclusively to medical Leaders. Yet any one who takes up the new book with a determination to be unreservedly pleased with it, cannot but be disappointed to find it only a new edition of one of the old ones, which ignores its predecessor, and changes its name with the manifest intention of seeming like a new work. "Views of the Microscopic World " written by the same accomplished author twenty years ago, was properly described, both by its name and in its preface, as no manual of microscopical york, but as a common-place book of microscopic views, a collection of almost disconnected descriptions and illustrations, each valued for its own merits, of what were then uLlnfamiliar microscopic objects. It was written in a thoughtful, philosophical and devout spirit. Fresh from the study of Ehrenberg and Mantell, and from the enthusiastic and successful use of a (then) remarkable microscope, the author briefly introduced and described the instrument, and then, evidently with a will, gave the longest chapter of the book, full of interesting descriptions of the diverse organisms classed by Ehrenberg under the vague name of Infusoria. Next caine an t ereit ing medley of information in regard to Fossil Infusoria. Larger aquatic animals followed, up to insects, in a short chapter. Then came two chapters, the most valuable because the most unique, with numerous lithographic illustrations of wood-sections, and of artificial crystallizations. A final chapter reviewed the parts of insects, and threw into the bargain mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes to say nothing of mollusks and vegetables. The volume, now little known, was pleasant and conversational in its tone, the more so, perhaps, because informal, unclassified and beyond the reach of scientific criticism; and though published in an


Abstract Nanostructured Co 3 O 4 was prepared via asimple two-step process: cathodic electrodeposition ofcobalt hydroxide from additive free nitrate bath and thenheat treatment at 400 C for 3 h. The prepared oxideproduct was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction,infrared spectroscopy, surface area measurement, scanningelectron microscopy, and transmission electron micros-copy. Morphological characterization showed that theoxide product was composed of porous nanoplates, andBET measurement displayed that the oxide plates havethe average pore diameter and the surface area of 4.75 nmand 208.5 m 2 g -1 , respectively. The supercapacitive per-formance of the nanoplates was evaluated using cyclicvoltammetry and charge–discharge tests. A specificcapacitance as high as 393.6 F g -1 at the constant currentdensity of 1 A g -1 and an excellent capacity retention(96.5% after 500 charge–discharge cycles) was obtained.These results indicate that Co 3 O 4 nanoplates can be rec-ognized as high-performance electrode materials.Keywords Crystalline Co


During the winter of 1949–1950 data on depth and density of snow on the ground near Barrow, Alaska, revealed two to four times as much water equivalent as was recorded with the standard eight-inch precipitation gage of the U.S. Weather Bureau. Indirect evidence on summer precipitation supports the conclusion that precipitation is greater than recorded. Wind effects are believed to be responsible for the difference in water equivalents and for an annual efficiency of the gage of 25 to 50 pct. Total precipitation thus may be more than 16 inches instead of about four inches as recorded. Other Arctic stations in windy areas doubtless are similarly affected.


This essay examines Neil Gaiman's Coraline from a psychoanalytic perspective, with focus on the formation of the super ego. While the young girl's identity formation has been examined before, the g ...


ABSTRACT In this article, effects of advanced submerged arc welding process parameters on weld bead geometry have been investigated. A novel water-cooled torch has been developed which allow a use of higher preheat current values for a continuous advanced submerged arc welding (ASAW) operation. Weld beads have been deposited on AISI 1023 steel plates by varying open circuit voltage, wire feed rate, welding speed, nozzle to plate distance, and preheat current as per central composite design. The relationships between welding parameters and weldment characteristics namely bead width, penetration, reinforcement, and dilution have been developed using multiple linear regression. The effects of individual process parameters and their interactions on response parameters were examined. Finally, single and multiobjective optimization of process parameters were performed using desirability approach and Jaya algorithm. The results reveal that a smaller bead width and lower dilution can be achieved with the developed torch by allowing the use of higher preheat current values.


Aortic dissection during pregnancy is rare, but is life-threatening event for both the mother and the fetus. Depending on the type of dissection, surgical or medical treatment can be performed. The attempt of cesarean section delivery is determined by gestational age. We experienced a case of aortic dissection at 32 weeks of gestation. The type of dissection was DeBakey type III and was managed medically. Under general anesthesia, cesarean delivery was performed at 35 week's gestation. In pregnant patients complaining of chest or abdominal pain not related to labor, the suspicion of aortic dissection is important for prompt diagnosis and better prognosis.


Polyamide PA66 has been adopted by a variety of industries, and engineering fields. It is used in machinery part production due to its good properties. Machining is the most commonly used processing technique when high quality of part dimension and surface is required. There is a lack of knowledge about the impact of the tool's rake angles when turning polyamide PA66, therefore, this study aims to define an optimal condition that can provide the highest performance in machining polyamide PA66 at the lowest cutting force. The impact of the tool's side rake angle, back rake angle, and cutting depth on cutting force was studied during turning polyamide PA66 with the HSS tool. Three levels were considered for each variable and Taguchi's Orthogonal Array (OA) was used to design nine test configurations. The tests were performed experimentally on a conventional lathe machine. The resultant cutting force was calculated as the response data. The values were converted to signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio to facilitate the analysis using the Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Accordingly, the cutting depth showed the greatest impact on cutting force (57.12%), followed by the side rake angle (27.9%) and back rake angle (8.21%). An optimal condition set to turn polyamide PA66 at the lowest cutting force (Fc) is identified as 1 mm depth of cut, side rake angle αs = 21°, and back-rake angle αb = 8°. Finally, the optimal condition set was evaluated by conformation tests, and the results agreed with the calculations to a large extent.


Overheating in electrical motor results in detrimental effects such as degradation of the insulation materials, magnet demagnetization, increase in Joule losses and decrease in motor efficiency and lifetime. Thus, it is important to find ways of dissipation heat from the motor and consequently keep the motor operating at its most efficient temperature. In this paper, the new design to guide air flow through a given BLDC motor are proposed and analyzed specifically by using CFD simulations. The results showed that the temperature distribution of three proposed models are lower than original model, even though speed of cooling fan of original model is reached to very high value at 15x103 rpm. These results also showed that CFD can be effectively used to simulate the heat transfer of BLDC motors.


We thank Dr Chan and Dr Wen for their interest in our report1 and their resulting eLetter.2 We fully agree that, among the different components of metabolic syndrome (MetS), hypertension has very recently been brought out as a critical feature in the development of osteoarthritis (OA) in humans.3 4 In these reports using either data from the Framingham OA study3 or the Osteoarthritis Initiative study,4 it has been emphasised that high blood pressure (diastolic or systolic, respectively) was associated with increased incidence of radiographic knee OA.

In order to further experimentally investigate the actual role of hypertension in OA onset and development, Chan and colleagues describe in a yet unpublished study the development of OA features in the spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) model, a widely characterised model of systemic hypertension.2 5 Although the spontaneous hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rat strain we employed is deriving from the SHR strain6 and suffers high …


The cloud variability and regime transition from stratocumulus to cumulus across the sea surface temperature front in the Kuroshio region over the East China Sea are important regional climate features and may affect the Earth's energy balance. However, because of large uncertainties among available cloud products, it is unclear which cloud datasets are more reliable for use in studying the regional cloud features and in validating cloud simulations in the region by climate models. In this study, the monthly low cloud amount (LCA) and total cloud amount (TCA) datasets in the region from Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and International Comprehensive Ocean– Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) are validated against the combined product of CloudSat + CALIPSO (CC) in terms of consistency and discrepancy in the climatologically mean, seasonal cycle, and interannual variation. The results show that LCA and TCA derived from MODIS and CALIPSO present relatively high consistency with CC data in the climatological annual mean and show similar behaviors in seasonal cycle. and spring with the Matching Score ranging between 2/3 and 1. Further analysis with long-term data suggests that both LCA and TCA from ICOADS and MODIS can be good references for studies of cloud interannual variability in the region.


To study the response to the injection of intra-vitreal triamcinolone acetate (IVTA) in various indications and to identify the IOP rise between various groups. An interventional, prospective study was conducted on 50 patients at vitreo-retinal department at tertiary eye hospital in Bangalore in the period of November 2015 to May 2017. Each patient was subjected to a detailed assessment which included patient's demographic data & detailed history. Best corrected visual-acuity (BCVA), Intra ocular pressure(IOP) was recorded. Macular oedema is confirmed by optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography. Patients that received injection IVTA were followed up for 6 months. The mean age of subjects was 56.78±10.76 years, 54% were males and 46% were females. In the study, 46% of eyes were diagnosed at CSME, 38% as BRVO, 8% as pseudophakic CME, 6% as CRVO and 2% as Uveitis. The mean BCVA LogMAR at baseline was 0.87±0.43 and at 6 months follow up mean BCVA LogMAR was 0.59 ± 0.42. In the study mean IOP at baseline was 14.24±3.01 and at 6 months follow up mean IOP was 15.12 ± 3.60. There was significant increase in IOP at 1 month follow up. The mean central macular thickness (CMT) at baseline was 469.4±138.4 and at 6 months follow up mean CMT was 290.9 ± 140.7. Although there is a risk of raised IOP, IVTA can be preferred as a modality of treating macular edema as it has good results and is very economical and affordable.


With the development of smart devices and high-speed internet, demands for the ever-increasing number of videos. Comparing conventional machine learning methods with in-depth Reading methods. The two independent steps used to decipher text is; the discovery of the Candidate text region and the division into categories. Then, the text texts received were. distributed through a few layers of CNN, which first produced a conversion feature map as well as Divide candidate circuits into text or non-text classes. Explored the proposed programs. On the data got from various Telugu videos. The data sets have been collected by collecting. videos from various Telugu channels. Text from the video provides useful information, which can create a default video index and retrieval system and integrated heuristic and in-depth learning-based approach Neural Network (CNN) to automatically output text to video. Two independent steps were used to extract the existing text; the discovery of the Candidate text region and the division into categories. In the first step, the circles are rectangular. It identified textual content using heuristics, which included morphology analysis and geometric issues. Then, the text of the accepted candidate text has transferred to a few layers of CNN, which first produced a convolutional feature map and then split the candidate regions into text or non-text classes. Video collection organized on the website is different. channels Telugu. 70 percent of the data have been used for network training while 30 percent Confirmed. Experiments have shown that our proposed approach has reached modernization functionality in our database.


Kal. Iun. eunti mihi Antium et gladiatores M. Metelli cupide relinquenti venit obviam tuus puer. is mihi litteras abs te et commentarium consulatus mei Graece scriptum reddidit. in quo laetatus sum me aliquanto ante de isdem rebus Graece item scriptum librum L. Cossinio ad te perferendum dedisse; nam si ego tuum ante legissem, furatum me abs te esse diceres. On the Kalends of June: Your boy met me as I was going to Antium, eager to leave the gladiators of Marcus Metellus behind me. He gave me a letter from you and your sketch in Greek of my consulship. When I read it, I was happy that I had given my piece, on the same topic and also written in Greek, to Lucius Cossinius to take to you. For if I had read yours first, you would be charging me with stealing from you.


Technology  of  intense  light-culture   has  been  developed to grow different crops under controlled environmental conditions  with  the use of specialized vegetation  apparatus  (VSU). In  the  specialized  vegetation apparatus,  designed  to   grow   plants  of   cucumber, tomato  and leafy crops, the formation of optimal light condition is constructively made with application of separate powerful lamps that have the same or different spectral quality irradiance, providing  the high illuminance,  60-90  W/m 2 PAR on  cultivated  plants.  The vertical vegetation apparatus were used to develop technology of intense light-culture  in cucumber. Three modifications of vertical vegetation apparatus differing in  soil blocks  and  the  way of  nutrient  supply  to  root habitation area were elaborated to grow  the plants of cucumber.  The  development  of  cucumber  plants  in three apparatus modifications  was carried out  by one stem,  where  the  growth  was  limited  by  the  sizes of apparatus to  1.8 meter. The result of development  of small-volume and non-soil technology of intense lightculture in cucumber was presented in the article. This technology provides high productivity of plant being grown and reduces the ecological problems related to waste treatment. The application of technology of intense light-culture  in cucumber  assists the plants to realize a biological  potential and to  reach the highest productivity.  The observed plant products  are of high quality without  pesticides  and other harmful contaminants. The nitrate content  in young fruits was significantly lower the threshold allowable concentration (TAC). The basic  principles  of  intense  technology  of light-culture can be used for economically profitable enterprises  for  production  of  raw  material needs  for pharmaceutical and perfumery industries, and to  produce vitamin products  in small volumes for kindergardens, hospitals, schools and private housekeeping.


The purpose of this research was to describe the second-year students' speaking ability in the debate. The descriptive method was used as the design of this research. The population of this research was the second-year students at the English Department of Bung Hatta University who registered in the academic year 2020/2021. The researcher used the total sampling technique to select the sample, and the number of sample members was 37 students. The instrument for collecting the data in this research was a speaking test in the form of debate. To identify if the test is reliable, the researcher used the inter-rater method that two scorers checked the students' speaking performance. The result of the analysis showed that the test was reliable. It was supported by the fact that the coefficient correlation is 0.89. It was categorized as a very high correlation. Then the last was valid in terms of contents because it had covered all materials that students had learned. Generally, the  result  of  this  research  showed  that  the  students'  speaking ability in debate at the English Department of Bung Hatta University was very high. In general, the students' speaking ability in the debate was classified as very high ability.  This research concludes that  the  second-year students' speaking ability in debate at the English Department of Bung Hatta University was very high.

REFERENCES
Atchison, J. (2017). The Art of Debate. Virginia: The Great Courses.
Bailey,  K.  (2016).  Practical  English  Language  Teaching  Speaking.  New  York:  The  Mc.  Graw  Hill Companies.
Chania, S., & Amri, Z. (2019). An Analysis of Students' Grammatical Errors on Speaking at SEA Debate at English Department of Faculty of Languages and Arts of Universitas Negeri Padang. Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol. 8, No. 4.
Claudia, A. (2017). An Analysis of The Second Year Students' Speech Ability at the English Department of Bung Hatta University. Unpublished Thesis.  Padang: Bung Hatta University.
Fauzan,  U.  (2014).  The  Use  of  Improvisations  Technique  to  Improve  the  Speaking  Ability  of  EFL Students. Dinamika Ilmu, Vol. 14, No. 2.
Lestari, L. F. (2018). Debate Technique as Teacher's Strategies in Improving Students' Higher Education English Speaking Skill.
Musfirah. (2017). The Effectiveness Of Debate Method To Improve Students' Speaking Skill. Didaktika Jurnal Kependidikan, Vol. 11, No. 2.
Rasyid, A.R., Perdana, I., & Dayu, A.T. (2020). Students' Speaking Achievement: The Application of Debate Technique For Teaching. Proceedings of Shepo 2020.
Refnita, L. (2018). Educational research: A guide for Beginners. Padang: LPPM Universitas Bung Hatta.
Rubiati,  R.  (2010).  Improving  Students'  Speaking  Skill  Through  Debate  Technique.  IAIN  Walisongo Semarang.


The solubility of drugs is an important factor for pharmaceutical formulation. The solubility of the drug more important for the success of the drug should reach the site of action. The bioavailability and the solubility of the drug, are also important for the pharmacological effect of any formulation, especially in the case of oral dosage form .so many times to formulate poorly water-soluble drugs becomes very challenging. Absorption and dissolution rates may decrease by the poor solubility of the drug, so the solubility of the drug is important to improve by methods like salt formulation, solid dispersion, co-solvency, the addition of solubilizing agent, to enhance the dissolution rate of the drug all these approaches are mostly used, sometimes the desired bioavailability enhancement of the drug by these techniques may not be achieved always. In this review, we will study the several techniques which are used to increase the solubility of poorly soluble drugs by reducing particle size, adjustment of pH, solid dispersion and hydrotropy, etc.


BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the 2 major clinical phenotypes of chronic relapsing and remitting inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with high rates of onset during childhood and adolescence. Dysregulated sensing of the microbiota by innate immune cells leads to excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production in pediatric and adult IBD. In an effort to identify novel cytokines to manipulate during human IBD, we compared macrophages isolated from intestines of healthy and colitic mice. METHODS: Total RNA was isolated from mucosal biopsies obtained from adult IBD patients healthy controls. C57BL/6, IL-36R KO, or IL-36&ggr; KO mice were treated with 3% DSS dissolved in drinking water for 5 days to induce acute colitis. During recovery experiments, mice were treated for 5 days with DSS and then for 8 days with water. Animals were assessed daily for stool consistency, fecal blood, and weight loss. qPCR was performed on total human or mouse colonic tissue or FACS-sorted colonic macrophages using SYBR Green. In some experiments, total colonic tissue was homogenized in PBS for MPO and cytokine production analyses. IC21 macrophages were stimulated with TLR ligands in the presence of caspase-1 inhibitors. To assess the role of IL-36&ggr; in modulating CD4+ T cell function, de novo Treg induction assays were performed by co-culture of lamina propria dendritic cells, OT-II CD4+ T cells and OVA (antigen) for 3 days in the presence or absence of recombinant IL-36&ggr;. RESULTS: We identified the IL-1 family member IL-36&ggr; as the top most preferentially expressed cytokine in macrophages isolated from inflamed colon tissue when compared to healthy tissue. IL-36&ggr; was expressed by Ly6C+ colonic macrophages during acute and chronic experimental colitis and during Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. IL-36&ggr; was induced by bacterial ligands and activated intestinal DCs to express IL-23 and augment Th17 and Th1 responses while inhibiting Foxp3+ Treg differentiation during the first 5 days of DSS. Consistent with these findings, mice lacking IL-36R or IL-36&ggr; had ameliorated intestinal inflammation compared to wild-type controls during the acute/damage phase of disease. Interestingly, we also observed that IL-36&ggr; was a potent inducer of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent IL-22 production both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, mice deficient in IL-36R or IL-36&ggr; were unable to recover/heal from DSS induced intestinal damage and this could be reversed by the addition of an AHR agonist. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrates a complex and important role for the inflammatory macrophage-derived cytokine IL-36&ggr; and the IL-36&ggr;/IL-36R axis during intestinal inflammation. During the acute/damage phase of intestinal inflammation, IL-36&ggr; appears to contribute to disease pathogenesis; however, IL-36&ggr; is also critically required for mucosal healing during the repair phase of disease. These findings underscore the biphasic function of the novel IL-1 family member IL-36&ggr; during inflammation of the intestine. Further insight into the functions of IL-36&ggr; during acute and chronic intestinal inflammation may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies manipulating this cytokine during distinct phases of human IBD. Supported by a CCFA Research Fellowship Award to O.M-C. and Senior Research Award to T.L.D. and NIH award 1R01DK097256 to T.L.D.


Performance tests were performed of a Chinese made lub oil (HP 8AGB439 90) for aircraft jet engines with regard to such a variety of properties as resistance to oxidation corrosion and lubricating capacity, evaporation function, foam generation, and absence of any undesirable influence to rubber, etc. The above cited lub oil was also compared with an imported one in respect of quality. Its use and test for a duration of 150 hours on an imported gas turbine engine have shown highly promising results, testifying to the fact that it can well be used to replace the imported marine lub oil (ГOCT 1028999 79).


We develop a sound, complete and practically implementable tableaux-based decision method for constructive satisfiability testing and model synthesis in the fragment ATL of the full Alternating time temporal logic ATL∗. The method extends in an essential way a previously developed tableaux-based decision method for ATL and works in 2EXPTIME, which is the optimal worst case complexity of the satisfiability problem for ATL. We also discuss how suitable parametrizations and syntactic restrictions on the class of input ATL formulae can reduce the complexity of the satisfiability problem. This paper is an essentially extended version of [3]. keywords: alternating-time temporal logics, ATL+, decision procedure, model synthesis, satisfiability, tableaux


Background: It has been reported that nitric oxide (NO) synthase is induced in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), and that an excessive production of NO enhances sympathetic nervous function. The present report describes a study of the feasibility of evaluation of abnormalities of autonomic nervous function by 123I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy and heart‐rate variability in patients with LC.


Injury to the central nervous system, whether by ischemia or trauma, causes stereotyped and progressive pathological changes. A number of biochemical pathways are activated by the initial insult, and some of their metabolic products might be involved in the delayed progressive tissue hypoperfusion and irreversible cell damage. Eicosanoids are likely mediators in the pathogenesis of brain damage for the following reasons: 1. In a variety of pathological conditions aracnidonic acid rapidly accumulates and is oxidized by either the cycloor lipooxygenase pathways to produce prostaglandins (PG) and leukotrienes (LT). 2. Products of both pathways are known to increase vascular permeability; thus their augmented synthesis may promote tissue edema which could lead to a progressive increase in microcirculatory resistance. 3. Disturbed balance between thromboxane (TXA2, vasoconstrictor and platelet aggregator) and prostacyclin (PGI2) vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet aggregation) may also lead to impairment of the microcirculation and aggravation of the initial insult. We have developed an experimental model of closed head injury in rats / l / in order to investigate the outcome of this type of injury and the role that brain eicosanoids might play in the pathogenesis of neuronal damage. In this model we followed the temporal changes in


DR. FRANCIS CHITTENDEN IS SENIOR FELLOW in business development, Dr. Pannikos Poutziouris and Dr. Syeda-Masooda Mukhtar are fellows in SME management, all at Manchester Business School, England. This paper reports the findings of a large survey about the international quality standard ISO 9000. The paper compares the characteristics of small businesses that use ISO 9000 with firms that do not and explores the reasons why businesses decide to seek registration under the standard. The benefits and disadvantages experienced by the small firms that have registered are also considered. A number of policy recommendations are presented that argue that ISO 9000 should be adapted so that more small firms can enjoy the advantages of registration. ISO 9000 is a quality management system that relies on the formal documentation of operating procedures. However, most small businesses are managed informally through the personal attention of the owner(s) and they perceive ISO 9000 to be expensive to operate and too bureaucratic for their needs. Informally-managed small businesses that adopted ISO 9000 reported increased costs as a result of implementing the standard. The formality required by ISO 9000 prevents many small firms from enjoying the benefits of registration even though, in most cases, the quality of their products and services is satisfactory.


This text is an article-review on the recent book about the destiny of Literary Theory by the end of 20th century. Galin Tihanov, a theorist of bakhtinism (The Master and the Slave. Lukács, Bakhtin and the Ideas of Their Time, 2000), now presents The Birth and Death of Literary Theory. Regimes of Relevance in Russia and Beyond, a new book with an interesting explanation about the historical and cultural process in Europe since Literature is considered an autonomous domain. The purpose is to comment and respond some alternatives that Tihanov proposes and put them in a wider context.


With traffic congestion problems increasing in towns and cities it is suggested that the identification of recurrent congestion has a role to play in the area of traffic management. A method for identifying recurrent congestion has been devised using data from the SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) system. This paper first considers the definition of congestion then describes the method for identifying recurrent congestion. The performance of the method in a small area of central Leicester is then assessed and some of the congestion features found are described. For the covering abstract see IRRD 880251.


Procellariiforms are seabirds with life histories characterised by a long lifespan, deferred sexual maturity, a single egg clutch and low annual reproductive output (Hamer et al. 2002). Such long-lived species will invest more in longevity than in fecundity, according to life-history theory (Stearns 1992, Weimerskirch 1999). Thus, in poor breeding conditions, procellariiforms are expected to give up their breeding effort to increase their lifetime reproductive success (Ollason & Dunnet 1988, Wooller et al. 1989, Erikstad et al. 1998). For example, it has been shown that several species will abandon their egg when body reserves are reduced to critical levels (Chaurand & Weimerskirch 1994, Tveraa et al. 1997, Weimerskirch 1999).


The task of reviewing general texts is especially difficult. Many different objectives may legitimately be attempted, and it is easy to allow one's personal interests to enter into the appraisal of objectives. It has long been my conviction that every author should be allowed to choose his objectives and to adopt such means as may be suitable in their fulfillment. Once these choices have been made, the author imposes a task upon himself which may legitimately be examined, both in respect of its intrinsic merit and in respect of the execution of the plan. Mr. Hacker's book presents a number of especially interesting problems in these regards.


The issue of the axiology of law is one of the most difficult problems of the widely understood jurisprudence. A study of the relationship between the law and morality has fascinated many researchers, constituting at the same time one of the central issues of philosophy, law, politics and other social sciences. A problem of determining a content of the "good law" has always accompanied people. A social life is penetrated by moral judgment. The law is also subjected to such judgment. No legal system can, therefore, be fully neutral axiologically. Axiology is the knowledge about the values of all kinds, being connected to general and multifaceted reflections on them. Axiology of law creates a set of values, restricted to the valuation standards revealed by a given legal system, or referred to by a given system. Thus the concept of "value" becomes fundamental when considering axiology. Leaving aside the controversies arising while determining a semantic meaning of the term, value can be defined as an attribute (property) of a thing resulting from its positive assessment. This is a characteristic feature attributed to the thing freely by a given subject (subjective approach) or in accordance with the accepted norms in a particular culture (objective approach). Reasonable is the statement that the essence of our humanity is judged by values. The values that a given legal system declares or incorporates are inevitably relativized to social valuation standards.


A major drawback of the iterative image reconstruction algorithms is their high computational cost.To decrease computation time,an Ordered Subsets(OS)method was proposed by Hudson et al.Because the OS algorithm uses a fixed number of subsets for each iteration,the quality of images depends upon the number of subsets.In this paper,we develop a new algorithm called the sequence subsets SART,which decrease the number of subsets after each iteration.Thus we not only accelerate convergence of the reconstructed image but also recover various frequency components of the reconstructed image in early iterative steps.Experimental results show that the proposed sequence subsets SART can provide higher quality reconstructed images that are very insensitive to noise at a small number of iterations.


BACKGROUND: Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) approved for use in North America since 1997 despite the fact that the concept of using SNS to treat patients with voiding dysfunction discussed first almost 50 years ago.
AIM: The objectives of the study were to assess the effectiveness of SNS the short and long term for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) dysfunction and its relation to age, gender, and causes.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a clinical prospective study that involved 50 cases (32 females and 18 males) with OAB. It was carried out at Ibn Sina Hospital, and the neurosciences hospital in Baghdad/Iraq from April 2015 to April 2018. All the patients were assessed preoperatively and certain inclusion criteria were used. The patients went through the 2 stage implantations of the Medtronic InterStim®. The patients were assessed at 6 months (short term) and 2 years (long term) postoperatively.
RESULTS: The results of our patients were analyzed with respect to age, gender, causes of OAB, and post-operative complications. We found that younger age patients, female patients, and patients with neurogenic causes of OAB showed a better response in both the short- and long-term follow-up.
CONCLUSION: Considerable progress has been made in the surgical management of OAB. Proper selection of patients is the key to the success of SNS, and female patients have better results compared to male patients. Furthermore, younger patients and patients with neurogenic causes did better than older patients and patients with idiopathic causes. SNS is a safe minimally invasive surgery with a low complication rate, and the 2 stages procedure has better results than the percutaneous nerve evaluation.


The embodiment of the invention discloses a method for determining the rotating camera position. The method includes the steps that the signal strength value received by a signal receiving/transmitting device is read; the position of a rotating camera is determined according to the signal strength value; when the rotating camera is located at the preset position, the signal receiving/transmitting device is opposite to the forward direction of a signal reflecting region on the rotating camera; when the rotating camera is rotated by 180 degrees from the preset position, the signal receiving/transmitting device is opposite to the forward direction of a signal absorbing region on the rotating camera; the preset position is the preposition position or the postposition position of the rotating camera. The embodiment of the invention further discloses a device for determining the rotating camera position. By means of the method and device for determining the rotating camera position, determination of the position of the rotating camera is high in precision and low in interference.


Water extracts obtained from the roots, shoots, and fruits of mature wild onion (Asphodelus tenuifolius) plants and soil taken from an A. tenuifolius field were used to determine their allelopathic effects on the germination and seedling growth of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in the laboratory. The roots, shoots, and fruits of A. tenuifolius were soaked individually in water in a ratio of 1:20 (w/v) for 24 h to prepare the extracts. Distilled water was used as the control. The germinated seeds were taken out from the Petri dishes and counted every day for 12 days. The seeds of chickpea were also sown in sand and in each of the controlled, normal soil and the soil taken from the A. tenuifolius-infested field in Petri dishes to record the length and weight of the roots and shoots 18 days after sowing. The mean germination time reached the maximum amount for the stem and fruit extracts. The fruit extract caused the most reduction in the germination index and the germination percentage of chickpea. The different wild onion organ extracts significantly reduced the root and shoot length and biomass of the chickpea seedlings compared with the distilled water. The fruit extract of wild onion proved to be the most detrimental to the root length, shoot length, and dry weight of the chickpea seedlings. The soil beneath the A. tenuifolius plants significantly reduced the emergence, root length, shoot length, shoot dry weight, and seedling dry weight but increased the root dry weight of the chickpea seedlings. It is suggested that A. tenuifolius releases phytotoxic compound(s).


Objective:To investigate the quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS) and the assoicated factors in army.Methods:Analysis of quality of life was performed in 126 patients with AS in Fujian troops according to world health organization quality of life questionnaire(WHOQOI-BREF),visual analog scale(VAS),Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index(BASFI),Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease active index(BASDAI),Bath ankylosing spondylitis global index(BAS-G),self reported anxiety scale(SAS) and self reported depression scale(SDS).Results:① The mean score of quality of life,including aspects of life surroundings,physical function,psychological function,social relationship and health self-judgment was obviously reduced,with 97 patients(75.8%) with score less than 60.② Significantly higher SAS and SDS scores were revealed in subjects than norms of Chinese adult(P0.01),with prevalence of anxious and depressive symptoms were 46.8% and 56.3%,respectively.③The quality of life and the average scores of all aspects were significantly negatively correlated with SAS,SDS,BASDAI,BAS-G and BASFI.Conclusion:The quality of life of AS patients in army is seriously reduced.Some of them have anxious and depressive symptoms,in which depressive symptom is major.The worsened quality of life is closely correlated to the disease course,disease activity and depressive mood.


Ceramics grains contacts are essential for understanding complex electric and dielectric properties of electronic ceramics materials. Morphology of ceramics grains and pores as well as Brownian character of particle dynamics inside ceramics specimen contributes to better understanding of the sintering process. Real intergrain contact surfaces as highly irregular objects can be described in the only adequate way, using fractal models. Using the method of fractal modeling, a micro-nanostructure configurations reconstruction, like shapes of grains or intergranular contacts are successfully done. Further, we re-investigate intergranular capacity model as well as its Heywang modification from the point of view of intergranular introducing fractal formations. The area of grains surface is calculated by using fractal correction that expresses the irregularity of grains surface through fractal dimension. This leads towards a more exact calculates of ceramics electronics properties as well as more realistic understanding of electrical behavior of barium-titanate and other electronics ceramics materials. In order to obtain an equivalent circuit model, which provides a more realistic representation of the electronic materials electrical properties, in this paper we have determined and implemented an intergranular contacts model for the BaTiO 3 electrical properties characterization. On the basis of micro-nanostructure fractal relations we can prognosticate the electronic properties of material. Considering the obtained results, the new frontiers for deeper and higher level electronics circuit microelectronic integration are established, what is practical leading towards the new frame of fractal electronics.


Christopher Columbus was denied beatification because of his avarice, baseness, and malevolent discoveries. He landed much lower in tribal stories and remembrance than he has in foundational histories and representations of colonialism; nonetheless, several centuries later his mistaken missions were uncovered anew and commemorated as entitlements in a constitutional democracy. Columbus has been envied in a chemical civilization that remembers him more than the old monarchs and presidents. The dubious nerve of his adventures would be heard more than the ecstasies of the shamans or even the stories of the saints; alas, he has been honored over the tribal cultures that were enslaved and terminated in his name. The 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, for instance, celebrated his discoveries as an enviable beat in the heart of the nation. Antonin Dvofak composed his occasional symphony From the New World. Frederick Jackson Turner presented his epoch thesis, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," that same summer to his colleagues at the


Psychotherapeutic interventions utilizing cognitive–behavioral strategies have been used widely with older adults. To appropriately adapt these techniques, characteristics unique to older adults must be taken into account. These factors include aspects of the social environment, cohort effects, cognitive changes with aging, personality, and emotional development, which have been described in an emerging body of research literature from the field of gerontology. In addition, clinical studies have examined the efficacy of cognitive–behavioral interventions in treating older clients for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other disorders. This review describes current empirical evidence in gerontology and treatment outcome research that informs the practice of psychotherapy in this population and provides recommendations for conducting therapy with older adults.


The invention provides a new method for preparing a noble metal catalyst for chloroethylene reaction with acetylene. In the method, active carbon and molecular sieve are used as carriers, ruthenium trichloride of noble metal chloride is used as an active center, the active center is carried on the carriers by adopting an immersion method, and the novel catalyst is obtained by means of drying and the like; the catalyst shows high activity and selectivity in the application in preparing the chloroethylene by acetylene hydrochlorination; and the method has the characteristics of simple process, short production period, safe and environment-friendly raw materials and low equipment cost. Compared with the current widely-applied carried mercuric chloride catalyst, the ruthenium trichloride active center has the advantages that: although the price is relatively high, the consumption of the ruthenium trichloride active center is extremely low in the preparation, so the cost is low; and because of extremely low toxicity, the catalyst can be taken as a good substitute for a mercury-containing catalyst.