The Palma Project is an experiment in the use of cultural identity as a social trigger to address ecological degradation. The research methodology draws from environmental, social and urban analyses to unveil the best strategy to address the ecological, river restoration and water treatment challenges in Berkeley, California's "Sister City" in southeast Cuba, Palma Soriano.  The objective is to provide a better quality of life and to create new opportunities for the local community to reconnect with natural cycles of water and the cultivation of their own land. The project aim is to promote the strength and capacity of local communities to protect their own environment based upon a master plan, which includes natural wastewater treatment, reforestation, urban agriculture and the facilitation and utilization of a public space bordering the major river which flows by Palma Soriano, the Cauto. This project will contribute and produce healthy water recycling for Palma, provide a potable water source for the city, encourage ecological restoration of the riparian zone of the Cauto, and provide new opportunities for food production.  It is designed to preserve the cultural identity of the local community, and to restore the essential balance between the community's need to sustain both itself and the natural environment. Keywords: Water Treatment; River Restoration; Community Identity; Local Food Production Submitted: 26 Januar 2014; Revised 2 June  2014; Accepted for publication: 6 June 2014; Published: 10 June 2014 urn:nbn:de:hebis:34-2014062645560


Synopsis The numerous data on the shrinkage of butt welded joints published in the technical literature frequently refer to different testing conditions and are, in consequence, not suitable for comparing individual welding processes with each other. The study reported here gives results from a series of tests performed in constant conditions to record shrinkage and angular distortion of butt welded joints with variation of groove shape, parent metal and plate thickness. The results confirmed the logarithmic relation of shrinkage with number of weld passes. The coefficients were determined for the various cases. It is also shown that heat input and groove shape are factors determining the degree of shrinkage.


The progress of the organization or company can not be separated from the existence of adequate human resources and able to compete. The company is expected to be able to improve the ability of every human resource well so that the company's goals can be achieved. One of them is through the implementation of reward and punishment. Royal Tunjung Bali Hotel & Spa is a business that is engaged in tourism services, realizing that to maximize employee performance, companies must implement a system of reward and punishment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Reward and Punishment on Employee Performance. This study used a population of 35 employees at The Royal Tanjung Bali Hotel & Spa, so that the sample of this study was 35 respondents with census techniques. This study uses multiple linear regression analysis techniques. The results of this study indicate that there is an influence of reward and punishment on employee performance at the Royal Tunjung Bali Hotel & Spa. Suggestions recommended to company management so as to always give praise to employees for the achievement of the resulting performance, so as to improve employee performance, provide severe penalties after proven irregularities by employees without discriminating against the treatment of all employees, employees to be more effective and efficient completion of tasks and work so that the achievement of quantity and reliability of work increases.


Objective: To gather the descriptions of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) characteristics described in the literature. Method: Systematic review of the clinical characteristics and evolution of DNT, topographic diagnosis, neuroimaging, anatomical and pathological findings and surgical response. The search was made in the Medline and Lilacs systems from 1988 until December 2005. Results: Found were 218 articles with115 selected to include the characteristics being investigated. Records of 952 patients with DNT were found from 115 articles, of which 446 (57.0%) were men. The minimum age ranged from 8 months to 75 years (average 14.2 years) and maximum age of 2 to 75 years (average 29.6 years). The average minimum age of epilepsy onset was 98.5 months (minimum 1 month; maximum 610 months). The average maximum age of epilepsy onset was 246.6 months (minimum 1 month; maximum 726 months). Epileptic seizures occurred in 96.4% and all fulfilled the criteria for drug-resistance. The neuroimaging showed the absence of peritumoral edema in 97.2% and lack of mass effect in 90.4%. The most frequent histopathologic finding was cellular heterogeneity with the presence of oligodendrocyte-like cells in 65.5%; nonspecific form occurring in 12.6%. Conclusion: DNT is a tumor that affects with similar proportion between men and women, mainly in young adults until the third decade of life, with epileptic seizures the main initial manifestations. Mass effect is not presented and oligodendrocyte-like cells are the most frequent findings.


I began to write this paper in 1972, when I was researching transsexualism and became fascinated with the background of the father of transsexualism. Benjamin wanted me to write about him after his death and I was eager to do so. I interviewed him formally a dozen times and came to know him more informally as I was spending hours in his office interviewing transsexual patients. In 1972, between Madison and Park Avenues, in the heart of boutiquedom, was the ground-floor office of a doctor with one of the strangest clienteles in Manhattan. If one sat in the sedate waiting room long enough, one would see recognizable New York politicos coming for their periodic testosterone injections to ward off impotence or a Buccellati-bejeweled woman seeking advice about how to confront her lover with his homosexual liaison, just uncovered by her private detective. But there was another group of patients too. On a typical day, in one corner sat a man with longish hair and a mild swelling of breasts under his shirt; in the leather lounge chair was someone who at first glance appeared to be a showgirl but


We collected mobility traces of 84,208 avatars spanning 22 regions over two months in Second Life, a popular networked virtual environment. We analyzed the traces to characterize the dynamics of the avatars mobility and behavior, both temporally and spatially. We discuss the implications of the our findings to the design o f peer-to-peer networked virtual environments, interest management, mobility modeling of avatars, server load balancing and zone partitioning, client-side caching, and prefetching.


Our current three registrars in Family Medicine: Drs Nitta Chinyama, Modai Mnenula, and Jessie Mbamba.

Waleke Khumalo started to suffer from stomach pains in secondary school, aged 16. A relative working as a laundry attendant at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre (Malawi's centre of finance and commerce) first took him to the outpatient clinic. Over the next 5 years he went back and forth to the clinic and in that time only once saw a doctor. ' He was a white guy doing endoscopy,' Waleke laughs, 'it was then that I thought to myself, "Where are all the doctors in this country?"'

Waleke's parents passed away when he was in primary school. Encouraged and financially supported by his aunts through primary and secondary school, he did very well, attaining excellent grades, and made a successful application to the Malawi College of Medicine — the first in his family to attend university. The fees for medical school were too much for his family to …


Introduction At Coombe Wood Mother and Baby unit (MBU) there are daily multi-disciplinary team (MDT) handover meetings and a weekly MDT ward round attended by 7-8 team members. There are concerns that the handover is too time consuming, utilising time which could be spent on other clinical duties, and concerns regarding the relevance of information that is handed over. Objectives To perform a service evaluation to determine the efficiency and quality of MDT handover meetings in an MBU setting. Methods Data was collected from September to October 2020. A checklist was designed listing information felt to be relevant to handover and contained the following data points – 'current situation', 'mental health', 'level of observations', 'risk', 'physical health', 'baby care', 'baby supervision levels' and 'tasks and responsibilities'. The start and stop times of each MDT handover meeting were noted and a record was made as to whether these topics were discussed. Results Mean meeting duration was 32.2 minutes (range: 13 – 45 minutes) and amounted to 2.68 hours spent in MDT handover over a 5-day working week. This equates to 21.4 person-hours (based on 8 staff) a week. 928 data points were generated. 50.7% (468) data points were recorded and commonly omitted data points were – 'tasks and responsibilities', 'risk', 'level of observations' and 'physical health'. On all occasions, 'current situation', 'mental health' and 'baby care' were handed over. Conclusions The results of this service evaluation provide compelling evidence for a wider improvement project. Involving MDT staff in designing interventions will make handover meetings more meaningful.


Abstract 'Practice Forum' is intended to provide a forum for social work practitioners to share their practice with others; to describe what they are doing and assess its effectiveness. We extend an invitation to all social work practitioners to submit articles for 'Practice Forum' and we look forward to receiving your contribution. The Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria has instituted a Writer-in-Residence program to help practising social workers and other professionals in oncology to document and to publish their often considerable practical experience and knowledge. This article traces a number of points that have come out of that program, including the process of writing a professional paper, stylistic considerations, taking account of readers' needs and expectations, and the power of language not only to describe, but to shape experience. The article also considers other fields of writing within social work, and ways in which the profession and the workplace might encourage practitioners to write. 'Sha...


A combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridization was applied to identify differentially expressed genes in the bovine intercaruncular endometrium at estrus and diestrus. Six cyclic Simmental heifers were cycle-synchronized and slaughtered the morning after standing heat occurred (n = 3) or 12 days after estrus (n = 3), respectively. The uterus was divided into seven sections: corpus, plus the caudal, middle, and cranial parts of both uterine horns. Samples were collected from the epithelial layer of the lamina propria of the intercaruncular endometrium. Two subtracted libraries were prepared and analyzed by array hybridization with probes produced from the 42 tissue samples. More than 130 differentially expressed genes were identified. Among these genes, the mRNA for the uterine milk protein (UTMP) showed a much higher expression level at estrus versus diestrus. Furthermore, the expression level differed markedly between the uterus sections. Statistical significance was tested using ANOVA and Student Newman Keuls post-hoc test (GeneSpring® version 6.1, Silicon Genetics, Redwood City, CA, USA). There was a pronounced expression gradient from both cranial uterine horns (highest) to the corpus (lowest) at estrus. UTMP mRNA level was highest in the ipsilateral cranial horn. A more accurate quantification was done by quantitative real-time RT-PCR using the same RNA samples as for array hybridization and, in addition, samples from further time points of the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. The results obtained by array hybridization were clearly confirmed. UTMPs, also known as uterine serpins (US), were previously shown to be the major products secreted by the uteri of cattle, sheep, and pigs during pregnancy. The US are glycoproteins belonging to the serpin (serine proteinase inhibitor) superfamily of proteins. However, no inhibitory activity to any serine proteinase has been found. The ovine uterine serpin (OvUS) has been shown to inhibit a wide variety of immune responses, including mixed lymphocyte reaction, T cell-dependent antibody production, and NK (natural killer)-like activity, indicating a major role in protecting the conceptus from maternal immune reactions. The four members of the US family form a clade distinct from other serpins, which have probably adopted important biological functions in the reproductive biology of Artiodactyla. Therefore, the identified expression gradient of the UTMP mRNA at estrus may be of particular importance, e.g. for sperm selection, and deserves further investigation at the protein level and in functional studies. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Research Unit "Mechanisms of Embryo-Maternal Communication"; FOR 478/1).


The kinetics of catalytic acid hydrolysis of N-phenylphthalimide, N-phenylphthalamic acid (model compounds of polyimide and polyamic acids), and of certain soluble polyimides have been studied. A reaction mechanism is proposed implying that unreactive forms of the reactant appear by protonization of the amide bond at the carbonyl oxygen and by dissociation of the o-carboxyl group (in case of N-phenylphthalamic acid). Attack of the nonprotonized amide bond by hydroxonium ions is suggested to be the rate limiting step. A method for determining the cyclization extent of soluble polyimides to within 0.1% is proposed. The effect of structure on the chemical stability of polyimides has been studied.


Invariance is one of the key themes of Western thought. Plato saw the flux of appearances as betokening imperfect imitation of invariant forms. Many generations of footnotes later we find the late James J. Gibson standing Plato on his head; the invariances are there in the flux of sensory experience and the perceptual system has direct and unmediated access to those invariances.' In linguistics, Jakobson has emphasized the importance of seeking invariances and has found this a typically Peircian theme.2 From Jakobson it is but a short associative leap to metaphor and metonymy, thus bounding the theoretical tripod on which this essay rests: invariance, metaphor, metonymy. The first section sets out the theoretical instruments. Those instruments


Chaos motion of a nonlinear Automobile suspension system under dual-frequency sinusoidal excitations was analysed.The chaos motion was determined through Lyapunov exponents and Poincare map and its amplitude was found.Then,a controller U was designed when all the states of the system were measurable.It was proved by means of a Lyapunov function that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable in the sense of large range.At last,the tracking control with the controller U was used to control the chaos motion and the control process was numerically simulated.The simulation results showed that the tracking control method is effective.


While Whorf (1937) proposed that Classical Nahuatl (CN) teek"'-tli 'lord, master' is cognate with Cora (C) tak'a 'god, master', reconstructing Proto-UtoAztecan (PUA) **tdak"a, a conservative etymology would relate the CN and C forms to two distinct PUA origins. Overlap between the two sets occurs, however, both in C and in the Takic languages.' Set A is PUA **ti(i)ku 'master, chief': Proto-Aztecan (PAz) *teeku 'master, father' (Campbell and Langacker 1978:set 107), C teek"'aaran 'duefio', Shoshoni tek"a-ni'chief', Southern Paiute (SP) tog"'a'to order loudly', Cupefio (Cu) tik"vvivi -s 'fire tender' (a type of ceremonial official).2 This set has PAz *ee as a reflex of PUA **"i, a correspondence also attested for PAz *wee(y)i 'big' (Campbell and Langacker 1978:set 203). While Campbell and Langacker reconstruct PAz *kW for the final consonant of the root in teek'-tli, several facts support the reconstruction of *ku as above, both in PAz and PUA. First, possessed forms in several Nahuatl dialects display -ku or -ko: cf. Pochutec no-teku 'mi padre', Tetelcingo i-tieko 'su dueio', Tlaxcalan i-teeko 'su dueio'. Compare CN nek"-tli 'honey', Tlaxcalan nek'-a-tl 'aguamiel' ('honeywater'), Tlaxcalan i-nek"', i-nek 'su pulque'. Second, the SP reflex has /o/ in the first syllable. This vowel may be derived from Proto-Numic and in turn PUA **i(i) only if it is assumed that the second SP syllable, -g'a, derives from underlying -ku-a or -ko-a; this assumption allows the application of Sapir's (1930:13) rule that SP /i/ becomes o before syllables containing u or o. Set B is PUA **tak"a 'a kind of divinity': C tak'a-te 'niederer Gotter' (-te is the plural suffix), C tak"a 'Herr, Eigentiimer eines Tieres' (Preuss 1934 lists these two separately in his glossary, although they appear to be identical), ProtoTakic *taak"'i'a divinity manifested as ball lightning' (Serrano taak^-', Luisefio (Lu) taak"i-s, Cu taak"i-s, Cahuilla (Ca) taku-s). The C form names a type of divinity which is manifested as a large round stone (Lumholtz 1902; Hinton 1972).3 The two sets overlap as follows. First, Dahlgren (1972) gives tecuate (her transcription), glossed as 'seior', or a deity of the third, lowest level, manifested as a stone: clearly, identical to Preuss's 'niederer Gotter'. Grimes and


The present invention discloses a multilayer wideband microstrip antenna, comprising a dielectric substrate, an upper layer, an intermediate layer of a dielectric substrate, a lower layer dielectric substrate, a low dielectric constant insulating dielectric layer upper layer, the lower layer low dielectric constant insulating dielectric layer, a reflection board and the power electric probe. Wherein the intermediate layer and the upper surface of the lower dielectric substrate with an upper surface of the dielectric substrate rectangular copper patch radiators, each radiator having a U-shaped slit of different size structure. Because of the special inverted double U-shaped slot according to the present invention is electrically coupled feed, make E plane or H plane of symmetry of the antenna pattern to better ensure a more directions in the antenna performance more consistent, as the probe or whether the communication antenna more practical significance. The EBG structure of the rear reflection plate at a predetermined frequency relative to a conventional metal reflector may be better to suppress the radiation, to enhance the directivity of the antenna, further improving the antenna gain.


In order to meet the needs of high-speed high-performance pipeline ADC clock driver, a fast-lock low-jitter 50% duty cycle corrector is designed in 65nm CMOS process in this paper. Both sinusoidal and square external signals can be used as input. The theory of all-digital duty cycle corrector (DCC) is explained. The noise performance of clock buffer is discussed as well. Using 65 nm CMOS process and all-digital structure, simulation results show that with 400MHz sinusoidal input the DCC circuit can produce a clock signal of about 48.72% to 51.3% duty cycle. And the RMS value of jitter for the input buffer is only 45fs. And the locking time only needs 1.5 cycles.


Waves in chemically excitable systems can refract when impinging on an interface between regions of different reaction kinetics and/or diffusion constants. Here we study this process using the thin reaction-zone limit wherein the dynamics of the system can be reduced to the tracking of the boundaries between quiescent and excited regions. We show how to derive an integrodifferential equation for the refraction of a single pulse and we subsequently solve this equation numerically. Our results predict that there can be an oscillatory recovery to the asymptotic~far from the interface ! pulse; this could be checked by experiments on the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction. @S1063-651X~98!09309-X#


mTORC1/2 and rapamycin in female Han:SPRD rats with polycystic 1 kidney disease (PKD). 2 3 Franck Belibi*, Kameswaran Ravichandran*, Iram Zafar*, Zhibin He and Charles L. 4 Edelstein. 5 6 Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Univ. of Colorado at Denver and the 7 Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA 8 9 *Authors contributed equally to the study 10 11 12 Correspondence to Charles L. Edelstein, Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, 13 Univ. of Colorado at Denver and the Health Sciences Center, Box C281, 12700 East 14 19 th Ave, Aurora, CO 80262, USA. 15 Phone (303) 724-4810 FAX (303) 724-4868 16 e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com 17 18 Running title: Rapamycin in female PKD rats. 19 20 21 Articles in PresS. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol (October 13, 2010). doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00129.2010


In 1998, 15 terminally ill Oregon residents ended their lives with overdoses of medications supplied legally by their physicians (1). Eight others received prescriptions but never used them. Many more patients probably considered hastening death but did not do so. In a Boston study, 27% of patients with cancer had thought about asking their physicians to assist them in death, yet only 2% had actually discussed the matter with their physicians (2). Several thoughtful pieces have been written to guide physicians who receive requests for assistance in dying, and all address the major medical, psychosocial, and spiritual issues facing dying patients who wish to end their own lives (3-6). Cole (4) avoids the question of physician participation altogether, and Emanuel describes a protocol that prohibits physicians from ever assisting in dying (5). Block and Billings (3) and Quill (6), although more sympathetic to hastened death, wrote at a time when assisted suicide was illegal in all states. The Oregon referendum legalizing physician-assisted suicide dramatically alters this landscape. If there is no evidence of significant abuse or backlash, other states may follow suit (7-11). If they do, physicians are likely to face new ethical challenges as they weigh requests from patients. The nature of communication between physicians and patients regarding decisions at the end of life would change. Discussing assisted dying would no longer be taboo, and physicians could raise the possibility of assisted suicide as one of many options to be freely considered. Patients who encounter physician refusals would be empowered to bring their requests to other physicians who may not know them as well, as was done in six of the Oregon cases (1). Finally, some patients may view assisted dying as a right that can be expected on demand. This paper will articulate some of the conceptual challenges inherent in an era of legalization and will provide practical advice to physicians facing requests for assisted dying. This paper uses the terms assisted suicide and assisted dying interchangeably. Some Conceptual Issues The ethical framework for discussions about assisted dying begins with informed consent (5, 12). Physicians must discuss the risks, benefits, and likely outcomes of assisted suicide. They must also discuss alternatives to suicide, including the possibilities of palliative care. This model assumes rational decision making and also assumes that when patients raise the possibility of assisted dying, they are, in fact, asking for a hastened death rather than using the request to express unmet needs or to manipulate their situation. Furthermore, it assumes that the patient desires and is capable of rational decision making at this emotionally difficult time. In some cases, however, none of these assumptions may be true. Informed consent is usually invoked to protect patients' informational and decisional needs. However, when patients approach this issue from an extreme consumerist perspective, they may actually reverse the quality of the interaction and place the physician in the role of providing consent (4). Physicians' fiduciary relationships to their patients require that they still be able to respond empathically to concerns and try to understand and address the issues that are leading to a person's decision. Because of these complexities, it may be inadequate to obtain strict informed consent without attending to the emotional and cognitive state of the patient. Without abandoning informed consent, we recommend that such discussions be viewed in a more collaborative or therapeutic model of communication that focuses on the biopsychosocial concerns of the patient and, through empathic listening and emotional support, helps the patient identify a solution that addresses these concerns. With regard to advance directives, we have learned that patients vary in their desire for information and participation and that needs other than informed consent may predominate (13-20). Assessing Decision-Making Capacity It is universally agreed that patients who request assisted dying must demonstrate decision-making capacity. However, medicine has traditionally viewed a desire to end one's life as a sign of depression. If this is true, then no patient who expresses such thoughts could meet standards for decision-making capacity. The presumption that clinically depressed patients are wholly incapable of making rational requests to end their lives seems far too facile. Certainly, some requests are motivated by treatable depressions, and appropriate interventions must be offered. However, a desire to escape interminable suffering is not necessarily irrational. Requests for assisted suicide do not in themselves constitute a lack of decision-making capacity, but expert consultation should be used to clarify these issues with potentially depressed patients (3). Disclosure of the Option Physicians are ethically obligated to explore in meaningful ways patients' requests for assisted dying. If such requests are sustained despite attempts at presenting other viable choices, physicians should discuss patients' options under the law. However, discussing assisted dying with patients who do not explicitly request this option is problematic. In jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal, under the strictest definition of informed consent physicians would seem to be obligated to disclose to all terminally ill patients their right to assisted dying. At the very least, requirements for truth telling would incline physicians to disclose the available options to the terminally ill patient who is looking for a way out of intractable suffering. For example, many terminally ill patients may not be aware that they have other choices, such as terminal sedation or the voluntary cessation of eating and drinking; both of these options are legal and, for many, ethically acceptable ways of ending one's life (21). In a state where it is legal, assisted dying must be added to this list. Withholding such information does not allow a patient to make a fully informed decision and would violate a reasonable formulation of the notion of informed consent. Some may wonder whether describing these alternatives connotes endorsement of them and whether raising the issue risks motivating a patient to commit an action that would not have occurred otherwise. Clearly, simply mentioning options does not imply endorsement. In medicine, we routinely describe to patients options that we consider unwise in the interest of full disclosure. In the course of caring for dying patients, physicians frequently explore issues of depression and suicidal tendencies. Not to do so with patients who are thinking seriously about assisted suicide would be to leave them alone with their thoughts and vulnerable to increased anguish. Asking patients who may be thinking about suicide to talk about their feelings is more similar to reflecting or naming their feelings than to encouraging suicide. For example, we do not worry that a physician will induce depression where none existed by telling a patient that he or she seems depressed. Rather, the physician is clarifying an interpretation of the patient's mood. Analogously, some persons may be liberated by the knowledge that they could end their suffering by stopping a life-sustaining treatment; such knowledge could give them the strength to go on. Giving a Recommendation Traditionally, provision of information in the informed consent process is thought to be value-neutral. In reality, however, information can be framed in various ways that will have different implications for decision making (22). Some argue that physicians aid informed consent by providing recommendations as long as patients understand them to be opinions, not statements of medical fact (23, 24). In addition to receiving information on risks and benefits, most patients want to know what their physician thinks is best for them. Although they may choose to reject the physician's opinion, it is one more piece of data on which to base their decisions. That said, should physicians ever disclose their personal views on assisted dying to patients? It may be in patients' interests to know their physicians' stance immediately so that they can consider changing physicians if necessary. However, a physician's focus on his or her own beliefs may shift the attention away from the patient. For example, telling patients too early that one is opposed to assisted suicide on principle may deter them from disclosing their deepest concerns (25). In addition, we must be mindful of the power of medical authority when talking to patients (26). Patients fear their physicians' disapproval and may not easily distinguish the fine line between open and appropriate disagreement and coercion. Patients may construe a physician's abrupt declaration of opposition to assisted dying as a conversation stopper and a form of abandonment (27). Many dying patients are simply searching for someone to help ease their dying. Avoiding a sense of abandonment is one of the central dilemmas facing physicians who receive requests for assisted dying. Physicians who are personally opposed to assisted death and cannot comply with a patient's request do not want their patients to feel that they are not with them through the end. Such physicians must find a way to demonstrate their commitment even when they will not assist with the patient's death. Because suicide is the final act of a patient's life, not being there at the end may carry considerable symbolic meaning. Of course, simply writing a prescription does not ensure that a patient will not feel or be abandoned. However, physicians must be attentive to the nuances of abandonment experienced by patients and must seek effective ways to reassure patients that they will receive supportive care. We have suggested that physicians may need to disclose the option of assisted suicide and should del


We searched to understand the process of meaning making about adoption, addressing a member of the extended family of a satisfactory case of adoption, using the theoretical and methodological foundations of Semiotics Cultural Psychology from idiographic orientation. We highlighted the dynamic between the meanings that exist in the collective culture, in transformation, and the personal meaning making. The construction of the meanings of adoption, even in a family whose adoption is accepted by all, is characterized by the existence of a constant tension and by the ambivalence between the collective culture full of myths and prejudices shared in a system of redundant messages, but also reflecting a current process in which the adoption is presented as commendable and desirable and the gradual construction of a personal culture. Some suggestions on useful directions for the work of guidance to prospective parents and adoption support groups are suggested.


The measurement accuracy of the Larmor frequency of the Overhauser magnetic sensor directly determines the magnetic accuracy of the Overhauser magnetometer. We propose a multichannel interpolation method for marine magnetic measurements, addressing specifically the deficiencies in traditional measurement methods. The quantization error of the count value of the standard signal is greatly reduced using the delay chain interpolation technique. Also the influence arising from the phase error is weakened through channel expansion. In addition, we also design a test platform and conduct two sets of field contrast tests, the test results showing that the proposed method not only improves the precision of the frequency measurement by about three times but also improves the resolution and lowers the noise level of the system.


AbstractActivated carbon prepared from Delonix regia (DR) seed pod has been used as adsorbent for the removal of anionic dyes from aqueous solution. Three anionic textile dyes (C.I. Acid Blue 15, C.I. Acid Red 114, C.I. Acid Violet 17) and one dye mixture were used as model compounds. The capacity of DR to adsorb anionic dyes from aqueous dye solution was evaluated at different contact times, dosage, pH, and initial adsorbent concentration. Results show that the highest dye removal (>95%) was obtained at pH 2 for the adsorption of all the selected dyes. Four isotherms (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich–Peterson) were used to fit the equilibrium data. The adsorption equilibrium showed that the Langmuir equation represented best fit of the experimental data than others. The adsorption isotherm indicates that the adsorption capacities are 151.51, 113.63, and 129.87 mg dye per gram of DR for AR-114, AV-17, and AB-15 Acid dyes, respectively. In order to investigate the mechanism of adsorption and rate-...


(1) Production, nitrogen and phosphorus return, and decomposition of leaf litter of the invasive alien, Acacia saligna, was compared with that of the indigenous sclerophyllous shrub, Leucospermum parile, in sand-plain lowland fynbos with acid soils low in P during the early stages of alien invasion. The same was done for A. cyclops and Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus in strandveld with alkaline soils high in P. (2) The Acacia spp. had twice the leaf N concentrations of the indigenous species, whereas P concentrations were highest in the strandveld species. (3) The Acacia spp. tended to produce more litter, with three times the N content of that of the indigenous species. No significant differences in P return were found, between the acacias and indigenous species in either vegetation. (4) Decomposition turnover times were longer in the fynbos species than those of the strandveld. Nitrogen was immobilized in the leaf litter of the indigenous species, while the N contents of the acacias varied little. Phosphorus was immobilized in the fynbos species compared with a release of about 50% from P. tricuspidatus after 2 years. (5) Soil N concentrations and litter-layer N contents were elevated under acacia canopies. (6) The N status of the fynbos and strandveld ecosystems is elevated by the invasion of alien acacias. The results for P cycling are equivocal and P availability does not appear to limit plant growth in the strandveld.


Photodynamic therapy (PDT) consists of the association of a photosensitizing agent with a light source in order to cause cellular necrosis. Methylene blue, toluidine blue and malachite green are photosensitizers derived from dyes that are widely accepted in medicine, as they have low toxicity and are low cost. PDT is an alternative treatment for cancer, with significant advantages over procedures such as surgery/chemotherapy. Our laboratory has studied the Fricke solution doped with photosensitizers in an approach to obtain a quality control for PDT. The Fricke solution was prepared with ammoniacal ferrous sulfate, sodium chloride and sulfuric acid in water. The solutions modified with photosensitizers were prepared by adding 0.1 g/100 mL of the dyes. A volume of 2.6 ml of the Fricke solution modified with photosensitizers were transferred to test tubes and irradiated. The irradiated solutions had their optical densities measured in a spectrophotometer. The samples were irradiated with LED (Light Emitting Diodes) in acrylic phantoms. The FATA samples irradiated with LED showed the sensitivity of the dosimeters to red, blue, green and yellow light. A calibration curve with correlation coefficient of 0.9884 for the red light was obtained; 0.9752 for blue light; 0.9644 for the green light and 0.9768 for the yellow light. The fact that a sensitivity of the dosimeters to the LED has been occurred indicates that the PDT could be realized with LED, with lower costs than with laser. This work suggested that FATA dosimeters can be used for quality control of PDT.


Objective To compare the effect of compressed,ultrasonic and simplified nebulization on sputum excretion.Methods 84 patients with respiratory system disease who had ropy sputum and couldn't cough effectively to exclude the sputum,were randomly divided into three groups.Patients in each group were given compressed,ultrasonic and simplified nebulization respectively besides the routine therapy with antibiotics.Result There was significant difference among the three types of nebulizations in the effect of sputum excretion (P0.01).Conclusions Compressed nebulization has a higher compliance,lower frequency of side effect and more effectiveness than simplified nebulization.Meanwhile,it is more simple,suitable and has less drop loss than ultrasonic nebulization.So compressed nebulization is the preferred method in clinical practice.


The designed BUMP combustion utilize the impact energy to alleviate the oil deposition on the combustion chamber wall, promote air/fuel mixing rate and expand the air/fuel mixing zone. "Lean diffusion combustion" results and low NO, and smoke emissions are achieved. The experiment results show the lean diffusion combustion is closely related to the injection timing. At the appropriate injection timing, the spray impinges the chamber wall and the second spray develops due to the effect of BUMP ring. Then the obvious lean diffusion combustion can be observed.


The cyclic diynes 1 and 7-11 were allowed to react in supercritical (sc) ethylene under Pauson-Khand conditions to give the tricyclic diketones 4 and 12-16 in yields between 47% and 15%, respectively. Our investigations reveal that in the case of cyclic diynes the yields of Pauson-Khand reactions in organic solvents can be tripled, by carrying out the syntheses in supercritical ethylene. The geometry of the resulting sulfur substituted diones 14 and 15 was determined by means of X-ray analysis on single crystals. Additionally, the synthesis of the twofold tethered cyclopentadienes 17 and 18 and the bis(tricarbonyl-manganese) complexes 19a and 19b from tricyclic dione 4 is presented.


The light output of a lighting arrangement is adjustable at two levels by, for example, "toggling". During a predeter mined time interval immediately after ignition, the lamp is Supplied with additional power to heat up. Immediately after Stationary conditions have been reached, the light output is automatically adjusted to the lowest of the two levels. During the predetermined time interval, the light output is also controlled so as to be at the lowest of the two levels, so that relatively large changes in the level of the light output during the predetermined time interval, and immediately after it, are prevented.


The purpose of the study was to identify and categorise the criteria-specified instructional approaches to fostering undergraduates' cross-cultural skills involving training them in foreign languages and to evaluate their effectiveness and feasibility. It was a systemic review of the effectiveness type. The descriptive content analysis was used as a methodology within the study to analyse the relevant short-listed sources. The triangular assessment method (TAM) was applied by instructors from Ukraine to rate each approach's/programme/course's potential effectiveness and/or feasibility for the context of higher education in Ukraine. This review identified potentially effective and feasible approaches/programmes/courses that can be converged to produce more efficient instructional models for fostering undergraduates' cross-cultural skills. The selected approaches or courses or programmes could be categorised as technology-driven approaches, approaches based on classroom activities or using specific instruction models, psychological effect-driven approaches, and combined or converged approaches. The use of technology-driven approaches seems to be the emerging instructional trend specifically in training students' cross-cultural skills.


Objective To study the effect of Butylphthalide soft capsules on free radical and hemorheology vascular dementia patients.Methods 60 cases of vascular dementia patients were chosen.120 cases of healthy old men,including 60 cases in control group and 60 cases in health group were chosen.The activity changes of peroxide dismutase(SOD),perxide lipid(LPO),malondialdehde(MDA)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)in blood serum and hemorheology markers were observed before and after the therapy.Results After the therapy,the activity of SOD and GSH-Px increased,and MDA and LPO declined(P0.05).Hemorheology markers obviously improved.Conclusion Butylphthalide soft capsules have the effect of resisting the damage of GSH-Px,LPO and other free radicals and activating SOD and MDA.It can dramaticaly decrease TC,TG,LDL-C,enhance HDL and improve the abnormal marker in Hemeoheology.


Using the principle that characteristic polynomials of matrices obtained from elements of a reductive group G over Q typically have splitting field with Galois group isomorphic to the Weyl group of G, we construct an explicit monic integral polynomial of degree 240 whose splitting field has Galois group the Weyl group of the exceptional group of type E8.


Technology scaling, which has enabled high density core integration, also has a detrimental effect on the chip multiprocessor (CMP) reliability due to increasing susceptibility to soft errors. Existing circuit-level and architecture-level fault tolerance techniques often pose large area overheads, and thus more area-efficient solutions are needed. This paper presents a variation-aware system-level design that utilizes the inherent core-redundancy in multi-core DSP systems to form N-Modular Redundant (NMR) sub-systems for error detection and recovery. When soft error rate (SER) variation in the system is present, conventional core-level redundancy system would become ineffective if thread-to-core allocation is not carefully devised. In the proposed scheme, we first analyze the optimal degree of redundancy using mathematical models for a system affected by process variations. Then, a variation-aware thread-to-core mapping algorithm is proposed to optimize system reliability under core resources constraint. The proposed scheme is validated by running the Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) in a multi-core simulator. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can achieve an improvement of 2x-3x the reliability metric compared to traditional core-level redundancy methods.


This editorial refers to 'Presentation, management, and outcomes of 25 748 acute coronary syndrome admissions in Kerala, India: results from the Kerala ACS Registry'†, by P.P. Mohanan et al. , on page 121

The epidemiology of cardiac disease is undergoing a steady transformation, with a small but steady decline in cardiac mortality in the western world while the prevalence and impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) continue to increase in middle income and low income countries.1 This is especially true in south Asia where CAD often manifests at an early age with profound societal and economic implications.2

Mohanan and colleagues now describe the results of the Kerala ACS Registry.3 Kerala, a picturesque state in south India, has some of the best health statistics in the Indian subcontinent, with high life expectancy, low infant mortality, and high literacy. It, however, has not been immune to the increasing incidence and prevalence of CAD that has accompanied India's economic transformation.4 The Kerala Chapter of the Cardiological Society of India is to be applauded for developing this collaborative registry to study the quality of care and outcomes associated with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The investigators identified 185 hospitals in the state that provided care to patients with ACS and, of these, 125 hospitals submitted data to the registry. The registry enrolled patients at teaching institutions, private as well as government hospitals, and a sizeable number of rural hospitals (40%), thus increasing the generalizability of their findings. Fewer than a quarter of the institutions (22%) had a cardiac catheterization laboratory on site, while 58% had a cardiologist on staff. The patients enrolled in the study were more likely to be younger and to present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared with those in the registry data from developed countries. The use of …


Immediately following the dramatic coup against J. F. Struensee in 1772, information on the events at court was in high demand. Amid this political upheaval an enterprising publicist in Copenhagen launched a new magazine with the explicit ambition of reporting whatever information could by picked up about the coup. In order not to be on a collision course with the new regime the magazine invented a new way of curating different types of intelligence by segregating news, rumours, and commentary in recurrent columns. This adaptable news coverage evaded controversy by reflexive intertwinement of the contents of the columns, while at the same time giving readers the opportunity to make their own value attribution of the information presented.


The problem of asymptotic stability analysis is investigated about a class of delayed neural networks with homogeneous right-hands sides. Under the assumption that the trivial solution of delay free system is asymptotically stable and the activation functions are homogeneous, it is proved that the zero solution of delayed neural network is asymptotically stable for arbitrary nonnegative delay. By constructing a Lyapunov function and employing the nature of homogenous function, a new delay-independent asymptotically stability condition of the neural network with delay is obtained. At the end of the article, an appropriate numerical example which can demonstrate the effectiveness of the main result will be given.


Our work focuses on the identification of resistance of telluric fungi to commonly used fungicidesin chemical control. We investigate the resistance of telluric fungi (Fusarium sp., Chalara sp., Sporonema sp., Stiebum sp., Didymabotrium sp., Dothichiza sp. and Sclerotopsis sp.) from cereal fields to four fungicides (Propicone, Vapcotop, Curitine V and Kazir). This study was based on direct contact of the telluric isolates with fungicides on Petri dishes. For the four tested fungicides different rates of resistance and susceptibility were observed according to the isolate and the used concentration. One of the isolates showed a high resistance to Vapcotop with 500 mg/l. Generally the statistical analysis revealed that there are no significant differences in the effect of fungicides concentrations against isolates, while significant differences are observed between isolates.


The current work builds on previous works on grafting of organosilanes on mesoporous silica supports using a supercritical CO2 anhydrous method, and it extends them by examining the capacity of supercritically prepared aminosilica hybrid products for CO2 adsorption and its separation from mixtures with other gases. The CO2 adsorption capacity under dry conditions of mesoporous silica gel and MCM-41 functionalized with a monoaminosilane was evaluated first by recording CO2 adsorption isotherms and next by performing microbalance cyclic adsorption/desorption experiments at 25 and 45 °C. CO2 adsorption and desorption rates were also studied as a function of the aminosilane loading. CO2 adsorption results were compared to similar data available in the literature, showing improved performance for the supercritically prepared products related to the CO2 adsorption efficiency and cyclic regenerability.


57 ABSTRACT A piezoelectric coupled mode turning fork using the fundamental vibration of a flexural mode coupled with the fundamental mode of torsion. The fundamental frequency of the torsional mode is adjusted by masses near the side edges of the tine tips, and the fundamental frequency of the flexural mode being adjusted by masses near the center of the tine tips which are nodes of the fundamental torsional mode.


The comments of Dr. Nalin and Dr. Cash (July 17 p. 155) raise the issue of whether the higher sodium concentration (120 mmol/1) used in early studies on oral rehydration solutions (ORS) is related to lower failure rates in severe cholera and cholera-like diarrhea. This can only be settled by a controlled clinical trial of 2 glucose-based solutions. There are several differences between the rice powder electrolyte study and the study of Cash and Nalin. They gave ORS via nasogastric tube rather than by voluntary drinking by the patients. They used tetracycline which reduces stool volume and enhances success rates. Most important the intravenous fluid in their study was continued until demonstrated positive gut balance was observed. If necessary it was restarted if gut negative balance occurred while oral therapy continued. Thus the rate of success depends on how 1 defines failure. In the study of rice powder electrolyte therapy negative gut balance associated with reappearance of signs of dehydration was an indication to restart intravenous fluid. This was termed a failure. Since diarrhea leads to malnutrition in addition to electrolyte losses it is important to address both problems together. The cereal-based ORS does this. It is cheap available in homes and higher in calorie density with no osmotic penalty. With only slight changes (i.e. deletion of salt(s) and addition of some source of protein adapted for local preferences) enhanced nutrition after diarrhea can be achieved. In this way a combined approach to the 2 main killers of children during and after diarrhea may be addressed now with materials available in every home. The need noted by Rhode and Northrup for fluid and electrolyte malnutrition and protein energy malnutrition to be managed together can be now met. A further dividend of cereals including rice is release of glucose peptides and amino acids in the upper intestine adding more effective carrier molecules for sodium transport and consequent water absorption at the appropriate site. (full text)


Seepage in the lining structure of a tunnel has become an increasingly significant issue in underground engineering, which impacts the performance and service life of the tunnel structure. This paper presents a generic multivariate probabilistic macro model for reliability assessment of seepage behaviour in tunnel segments consisting of pre-manufactured concrete lining rings. The model is characterised by multiple influencing factors including the tunnel line, rail operating direction, seepage joint location and tunnel operational time. A multivariate statistical approach, proportional hazard modelling technique, is exploited to empirically model the seepage occurrence probability along the tunnel segment length, meanwhile integrating impacts from different influencing factors on the tunnel section seepage. The most commonly used Weibull and log-normal distributions are employed in the development of the proportional hazards modelling. The methodology is illustrated with the seepage data collected from real-world subway tunnels. Seepage occurrence probability is also assessed over the critical factors.


The mean-square stability of Milstein methods for the nonlinear stochastic delay differential equations was concerned with.If the analytical solution satisfies the sufficient condition of the mean square stability,several theoretical results of Milstein methods will be obtained.If the drift term satisfies some restrictions,Milstein methods is MS-stable and Milstein methods with linear interpolation is GMS-stable.


The study was performed in a batch system in order to determine the effects of pH and temperature on growth and glycerol production kinetics of two indigenous wine yeast strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kalecik 1 and Narince 3. The highest values of dry mass and specific growth rate were obtained at pH 4.00 for both of the strains. Maximum specific glycerol production rates were obtained at pH 5.92 and 6.27 for the strains Kalecik 1 and Narince 3, respectively. Kalecik 1 strain produced maximum 8.8 gL−1 of glycerol at pH 6.46. Maximum glycerol concentration obtained by the strain Narince 3 was 9.1 gL−1 at pH 6.48. Both yeasts reached maximum specific growth rate at 30°C. Optimum temperature range for glycerol production was determined as 25-30°C for the strain Kalecik 1. The strain Narince 3 reached maximum specific glycerol production rate at 30°C. Maximum glycerol concentrations at 30°C were obtained as 8.5 and 7.6 gL−1 for Kalecik 1 and Narince 3, respectively.


Examinations occupy a strategic position in our lives and society today. In a situation where moral principles, rules and regulations for conducting examinations are truncated by either teacher or the learner, the validity and reliability of examination and certification are at risk. The nature and process of examination is something that should be looked into deeply having known the role of examination in our lives. That is essence of this paper; the way high-stakes examinations have affected various aspects of the educatıon system in the realm of teaching, learning, assessment, discipline, roles of stakeholders, teachers' beliefs, community expectations, functional role of education, educational outcomes, individual differences, psychological status of learners, educational returns, school completion etc. This paper articulated these issues in terms of using high-stakes examinations as a measure of accountability in the education system and premised on the level of faith placed on these high-stakes examinations irrespective of educational value thereof. Ssali Muhammadi Bisaso Islamic University in Uganda, Uganda & Hacettepe University, Turkey Shakira Bodio Islamic University in Uganda, Uganda Complexity Ramifications of High Stakes Examinations


It is a key question that exactitude recognition of interface between gas and oil and between oil and water in the oily construction. Because of faintness for seismic reflexion response on the interface between gas and oil and between oil and water, forbye the affections of environment noises and the restrictions of the instrument devices, it can not be recognised on usually seismic sections. In this paper, we utilize the component and display fineness functions of the wavelets, and better solving the recognition of the interface between gas and oil and between oil and water for forward model.


Wilkie and Moore (2003) render a valuable service to scholars and practitioners by tracing the pattern and influences on "thought development" in the field of marketing over the past century. However, in my view, the narrative does not give the reader sufficient insight into the personal forces that shaped the careers of the scholars who created the base of knowledge that Wilkie and Moore extensively cite. In this brief note, I describe some of the forces in Era III that have shaped my own career and, I am confident, the careers of many others who have contributed to the understanding of marketing's social role. I also briefly introduce a distinction between two kinds of leadership and take issue with a key premise of the framework that Wilkie and Moore (2003) use in their overview. I conclude with an alternative view of the broad topic and recommendations for future investigations.


Three-dimensional cell culture models have emerged as the basis of an improved model system for evaluating therapeutic agents, molecular probes, and exogenous stimuli. However, there is a gap in robust computational techniques for segmentation of these model systems that are imaged through confocal or deconvolution microscopy. The main issues are the volume of data, overlapping subcellular compartments, and variation in scale or size of subcompartments of interest. A series of geometric steps have been developed to bound the solution of the problem by first localizing centers of mass for each cell and then partitioning clumps of cells along minimal intersecting surfaces. An approximate solution to the center of mass is realized through iterative spatial voting, which is tolerant of variation in shape morphologies and overlapping compartments and is shown to have an excellent noise immunity. These approximate estimates of centers of mass are then used to partition a clump of cells along minimal intersecting surfaces that are estimated by the Radon transform. Furthermore, it is shown that radial voting can also be used at a much finer scale for localization of a certain class of proteins, where their contexts are established through nuclear segmentation at higher level. Ultimately, these localization studies contribute to detailed characterization and understanding of certain biophysical properties. Additionally, we will demonstrate the imaging bioinformatics system that has been designed in support of 3D cell culture models.


The The main objective of this research paper is to present 3-D elasticity solution for free vibration analysis of elastically supported continuously graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (CGCNTR) annular plates. The volume fractions of oriented, straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction. An equivalent continuum model based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach is employed to estimate the effective constitutive law of the elastic isotropic medium (matrix) with oriented, straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs). A semi-analytical approach composed of 2-D differential quadrature method and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motion. The novelty of the present work is to exploit Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach in order to reveal the impacts of the volume fractions of oriented CNTs and different CNTs distributions on the vibrational characteristics of CGCNTR annular plates.


Background. Retrospective studies suggest that tacrolimus-induced hypomagnesaemia is a risk factor for post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM), but prospective studies are lacking. Methods. This was a prospective study with measurements of serum magnesium and tacrolimus at pre-specified time points in the first year after living donor kidney transplantation (KT). The role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 b (HNF1 b ) was also explored because HNF1 b regulates insulin secretion and renal magnesium handling. Repeated measurement and regression analyses were used to analyse associations with PTDM. Results. our cohort, 29 out of 167 kidney transplant recipients PTDM after 1 year (17%). Higher tacrolimus concentrations were significantly associated with lower serum magnesium and increased risk of hypomagnesaemia. Patients who developed PTDM had a significantly lower serum magnesium trajectory than patients who did not develop PTDM. In multivariate analysis, lower serum magnesium, age and body independent risk factors for PTDM. In recipients, HNF1 b SNP rs752010 G > A significantly increased the risk of PTDM [odds ratio (OR) ¼ 2.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–6.23] but not of hypomagnesaemia. This association lost significance after correction for age and sex (OR ¼ 2.24, 95% CI 0.90–5.57). No association between HNF1 b SNPs and PTDM was found in corresponding donors. Conclusions. A lower serum magnesium in the first year after KT is an independent risk factor for PTDM. The HNF1 b SNP rs752010 G > A may add to this risk through an effect on insulin secretion rather than hypomagnesaemia, but its role requires further confirmation.


The invention discloses an array type FPGA traffic state prediction and control system combined with a discrete speed model. The array type FPGA traffic state prediction and control system combined with the discrete speed model is used for solving the technical problem that an existing road entrance ramp controller has poor practicability. According to the technical scheme, road traffic parameters which meet actual road information to a greater extent are adjusted in time according to actual operation conditions of a highway in different time periods; a hardware implementation platform of a traffic state prediction calculation core is accomplished by an array type FPGA structure, and a parallel processing structure of the hardware implementation platform can rapidly predict the traffic states of road segments of the highway, rapidly respond to changes of traffic flow operation parameters, and carry out rapid feedback and evaluation on the control effect of a control scheme selected by the controller; by the adoption of the control scheme selected according to the predicted road traffic state, an entrance ramp regulating rod of a regulated road segment is controlled to be opened or closed, the time allowing passage of vehicles is regulated, and feedback and evaluation are carried out through repeated prediction calculation of an array type FPGA. The array type FPGA traffic state prediction and control system can rapidly adapt to changes of highway traffic information.


Recent technological advances have unlocked vast supplies of domestic shale gas. As a result, the price of natural gas in the U.S. has plummeted. Cheap natural gas has the potential to provide cost savings for California's agricultural sector. reservoirs located in soft rock formations. While these reservoirs provided easily accessible sources of energy, vast amounts of natural gas remained locked deeper in the earth's crust in hard, shale rock formations. Over the last decade, however, there has been a revolution in the way natural gas is extracted from the earth. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has made it possible to unlock the vast shale gas resources that previously had been uneconomical to extract. Fracking involves injecting a pressurized mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into deep wells, typically drilled horizontally into shale formations. The pressurized mixture creates fissures in the rock layer, releasing oil and natural gas, which flows back up the well. Many energy industry participants have described fracking as a "game changer." The technology is making cheap energy resources available to domestic consumers. It is clear that


In this paper, by analyzing the structure and material characteristics of skid landing gear, the skid landing gear model is established by using CATIA software. In the explicit dynamic analysis type of ANSYS software, the force comparison between the impact surface of soil material and the impact surface of rigid material is made, combined with the change of momentum and energy in the process of touching the ground. This explains the necessity of landing drones on soft landing surfaces such as soil. In addition, LS-DYNA was used to simulate the dynamics of landing gear, and the strength of landing gear was analyzed according to failure criterion.


Aiming at the problems of chaotic structure and lack of visual query methods in small sample domain data, this paper proposes a fast construction framework of question answering (QA) system based on target graph. Firstly, we construct a knowledge graph by extracting entities, properties and relationships from open source datasets. Secondly, the method based on dictionary technology and Aho-Corasick (AC) automaton is used to realize fast entity recognition and question word extraction. Then a problem base is established for problem template matching. Finally, we use query statements to retrieve answers in the graph database. In the military field, experiments show that through the framework proposed in this paper, a more comprehensive target graph can be quickly constructed, on this basis, accurate QA can be realized.


Bearing in mind that there exists no universally accepted definition of the rule of law, this paper sets out to identify its commonly agreed core, and to expand it by adding substantive elements. While the core is not controversial, the second part of the rule of law framework, comprising social welfare rights, essentially aims to revisit classical accounts of the rule of law. The analysis involves the frequently ignored social dimension of the rule of law, defending the necessity of its translation into a substantive element of the definition. Some general arguments are offered explaining why social rights protection should be included in the definition of the rule of law.


Since 1975 there has been a steady deterioration in politicaldiplomatic and military-strategic relations between the East and the West. The euphoria of May 1972, when Presidents Nixon and Brezhnev signed the Statement of Principles of Detente, has long since dissipated in the West, as a result of Soviet involvement in Angola, Mozambique, and Ethiopia, the Soviet brigade in Cuba, and finally the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This pattern of interventionist behaviour has been coupled with a steady build-up in Soviet military capabilities especially in the European theatre with the Backfire bomber and the ss-20 intermediate-range ballistic missile (irbm). Western estimates suggest that up to 15 per cent of the Soviet gross national product is now allocated to defence. Indeed, the assessments of some Western analysts suggest that the West faces a 'window of vulnerability* until the mid-1980s when current military imbalances are expected to have been partially redressed.


e16547Background: It is reported that hyperfibrinogenemia is commonly seen in gastric cancer. This study aim to discuss the association between fibrinogen level and preoperative clinicopathological...


Recap: 310 teams, 12 problems, 5 hours. This analysis assumes knowledge of the problem statements (published separately on http://nerc.itmo.ru/ web site). Summary table lists problem name and stats: • author — author of the original idea • developer — developer of the problem statement and tests • acc — the number of teams that had solved the problem (gray bar denotes a fraction of the teams that solved the problem) • runs — the number of total attempts • succ — overall successful attempts rate (percent of accepted submissions to total, also shown as a bar)


Blind tests by seismic deformation method, dynamic analysis using 2D-finite element method, and dynamic one using Penzien model were performed to centrifuge test of lateral resistance of pile foundation during soil liquefaction. The test results showed that 1) the pile stresses estimated by seismic deformation method were larger than the observed ones, 2) the pile stresses estimated by 2D-finite element method and Penzien model were different from each other, because of differences between the deformation characteristics of the liquefiable soil models, 3) it was effective in improvement of analysis precision, to take into consideration fixation degree of the pile head.


A fuel failure with an axial crack starting outside the cladding and penetrating inwards was experienced by high burnup BWR fuel rods in power ramp test. On the other hand, no fuel failure caused by power ramp test has been currently reported on PWR fuel rods at burnups higher than 50 GWd/t. Extensive research programs regarding hydrogen behaviors and mechanical performances on irradiated BWR and PWR fuel claddings have been carried out to clarify the mechanism of the axial cracking and to quantify the conditions to cause fuel failure. Hydrogen solid solubility measurement on irradiated Zircaloy-2 materials showed almost comparable results to those on unirradiated ones. Hydride re-distribution and re-orientation behaviors were tested by heating irradiated BWR claddings with Zr-liner under the conditions of applied radial heat flux (temperature gradient) and circumferential stress. Mechanical performances of BWR claddings were evaluated mainly by the internal pressurizing tests. Internal pressurization tests applying various pressurizing sequences, e.g. stepwise increase in pressure with holding intervals, were also conducted to simulate crack propagation behaviors. Some specimens demonstrated characteristic fracture surfaces similar to those observed on the failed fuel rods after the power ramp. Mechanical performances of irradiated PWR claddings were tested at temperatures of 573more » to 723 K. Metallographic examination after tensile tests revealed a large number of incipient cracks within the region of cladding outer rim where a concentrated hydride layer (hydride rim) has been formed during irradiation. Crack propagation test using an expanding mandrel device demonstrated the crack propagation at 573 K but no propagation at 658 K. (authors)« less


Efficiently allocating the computational resources of many-core systems is one of the most prominent challenges, especially when resource requirements may vary unpredictably at runtime. This is even more challenging when facing unreliable cores—a scenario that becomes common as the number of cores increases and integration sizes shrink. To address this challenge, this article presents an optimal method for the allocation of the resources to software-pipelined applications. Here we show how runtime observations of the resource requirements of tasks can be used to adapt resource allocations. Furthermore, we show how the optimum can be traded for a high degree of scalability by clustering applications in a distributed, hierarchical manner. To diminish the negative effects of unreliable cores, this article shows how self-organization can effectively restore the integrity of such a hierarchy when it is corrupted by a failing core. Experiments on Intel's 48-core Single-Chip Cloud Computer and in a many-core simulator show that a significant improvement in system throughput can be achieved over the current state of the art.


This article investigates a practical formation control problem of multisatellite system, in which a group of small satellites are required to reach and maintain a desired geometric configuration under communication and measurement constraints. Toward this goal, we consider each satellite uses its local coordinate system and senses its neighboring satellites to obtain angle measurements. A formation control scheme using only the angle measurements is proposed to form the desired configuration. Moreover, the triangular and polygonal configuration cases are considered, in which the sum of interior angles of polygons being a constant is utilized to guarantee the stability of the determined final configuration. In particular, motivated by formation rigidity principles which mean that satellites' formation is seen as a multipoint framework that needs to be rigid to guarantee the uniqueness of the shape, we propose a formation determination approach to construct a rigid square configuration and prove that, compared with existing schemes, the inter-satellite relative positions and the knowledge of the communication topology are not needed for the proposed formation control law. Moreover, since the angle measurements are scalars and sensed with respect to the local coordinate system, the proposed angle-based formation control law is more robust against the misalignment on satelltes' coordinate systems. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed control laws.


Introduction. Interest in understanding and interpreting emission spectra produced by geologic materials has greatly increased during the last few years due to data return from several spectrometers mapping the Earth and the expected data from Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES). Theories of vibrational spectroscopy describe how the interaction of electromagnetic energy with molecules produces characteristic peaks in infrared spectra and explain why each mineral can be identified by a unique infrared spectrum [1, 2, and others]. Studies have also determined that infrared spectra of granular mineral mixtures are equivalent to the weighted linear combination of the individual mineral spectra [3, 4]. Since rocks are essentially "mineral mixtures," the objective of this research is to deconvolve the measured infrared emission spectra and calculate the modal abundances of a suite of igneous rocks to determine the accuracy obtainable by this technique. Error is determined by comparing the modes determined spectroscopically with those determined petrographically.


PURPOSE: A region based position recognizing method is provided to accurately recognize position while excluding ambient environment and effect of an adjacent terminal. CONSTITUTION: A mobile terminal receives a signal from fixed terminals(S210). The mobile terminal selects two fixed terminals transmitting signals showing the uppermost and the second uppermost RSSI values out of RSSI values greater than the RSSI threshold(S220). The mobile terminal compares the absolute value of difference between RSSI values of the selected two fixed terminals and a criterion for a middle region(230). If the absolute value of difference between RSSI values of the selected two fixed terminals is smaller than the criterion for a middle region, the mobile terminal estimates its own position as the middle region of the two fixed terminals(240). If the absolute value of difference between RSSI values of the selected two fixed terminals is greater than the criterion for a middle region, the mobile terminal estimates its own position as the fixed terminal transmitting the uppermost RSSI value(250). [Reference numerals] (AA) No; (BB) Yes; (S210) Sorting fixed terminals for transmitting signals with RSSI values which are more than the RSSI threshold by receiving signals from the fixed terminals; (S220) Selecting two fixed terminals which transmit signals with the uppermost and second uppermost RSSI values; (S240) Being estimated as the middle region of the two fixed terminals; (S250) Being estimated as a fixed terminal which transmits a signal with the uppermost RSSI value


Background: In Indian classical text of Ayurveda and Yoga, there has been many indication given for sthaulya. After literature review, the Apamarga tandula and yogic practices were found as medohar (anti-obesity) agents. Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the individual as well as synergistic effect of yogic practices and Apamarga Tandula Ksheer-pak in Sthaulya. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Department of Dravyaguna, Sir Sundarlal Hospital, I.M.S., B.H.U., Varanasi. 160 patients of obesity were randomized into four groups, group-I (control), group-II (yogic practices daily for 1 hour), group-III (Apamarga Tandula Ksheer-pak treatment group) and in group-IV (yogic practiced daily for 1 hour along with Apamarga Tandula Ksheer-pak treatment). All the groups were followed up for 3 months. BMI and lipid profile of the groups were compared at the end of 3 months with SPSS tool (version 16). Results: Analysis of data after treatment of 3 months in all three groups (II, III, IV) of the study showed significant decrease in weight, BMI, total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL, VLDL along with significant improvement in HDL. Conclusion: At last the trial group-IV exhibits more therapeutic efficiency over group-II and III.


Back ground: Removable partial dentures are an inexpensive mode of treatment to effectively replace teeth, but higher incidence of plaque, mobility of the teeth and caries is associated with them. Dental implants, that are long considered a standard of care in fixed prostheses, can improve the overall quality of restoration in partial denture wearers. Materials and methods: 50 partial denture wearers were studied to assess their attitude towards implant treatment. Correlation between oral hygiene status, age, gender and extent of edentulousness were also evaluated. Results: 19 out of the 40 patients were not willing for implant treatment. Significant difference (p=0.045) was seen between oral hygiene status of patients willing for implant treatment and those not willing. Conclusion: About 50% of partial denture wearers were unwilling to accept implant treatment. Within the limitations of the study it can be concluded that patient perceived higher cost of implants and less awareness about oral hygiene can be associated with unwillingness of removable partial denture wearers to opt for a implant treatment.


Statuesque imagery arising out of a compulsive need to name God has to give way to the acceptance of a moving presence that is revealed in active metaphors of performance. Father, rather than being personified in an individual, is incarnated in the process of fathering, which is the art-in-action of gathering the fragmented elements of life into patterns of relational wholeness.


Abstract Some liquid crystal materials are presented and discussed useful to improve the physical properties of a host mixture for FLC, for example, their temperature range, phase sequences, viscosity and response time.


between an obscure, seemingly insignificant missive and a highly useful piece of a puzzle that throws a revealing light on the behaviour of a complex human being in the grips of adversity and despondency. Walker and Speirs seem to have tracked down the most obscure titles and allusions referred to in the letters, thus redeeming the value of what appears to be a routine, trivial note. In a more general sense, the fruitful results of the careful and comprehensive editing in this 'thin' volume vindicate the policy of the editors to include in their massive undertaking all available material emanating from Zola's pen, a policy many a critic has been tempted to question in the past.


Japan's largest passenger railway company, JR East, has been using its integrated circuit (IC) card ticket system, Super Urban Intelligent Card (SUICA), since November 2001. Today, more than 8 million passengers are holding Suica cards. The article reviews the JR East initiative of developing and introducing magnetic card ticket system that enables users to make transfers from rail to bus without having to purchase individual tickets each time they travel.


The authors present the detector for chromatographic measurements having two sensitive elements, i.e. fiber ring lasers. Influence of water vapor results in the fall of capacity of radiation of one laser. Therefore, differential signal is generated out of two photo detectors.


In this paper, we introduce a nonsmooth generalized‐alpha method for the simulation of mechanical systems with frictional contact. In many engineering applications, such systems are composed of rigid and flexible bodies, which are interconnected by joints and can come into contact with each other or their surroundings. Prominent examples are automotive, wind turbine, and robotic systems. It is known from structural mechanics applications, that generalized‐alpha schemes perform well for flexible multibody systems without contacts. This motivated the development of nonsmooth generalized‐alpha methods for the simulation of mechanical systems with frictional contacts [2, 3, 5]. Typically, the Gear‐Gupta‐Leimkuhler approach is used to stabilize the unilateral constraint, such that numerical penetration of the contact bodies can be avoided ‐ a big issue of the most popular time‐stepping schemes such as Moreau's scheme. The nonsmooth generalized‐alpha method presented in this paper is derived in [2] and in contrast to [3,5] accounts for set‐valued Coulomb‐type friction on both velocity and acceleration level. Finally, we validate the method using a guided flexible hopper as a benchmark mechanical system.


Heretofore the concept of geothermal heat transport has followed a rigid script dating from the early 70s. It features a mechanically quasi-uniform low-porosity/lowpermeability clastic rock matrix that is either naturally or artificially riven by sundry quasi-planar megafractures supporting Poiseuille flow of in situ fluids. The origin and persistence of this fracture/flow concept is likely traceable to the visual identification of large-scale finitewidth 'joints' in basement rock outcrops. Three serious problems, however, exist for 'joint' control in situ fluid flow. First, joint expansion seen in mechanical freesurface outcrops does not obviously apply at 3-5kmdepth confining pressures. Second, attempts to identify wellbore evidence of 'active' interwell fracture-borne fluid pathways have not been conspicuously successful. Third, there is little evidence in well-log and/or well-core data for large-scale discrete mechanical fractures in an otherwise mechanically quasi-uniform rock matrix. Rather well-log and well-core evidence strongly favours a quite different physical relationship between the rock matrix, rock fractures, and in situ fluid flow. By joint prescription, wellbore microresistivity logs in an reservoir volume should record abrupt high-conductivity spikes as the resistivity sensor passes over conductivefluid-containing joints. The power-spectrum of any spike sequence is essentially flat, S(k) ~ 1/k ~ const. In conspicuous contrast, microresistivity well-log data have, in common with the vast majority of geophysical well logs for most rock types and environments, Fourier power-spectra that scale inversely with wave number, S(k) ~ 1/k, over ~ 3 decades of scale range (generally ~1/Km < k < ~1/m, ~1/Dm < k < ~1/cm for microresistivity). The systematic well-log power-law spectral scaling S(k) ~ 1/k phenomenon that negates the matrix + megafracture reservoir concept of in situ flow opens the door on a scale-independent physical concept of in situ fractures, fluid flow and heat transport. Power-law scaling phenomena occur notably in thermodynamic binarypopulation order-disorder continuous phase transitions when an 'order parameter' reaches a 'critical value'. In rock, the plausible critical-valued order parameter is grain-scale fracture density determined by the number of cementdisrupted/percolating grain-grain contact defects with in a host population of intact/non-percolating cementbonded grain-grain contacts. As tectonic finite-strain deformation continually induces grain-scale failure of cement bonds in (clastic) rock, a critical-state percolation threshold value is maintained, rock volumes become percolation-permeable on scale lengths from mm to km, and well-log geophysical properties such as sonic wave speeds, electrical resistivity, soluble chemical species density, neutron porosity, and mass density fluctuations attain the power-law scaling fluctuation power-spectra S(k) ~ 1/k observed over ~1/Km < k < ~1/cm. At the same time and by a closely related percolating grainscale-fracture mechanism, in situ clastic rock attains a well-attested ~85% correlation δφ ~ δlog(κ) recorded for spatial fluctuations in clastic reservoir well-core porosity φ and the logarithm of well-core permeability κ. The observed physical conditions on in situ fractures and fluid flow S(k) ~ 1/k and δφ ~ δlog(κ) are straightforwardly incorporated into finite-element flow simulators. Flow simulations for 2D dense-grid realisations of permeable media obeying these spatial correlation systematics suggest that flow can proceed along 'pipe-like' structures. Laminar flow heat transport in pipes has a fixed Nusselt number Nu ~ 4. For a pipe of radius r flowing water at temperature ∆T from ambient, Newton's law of convective heat transport is Qconv = h∆T, [h] = W/m /C. Fourier's law of conductive heat transport for the same system is Qcond = K/r∆T, [K] = W/m/C. As Nu ≡ Qconv/Qcond, the coefficient of heat convection h = 4K/r scales inversely with pipe radius r. Fracture-borne percolation could thus carry substantially more heat per flow mass than the large-pipe equivalents of reservoir planar-fracture flow models. Efficient heat transfer via pipe-like percolation could lead to much more compact reservoir volumes. Finite-element 3D numerical flow/transport codes like Sutra can model a range of well-to-well percolation flow heat transport schema. Based on the forgoing considerations, we compact well-to-well heat transport models to the scale of a pair or quartet of horizontal parallel wellbores of length l and offset 2a obey la ~ 10m, 100-1000 times smaller than generally conceived reservoir volumes. A pair of 1km-long parallel wellbores at ~50m offset can circulate fluid at wellbore flux ~25L/s and mean heat exchange volume percolation flow velocity ~10m/s to notionally sustain ~1MWe power production per wellbore pair.


A useful tool for achieving betterquality water for less money is jar testing, which may be used to determine rapid-mix and flocculation conditions for promoting optimum turbidity removal and minimum usage of coagulating chemicals. New jar-testing techniques are not limited to plant operation alone. Consulting engineers will find modern jar-testing techniques a useful tool in defining many key water-plant design parameters.


Attempts to put robots to practical use have been increasing, as robot becomes more human-friendly. In the human-robot interaction field, main issues are how variously the robot can express its emotion and how much the expression is socially acceptable. This paper proposes a robot's expression generation method based on the context information and combination of behavior database for emotional interactive service. Our goal is to generate synchronized multimodal expressions automatically using a few of pre-defined database and the context information inputs. Overall procedure is separated by offline task using a GUI-based editing toolkit and online task using an automatic generation method. In the offline task, behavior database is formulated corresponding to types of sentences and robot's emotional state. For automatic generation, we propose primitive database based on parameters and organizing behavior database. In the online task, using context information inputs, robot generates new expression automatically. Proposed generation method is to combine pre-defined behavior database using parameters of the primitive database and interpolation method. Finally, generated synchronized multimodal expressions are refined according to a robot's hardware.


Abstract Use of computers to formulate least-cost rations has increased greatly in recent years, and many commercial feed companies routinely use linear programming methods in establishing ingredient formulas for their concentrate mixes. Efficacy of computer-formulated concentrate mixes and cost savings realized from feeding them to lactating dairy cows were reported by Bath et al. (1). Similar results with least-cost complete dairy rations were reported by Howard et al. (6). Successful as they have been, however, least-cost rations are not the final answer. The important thing to a dairyman is not how inexpensive his feed cost is but how much profit he makes. Since feed is the largest single expense item in milk production, it has the greatest potential effect on profit. Many other factors affect profit such as labor costs, land values, taxes, building and equipment costs, and depreciation. Except for labor, however, they are fixed costs and cannot be changed much by individual dairymen. A dairyman can control feeding practices and costs to a large extent.


ships with geographers in Catalonia, the image came to me was of a spider's web. Spiders begin weaving their webs with a single thread that attaches to one point and serves as a bridge to future connections. The web gradually becomes more complex, with interconnected threads going in multiple directions. The threads are fine and delicate but the web has strengths. As I thought more about it, the notion seemed appropriate to me, hence the title for this short reflection. Though most of my relationships with Catalan geographers have involved those engaged with research and teaching about gender at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the first thread in the web was built in a conversation with Augustin Hernando of the University of Barcelona. We were participants in a symposium of the International Geographical Union Commission (IGU) on Geography and Education held in Freiburg, Germany in 1984. The symposium theme was "Perceptions of People and Places in Media." I chose to present my paper on ways in which gender, ethnicity, life stage, and class could be seen as categories for analysis in studying perceptions, rather than adopting a perspective in which implicitly the white, middle-class, middle-aged man was assumed to be the norm from which other groups such as women and children deviated. Agustin quickly responded to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia, 61-62, 2006, p. 183/187


In the face of energy crises and ecological challenges, connecting distributed power sources in the grid is an effective solution. Therefore, this paper establishes a multi-objective mathematical model for accessing distributed power sources to distribution grids with the objectives of distributed power generation cost, network loss cost, and environmental cost. And the constraints such as branch currents distributed power access capacity, and node voltage in the planning are given. Considering the shortcomings of traditional genetic algorithms in practical application, the genetic algorithm based on vector evaluation is used to solve the planning problem of distributed power supply in distribution networks. Finally, the feasibility of the method proposed in this paper is verified by the IEEE33 node arithmetic example.


Seagrass is one of the most productive ecosystems in the shallow waters and has a significant role as shelter and nurseries for marine biotas. The coastal region of Kendari has seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef ecosystems. However, this ecosystem tends to be decreasing due to coastal development activities in the coastal area. This study aims to find out the seagrass condition in Kendari from 2015 to 2021. To analyze species composition and seagrass percent coverage the transect method refers to the Guideline of seagrass monitoring was applied. The determination of seagrass conditions refers to the Decree of Indonesia's state the Minister for the Environment no. 200 of 2004. The extant benthic habitats of seagrass were analyzed using satellite imagery data. Based on the analysis of the area of benthic habitat from the year 2015 to 2021, the data obtained in shows an increase from the year 2015 to 2017, and then decrease the year 2021.There were eight species recorded in the area such as Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rutondata, Cymodocea serrulta, Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis, Halodule pinifolia, and Syringodium isoetifolium. Based on its percentage cover four sites of seagrass are classified as "poor" (15%-24%) and two sites are classified as "healthy" (67%) and "less healthy" (59,3%) respectively. Overall, the condition of seagrass in the coastal waters of Kendari is "less healthy".


This work investigated the use of ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration (MF) membranes combined with natural minerals for the pre‐treatment of wastewater containing high amounts of lead. The effects of initial lead concentration, solution pH, membrane pore size, mineral type and concentration and mineral ‐ metal contact time were investigated. Lead removal accomplished by the UF system was higher in wastewater compared to that obtained in aqueous solutions and this was attributed to the formation of insoluble metal precipitates/complexes, which were effectively retained by the membranes. At pH = 6 the dominant removal mechanism was precipitation/complexation, while mineral adsorption enhanced lead removal. The combined use of minerals and UF/MF membranes can effectively remove lead from wastewater resulting in a final effluent that can be further treated biologically with no biomass inhibition problems or can be safely discharged into municipal sewers. Kinetics investigation revealed a two‐stage diffusion process for all minerals employed. The Langmuir isotherm exhibited the best fit to the experimental data.


In a last few years with the development of information technology, the term Internet of Things (IoT) plays a vital role in our daily life by doing the things smartly with smart devices. It is like how we are controlling our home appliances with smartphone to tracking our daily activities with smart watches. Internet of Thing is referred as various objects that are capable to connect network and proficient in computing. These devices can communicate with other devices, produce and consume the data with minimum human involvement. With the exponential increase in the number of IoT devices in the recent years, results more data generated that impact the performance of IoT devices with traditional IoT model in terms of latency, bandwidth, energy consumption and security issues. In tradition IoT model, data collected from various IoT devices required to be uploaded to cloud server (centralized servers) and after processing, the results are sent back to the corresponding IoT devices to execute their task. To fulfill the customer necessities and improve the performance of IoT devices we need to move new technology. Bringing edge computing into the Internet of Things (IoT) architecture is a possible solution which allows data processing and data storage closer to the devices or sensors that collects the raw data that results low latency and low bandwidth. In this paper, we will discuss how edge computing will improves the IoT network performance. In addition we discuss the challenges we faced with edge computing based IoT devices.


The uniform distribution has long been used to provide examples where standard frequentist inference procedures are not applicable. In this expository paper we elaborate on these examples which can be used in teaching a variety of topics in the foundations of statistical inference. The paper by Wittinghill and Hogg (2001) discussed this subject from a frequentist viewpoint. Generalizations discussed here include two examples due to Basu (Ghosh (1988)) which greatly expand the instructional value.


Singapore was the first country to approve cultured meat for public consumption. However, it remains unclear whether Muslims, who adhere to religious dietary restrictions and constitute a significant proportion of Singapore's population, are willing to consume cultured meat. Informed by the cognitive miser model, this study explores how Muslims make sense of cultured meat through their religious beliefs, trust in different stakeholders, as well as their risk or benefit perceptions of cultured meat. The findings from online focus group discussions showed that Muslim participants would only consider consuming cultured meat if it is certified halal (i.e., compliant with Islamic laws) and they also voiced religious concerns about cultured meat. Muslims have strong trust in food regulatory authorities in providing information about the safety and halal status of cultured meat. In addition to religious concerns, Muslims had similar risk and benefit perceptions of cultured meat compared to those of the non-Muslims. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.


Employing a laser based time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer system, ion dip spectra for phenol (Ph), Ph(H2O)1, Ph(H2O)3, and Ph(H2O)4 were obtained in the range of 500–1300 cm−1 from a variety of initially pumped states. Dramatic enhancement of the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the cluster ion dip spectra relative to that of the bare phenol is attributable to the increase in the excited state singlet lifetime of the hydrated phenol chromophore. Several dips in the Ph(H2O)1 spectrum exceed the ''saturation'' limit of 50%, indicating that significant relaxation of the downpumped ground state is occurring via low frequency vibrational modes of the H2O solvent ''bath.'' Excitation of the hydrogen bond stretch (σ 10=156 cm−1 ) in the S1 state of the Ph(H2O)1 cluster reveals that the ground state (S0) hydrogen bond stretch, σ 01, is 151(±1) cm−1, a mode which appears to be built off of phenol fundamental and combination bands. A second intermolecular band is also evident at 141(±2) cm−1. There is no evidence of an anal...


Jilake Reservoir TII in Tarim Basin, China, is characterized in high clay content, great water sensitivity, small difference between formation pressure and dew point pressure, severe retrograde condensation pollution, water output of gas reservoir and serious water blocking at the low-permeability position of the reservoir, imposing restrictions on the productivity of oil & gas wells. Sensitivity experiments showed that Jilake Reservoir TII was strongly sensitive to water, weakly sensitive to alkali and weakly sensitive to stress. Dynamic core displacement results showed that conventional water-based drilling fluid causes 40% permeability damage. SEM imaging indicated illite/smectite on the rock surface swelled and blocked the primary pore after encountering the drilling fluid. Besides, conventional water-based fracturing fluid caused 70%-90% damage to the permeability, and the SEM results also showed clay minerals swelling after absorbing water from the fracturing fluid. Experiments also showed that that the damage of retrograde condensation was also serious and 15% condensate oil reduced the gas permeability by 30%-60%. Moreover, water blocking damage also occurred to Jilake Reservoir TII, and the damage extent of gas permeability was a function of water saturation. However, the damage can be remitted by adding clay stabilizer and reverse wetting agent into the operating fluid. The laboratory tests indicated that the anti-swelling rate of the clay stabilizer reached 143.8%; the addition of the reverse wetting agent resulted in permeability increase by 3 times for formation water and 1.76 times for condensate oil.


Despite the Lewis acidic character of MoCl 5 it can be employed for the selective oxidative coupling reaction of alkylated anisole derivatives without transalkylation or de-rert-butylation of the substrates. The spatial demand close to the donor function seems to be beneficial.